And we're back with another installment. I seem to be having this habit of writing in the dead of night and staying up until the sun is up. But I got this done in like 12 hours. Not sure how I entirely feel about it, as I did not plan the way this chapter ended at all. I completely intended on going a different direction, but things just happened. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it, and we'll probably see another big part of what's going on in another few chapters.

Chapter 11

It rained most of the day Saturday. On top of that, Nico was running late. But that only gave Percy more time to sit with his laptop and browse everything witchcraft related online. Most of it was useless, given what Nico had told him, unless Nico had lied. It was possible, but he wanted to believe Nico was being sincere with him.

That being said, most what Percy found was exactly what Nico disliked. The majority of it called witches the servants of the devil, or had made some contract with him. There was a lot on Salem, but he did not trust any of that. From those dreams he kept having, it did not seem like the knowledge of history was as accurate as people wanted to believe. But there was one potential article that Percy ended up stumbling across.

There was a coven, one that practiced only an hour away from Aimes. For the past five minutes, Percy had just sat there and stared at a number that was on the website. He had never really understood what Nico had meant by "practicing" and "magical" witches. Well, there was the obvious answer for the magical side, but how was that any different than practicing?

Picking up his phone, Percy decided to take a chance.

There were a few missed calls and a single text message. The text was from Nico, letting the green-eyed boy know that he was finally on his way. He had yet to tell Percy what was holding him up. Two of the calls were from his aunt, which he'd have to call back at some point or she'd probably end up calling the army to check on him. And the rest were from Alabaster, who was, judging by the voice mail that was left on Percy's phone, sad that he hadn't heard from Percy in a few weeks. Which was true, Percy had not spoken to his ex all month, but Percy had just been busy.

In truth, Percy had not been able to think much about Alabaster, especially not these past two days.

Percy needed to ask Nico about that. To Percy, it seemed like a lot of the kids in the families clouded Percy's mind when he spoke to them. Or with Nico, possibly because of the dreams, Percy ended up thinking about him a lot. Now that he knew they were magic, the pull that he felt towards Nico made him all the more curious.

Clearing his head of that for the moment, Percy raised the phone to his ear after dialing the number he had found from the website. It took a few rings, and Percy was beginning to feel like no one was going to answer, but eventually the phone was picked up.

"Hello?" Came a woman's voice.

"Um, yes." Percy tilted back the screen on his laptop to look at the website again. "I stumbled across your website, and I saw that you had a coven not far from where I am. And, well, I am sort of, um, doing a..." Percy thought for a moment, his eyes darting off to the side. "A study...on witchcraft and Wicca. And, well, I was wondering if you'd mind if I came and observed. I'm very curious to learn more about the subject."

"Oh," came the woman's cheerful voice. "Well, I must say, we don't get a request like that everyday. But, my son, I can assure you that we try not to turn anyone away that seeks the path of enlightenment." She cleared her throat and Percy heard some papers being shuffled around. "In fact, we were planning on meeting tonight."

"In the rain?" Percy frowned and looked out his window. It was still pouring down.

The woman gave a chuckle. "Oh, that won't stop us. Rain is part of nature, and we are one with the elements."

"Okay," Percy said hesitantly. He was considering bringing an umbrella. He let out a sigh, slapping a hand over his face. He had not packed one. "Okay, I'll be there. What time?"

"Well, we usually meet around seven or eight, but one of our members is returning from a trip and will be a little a late." She paused for a moment, and Percy could hear her nails tapping against a wooden surface. "Let's make it night."

"Sounds good." Percy let out a breath. "I'll see you then."

Hanging up the phone, Percy groaned. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Nico about this little plan of his just yet. To be honest, Percy just wanted to try and learn without burdening Nico and the others with so many questions. This did not seem like an easy topic that any of them could have over coffee or a meal. They might not even be able to cover it all in a day or week.

Percy let out a curse. Where was he going to get an umbrella? There were a few stores around the downtown area that he could check out, but he had yet to see any shopping centers. Pulling his feet up onto the couch, Percy leans back with his computer in his lap. Turning some music on, Percy leans his head back and closes his eyes.

It was not long before there was a knock at the door. Percy groaned, not wanting to get up, but knowing he had to. Setting his computer aside, Percy strolled over to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open to find Nico standing there. Like last night, a black sports car was parked next to Percy's car. More than likely, it belonged to Nico. And if that were true, Percy wanted to ask if he could drive it. Unfortunately, Nico spoke first.

"Put a shirt on."

Percy glanced down at his torso with a frown. "Hello to you, too." He sighed and closed the door once Nico was inside. "Be glad I didn't just wake up, I might have been naked," he said with a cheeky grin.

Nico arched a brow at him, his eyes roaming across Percy's exposed flesh. "You sleep naked?" The boy asked curiously.

Heading back to his room, Percy retrieved a shirt and slipped it on. "No," Percy chuckled, "but I do sleep in my underwear." Nico gave a nod. "So, what was the problem."

"Oh." Nico let out a sigh before removing his shoes and moving to sit down on Percy's couch. "Um, it was nothing, just another disturbance at the cemetery." The boy leaned back, running his hand through his hair. "Just someone trying to break into the crypt."

Percy nodded and closed his laptop before putting it aside and sitting down next to Nico. Casually, he placed his arm on the back of the couch, right behind Nico. The other boy did notice, narrowing his eyes at Percy, but did not move. "Some kids trying to vandalize the place? What's even in that old thing?"

The brown-eyed boy shook his head. "Nothing important." The two stared at each other. Perhaps Percy was over-analyzing things, but he wasn't so sure Nico was being honest with him. "Just some old books, and things like that. Nothing that would be of value to anyone else in this town."

Okay that was the truth. Percy smiled and nodded. "Um, so, I have a question?"

"Shoot."

"Where would one purchase things not food related." Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Like, what if I wanted to buy a movie, a video game, or clothes? Ah, I mean besides the locally owned clothing stores."

Nico snorted. "Good luck with clothing. You'll have to make a trip out of town for something like American Eagle." Nico let out a sigh. "We do have a Wal-Mart, but it's not a Supercenter, and it's not open all day."

"Wait, hold on." Percy held his hands up in the universal timeout motion. "There's a Wal-Mart here? Why have I never seen it before?"

Nico bit back a smile. "Not surprised." He sighed and slid away from Percy, putting his back to the arm of the couch. "First thing you need to know about this town: Everything is on one side of town, except Wal-Mart. Seriously, everything is on this side of town, with the exception of Wal-Mart." He chuckled at the odd look on Percy's face. "Strange, I know, but there was nowhere to build it except right outside of town. Athena had the place contracted, which, oddly enough, was not objected to by the town."

"Athena?"

"Annabeth's mother," Nico mumbled. He pulled his knees up to his chest. "She's a brilliant woman, but she can talk your ear off about anything science or architect related."

Percy's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure what I find harder to believe: the fact that you guys can do magic, or that there is a Wal-Mart here that I had no idea existed."

"Okay," Nico began, motioning with his hands. "It's not that big of a deal. Like, if you're not going to Wal-Mart, you wouldn't go to that side of town. I'm not surprised you didn't know about it."

"But it's such a small town," Percy groaned.

"More spread out than anything else." Nico gave a casual shrug. "Not as compact as a city, like you are used to. Everything is spread out, save for the area downtown." He stuck his tongue out at the irritated look on Percy's face. "Suck it up, pretty boy."

That put a smile on Percy's face. "You want to go with me?"

And that put a frown on Nico's face. The boy pursed his lips and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea, not after they found that pastor murdered. Everyone is trying to keep a low profile right now, at least until Monday."

Percy inched closer. "You could keep a low profile over here."

"I am here," Nico mumbled.

"I mean tomorrow."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "We'll see how your cards play out today, then we'll talk." Percy smiled and moved closer, but Nico slipped away before he could get too close. Clearing his throat, Nico stood a few feet away from the couch. "So, I can just wait here until you come back."

"Or," Percy began, standing to his feet, "you could come with me. I don't even know where the place is." Nico opened his mouth, and Percy already knew that he was going to suggest giving Percy directions. But before he could, Percy grabbed his keys and grabbed Nico's wrist. "Come on, grumpy."

Nico grumbled as he struggled against Percy. "I don't even have my shoes!"

Percy rolled his eyes and let go, bending over to put his own shoes on. "Come on, it won't be that bad. I could use the company."

The other boy pressed his lips together, crossing his arms over his chest. Percy smiled again and Nico looked away, glaring at a spot on the wall. Percy grinned wider, knowing he was wearing the boy down. For overkill, Percy stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

"Fine!" Nico sighed in defeat, throwing up his arms. "Just make it quick."

They ended up taking Nico's car, which Percy definitely did no object to. The only sad part was when Nico glared at him for even asking to drive. But it was such a beautiful car! The rain was still coming down fairly rough, though. When they had left his apartment, Percy wondered how they were going to stay dry long enough to get dry, but Nico had told him not to worry.

Strolling out casually, Nico strolled down the stairs with his hands in his pockets. And, to Percy's amazement, he stayed completely dry. Slowly, Percy followed after him. The rain hit him, but it was like it simply bounced off of his clothes and hair. He blinked, holding out a hand. The rain hit his palm and slid off the side, falling down the pavement.

"Wow," Percy breathed out once they were on the road. "I thought you couldn't control the weather?"

"Um." Nico frowned, not taking his eyes off the road. "I can't to the extent of those in Jason's family, but I can make it rain in particular areas and manage to stay dry during rainy weather."

"Condensed areas?"

Nico grinned. "Want me to show you?"

Percy's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Nope, I think I'm good."

The other boy chuckled. "Good. Basically, I can make it rain in a targeted area, probably no bigger than the size of my house. Like, it would rain on my house, but nowhere around it."

"That's so cool," Percy whispered.

"Eh, you get used to it. Or, in some cases, wish you didn't have them."

"Why would anyone wish that?"

Nico let out a sigh. "It's never a choice, and some people can feel trapped by it. Almost like a curse." His dark eyes cut over to where Percy sat. "Some have killed themselves, rather than live with their magic." Percy frowned at that. "It's complicated, and involves a lot more than I'm willing to talk about right now. Our families are very old, and...well, let's just say that not everyone out there likes our families."

"You mean besides the town?" Percy quirked a brow.

"Yes. I mean people that have magic." Nico took a sharp turn, running a light as it was about to turn red. "Some don't like it because we might just be some of the most powerful families amongst witches and warlocks." Nico pursed his lips. "Some people didn't like their children marrying into our families, and some...didn't like what we did to them years back." The boy cringed and then shivered. "And, well, we're cursed."

That didn't really make sense. "Um, but I thought you said you guys were powerful?"

"We...are." Nico chewed on his lip. "I...don't think we should talk about this. There was an issue, a very long time ago...between two people in my family. It's a very sore subject."

Nico didn't have to tell him, Percy believed he already knew what Nico was talking about. Circe and Tartarus. But that didn't explain what happened. Those parts of the dreams were still confusing to him, but Percy didn't have a dream last night. He was partially wondering if getting rid of the ghost actually did get rid of his dreams as well.

"There are other families out there with magic," Nico continued. "Here in North America, back in Europe. Asia, Africa, everywhere on Earth that has a population of people has witches and warlocks inhabiting it. Sure there are towns and probably even cities around the world that don't, though, because we aren't as...large a number as mortals." Nico made another turn, this one taking them to the edge of town. "But our families here like to keep the bloodlines pure with magical blood."

"What, like not having sex with a 'mortal'?"

Nico smirked. "No, sex is fine." Percy did not like the way Nico had said that. Had Nico had sex with someone before? "What I mean is that we do not mate with mortals. It's nothing against them, but our families like to keep magic in our families."

"So...if a kid was born of a witch, or wizard in a guy's case, and a mortal?"

Nico sped up since there wasn't really any traffic ahead of them. "That's fine." The boy shrugged. "That sort of goes into genetics. A halfbreed has a chance of being mortal or being born with magic, but if they do inherit magic, they will only pass on their genetic marker that contains magic."

Percy's head began to hurt again. He had the feeling this was going to become a common thing whenever he talked to Nico about magic. "Wait, so you're like an X-men?"

The other boy quirked a brow. "Are you asking me if we're mutants?" Nico asked. Percy gave a nod. "No. Look, I don't know how to really explain this." Nico slowed down, taking one of his hands off the wheel to use as he spoke. "It's not something you can identify by looking at someone's genes. A scientist wouldn't be able to find it. It's invisible, for all intents and purposes. It's just something you are born with, something untraceable. No one knows where magic even came from. We just know that it isn't evil. Magic is what the wielder makes it to be."

The green-eyed boy was now rubbing his head. "So, let me get this straight. If a male mortal and a female witch-"

"Only females can be witches," Nico mumbled.

Percy let out a groan, massaging his head further. "But, like, if the two of them have a child, and that child contains magic. And then if that child has a child with a witch or warlock, the child is...guaranteed to have magic?"

Nico gave a slow nod, with a slow and drawn out, "Yes."

Percy let out another groan, letting his head fall back against the car seat. Nico parked the car and turned it off, turning to Percy with a sigh. Arching a brow, Nico motioned to the store to his left.

It wasn't really that big, much smaller than most that Percy was used to seeing. They highway that they took to get here from town was to Percy's right, and there wasn't much else surrounding the area. The parking lot was bigger than the grocery store that Percy was used to going to, but not by much. There were a few cars parked around them, but the rain seemed to be keeping most people indoors.

Perhaps that was a good thing. Then Nico wouldn't have to be as uncomfortable.

Percy slowly opened his door. Nico just sat there. "So," Percy began, "I don't suppose we get to stay dry this time, do we?"

Nico shook his head. "I, um-" He finally looked over at Percy. "Sorry, no. But I can dry us off when we get back in the car, if that helps."

The green-eyed boy smiled. "Come on, it won't be that bad."

Nico let out a sigh, but followed Percy as the older boy jogged towards the store. Once inside, the two were met by the cold air conditioning that most Wal-Marts had. His teeth chattering, Percy wrapped his arms around himself. It was so cold in here, compared to outside. Nico was shivering, but the boy did not seem to mind the cold as much as Percy did.

The old lady at the front of the story smiled at them with a, "Welcome to Wal-Mart." She offered them a shopping cart, but Percy shook his head. She continued to smile. "Nice to see you again, Nico."

The boy smiled and gave a little wave. "Thanks. Nice to see you."

When they were far enough in the store, Percy turned to Nico. "She didn't seem as bothered by you," he whispered.

"Mrs. Edna?" Nico looked over his shoulder. "She's a sweet woman. Her eyesight is going a little, so is her hearing." He bit on his lip as he stared at the woman. Something dark swirled around in Nico's eyes, like a snake slithering on the ground. "She's very old, probably won't live but another two years."

"You can tell?"

Nico pointed at his face with a dull look. "Death family, remember?" The boy whispered. Nico frowned up at the taller boy. "What are we here for?"

"Oh." Percy chuckled a little. "An umbrella."

Nico arched a brow. "Funny that you have to get one today."

"I know, right?" Percy grinned and slipped his hands into his pocket. "But what about the old lady?"

"Oh." Nico pursed his lips before looking up. "She lives outside of town. Very sweet woman, she even was nice enough to bring us food after we buried my mother." He cleared his throat. "Not everyone is so cruel around here." Rubbing his arm and looking around, Nico pointed ahead of them. "Can we just get the umbrella?"

"You okay?"

Nico frowned and looked down at his feet. "Just don't like being out in public," he mumbled.

Percy blinked. There were people staring at them, some giving Nico dirty looks. Percy frowned when he noticed some of those looks, urging the boy forward with his hand. "You seem relatively fine at school."

"School is different," Nico muttered, still not looking up. The boy rubbed his arm again, trying to draw in on himself. "Everyone is in a hurry to get places at school, and they don't really say much due to the fear of getting in trouble. But out here is different, the cops don't care that much about us."

"You don't...own them?"

Nico gave him a curious look. "No." He furrowed his brow and returned his gaze to his feet. "Businesses are one thing, but we don't really desire to own the police around here. That would just be wrong."

Every step they took, Nico got dirty looks from the people in the store. And with every step, Nico drew more in on himself. As they passed a small glass display around the electronics, the glass wobbled. Percy stopped and arched a brow, but Nico yanked on his sleeve to keep him moving.

"Can we just hurry up?" Nico whispered.

Percy leaned in towards the pale boy. "Are you okay?"

"Being out in the open and public spaces make me nervous. Everyone stares at me like I'm some freak."

"Okay," Percy said softly, nodding his head. "Okay, just...where are the umbrellas?"

Nico pointed to an aisle a few feet ahead of them. Smiling, Percy grabbed Nico's arm and took the boy down the deserted aisle. Nico relaxed a little, but stood close by Percy. Not that Percy minded, quite the opposite in fact.

Percy scrunched his lips as he glanced through the small collection of umbrellas that they had here. Normally, he would have just picked the blue one straight away, but Percy wanted to try and cheer Nico up a little.

"What about this one?" Percy asked, picking up one that had caught his eye.

Nico gave him a funny look. "It's pink with ponies on it."

Percy's green eyes grew wide as he gave Nico a pout. "But...it's cool."

"Oh my god, are you five?" The pale boy shook his head. "You're a dork."

"This one then?" Percy picked up another one, this one with Thomas the Tank Engine on it. He looked at Nico hopefully.

The boy sighed. "This is why your chances of dating me are abysmal. I don't date children."

Percy stumbled back, holding his hand over his chest like he was wounded. "Ouch, so harsh." He smiled and picked up a simple blue one. "Ready?"

"More than you know," Nico sighed.

Percy tossed the umbrella in his hand as they walked, catching it with ease. Nico's eyes followed the umbrella as it went up and down, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Percy smiled to himself. "So, how about we go back to my place and watch a movie?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "If it's another movie about witches-"

"I'll let you pick it out," Percy offered.

Nico eyed him for a moment before responding. "I suppose I could-"

Percy blinked and turned to look over at Nico, who had an uncomfortable expression plastered across his face. Frowning, Percy turned around to find a woman ushering her two kids to get behind her. When she noticed Nico staring at her, she grabbed the cross that hung around her neck. "Stay back from me and my children, devil."

"I'm not even doing anything," Nico said softly.

Percy used his arm as a shield to push Nico back a little. "Is there a problem here, ma'am? We were literally not even bothering you."

The woman glared hatefully at Nico. "I don't need his kind corrupting my children, like he's already obviously corrupted you." She pointed her finger at Nico. "The devil has sent his servants to destroy this town."

Percy shook his head in frustration. "Yeah, because you're not doing that well enough on your own. Maybe you should all move on and join the rest of the world in the modern era." Nico yanked on his sleeve, but Percy just brushed him off.

"How can you not see their evil? They have murdered two pastors already. Isn't it obvious that they are trying to silence God's word from reaching our ears."

"Percy," Nico whispered behind him, but Percy continued to ignore the boy.

"Look, I might be new around here," Percy began, "but I'm not blind enough to see that you treat people like Nico here horribly." The green-eyed boy glared at the woman. "To me, you're the devils."

"Why I ne-"

Percy and the woman looked up when the lights above them flickered. Percy quickly looked behind him to find Nico with his eyes closed, shaking furiously. "Please," Nico whispered, "we need to go."

Percy nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat and taking the boy's hand. As fast as he could, Percy paid for his umbrella and led Nico to the boy's car. Once outside, though, Nico jerked his arm away and opened his eyes.

"Nico," Percy called out.

Nico stopped, the rain matting his hair against his face. "I told, I don't like being out in public like this." He glanced around, lowering his voice. "My magic...my magic is tied to my emotions. When I get upset, things like that happen if I don't control myself."

Percy shook his head. "It was just a flickering light, it wasn't that big of a deal."

The boy furiously shook head. "No, you don't get it. My mind kept racing about her dying." His dark eyes looked up at Percy, the blacks of his eyes threatening to swallow the dark brown irises. "When witches and warlocks wish for things hard enough, it actually happens, Percy. We are very dangerous at young ages, until we learn how to control these thoughts." He shook his head again and moved closer to his car. "And, even then, it's a constant struggle for all of us to keep things like that from happening. If we don't, we'll expose magic, and that can't happen."

Percy just stood there, soaking wet. Even though he had just purchased an umbrella, the green-eyed boy let himself get soaked. "Nico," he said softly. The boy just tried to open his door, but seemed to be having trouble getting his keys out. "Nico."

"I need to go home," Nico whispered.

Percy grabbed his shoulders and turned the boy around. "It's okay." The boy blinked up at him. He looked so beautiful in the rain, or so Percy thought. "I don't want you to go yet."

Averting his gaze from Percy, Nico stared off at some shopping carts. "I should really get home." The boy shuddered when Percy reached up to brush some of his wet hair away. His dark eyes returned to Percy's face, searching around, though Percy was not sure what Nico was looking for. "Do you...want to come back to my place for dinner?"

Percy smiled. He was supposed to have dinner at Nico's house, so it wouldn't hurt to get it over with. "Sure, if your dad doesn't mind."

Nico cleared his throat, giving a small push against Percy's chest. He pulled out his phone as he opened the door. Percy smiled and jogged around the other side. He blinked as he sat down. It was like the car was magic itself, because Percy became completely dry the second he got into the car. Nico was dry as well, though he did not seem as interested in this new development as Percy was.

"Hi, Dad," Nico said, his phone to his ear. He glanced over at Percy before looking at the steering wheel and running his finger along the top of it. "So, um, you know how Persephone asked if it was okay if the new kid in town came over and had dinner with us?" He pursed his lips, and Percy could hear a deep voice on the other end of the phone, though he was unable to make anything out. "Yes, I know Demeter has been nagging you about feeding him. No." Nico narrowed his eyes. "Luke needs to shut up, and you don't need to listen to Aphrodite."

Percy smiled as he watched the boy talk on the phone. He wasn't sure if he was still what they were talking about, but it kind of seemed like it. His smile grew when a faint blush appeared on Nico's cheeks. The boy's fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

"No, this not something you need to mistrust me with." His face grew even more red as he talked. There was a brief pause and then, "Dad!" Percy could now hear a female voice on the phone. "We're not discussing this right now, Persephone." Nico's eyes drifted over to where Percy. "Yes, he is." The boy covered his face. "I'll see you when I get home."

With a sigh, Nico hung up the phone and dropped it into his lap. Percy just smiled. "So, do I get to come over tonight?"

"Yeah," Nico mumbled, "but only for dinner." He chewed on his lip as he stared out the window. "It's best if you don't stay too late."


Nico's house was amazing, to put it lightly. The obsidian road that was their driveway was illuminated by lampposts, a small fire burning in each one. The yard was massive. There was a swing set near a giant magnolia tree. Most of the area around the driveway was covered by rows and rows of flowers, which Nico said was Persephone's work. There were a lot more trees in the yard then there were at Luke or Silena's houses.

And then there was the house itself. Luke was right, Nico had the bigger house. To start things off, it had a third floor and was much wider than Luke or Silena's houses. The stonework had an older texture to it, but still looked like it had been built not too long ago. The stone was dark, not much lighter than the driveway. The grey columns that lined the outside of the house had been placed in absolutely symmetrical positions, so that they were completely even with each other. The driveway ended up circling a large fountain that was directly proportional to the massive door at the front of the house.

The entire second floor had a balcony that wrapped around the entire house, and even came with two antique-looking swings. Off to the side was a greenhouse that attached to the house. Beautiful green hedges had been placed on the side of the house that didn't have the greenhouse. The third floor had a massive circular window at the very center, which Nico said had a cushioned bench to sit on and stare outside. Two lanterns were perched on either side of the doors of the house. They were huge, double doors that looked like the had come straight out of a castle. In the very center of each was a gargoyle head with a doorknocker in its mouth.

Nico parked his car in a small garage off to the side of the manor. When he turned the car off, Nico turned to Percy. "Get the umbrella out." Percy just blinked at him. "If we show up dry without it, my dad will start questioning things."

"Right." Quickly, Percy pulled the umbrella out of the plastic pouch that it had come in. Smiling, he stepped out of the car and opened it. Nico stuck close to him, which Percy did not mind at all, and closed the garage door that housed his car behind him.

In total, there were six garage doors, each separated by a wall. He asked Nico, and the boy listed off each garage door in order from left to right. His father, Persephone, Nico, Medea, Bianca, and then Hazel. Hazel was about to turn sixteen soon, so Nico's father went ahead and purchased her a car. It did not really dawn on Percy until now that Hazel lived with Nico.

"What happened to Hazel's parents?"

Nico just shook his head. "Let's not talk about it right now," he whispered. As they got near the steps to the porch, Nico stopped them. He took a step away from Percy, but kept close enough to stay under the umbrella. "Before we go in, there is some things you need to know."

"Okay?"

Nico popped his lips. "Okay, first, don't ask to go down to the basement. You don't want to go down there." The brown-eyed boy held up his hand. "Don't ask. Also, try to stay close to me as much as you can, or just someone in the family." Percy opened his mouth and Nico stopped him again. "Again, don't ask. "Lastly, don't bring up the fact that you know about us in the house, not even when you think we're alone."

The way Nico said that last part did not make Percy feel comfortable. But Percy didn't have a chance to question anything, as Nico opened the front door. It was very silent, and the door creaked as it opened, like straight out of a horror movie. Percy gulped as he followed Nico inside. Nico grinned wickedly as he shut the door behind Percy and locked the door.

The lighting was dim inside, and Percy could hear the faint crackle of a fireplace. But the scary part? He had seen the entryway of the house before. Right in front of him was the very same stairs that Tartarus had stood at during the celebration of his ascension to Head of House. It looked untouched, straight out of Percy's dream. The railing of the staircase was polished as it led up the stairs. The house felt very old, though it did not exactly look it.

But the strangest part was that Percy got this weird feeling that he was being watched the second he entered the house.

A loud bark nearly startled Percy. Nico took a step back, which Percy found odd. In response, Nico just smiled creepily up at him. Percy opened his mouth to ask what was going on when the massive black dog that had jumped out of the tree came bounding at him. He yelped as the giant dog leaped at him, sending Percy onto his back.

Nico chuckled as Cerberus licked Percy's face, his massive tail wagging. Nico patted Cerberus on the back. "Good, dog." Percy glared at the brown-eyed boy as the dog pulled back to bark in his face. A massive weight was put on his chest when the dog put his two front paws on Percy's chest.

"Help me," Percy wheezed.

Nico just chuckled and ruffled the dog's head. "Okay, boy, get off him." The dog barked, but pulled back and jumped on Nico, who was crouched down. Nico kissed the side of the dog's face. "He's harmless."

Percy attempted to wipe the slobber off his face. "Yeah," he mumbled, "looks real harmless." He just blew out a breath and sat up. The dog was even bigger up close. "He's huge! I've never even seen a dog like him."

"He's a rare breed," came a low, dark voice. Percy paled a little. He had heard that voice before. Gulping, Percy looked up to find the cold, dark eyes of the man he had met in the graveyard. Nico's father.

Seeing the pale look on Percy's face, Nico shook his head. He helped the green-eyed boy to his feet. "Dad, this is Percy."

"We've met," the man mumbled. He was only slightly terrifying. He had a lot of Nico's features: pale skin, black hair, and a pair of dark eyes. Though, the man's hair was curly, whereas Nico had relatively straight hair. The man held out a cold hand for Percy to shake. "Hades di Angelo."

Percy gulped. The man's hand was like an iron maiden: cold and deathly tight. He also wore a skull ring similar to the one on Nico's hand. Two rubies shimmered ever so enticingly in the low lighting. The man was dressed in a striped suit, and carried a black cane with a silver skull at the top of it. And just like Percy remembered him, Hades looked very youthful. Percy didn't know his age, but the man looked to be in his late twenties.

Someone clapped their hands behind Percy, and he was relieved when he heard Persephone's harmonic voice. "There you are!" She said happily. She walked over and leaned against Hades, placing her hand against his chest. In comparison, she looked even younger than her husband did. She looked close to Apollo's age. "We're so happy to be having you over for dinner, aren't we dear?"

Hades grumbled. He straightened a curl by pushing it off to the side of his face. "Is dinner almost ready?"

"Almost." Persephone smiled again, and it was like the sun entered the dimly lit room. "Mother's finishing up with the chicken cordon bleu, and then I think everything will be done." Another grunt from her husband made the woman roll her eyes. She smiled at Nico and ran the back of her knuckles down his cheek. "Why don't you show Percy around a little, and then we'll call you down for dinner."

"Yeah," Nico muttered, but was busy staring at his father. The two seemed to be having a staring match, though Hades had the more intimidating stare, in Percy's opinion. Finally, Nico sighed and grabbed Percy's wrist.

They went up to the third floor, where Nico let Percy sit at the giant window. Percy probably resembled a dog with how excited he looked as he leaned against the glass. "Wow," he breathed out.

"It's just a window," Nico mumbled, sitting down next to Percy.

Percy frowned and looked over his shoulder. "Are there any bedrooms up here?"

Nico shook his head. "No. Why?"

"Just...wondering." He scrunched his lips before turning around to sit down on the cushioned bench. "I just get this strange feeling that we're being watched."

Nico slowly nodded. He didn't say anything, but held his fingers up to his lips with a look that told Percy that they'd talk about it later. Percy nodded back. They both turned when there were footsteps coming up from the stairway. Nico frowned when two heads came jogging up.

Hazel beamed at them. "Percy! It's so awesome that you came over for dinner."

Percy smiled as the girl sat down between the two boys. "Yeah, your house is awesome."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Hazel," she whispered, "maybe they want to be alone."

Nico smacked his face. Hazel just blinked and looked between the two. Percy chuckled a little, which earned him a glare from the brown-eyed boy. "How many times do I have to tell you people that we are just friends?" Nico growled.

Smiling, Percy slung his arm around Nico's shoulders. "For now."

Hazel grinned and jumped up. She placed both of her hands on Nico's cheeks with a completely serious look on her face. "I think you two would be adorable together."

"Please, just kill me now." Nico smacked her hands away. "I swear, you're all acting like children today." Hazel just laughed and stuck out her tongue. "Please, stay. I might need a witness if I have to kill him."

Bianca shook her head. "What are you guys doing anyways?"

"Just showing him the top floor," Nico mumbled.

Bianca chuckled. "Good, because it's the only exciting floor."

Percy arched his brow, scooting to the edge of his seat. "Why do you say that? This house is massive."

Hazel let out a sigh, wrapping her hair around her finger. "And still not much to do. The top floor has most of your entertainment needs." Taking a few steps back, the girl opened one of the doors. Percy could spot a massive TV and a few theater chairs inside. "Here's where we watch movies." She pointed to the next door. "There's the gaming room, with a pool table and even a pinball machine. All gaming systems included."

Bianca motioned down the other hall. "Most of that side is taken up by the library."

Percy held up a hand. "Wait, you guys have a library? Not like a study, like an actual library?"

All three of them nodded. "Lots of books," Hazel said with a grin. "They've been collected over the years. You even need a ladder to get to some of them."

Okay, now Percy wasn't much of a reader, but even he could admit that was pretty cool. No wonder Nico had so many books that he kept throwing at Percy.

Nico pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his cheek against his knee. "And beyond that is where we store all of the movies."

Percy quirked a brow at that. He glanced down the hall. "Um, couldn't you just put them in the entertainment room?"

"No," all three of the replied.

"Yeah, we have a lot. DVD, VHS, and even some reels that dad acquired." Bianca grinned down at her brother. "Nico likes the silent ones."

"Shut up," Nico mumbled. He frowned when he noticed Percy smiling at him. "They're good!" Percy held up his hands in defense. "Charlie Chaplin was amazing."

"Dinner" Persephone sang from downstairs.

Percy found the table to be a little more awkward than he thought it might be. Nico picked out a seat and motioned for Percy to sit next to him. He began to smile, but Nico shot him a look that told him it wasn't meant to be affectionate. For whatever reason, Nico wanted Percy to stick close to him. Hazel sat on the other side of Percy, while Bianca, Medea, and Demeter sat on the other side of the table. And that left Hades and Persephone with each end of the table.

"Percy, I do hope you're hungry," Demeter said with a laugh.

Percy smiled, trying not to look sick. It wasn't that he wasn't hungry or the food didn't look good, because he was and it did. But he still was unsure if he was ready to try Demeter's cooking again after finding out about the fall festival incident. However, the smell of the food was too much and Percy had to let his stomach do the thinking for him.

While Percy wasn't completely sure, he got the feeling that Nico had talked with Medea already. The eldest child glared over at Percy, while Nico glared back at her, daring her to say something. Meanwhile, Hades sat between his two children on either side of him, his eyes flickering back and forth between them.

"Have I missed some latest teenage angst disagreement?" Hades mumbled.

"No," Medea and Nico grumbled at the same time, their eyes locked.

Their father let out a sigh and lifted a glass of wine to his lips. "I am so ready for you all to grow up and run off to college for a few years." Hazel looked sat at this. The man let out a sigh and held up a hand in her direction. "Not you, Hazel dear." She smiled and went back to eating her food.

Demeter was the next to make conversation. "So, Percy, Hermes says that you had a father named Don, is that correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The woman gave a small nod. Her eyes darted over to her son-in-law, who narrowed his eyes. "Interesting."

"We discussed this," the man grumbled, clearing his throat and shifting in his seat.

"What?" Bianca asked, chewing on some of her food.

Hades and Demeter looked at each other again before the man replied. "Nothing, my dearest." Percy felt confused, but apparently so did Nico. The boy chewed on his food, but stared curiously at his father. When Cerberus barked, Hades threw the dog a piece of chicken. He let out a sigh. "So, Percy, I hear you have an interest in my son."

Percy felt his cheeks heat up. Nico dropped his fork on his plate. "Dad!"

Persephone motioned for the boy to quiet down. "Now, now, Hades, let's not torture the poor boy."

But Hades just kept staring at Percy, waiting for an answer and swirling his glass of wine around in his hand. Percy fumbled with his mouth. "Um, well..." He glanced at the boy beside him, who had an eyebrow arched. "I do."

"In an openly homophobic town, too," the man sighed. "Does that not bother you?"

Percy simply shook his head. "No, sir."

Hades took a sip and nodded. "I see." Percy gulped and looked down. Cerberus was watching him from the floor. Hades tapped a finger against his glass. "I suppose I do owe you a thanks for sticking up for my son."

Percy gave a small chuckle. "I don't really think he needs any protection." Nico shot him a dark look.

"No," Hades mused, glancing between the two boys, "I suppose he doesn't."

"How is the chicken, Percy?" Demeter chimed in, narrowing her eyes at Hades, who let out a sigh and slouched in his chair.

"Horrible," Medea grumbled.

"You think everything is horrible," Bianca retorted.

Percy just smiled across the table at Demeter. "It's really good, thank you."

The woman waved him off while taking a drink of wine. "Think nothing of it, dear."

Percy smiled until he looked over at Nico. The boy just sort of sat there, poking his food. Demeter had loaded down his plate, but the boy had barely touched it. This did not go unnoticed by the woman, who urged Nico to eat. Nico sighed and lifted a small bite of food to his mouth. It was so curious, Percy thought, it did not seem like Nico's home life was so bad. So why did Nico have bruises and not be at home a lot of the time? And why did Nico seem so tired most of the time, and eat so little?

"So, Percy." Medea grinned across the table at him, twisting her fork around in her mashed potatoes. "How's living all alone?"

Percy had to bite his tongue. He was beginning to think Nico was right about his sister haunting him. But he could not let her know that he knew what she was. He just shrugged. "It's okay, can be very quiet."

Demeter just shook her head. "Poor dear. Feel free to come around here whenever you want." Hades did not look so pleased with the woman's invitation, but he chose not to say anything.

When he saw that Percy was done with his food, Nico asked to be excused from the table. Grumbling with another sip of wine, Hades motioned for them to leave. Nico quickly nodded to the door. Percy thanked them again for the meal before following Nico up the stairs. As usual when in positions like this, Percy took the opportunity to look at Nico's ass in his tight jeans.

Nico walked to the end of the hall on the right wing and opened the door on his left.

It looked like a master bedroom due to the size, so Percy had to wonder just how big Hades and Persephone's room was. Nico had a canopy bed against the back wall, with black curtains that were closed except for the left side. It had also not been made since Nico woke up apparently, not that Percy could say much, since he rarely made his own bed. There was a oak desk not far from the bed, a leather office chair pushed up against it. On top of the desk was was the boy's desktop. Two speakers sat on either side of a twenty-seven inch monitor. A very expensive headset sat on top of the computer's tower. And the boy had his forty inch TV mounted on the wall beside his desk, and even had it hooked up to the computer as well.

There was a walk-in closet against the left wall, which was open, allowing Percy to see Nico's large assortment of clothes. The boy also had his own private bathroom. When Percy asked about that, Nico's response was, "It's not fun trying to get ready with four women in the house. Dad has to use my bathroom sometimes, because Persephone takes so long in the mornings."

There was a small bookshelf to the right of where Percy stood in the doorway. If Percy had to guess, it was full of Nico's favorite books, rather than keep them in the library they had. But, overall, the room was relatively clean and tidy, save for the unmade bed.

Percy sat down on Nico's bed and looked around. The ceiling was dotted with tiny specs. Percy's brow furrowed and he narrowed his gaze, trying to figure out what they were. He jumped when the light turned off. Nico stood in the doorway, and Percy saw the boy point up to the ceiling.

"Better?" Came Nico's soft voice.

Percy's mouth hung open a little. They were stars. But not like the tiny plastic star shapes children put on their ceilings. This was fairly accurate to the night sky, and even had a streak across it at one point, making the appearance of a shooting star. Some were bigger than others, while others were barely noticeable. The canopy bed also had nothing covering the top of it, so it would allow whoever slept in it a complete view of the ceiling.

Nico switched the light back on before going over to the bed and sitting next to Percy. "This is pretty cool," Percy said, leaning back on his palms.

"Thanks." Nico laid down on his side, bringing one of his legs up. His eyes closed and Percy wondered if the guy was going to fall asleep.

"Tired?"

Nico hummed in response. "Not at all."

Percy smiled. That was a lie. Percy's eyes roamed over to Nico's clock. He needed to leave soon in order to make it to that circle meeting. But looking at Nico laying there with his eyes closed, Percy found it very hard to want to go anywhere. Without really thinking about it, Percy found himself laying down next to Nico.

The boy cracked an eye open and turned his head to look at the green-eyed boy when Percy shifted closer to Nico and slid his legs in to intertwine with Nico's own legs. The boy shuddered when Percy's fingers trailed underneath his shirt, ghosting over his hips and along his back. Percy frowned when he felt one of the bruises.

"How'd you get all of those?" Percy whispered.

Nico opened his mouth, but something stopped him. He frowned and sat up, pulling away, much to Percy's disappointment. At least until Percy saw Cerberus laying down in the doorway. The way he was watching them was very creepy, almost like he comprehended what was going on. Cerberus wagged his tail as Nico approached. Narrowing his eyes, Nico shut his door and went back over to the bed.

Percy smiled when Nico curled against him of his own accord. Not questioning it, Percy slid an arm around Nico's waist and rested his nose against Nico's shoulder blade. "I don't really want to talk about it," Nico whispered, the sound reverberating against Percy's skin where his face touched Nico's back.

"Oh."

"Not right now," Nico whispered. The boy trailed his fingers along Percy's arm. "Not tonight."

Percy nodded, knowing Nico could feel this movement. The green-eyed boy inhaled and the smell of peppermint filled his senses. "Why'd you close the door?" He mumbled against Nico's cold skin.

Nico just shook his head, letting Percy know they couldn't talk about it right now. But Percy didn't understand. They were alone, unless Hades or someone could listen in somehow. But Nico would do something about that, wouldn't he?

Didn't really matter at the moment, though. Percy was just enjoying this moment, as it was the closest he had ever been to Nico. He didn't know how to really explain it, but he felt content like this, like this was how they were supposed to be. That nothing else mattered when they were close like this. The feel of Nico's soft skin underneath his touch made Percy's own skin tingle, and he could feel a warmth every time that he touched Nico's skin. The same was true for when Nico touched his arm. It was like heat lingered behind the boy's touch, but neither of them voiced this out loud.

Hesitantly, Percy looked at the clock again. It was fifteen minutes after seven. He still needed to get back to his apartment and drive an hour, not to mention make sure he had enough time to find the place. So, reluctantly, Percy let Nico go.

"I have to go," he whispered.

Nico rolled over with a sleepy look in his eyes. He let out a yawn and frowned. "Oh," the boy whispered.

Percy's heart did a somersault at hearing the sad town in Nico's voice. He almost wanted to just stay there. "I mean, I could stay a little longer, if you wanted."

Nico gave a lazy smile and shook his head. "You should probably go, it's already dark." Percy's eyes flickered down to some exposed skin when Nico stretched. He really had issues that he didn't even understand.

Running a hand through his hair, Percy got up and followed Nico out of the room. After telling everyone goodnight and thanking them for dinner again, the two boys stepped out of the house and Nico shut the door behind them. The boy let out a visible sigh and shook his head. Percy just smiled at him.

"Wasn't so bad."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

Percy stretched, using the opportunity to wrap his arms around Nico when he brought his arms down. As soon as his arms made contact with Nico, Percy heard voices. He didn't see anyone, but he could hear Kronos and Tartarus.

"No, I forbid you to do this!" Came Kronos's angry voice, the sound of feet hitting the steps behind Percy.

"This is her fault!" Tartarus yelled back. "I will not let him die!" The sound of a door slamming could be heard in Percy's head.

Nico shook his head and patted Percy's back. "I'm driving you home, you know."

"I know," Percy mumbled, still holding Nico. He didn't want to pull away just yet. He didn't want Nico to see his face just yet. That was very odd, Percy thought. It was like it was there. Had the two had an argument in this spot in the past?

Nico finally whined and pushed Percy away before heading towards his car. Percy slowly followed behind the boy. What did this mean? Maybe since the dreams were already put there, Percy just had to wait them out and let them come. But why did anyone want him to see them?

When they got back to Percy's apartment, Nico asked him what he had to do. Percy hesitated and eventually said that he needed to do some homework. Nico had given him an odd look, and had reminded Percy that he still had tomorrow to get it done. Percy had just grinned and said that it would give him more time to spend with Nico tomorrow.

Unfortunately, Nico said that he probably wouldn't see Percy the next day, as he had lessons with his father. Percy understood and said that he'd text the boy later. Nico gave a small nod, still looking at Percy strange. He didn't believe Percy. Not that he probably should, since Percy was actually lying to him. Either way, Nico had driven off and Percy eventually found himself driving in the direction the circle was supposed to meet.

He was actually a little nervous about this. Percy was almost positive that these people wouldn't actually be able to use magic, but it was more about understanding the craft that Nico and the others used. On the bright side, perhaps it would be an entertaining experience.

As it turned out, these people met in a clearing in the middle of the woods. Luckily, Percy carried a flashlight in his car, as well as the fact that the people actually lit a path to the spot. When he arrived a heavy set woman greeted him.

"I believe we spoke on the phone," she told him.

Percy nodded. "Thanks again for having me."

It was a rather small group, just five adults of various ages. Three were female, while the last two were male. He tried to watch as much as possible while the group set everything up. At the very center of everything was a bonfire. There were a lot of herbs that got put out on a small table, and a few matches to light some candles that were put in five corners. The woman that he spoken to over the phone carried a large walking stick made out of a tree branch, which had some gems and incense on the top of it. The taller of the two males carried with him a wooden stick, no longer than two rulers put together. There were some herbs tied to each end with some string.

While the rain had stopped for the moment, it was still thundering overhead. Percy quirked a brow at the other guy in the group, who wore deer horns on top of his head. They displayed no signs of possessing magic like Luke and the others did, though. And, even comparing this group to what Percy saw Jason and the others doing the other night, this seemed incorrect in comparison. But who was Percy to judge, since he only found about magic two nights ago. So, he would just sit quietly and watch them do their thing.

As they finished lighting their candles, thunder boomed and wind blew overhead. The five of them got excited by this.

"What are you doing?"

Percy nearly fell off of the stump he was perched on when he heard Nico's voice. There the pale boy sat, right next to him. When or how he had got there, Percy did not know. But the others seemed to notice him and stopped what they were doing.

"Who is this?" The guy with the antlers asked.

"I already don't like you." The way Nico was looking at the man, his eyes staring in disgust at the antlers, it made Percy very nervous. "You people don't even know what you're dabbling in, do you?"

"Excuse me?" The woman that Percy had spoken on the phone asked in shock. "I'll have you know that I am a High Priestess of-" Her mouth clamped shut, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, I don't care," the boy whispered. His eyes were dark as he got off of the stump and slipped his hands into his aviator jacket pockets.

One of the other two women, a young woman probably no older than twenty-five stepped forward. "I think you should leave."

The man with the odd stick nodded in agreement. "Yes, leave now." Nico arched a brow at this man, who held up his stick in what Percy could only assume was meant to unnerve the boy. "Leave now, or we shall invoke one of our gods on you."

As if it didn't bother him at all, Nico tossed his head back and laughed. He laughed until it died down into a chuckle and he stepped closer to the man, looking the stick in his hands over. "Oh, this looks cool. Can I see it?" The man in question seemed confused, but let Nico take the stick. Nico's smile instantly fell and he snapped the stick in half, tossing its remains into the bonfire that the group had lit. "Much better." With a dark look, he pointed at the man. "Don't ever threaten me with my own gods."

"You broke it!" The man cried out.

Nico shook his head. "You're all pathetic. I don't care much for practicing witches, you always tend to get our craft wrong."

The women whispered amongst themselves. The heavy set woman looked Nico over. "What do you know of the craft?"

Nico placed his hands on his chest with a gasp. Percy could tell that he was playing with them, which bothered him a little. He was seeing more of that darkness that he could sometimes see in Nico's eyes. It was a little scary.

From the woman's hand flew her staff, which Nico caught. Raising his knee, Nico broke it in half as well. "Real witches don't use these."

"Um, Nico, I don't think you should be doing that in front of them," Percy whispered.

But Nico didn't listen. The man with antlers was brave enough, or stupid enough, to try and attack Nico. Nico just stood there until the man was practically on top of him before snapping his fingers and a tree branch came down to wrap around the man's legs, jerking the man up into the air and dangling him around.

"Oops," Nico said innocently. A smirk crept across his face. "Sorry, my fingers slipped."

"I thought you couldn't use magic in front of people!" Percy finally yelled out.

Nico turned around to face him, frowning. "Just a little fun."

The members of the circle, save for the one hanging in the air, all got down and bowed to Nico. "The Horned God has appeared to us!" They cried out.

"I am definitely not your god." Nico waved a hand and they all shot to their feet. His dark gaze found the man in the tree. "But that..." He pointed to the antlers. "If I ever see you wearing those again, I'll turn you into a deer." He slipped his hands into his pockets and turned back to Percy. "Are you done with these buffoons?"

"Um, you..." Percy blew out a breath. "I don't think, you know, they need to remember this."

Nico gave a small nod. With a flick of his hand, the man from the tree fell down. The antlers ended up breaking, but the guy seemed unharmed. Extending his hand and holding out his palm, an apple appeared in Nico's head. A deep, deep shade of red. The color of blood. But it was perfect to look at, and the members of the circle thought so, too.

"Eat," Nico commanded. The woman Percy had talked to took the first bite before passing it down, and they each ate a bite. Once it was done, the man that had worn the antlers dropped the core to the ground, where it slowly shriveled and turned black. Nico's eyes were back to their normal dark brown color. "There. Happy?"

The adults just sort of sat there on their knees, blank looks on their faces. Percy gave them each an odd look before jogging after Percy. "What was that?"

The boy shrugged. "Just a little fun. They won't remember anything, and they'll wake up in half an hour. They'll feel refreshed and carry on with their dumb practice."

"But it's what you practice."

Nico stopped, putting a hand to Percy's chest. "That is not what I practice. That is a mockery of my craft. If you want to know about us, just ask, don't go to people like that." Percy gulped and nodded. Nico was a little scary now. The boy huffed and continued on his way. "They'll be fine, though."

"You didn't seem to like that one guy."

Nico stopped again, sliding his hands into his pockets. "No, I didn't. In our craft, we don't dawn apparel to represent the Horned God or the Triple Goddess."

Percy was the one to stop Nico this time. "Okay, so who is that? I've heard of the Triple Goddess in myth or something."

"Not myth." Nico shook his head. "Unlike a lot of religions, people that actually possess magic have been known to see or commune with our gods." Nico chewed on his lip, thinking about something. "The Horned God, The Lord, the Old One. Or even older still, Cernunnos. He has many names. He is what the Christian church wants to call our Satan."

"Is he," Percy hesitated, "evil?"

"What have I said about magic?" Nico asked exasperatedly.

"Right." Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "So, um, why get angry at that guy for wearing that stuff?"

"Like I said, we don't do it. It's considered a mockery of Cernunnos to do so. Sort of like how the Bible condemns false idols, except our god never told us not to. It's just sort of a sign of respect for our gods."

Percy frowned. "How did you even find me?"

Nico vanished in a cloud of smoke. "Magic." Percy jumped. Nico was now behind him, smirking. He shook his head before holding out his palm. Another red apple was there. Quirking a brow at Percy, Nico held his palm out for the green-eyed boy. "Apple?"

Percy quickly shook his head. Nico just shrugged and raised the apple to his lips, taking a bite.

When the arrived at Percy's car, the green-eyed boy looked around. "Um, where's your car?"

Nico shrugged. "I took it home." Percy seemed confused by this. "And then I shadowed over here."

"What's that?"

"Like teleporting, but different houses have different forms of it."

Percy gave a nod. His head felt so burnt out that he was afraid it might start smoking at any moment. "You know," Percy began, "I think that's all I need to know about magic for today. My head is starting to hurt."

Nico smiled and nodded. Percy unlocked his car, but the other boy just stood there. When Percy looked over at him, Nico shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Or, you could let me drive you home. Not everything needs to be done with magic."

Nico shoved him against the car. "I don't use magic for my convenience, thank you very much."

Percy arched a brow. "Never?"

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Shut up and drive me home," he mumbled and climbed in on the other side. Percy smiled and climbed in.

The drive to Nico's house helped a lot. Processing that Nico willingly displayed his powers in front of mortals, only to wipe their memories, was a little concerning. It made Percy wonder if this had ever happened with the people in Aimes. This was an hour away, something not so easily traceable to Nico, though the people wouldn't remember anyways. But what if they had done something similar to some of the people in Aimes? Why hadn't they done it to Grover?

By the time they arrived in front of Nico's house, Percy's head was even worse. It was half past ten, and Percy just wanted to go home and pass out for the night. At first, it was all exciting to learn magic did exist, though a little freaky. But now it just gave him a headache just to try and keep up with the rules, what they could do, and how it all worked. No wonder they tended to keep it to themselves, normal people would have their brains fried trying to understand it all.

It had started raining again during their drive, so Percy offered to walk Nico to the door with his umbrella. Nico said Percy didn't have to, but Percy made the excuse that it wouldn't raise suspicion with Nico's father. Nico mumbled that he could just dry off once inside.

"You're a dork," Nico mumbled once they were on the porch.

Percy smiled at that. "So, I guess I won't see you until Monday?"

Nico gave a small nod. "Sorry." He bit down on his lip. "But thanks...I had fun."

"I bet you did," Percy grinned.

"Not torturing people," Nico growled. Sighing, Nico rolled his eyes. "You're...not as bad as I thought you were originally."

Percy smiled again and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not so bad yourself." A stray strand of hair caught Percy's attention. His heart pounded in his chest as he reached out to fix it. As he slowly pushed the strand out of Nico's face, their eyes locked. Now, after witnessing what Percy had, he liked to think he was a very brave man for doing what he did next.

Without saying anything, Percy leaned in and pressed their lips together. The best part? Nico lets him do it. The worst part? Well, that was the weird part. Percy's eyes widened and he drew away when a dark green spark crackled between their lips, on top of the lights on the porch shooting out. Nico reached up and touched his lips. It had been so hot, and not in the good kind of way. It had burned, but not quite so painful. It was like a searing heat, like Percy had felt when he touched Nico on his birthday.

Percy touched his lips with a frown. "If you didn't want me to kiss you, you could have just said so," he mumbled.

Nico rolled his eyes, still rubbing his lips. "I didn't do anything, jerk." Running a hand through his hair, Nico sighed. He seemed to be in deep thought, whatever was on his mind. "It is interesting, though."

As if things could not have gotten worse, there was a tapping against one of the window. Nico rolled his eyes and waved at the window. Persephone smiled out at the two. Nico let out a long sigh. Percy supposed that meant their time was up. With a final wave at Percy, Persephone closed the curtain on the window. Nico was looking down when Percy looked at him again.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later," Percy said. He lifted the umbrella over his head again before stepping out under the rain.

But, to his surprise, Nico grabbed his arm and turned him around. The brown-eyed boy's hand gripped the front of his shirt and yanked Percy down. The older boy's eyes widened as Nico crashed their lips together. Not about to let this opportunity slip by him, Percy let go of the umbrella and cupped Nico's face, deepening the kiss. Nico's fists gripped his shirt tighter.

Percy slipped a hand into Nico's rain soaked hair. There was no heat this time, no shock to their lips. As hard as it was raining, the two were probably soaked from head to toe in a matter of seconds, but Percy honestly did not care at the moment. He finally had gotten Nico to kiss him, and that was all that mattered presently.

Once they were out of breath, Nico lightly pushed on Percy's chest and pulled away. His lips were swollen, and it only made Percy want to kiss the other boy more. So he did. It was a quick peck on the lips, but Nico still let him do it.

"I, um," Nico patted Percy's chest, "shouldn't have done that." He blew out a breath. "Don't know what came over me."

Percy just nodded and slid his fingers into the back of Nico's hair, pulling the boy in for another kiss. One of Percy's arms slid down to wrap around the shorter boy's waist, pulling their bodies together. Nico let out a moan, but lightly pushed Percy back.

The boy ran his tongue along his lips with a chuckle. "I think I'm going to have to restrain you."

Percy grinned. "To your bed?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "And there goes the moment." He shook his head. "Just don't let this go to your head, I'm still not sure if dating you is the best idea."

Percy leaned in again. "Doesn't mean you shouldn't."

But Nico dipped his head to the side and Percy kissed his cheek. With the rain soaking their hair, their hair hung in both of their eyes. Reaching up, Percy tilted Nico's head and pressed their lips together again. Nico pulled away. "I...really need to go inside."

Percy nodded. He smiled, running his hand through his wet hair. "So, another date?"

"Who said either of these nights have been a date?" Nico brushed his wet hair out of his face. "I'll think about it, and I'll give you an answer before next weekend." Percy smiled and nodded before he attempted to get one last kiss. Unfortunately, Nico lightly pushed him away with a chuckle. "Go! You're gonna get sick out here."

As it turned out, he wasn't going to. Once Percy was in his car, he turned dry. Nico stuck his tongue out and gave a little wave before turning around and heading back inside his house, tossing Percy one final glance from the doorway.

Percy just fell back against his seat and tossed his hands up against the roof of his car. His night had been so good. Not even just one kiss, he had gotten a few. And even better, Nico had seemed happy afterward. Things might have been looking up for Percy.


Yeah...their kissing sort of came out of nowhere. Anyways, if you haven't checked it out yet, and you like Jasico, go read my new fic called Never Let Me Go. Other than that, I'm going to spend two chapters with Children of Loss before I go to any of my other stories. It's just that, after two years, while I'm not tired of Children by any means, I feel it's time to conclude it. I'm not going to cut it down, so don't worry about that, but I will be writing chapters for it more frequently. I just have a bunch of story ideas piling up on my plate right now, plus ones I would like to pick back up and another that I adopted. I just need more time to deal with them, and as I had pointed out, Children is like a full time job essentially. But yeah, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I should have something not too far from now, since I've been doing pretty well with posting chapters in a timely fashion.