Chapter Twenty-Five

It was raining when Nico was boarding the plane to go back to California; a hot, dirty, drizzling New York summer rain that could have lasted five minutes or could have lasted five hours. He stared out the window of the plane at the airport thinking about his good-byes, about the friends he had made here, and the one he had lost.

But, maybe that's getting a little ahead of things. Let's go back, just a little.

"You were really into him, huh?" Percy asked, two weeks before his departure. They were curled up in Nico's room with nothing but a muted movie playing in the background. They had gotten on the subject of Octavian because of some news Nico had received that morning.

Nico didn't reply for a moment, his eyes red and dried tear streaks running down his face. Those tears the reason Percy had paused the movie. Sobbing wasn't exactly something one did when watching This Is The End, and he soon found out that Nico's ex had died of an overdose. Nico had seemed fine the whole day, a bit quiet, but that was normal, and a little distant, but again, sometimes that was no different than usual. Percy had learned a long time ago, and in these past few months had relearned, that Nico worked at his own pace with things. When he was comfortable discussing or doing something Percy would be the first one to know.

Suddenly Nico was nodding. "I used to say I was in love with him." He said, voice quiet and sullen in a way Percy had hoped he wouldn't hear for a long time, or ever again if he could help it. Nico looked at him then, in the blue glow of the movie his eyes were so dark, shining with tears and confusion and anger and sadness. "He wouldn't—no, he couldn't stop using, Percy. I should have known. I should have known leaving him like that wouldn't work out. Leaving him alone in that hospital, I should have stayed. I should have stayed till he woke up. I should have—" But Percy was holding Nico tighter now and Nico couldn't see anything anymore, he could only smell the faint fragrance of Percy's body spray, and hear the beating of Percy's heart.

"If you would have stayed that could have been you."

It was silent after that, and the truth of those words hung in the air as blatant as neon fire. Nico couldn't deny it. It was something that had already crossed his mind. The path he had been heading down, the wildness, the chaos, the unadulterated adrenaline he had felt from living so dangerously came with a price, and in the truest reality those emotions were created from a mixture of drugs, alcohol, and unending endorphins from unending, often times, dirty, gritty sex with strangers. In that world of bedlam and hedonism it had been like he was invincible. But Octavian had shown him otherwise. The electricity that flowed from his brainstem all the way down to his toes when he would snort of line of this or take a hit of that had always had a terminal undercurrent, and he saw that now.

Nico's mortality hit him so hard his head rattled. His insides felt as if where there had once been the never ending party there was now rot and decay. The sort of life Octavian had introduced him to was a disease, an infection whose side-effects were apathy and distraction. You knew you were rotting from the inside out but you just didn't care.

It only just now occurred to him how much he had needed pills and powders without even knowing he'd been addicted, how when he was strung-out the world strung itself out with him, so wire thin and flimsy that nothing mattered. But there was a warmth locked around him now, strong arms, strong legs, a steady heart.

He mattered, Nico knew.

But the question Nico had was, did his higher understanding have to come at such a price? God, Octavian was a lot of things: a cheater, manipulative, abusive, but he was also things that Nico could see in himself: insecure, unsure, unsteady in the world, unready for its burdens.

"He didn't deserve to die." Nico finally said, tears falling fresh and new, hot down his cheeks. "He was so smart, he had good pieces, he loved me. He didn't deserve to die." Nico repeated and Percy just held Nico tighter still. It hurt a little, but it was an anchor in the turbulent sea of grief threatening to swallow him whole.

Percy's finger ran gently through Nico's hair. "I'm sorry." He said quietly, ever so quietly. Seeing Nico hurt always hurt him, but he didn't know how to salve this wound. He hadn't known Octavian but the impression he got about him was that O had not been good for Nico. That being said, Nico was right, he hadn't deserved to die. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this Nico, but please, I don't want to hear you blaming yourself anymore. He—Octavian kept you as a trophy, even I can see that. You were supposed to be there for him when he wanted to look at something pretty or show off to his friends, and I'm sure some part of him loved you, but when it came down to it seems like he just wanted to drag you down with him. Please don't blame yourself for not getting taken under. I-I couldn't handle it if you…"

Nico had pulled back from Percy's chest to look him in the eye then. Tears were still falling from his eyes, and his heart hurt in a way he didn't think it ever would over Octavian, but Percy's eyes were wet too. "I wouldn't. I promise. I'm just—I'm just sad, Percy. I did love him, once. He was there for me when no one else could understand. He was like me, observed but not understood. No one else liked him, but not a lot of people liked me, either. Not really. When I leave here, when I go back home, I have to deal with things outside of us. Outside of you and me and how warm and protected I feel with you around. I have to pretend like I don't hear people calling me names, I have to pretend I care some days, I have to pretend to be happy when I'm not always happy. But with O I didn't have to do that, he saw that side of me and he let it be."

"I see that side of you, too, Nico." Percy insisted. "I would never force you to be anything but yourself."

"It's apples and oranges, Percy." Nico replied softly, not wanting Percy thinking he was being compared to a past—now dead—lover. "It's not a competition, it's not about who takes better care of me—let's not forget that I can take care of myself, okay?" It took a moment but Percy nodded. "It was more that he was like me, and I liked that. I shouldn't have liked that because the me I was needed someone like you, but I didn't want what I needed, I wanted what was bad for me, what was easiest. Octavian was me, Percy, in a way. He loved the parts of me I couldn't love, and I loved the parts of him he hated. He sang beautifully, I've never told anyone that and he didn't like people to know. His parents forced music on him, forced a lot of things on him. That's why he turned away from them. Not in some rebellion but for the chance to feel like his own person, to feel free. I understood that when I saw him." There was another beat of silence. "I must sound crazy to you," There was a derisive little smirk on his face when he said 'crazy' as if that were evident.

Percy placed a finger under Nico's chin, forcing him to look up and at him again. "I'm sorry I can't understand you in that way." He said very seriously.

"No, that's not what I meant—" Nico tried, but Percy shook his head.

"I know that sometimes you will go to a place in your head that I can't reach, but I promise you I will always be here for you when you get back. If you need me to be your beacon back to this you, I will be. The only thing I want from you, the only thing I would ever ask of you, is to love me. Not to change, not to smile when you don't want to, or to laugh when you feel hollow, but to love me through your hollowness, to kiss me when you feel like crying, to hold my hand when you feel like you're slipping too far away, as tight as you want. I may never be able to see those places in you, Nico, but I will always see you. The beautiful, smart, courageous person I fell in love with when I was eight. Alright?"

Nico didn't smile, he didn't look any less sad, but there was a heavy flood of compassion in his eyes that told Percy all he needed to know. "Alright." He said, settling against Percy's chest again. Percy turned the television off after that and they laid in silence till they fell asleep.

Nico mourned for a week longer before he seemed any semblance of himself again.

Reyna stopped by Nico's house, once. She was still all swagger and power stance, but there was a softerness to her now as well. Nico could see that when he answered the door. He blinked at her, surprised, before saying, "Hey," lamely, the word croaking in his throat as if he were going through puberty again.

"Hi," Reyna replied. "I just…" She paused and looked back at her car as if she wanted to bolt and drive away as quickly as she had come. "I wanted to say thank you. I know it was shitty that I outed Percy, but you guys helped me come to terms with something I've been denying for a long time." She smiled for a moment and Nico was taken aback by how truly beautiful she was when she smiled. "I feel happier now. My mom and my sister, they just went with it. They hugged me and we had to have some stupid family time. Mom baked a caked and Hylla—that's my sister—kept making scissoring jokes, which Mom didn't think were funny and I just…" She sighed. "I know I should have texted you, or whatever, but every time I tried to call you or text you I didn't know what to say. I knew it had to be in person, before you left for school."

Nico smiled then, "Wanna come in? Me and Bianca are having a bake-off. She's making a soufflé, I'm making scones. Best tasting one is the winner and we need an impartial judge." Reyna nodded, returning his smile slightly. "Good, on a side note, I'm terrible at cooking but say mine taste better anyway and I'll give you five bucks."

She laughed then, and followed him inside.

Carter's summer internship was almost up, he had a thesis to write, he had a ton of papers to do, he had to go over the log of his hours, he should have been doing anything but staring at the girl who had broken his heart, but there she was like a dream come true, or a living nightmare he had no idea.

In truth he hadn't meant to run into her, he was getting take-out for home and somehow fate had brought him to the diner he and Zia used to eat at all the time, 'fate' of course being Sadie's stomach; and, apparently Zia still ate there.

"Carter?" She asked in her fine, silk voice. Just his name and it brought so many memories of kissing under the sunset, of riding his motorcycle with her laughter pealing in his ears, of fights, of make-ups, of make-outs.

"Oh," He said, staring at her. Her beauty was otherworldly, really. He wondered, for a moment, how he had ever been so lucky as to have even had a chance with her. "Hi, Zia." Then came the awkward part where they could try to have a civil conversation and pretend like there wasn't years of history between them, or they could ignore each other past formalities.

"I was really hoping I'd run into you soon," She said instead, surprising him.

Her hair was like spun black midnight, lacquer shiny and so straight. Her eyes like the stars over a desert, her lips like the reddest, rarest flower in that same desert. Those lips pulled into a smile, it was almost tentative.

"You were?" He asked around a lump in his throat, in the background he heard, "Order for Kane!" but it only barely registered. Zia was standing in front of him looking like all the best parts of an angel. Her perfume was cloying and she was smiling at him full on now like she hadn't broken his heart.

"Yes, I—I wanted to call you, or I don't know, come by your house, but it seemed silly. I was the one who broke up with you, I shouldn't feel the way I do." She ran a hand through that silken hair.

"Kane?" Someone in the wait staff called again.

"How is that? How do you feel?" Carter asked, somehow inexplicably closer to her. She had always been a tall girl, he could see eye-to-eye with her and he liked that so very much.

"Lonely? I just broke up with someone and you've been on my mind again." She said with a small smile, shrugging. "Can I say that without sounding needy? I miss you, Carter. I miss you so much, I should have never broken off what we had. All the other guys I've been dating since you have been so dreadful but you, you're nice. What we had was nice. I think I'd like to try that again." She reached a hand out, brushing his fingers with hers.

Carter's stomach dropped at her touch. "You're lonely?" He asked, eyebrows knitting together. "What we had was nice?" He took a step back.

"Kane!"

"Well, yeah, Carter, it was nice. Easy, you know? It's a constant that I miss, I think." She looked confused by his withdrawal.

But now Carter could see past her pretty face, and her harsh words about how boring he was cut like a knife. He took another step back and shook his head.

"LAST CALL FOR KANE!"

"It was nice to see you again, Zia. I should really get going." He said before he moved past her and paid for his food. With the bags in his hand he nodded at her once, her mouth hanging slightly open, and he exited the diner. When he got in the car Sadie and his dad were waiting.

"What took you so bloody long?" Sadie asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

Carter stared out the window as the car moved past the diner and down the street, "Nothing," He said, more to himself than to her, "Just, moving on with my life."

Sadie rolled her eyes in the front seat, staring at her brother in the rearview mirror. "You're mental." She decided and turned the radio up to be quit of him.

Their first time was more awkward than Percy would like to admit; limbs and shortness of breath and incredibly too quick to be anything less than embarrassing. Nico laughed it off as nerves and urged Percy to lay back down. They were in his room, and the window was closed, and Percy was really glad his parents had taken a day trip.

"I came really fast." Percy said again, hands in his hair and face red with embarrassment. "I don't even cum that fast jerking off. I can't believe I just did that. You didn't even…UGH." And Nico was laughing again; he refused to stop laughing even when Percy glared at him.

"That was your first time ever, right?" Nico asked. Percy's face was as red as an apple when he nodded. "You lasted longer than I thought you would, then." He grinned, which didn't help Percy pulling at his own hair. Nico chuckled and rose to his knees. He padded—well, slinked really. Percy would have said he slunk—naked across the bed over to the standing boy. "You know what helps when you go really quick on your first time?" He asked with a toothy smile.

"Vodka? The Men in Black busting my door down and flashing those memory erasing bulbs at us so this whole incident never happened?" Percy supplied.

Nico chuckled again, "I was going to say taking it a little slower your second time," He grinned, lazily encircling Percy in his arms. "You are up for a second time, right?"

"I—really?"

Nico rolled his eyes, "Yes, really. And a third, but if you're not up for a third then I will gladly top that time." If Percy was red before he was positively maroon now.

"I would…yes. I-I am not opposed to that—either of those. Nope. I mean, yes. I want that. We can do that."

"Good, now grab another condom and get back in bed." Nico's smirk seemed to be ever-present, but Percy was much less intimidated by it now. He did as instructed, grabbing the lube too, just to be sure.

The library smelled of old molded books, newly printed books with fresh ink and stiff pages and coffee. It had been a few weeks since the entire cabin debacle, since the break-up. Annabeth was okay. No, she was better than okay. Her heart hadn't been broken, not really. In truth, and she felt perhaps that this was true for Percy as well, his companionship had been what she was most attracted to. He had loved her as well as he could, and she knew that, and she him. Maybe if both of their hearts had been truly into it…

But no, Annabeth was no idiot, far, far from it. She had long ago guarded herself against heartbreak, some unknowable part of her mind sensing that he would never be able to love her like she had wanted, and so she had never loved him like she wanted. That did not mean she did not love him, still, not in the way of eros, but agape. She had loved his kisses, and she had loved being held by him, and she had loved his time, but that was not enough.

She sighed, not for the first time, and closed her book. By now the words were swimming on the page anyway.

She wasn't angry anymore. And it had been scary how angry she'd been once she realized that she actually was upset. But she was not angry, or sad, or hurt, or any of those things anymore. She had exhausted herself being all of those things at once, then separately, multiple times over the past few weeks and now she was just tired of thinking about it.

The dumbest part of the whole thing was that she was starting to miss him. Miss his company, miss hearing him laugh, miss seeing him confused about things he didn't quite understand. But she wasn't there yet. She wasn't ready to talk to him again yet and she didn't know when she would be, or if she would ever be ready.

"Those are a lot of books for one person," A voice said behind her. She knew that voice, though she hardly spoke to its owner. Annabeth looked at the table she had taken over; books of every kind positively filled it.

"I like to read when I'm thinking." She said, turning to look at Luke Castellan. His hair was as golden as the sun, and his eyes twinkled with amusement at her words, shining fiercely with intelligence.

"How do you keep up with your thoughts if you're reading someone else's?" He wondered.

"It's not that hard," She told him, "My own thoughts are usually easier to understand than some of these textbooks."

"Why do I get the feeling you're just being modest?" Then he was smiling, "Mind if I sit?" Annabeth did mind, but he sat anyway. "I have the distinct feeling that you've been avoiding me, I asked your friend Reyna to tell you I was asking about you."

Annabeth snorted very unladylike through her nose, "You know I have a boyfriend."

"Had, if rumors are to be believed." Luke replied, still smiling. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm sorry, that was stepping over the line. Sometimes my mouth gets away from me before I can think about what I'm saying. I didn't come here to repeatedly ask you out."

"I would hope you didn't come here for me at all, it's a library, Luke." Luke laughed then, such a vastly different sound than Percy's laugh. His was so much deeper, rich and almost jolly whereas Percy's was breathless and easygoing. Annabeth looked at the table. "How did you know I was here, anyway?" She asked.

Luke leaned on one arm, "Someone told me you could use a movie, and maybe something to eat, and a walk around the mall because you've been spending an exorbitant amount of time in the library."

"I think you and Reyna need to stop talking about my whereabouts behind my back. In fact, you two needn't discuss me at all." Annabeth stood then.

"Annabeth," Luke said, standing as well. "I told you I wasn't here to ask you out."

She scoffed, "What exactly do you call what you just did?"

"I was hoping you'd just want to hang out with me." He replied. "No strings, I realize you probably still need time after…what happened—" He held up a hand, "No. Reyna did not give me details; I just know that it didn't work out, okay? I figure what you need now most of all is a friend, my own feelings aside I could be your friend. If some guy comes along later and you prefer his company over mine then that's okay. What do you say?"

Annabeth considered him for a minute. She was on the verge of saying no when her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket, glanced at the name, then looked around the library. She put the receiver up to her ear after accepting the call. "Reyna, you are so dead."

"Kill me after," Reyna's voice came through the speaker, she was obviously smiling. "If you don't want to go by yourself I'm hiding in the Mythology section listening to your entire conversation and I'll gladly tag along. I've been meaning to go to the movies, anyway."

Annabeth sighed. Not for the first time that day. "If you wanted to go why didn't you just tell me?"

"Would you have gone if I told you I was bringing Luke?" She had a point.

"Fine. Whatever. But you're buying my ticket and my lunch after. And I get to pick the movie." Suddenly Reyna came around one of the bookshelves, Annabeth ended the call. "And you." She pointed at Luke. "This is not a date."

There was that smile again, it was almost roguish. "It's hardly a date if there're three of us."

"Yeah," Reyna smirked, "you wish you were that lucky."

Nico stood there in the airport. Carter, Sadie, Grover, Juniper and Percy (along with Sally and Paul) were staring at him, Leo, Frank, Rachel, Bianca, and Nico's parents. Today was the day; it was almost past time for them to be gone, to board the plane.

"Call me when you get on the ground," Percy told him for the fiftieth time.

"I will, and next Summer you're coming out to our house. We'll go to the beach, and drive over to Disneyland, and you can try In and Out Burger, and—"

"Nico." Hades said persistently, but Maria elbowed him. "We have to go." Hades staged whispered back.

"Give them a few more minutes, okay?" Maria replied. Her husband almost informed her that they might not have a few more minutes, but consented silently.

"Son," Paul said, putting a hand on Percy's shoulder. Percy looked back at his stepdad and nodded, understanding. Hades shot Paul a grateful look.

"I love you, Nico. I'll call you every day, and Skype you. You better get a Facebook and post a lot of pictures, and don't forget to sleep. Or eat. You never eat enough. And keep your phone charged, okay?" Nico smiled.

"I love you, too, Percy." He said, blushing slightly. Everyone around them was making to look as if the couple had total privacy. "I'll come visit during the break, and you come visit me."

Percy nodded, "I will." They stared at each other after that, holding hands but not venturing further. Percy just wanted to make sure he had the new, grown up Nico etched into every part of his brain so that when he closed his eyes he would see this boy clearly.

"Just freaking kiss so we can go already!" Leo catcalled from behind. Nico's blush deepened, but he leaned up and pressed himself against Percy. Their lips met and it looked as if it would take divine intervention to pull them apart.

"Now boarding: flight 354 to Los Angeles." A voice called over the intercom, as close to divine intervention as anything could be. Nico pulled back and kissed both of Percy's cheeks and his mouth once more for good measure. "I love you. So much."

"I love you, too." Percy replied with his lopsided grin.

"We love you, too, Nico, though not so much as your boyfriend and quite a bit more than your father if you're late for your flight." Sally smiled. Nico nodded. There were more final good-byes, made as hastily as possible with such a big group and finally Nico had to let Percy's hand go.

"Good-bye."

"No, not bye. I'll see you later." Percy grinned, which put a smile on Nico's face as well. They boarded and took their seats and Nico looked out of the window. It was raining, but he was still smiling even as Leo's head landed on his shoulder and the other boy continually snored in his ear.

He smiled all the way to LAX.

The school year was threatening to be a terrible one. The only thing that got him through the days were the texts from his friends. Funnily enough they almost all lived in California now. Leo would tell him funny stories, Frank would talk about movies and shows with him, Rachel would talk sports with him (so would Carter).

But, apparently his sexuality had gotten out. Some rumormonger named Drew Tanaka had heard it from the friend of a friend of a friend, or something. Who knew how rumors got circulated into and high school, but once began they became like the life's blood that kept the student population running.

Most of the guys on the swim team were understanding, only a few of them refused to change around Percy, and it wasn't that he was being bullied, but he wasn't exactly being included in much of anything anymore.

Percy sat at a lunch table by himself, he very obviously wasn't the only gay student, but just because he'd recently come out, or had been forced out, didn't mean the others would come running in flocks to comfort him. Percy was what the people considered popular, or he had been. It never occurred to him how popular until he was literally eating lunch by himself. Grover joined him when he could, but a lot of the time he took his lunches in the Greenhouse with the Gardening Club, a club Percy was seriously considering joining despite the fact that his green thumb was more a thumb of death than life.

He sighed, his runny soup falling out of his spoon without much tilt from his wrist.

"Mind if we take a seat?" He looked up.

"Annabeth?" He wondered, she stood there her with her new boyfriend Luke Castellan and Reyna.

She smiled at him, "Hey, Seaweed Brain."

"Hey." He smiled back, "Please, sit. I'm dying of boredom and have somehow become a social pariah."

"Because Drew Tanaka keeps telling people she heard you want to blow the entire football team." Reyna informed him as she sat beside him. "Which, I would say is probably more a challenge than you're up for."

"Don't think my jaw could handle that, really, no." Percy admitted with a small smile.

"You know, I heard Drew got chlamydia from Derrick Spears, she's probably trying to do anything in her power to keep that from getting around." Luke put in. "Use that information how you will."

Percy shook his head, "I won't fight fire with fire," He looked at Luke, who was holding Annabeth's hand. "Besides, chlamydia is treatable. She'd never admit it." He laughed. Reyna, Annabeth and Luke did as well.

After a moment Annabeth's expression turned from one of amusement to concern, "Are you doing okay, Seaweed—Percy? You've just looked a little…you haven't looked yourself since school started."

"I'm okay," Percy assured her. "Just…you know, I miss him and Fall Break is still a long while away." He shook his head, "How are you?"

Annabeth looked at Luke and she smiled, "I'm good. I'm really good." She said. After that they talked for a long time about nothing and Percy felt better than he had since Nico had left to go home.

It was Christmas Break but it sure didn't feel like it. "Why is it still so hot? Does it not ever get cold here?" Percy wondered from Nico's bed. He was lying on his stomach and in only his boxers, sweating. "How do you stand it?"

"Well, one: I'm not a baby." That earned a glare from Percy. "And two, stop complaining, we're about to go swimming, you love swimming, remember?" Percy did love swimming. Nico sat on the bed, "What'd you get me for Christmas, anyway?"

"My dick, I wrapped a bow around it." Percy smirked, Nico swatted him on the ass, earning a keening sound. He smacked the other cheek for good measure. "You wear far too many clothes." Percy told him and Nico looked down at his pajamas.

"I wear just the right amount of clothes, you're just horny and upset because its hot here but snowing back in New York." Nico laughed, crowding Percy's space. Percy would have pushed him away and complained of the heat if Nico wasn't right. "We can always go take a cold shower before everyone gets here."

"Or…" Percy grinned, his hand reaching under Nico's shirt. "We could do something else."

"Pretty sure that would make it even hotter than it is." Nico replied, scholarly. "Weren't you just saying how hot you were?"

"That was before you started spanking me." Percy countered, turning over onto his side to look Nico square in the face. "How much time do we have?"

"More than you'll need." Nico grinned, Percy flicked him on the nose and pouted. Nico kissed him. "It was a joke, Percy. You are a sex god, don't pout."

"You weren't complaining last night, or this morning, if I recall." Percy replied, his pride wounded and his bottom lip still jutted out slightly.

Nico rolled his eyes, "Is there anything I can do to make you forgive me?" Then he rolled his eyes again at the look he received from Percy. "Really?"

"Yup. Then a cold shower, and I won't return the favor 'cause you were being an ass." Though he did end up returning the favor, and again in the shower, and then once more after they had gotten home and Nico's skin tasted of salt and sea.

Later that night they laid in bed, wrapped around one another. They were going to fight, and they were going to argue, and they were still young so they weren't sure what the world was going to throw their way, but they loved each other. They had always loved one another, even when they thought they hated each other. Because when they were together, they were complete, and that's what love truly is.

Fin

Author's Notes: Well, guys. I know it's been a while, and I promised I would finish this. I can't think of any better way to do it, and I really like this end. I've never been great at endings, but this one kinda came out the way I wanted, for once.

I realized going into this that another Percy/Nico high school AU would ride the coattails of Sensory Love, and I didn't want that. That is an old fanfiction which I thought was good at the time and I see as only decent now. I really hope that this was better written, as the years pass I try to evolve more as a writer, and so with each chapter I tried to make it better. Sometimes that worked sometimes it didn't, but the story has been told now.

I've only ever finished three PJO fictions on here now. Sensory Love, Coding and Codeine, and now Seasons Change. I have been in this fandom for a long time, though I desperately need to reread the books, and I don't think I will ever stop liking the series but I think this will be my very last serious fiction as a fanfic writer. I need to focus on my own writing, it has suffered greatly and my laptop's death, plus the hundreds of ideas for fics I have running through my head, have not helped that.

I'm glad you guys stuck with me this far, I should have talked to a lot more of you, but I'm a terrible conversationalist and I'm a little shy to boot, even after all these years and all the kind messages I've received. It was nice to have such high esteem here for a long time, and I know most everyone's moved over to AO3, I'm there myself now as a reader, but you guys have always been awesome.

As for Exchange, I have give that over to XTheSonofHadesX who is very good at Percico, even if he dangles it in front of you and makes you jump for it. (I'm looking at you Children of Loss) Go check his stuff out, read it, review it, follow it.

It's been a fun few years, and I hope fervently that I can force myself to focus and write my own stories with as much fervor that I wrote from other people's. I'm going to miss writing Percy and Nico and everyone else, and who knows I might (probably will, knowing me) do some standalone one or two-shots every now and then, if the urge really, truly hits, but I can't keep writing these long series that span two years each to finish.

I'm grateful to every person who has ever reviewed one of my stories, good or bad, your criticisms have helped to shape me towards the kind of author I want to be. I have a lot more growing to do before I consider myself the author I should be, but I like where I'm going. Pray I don't stagnate like I do in so many other aspects of my life, because writing truly makes me happy, regardless of how slow I am at it.

Anyway, guys, I'll miss you. My Tumblr and twitter are on my profile page (go follow me on Tumblr! There's half naked men and cartoons!) and if you message me I'll try to respond. Thank you for your patience with me, and for sticking with me for so long.

Your Forever Fellow Percy/Nico shipper,

Jermaine (ex. Hitome-Chan)