Disclaimers: I am not Rick Riordan. I do not own anything you might recognize. This story is a work of fiction, using the characters from Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus, with a plot that is a mash-up of plots from a few books and movies. As such, it's not marked as a crossover.

Warnings: Guy x guy pairing. The romance is not the main plot, but it is an important subplot, so if you do not like this, click the back button. Rated for mild cussing that might occur somewhere in the near future. The characters are slightly out of character, too.

Summary: It was only supposed to be just one day in someone else's life, to see what the world could have been like if things had only been the slightest bit different. When the time was 3:59 and he couldn't get back, though, Nico started to realise just how much can go wrong when you climb through the looking glass without looking to make sure that this was a two-way passageway first.

'Thoughts'
"Speech"
Dreams/Flashbacks/Memories

I'm Sorry

It was conflict.

A caught-with-a-hand-in-the-cookie-jar guilty look when he realised that Nico had looked up. Except, it wasn't a cookie jar, was it? It was a snare, a trap, a trap without even a bait that was worth getting caught for. It was obvious, so obvious, even to Nico, that Percy simply regretted this.

Really?

It suddenly welled up in him – a certain anger that started simmering. This wasn't fair. Objectively, he had always known that life wasn't fair, but this? Wasn't it bad enough that he's pretty much lost his whole life from before, that he had to find out that apparently, he wasn't dateable material if he wasn't to be cheated on or paid for, that even with only a few almost-friends here and there, he had to lose one of them, too? Why did he had to have to have it hit home, now, that even to someone who helps people pretty much unconditionally, he had to be that one exceptional case of a person he would regret helping.

Of course, it could also just be that Percy regretted yanking the person he pretended to date for his mother's sake into this room because he's only just realised that they were alone together and he didn't want to face Nico.

The anger dissipated at that, leaving Nico just feeling tired.

So damned tired of all this, this emotional rollercoaster he had been taking – this whole stupid farce of a life he had to live. He wanted to fall into that bed and close his eyes and bury his head under the pillow and cocoon himself in the blankets and pretend that when he wakes up, he'd wake up from this nightmare of a place in his own home like Caroline did.

Or simply unearth the cleaning supplies and go wild with it.

Except that he couldn't do that now, could he? No one here knows about how he copes, they weren't his friends, not really, not to the extent his friends back home had been his friends, and he can't let his father think that he's relapsing.

He doesn't want to disappoint him again.

And he couldn't go to bed, he still had to go out there to face his father, face the rest of them, whoever still remains.

He doesn't have to deal with this now, though. He'll. He'll do what he does the best, then, walk (run) away.

He pulled away, making for the door.

"Wait," Percy called.

Nico waited. He didn't turn around, though. He didn't want get his hopes up. He didn't want them dashed.

The silence stretched.

His hopes plummeted. Holding back didn't help, apparently. Just as he really was about to leave, Percy spoke up again.

"I'm sorry."

That… was so unexpected Nico actually turned back around.

"Sorry?"

"I… I'm sorry," Percy repeated.

"Why are you apologising to me?" Nico cut him off before he could reply. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

He can't accept the apology, not for someone who wasn't here. He wouldn't accept the apology meant for someone else.

"You know who you should be apologizing to," he added. He wouldn't add what he really wanted to say. He won't. He turned his back to Percy, hand on the knob, truly intending to leave.

"Wait, I. I know, but…" he trailed off.

Nico turned the knob and pushed the door open.

"You're amazing, you know?" Percy blurted out.

"What are you trying to say?" Nico asked warily, pulling the door close. He wouldn't get his hopes up, he couldn't – he wouldn't.

"I wasn't supposed to fall in love," Percy blurted out eventually.

Nico stared at him. "With him," he added for Percy. It made sense, now that he thought about it. Of course. A little bitterly, "Why would that be relevant to me? You should be telling him this."

"Not him," Percy said decisively.

"You."

Nico turned back to stare at him. Percy looked sincere, he didn't look like he was lying, but. He doesn't mean this, had never meant this, he… looked like he did and Nico can't, he can't do this now. He can't deal with this now, he has to. He.

He felt like hyperventilating.

"I can't. I'm sorry, I can't do this now, I have to. I."

He fled the room, the house.

Nobody stopped him. He wasn't sure if anybody even saw him.

He was at the playground when he ran into someone.

"Sorry!" he gasped out instinctively, stumbling back and looking up. Almost immediately, his brain locked. This lady… she looked like a sterner, older version of Reyna.

He couldn't help it. He stared.

"What are you staring at?" someone spat in disgust. He tore his eyes away, realising for the first time that the lady he ran into wasn't alone.

He couldn't quite find words, though, losing his speech as he opened his mouth, for that was around the time he saw, over their shoulders, that Bianca, Reyna, Jason and Thalia were all approaching from behind.

His eyes flitted back to the lady.

Hylla?

But Hylla died. Hylla died, her blood on Reyna's hands because she can't watch her sister bleed out while the poison still lingered in her blood. Hylla died, having gotten stabbed protecting her sister that time Nico was with Reyna when they wandered into the wrong 'territory', not realising that someone else had claimed this place in the time Reyna had stepped out. Hylla died, Thalia and Nico and Reyna the only witnesses, the others being the corpses of those who were idiotic enough to attempt another stab at Reyna. The idiots who didn't run when they realised that this was not going to be easy.

Hylla died – she died three years ago, her life ended in an alley by her sister after a fight that left more dead than alive, so why would she be here?

Then again…

They turned around then, noticing that he was distracted. Nico could see the exact moment Reyna spotted them. The lady, perhaps, to be more precise. Reyna had frozen on the spot, her eyes widening before her expression slowly turned furious.

She marched forward determinedly, drawing to a stop in front of the lady and tilting her head up. For a moment, she only took deep breathes. Then she drew her hand back and slapped her.

For a moment, everyone froze. Then –

"You bastard!" and "How dare you!" rang out simultaneously.

Reyna barrelled on, though, disregarding the lady next to who Nico presumes to be Hylla. "How could you – I thought that you were better than dad, how could you just up and leave and let me assume you were dead, how could you, ten years! For ten years. Ten bloody years. You –"

She choked herself off. From where Nico was, he could see the tears pooling, not quite falling.

She took a few steps back, then, half-turning around before just pausing there, probably having realised that there was nowhere for her to run to. It did not appear to matter to her, though, since she decided in the next moment to just pick a random direction and go. The woman next to Hylla moved forward, presumably to grab her.

Hylla stopped her, pulling her back.

Nico was left forgotten, then, all eyes on Reyna as she left. He stepped back into the shadows, trailing her path with his gaze, too, remembering the look in her eyes.

The betrayal, the hurt. The shattered trust and gods, he couldn't just let her run off into dangerous territory now, not when he was responsible for her sister's death back home. Partially responsible, perhaps, but she wouldn't have been there – Hylla would not have followed them there – if he had not decided to tell Reyna that he was going to that part of that town to look for the set of painting materials his sister wanted.

She hadn't costed him much, but he lost her a sister, and he knew what it felt like.

The decision wasn't hard to make.

Without making much of a sound, he ran after her, chasing her in the shadows.

A few hours into the forest, she slowed down. The tears had dried, the tracks running down her face the only remains. She scrubbed at it fiercely before resting her forehead against a tree.

Nico waited, wondering what he should do now. He had forgotten, briefly, that he wasn't her friend here, that he didn't have a place or a right to be here right now.

But he couldn't leave either.

In the end, it was his inattention that had costed him the choice. When the twigs crackled, Reyna whipped around. "Who's there?" she demanded, her voice coming out a little high.

Nico never realised that she carried daggers around in this world, too.

He stepped out of the shade, all too aware of how exposed and defenceless he was here, in front of her.

It took her a long moment to decide that he wasn't a threat. It took her even longer to lower her weapons. Both her defences and her metaphorical hackles stayed up, though. The wariness she tried to conceal showed – it's too easy for Nico to read her. He spent a long time learning to do so, after all. To him, she was like a book.

In another language.

The fact remains, though, that she did not trust him here. Here, she had never allowed him to catch her off guard, to see her at a weak moment. He wasn't an ally here, even if he was neither a stranger nor an enemy, he was not her friend.

She looked ready to bolt again.

Nico didn't want to think about the implications.

"Why are you here?"

It was a simple question. An obvious question.

Something she would never ask, usually. Still.

"It's a bad idea to wander out here alone, I was told. What if you got lost?"

She gave him a blank look.

"Or run into an alien?"

He could tell that she would not be responding. To get her to snap out of this, though, he had to elicit a response from her.

If it was violent, so be it.

(He hoped it wouldn't be, though. He didn't want to fight her.)

(Not again.)

"Hylla would die for you. You know that."

That pulled Reyna's attention back to Earth. It also earned him a truly dirty and wilting glare brimming with anger.

"You'd presume that," she snorted.

After a moment, "You don't know anything."

"Really."

"She would leave me without so much a goodbye. Die for me?"

"At least you got to see her again…"

"Do you know what it feels like to mourn for ten years and find out that the person you mourned for was never dead? That that person was living and had a perfectly fine life without you? Without letting you know?" Reyna suddenly bit out. "She was everything to me. She was the mother I never had. When she disappeared…"

She met his eyes.

"She could. She would do this. She proved it. How could you say that she cares? How could you even assume that?"

Nico could hear the silent "How dare you?"

He held her gaze. "I don't have to assume."

He could see the surprise.

"You don't," she tested.

Nico held his head up higher, stiffening up naturally. "I know."

She stared at him for a long while, the emotions whittling themselves away, leaving only a blank space. An empty space. She tore her gaze away, fixing it onto the tree next to Nico. He remained silent, waiting for her to speak up.

It wasn't his turn.

"How?"

It came out soft, scratchy. Disbelieving. Unbelieving.

She didn't wait for his response.

"Why?"

This question was stronger. Louder. More desperate.

He could see her wanting to turn, to leave. To go, to get out, to leave, pretend this wasn't real. That she didn't know, deep down, that this was true. That yes, her sister loved her enough to die for her.

"She loved you."

This wasn't enough, Nico knew. She would want more.

He didn't continue. It was all he had to say. The rest couldn't be put into words, not words that he knew.

She looked up, glancing at him, once. Before turning away, leaning onto the tree and letting gravity do its work.

Curls up on herself, hiding from the world. He stands, a stranger this time. Impartial. Silent, unjudging. Not present, not to her. A guard, a sentinel. To protect her, for this little while, to give her a chance to break down. To have her meltdown and cry. To let her pick herself up again, later.

She understands, he know. She has to.

She would.

He would know.

He had a sister, too.

Once.

*** NaNoWriMo 2014 Winner ***

This is posted to coincide with the golden jubilee, so happy SG50, Singapore! I hope to see an SG100, when I'm old and cranky and surrounded with cats.

Back to this story, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. The original draft had completely discarded the romance and bringing it back feels like trying to drag a kitten into a bath. An adorable, disagreeable kitten. I had to leave it hanging after discarding the original thread. It's exhausting and heartbreaking, trying to find a part to cut and discard. Honestly, I admire those authors who can write romance and make it look effortless.

Come talk to me! I'm on tumblr as ivory-kelly-1969.

Oh, and I've started a blog. It's eotena .wordpress .com (without the spaces in between), that's where I'd post original works (short stories I've written and regular 100 word updates) as well as random recommendations and quotes and the likes. I hope you'd give it a chance!

If you prefer a direct link, please go to my profile page. Thanks!