PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Sonny || Chasing Fireflies || Sonny || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO
Title: Chasing Fireflies – The Next Generation of Heroes
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; post both series
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, h/c, mpreg, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, D/s, bondage, masturbation, toys, spanking, rimming, handjobs, magic, knotting, collars, past rape/abuse, (temporary) character death, depression, threesomes, shoujo-ai, hetero
Main Pairing: Sander/Donny, Trend/Derek/Sam and Nico/Percy
Side Pairings: Chris/Clarisse, Piper/Annabeth, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jason/Reyna, Travis/Connor, Malcolm/Katie, Lou/Miranda, Jake/Will, Kayla/Nyssa, Alabaster/Liam, Tyson/Ella, Paul/Sally, Hades/Persephone, Tempest/Blackjack
Side Pairings OCs: Trend/Sam, Herc/Thea, Joe/Nico, Marshall/Sara, Loki/Blance, Dash/Kara, Vic/Stella/Jonas, Chuck/Melissa, Luke/Thess, Kitty/Percy, Fred/Carry, JP/Milly
Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Clarisse la Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Hazel Levesque, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Jason Grace, Will Solace, Jake Mason, Katie Gardner, Malcolm Cage, Miranda Gardner, Lou Ellen, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Nyssa Black, Kayla Hein, Alabaster C. Torrington, Thalia Grace, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Octavian Simmons, Ella, Tyson, Grover Underwood, Sally Blofis, Paul Blofis, Chiron, Small Bob, Mrs. O'Leary, Blackjack, Tempest, Arion
Gods: Hades, Persephone, Demeter, Poseidon, Artemis
Own Animals: Shadowchaser (Donny's shadow-pegasus), Trickster (Sander's pegasus), Nightowl (Thea's pegasus), Fighter (Sam's pegasus), Rush (Trend's pegasus), Poker (Jack's pet-bunny)
Own Characters of the Next Generation:
Nicercy: Bianca Maria 'Bia' di Angelo, Hades Poseidon 'Donny' di Angelo, Sally Persephone 'Percy' di Angelo, Theseus Paul 'Thess' di Angelo, James Charles 'Jimmy' di Angelo, Laura Silena 'Silly' di Angelo, Jackson Tyson Jack' di Angelo
Chrisse: Calandra 'Cally' Rodriguez, Chrysander 'Sander' Rodriguez, Charisma 'Carry' Rodriguez
Pipabeth: Theadora Tiphane 'Thea' Chase, Lucas Thomas 'Luke' Chase, Tristan Frederick 'Fred' Chase, Matthew Robert 'Matt' Chase
Jayna: Hercules 'Herc' Grace, Thalia Hylla 'Thyl' Grace, Jupiter Perseus 'JP' Grace
Frazeleo: Esperanza Nicole 'Nico' Zhang, Sammy Marie Zhang, Emily Fey 'Milly' Zhang, Claryssa 'Claire' Zhang
Matie: Amarilla 'Amy' Cage, Anthismos 'Andy' Cage
Louranda: Kathryn 'Kitty' Ellen, Alabaster 'Basty' Ellen
Jakill: Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Mason (adopted; daughter of Apollo)
Stolls: Hunter 'Hunt' Hood, Hayden 'Heist' Hood (adopted; sons Hermes)
Own Demigods: Samuel Raser (Ares), Derek Rhys (Demeter), Trend Austin (Athena), Marshall Mikaelson (Enyo), Sara Mers (Mars), Joanna Foxx (Vulcan), Phylicia Rosenberg (Persephone), Bellatrix la Fey (Ares), Phineas DeVorut (Venus), Melissa Montgomery (Dionysus), Charles Smith (Apollo), Stella Ribeiro (Aphrodite), Jonas Meyer (Enyalios), Victor Kruger (Hephaestus), Erik Anderson (Enyo), Lila Lovegood (Hecate), Rainbow Jordan (Iris), Takara Thompson (Trivia), Sedanur Aykan (Apollo, augur), Loki Murdock (Mercury), Blance Lamour (Chione), Ulrika Schuster (Eris), Arielle Schneider (Triton), Liam O'Riley (Hecate)
Summary: Donny di Angelo never cared about fighting or becoming a hero. Quite the opposite of Sander Rodriguez, who was the greatest Greek hero of their generation. Together with his beloved cousin Nico Zhang and his best friend Thea Chase, Donny faces the hardest quest possible. The one for confidence and love. His biggest support though are his parents and siblings. Being a teenage demigod was hard, being the son of the greatest hero ever was even harder.
Chasing Fireflies
The Next Generation of Heroes
28. Where Past and Future Meet
Donny cursed beneath his breath, which in itself was not a very Donny-thing to do. But he really should have known better. He had, after all, warned his friends about it. What kind of a leader was he to fall for the trick he had warned the others about? The worst part? He had no idea where he was. It looked like a hotel, a bit. Very pompous and big and loud. Things he didn't like. There were people all around him, but they were really weird. It looked a bit as though dragonflies just kept dumping people from all different periods of time here. Realization dawned on him and his eyes widened. No, that wasn't it. This was the place where people got lost and lived forever, the ever-lasting palace of the Lotus Eaters. Looking around with sharp eyes, he now noticed them, with their trays of lotus flowers. He could not eat anything here, or he was stuck. But why would the dragonfly bring him to a place where time didn't even matter? This didn't make sense. Or... did the dragonfly want to get rid of him? Hope he'd eat the lotus flowers and be stuck here? No, that couldn't be it. He knew about the faeries, they weren't evil, they helped princesses and princes. His parents had told him so before. Heaving a sigh, Donny started to explore the place a bit. What was it that the faery could possibly want to show him here? There was nothing that special about this place, his parents had told him. Well, as much as they remembered, because the Lotus Hotel had a memory-numbing effect on its visitors. Wait. Donny froze. Both his parents had been stuck here before. Was one of them here now? He started to sprint, looking around frantically. The sound of a bright laugh interrupted his search. He would recognize his mother's laugh everywhere. Following the sound, Donny came face to face with his parents. Both his parents. In one of the hotel rooms were Nico and Percy, sitting on a bed together, giggling loudly. Nico was about ten, the age he had been when he had been stuck in the hotel, olive skin, bright, sparkling eyes, wild curls and the broadest smile possible on his lips as he very animatedly explained something to a maybe two years older Percy, whose eyes sparkled just as much as he stared at Nico in awe and grinned.
"Hey. What are you doing, lingering around in front of our room?", chided a voice from behind.
Donny nearly had a heart-attack when he turned around. The girl behind him looked exactly like his big sister, right down to the pitch-black, chiding eyes. Donny's mouth went dry when he realized who she was. His aunt. Nico's sister. The first Bianca di Angelo.
"I—I... I'm new here, I've just been looking around. And they looked like they were having fun and the door was open", stuttered Donny nervously. "I'm sorry."
"Oh! Bianca! You're back!", called Nico from inside, laughing happily. "Look! Look what I found! I found our Percy again! But he's older... I don't like that he's older. But I'm teaching him Mythomagic! Do you want to play with us? Who is your friend? Does he want to play too?"
Percy looked completely content where he was laying snuggled up to Nico. Bianca was still looking at Donny critically, but she went inside to join the boys. Donny's heart sank before it sped up and a smile spread over his lips that easily matched Nico's. He knew, knew everything about his parents' relationship. They had told him the story of their encounter with the faery too, how Percy had traveled back through time and met the di Angelos in the 30s and how Percy had, after seven years given up and forgotten about the encounter, thinking it was a dream, while Nico and Bianca had forgotten everything after their release from the Lotus Hotel. But right now, right here, when Nico and Bianca still had been stuck in the hotel and Percy had gotten stuck there during his search for the Master Bolt, they remembered each other. Or at least the di Angelos still remembered Percy and must have reminded him. The urge to go inside and sit down together with his mother, father and aunt was so overwhelming that he had to pull himself out of this. He needed to focus. If he went inside now, he would be stuck in the Lotus Hotel just like his family was. But he needed to return to his quest. And he needed to give his mom and dad this. Once he had closed the door, he caught sight of the dragonfly again. Smiling brightly, he followed the insect back into the vortex.
"Thank you", whispered Donny softly and cocked his head.
"Your parents are... quite fascinating. Whatever happened, they found each other again, over and over again. Even through time. It's your heart's deepest desire too. A love that conquers all. It exists. Your parents share such a love and if you set your mind on it, you can have that too."
Nodding slowly, Donny followed the dragonfly back into the forest. He made his way back to the meeting place they had agreed on. A depressed Thea and a determined Sander were already waiting there. His female best friend was an odd shade of green. Smiling softly, Donny grabbed Sander's hands and pulled him down into a soft kiss.
"So... You followed one too, eh?", grunted Sander amused and wrapped his arms around him.
"Yeah", smiled Donny happily. "It showed me something very beautiful."
"Lucky you", muttered Thea, running her hands through her hair.
"Why?", asked Donny confused. "What did you see?"
"You do not want to know", groaned Thea, shuddering. "I still don't know which one was worse."
"Well, now we're only waiting for Trend and Sam", sighed Sander, burying his nose in Donny's hair.
/break\
Sam swore to himself that he would never doubt the Disney Princess again. Because thanks to his recklessness he was now stuck in the different time. In the future, to be more precise. He even knew the exact address of the place he was stuck. It was a living room, the living room of a house in New Athens. A house he was frequently visiting, just to make sure no one would buy it, because the first time he had walked the streets of New Athens, he had instantly fallen in love with this house and knew one day, he wanted to live there. So he spend most his time scaring potential buyers off, because he was still sixteen and really didn't have the money to buy a house. It was old and in dire need of renovation, which helped in this mission because it made it look spooky. At least the version of their time did. This one however was pretty much amazing, beautiful and cozy. There was definitely a family living here. So... had that stupid sparkly shit brought him here to taunt him? To show him that nope, he wouldn't be getting the house of his dreams? Sighing annoyed, Sam sat down on the couch. There must be a reason why he was there.
"Yes, yes, yes! I want cake!", screamed two loud and excited voices.
Sam jumped slightly as the door opened and two children came running in, both perhaps four years old. The two giddy children nearly fell over as they suddenly stopped to stare at him wide-eyed, most likely not expecting a stranger to sit in their living room. Frowning surprised, Sam tilted his head. A girl and a boy. The girl with mischievous, brown eyes, olive-skin and a pigtail of black curls, the boy with light brown hair, sun-kissed skin and sparkling, sea-green eyes. They reminded him of someone. They were like a mixture of... Sander and Donny. Oh.
"Soul! Sand! I told you not to run around!", called a dark, deep voice after them. "Children... The death of me. How am I always stuck babysitting you little rascals? How is that fair?"
"Sorry", chimed both children at once, still staring at Sam in wonder.
The steps of an adult seemed to follow them as more smaller steps disappeared into the direction of the stairs – yes, Sam knew his way around this house, he had been visiting this house so often that he had memorized every turn and corner by now. The adult following the children was a little more unexpected though, because it was neither Donny nor Sander. It was him. Or at least a ten years older version of him. Wearing a black suit with a dark green tie. His mohawk was gone, his shoulder-long, wavy hair tied together in his neck. The adult froze and stared.
"Oh? Is it that day already?", hummed the older Sam curiously. "Soul, Sand, go get your cake."
"Okay, uncle Sam", nodded the twins at once (it started to freak Sam out that they did this).
The two children ran out of the room, leaving both Sams on their own. The adult slowly walked over to Sam to sit down next to him, looking him up and down curiously, just as he did.
"You look like a fucking penguin", huffed Sam defensively, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Language", grunted the older Sam, also crossing his arms over his chest. "There are children close by. So... You're sixteen, you're on your mission to save Teardrop and you're wondering what I'm doing here, with the kids, if I remember that correctly."
"With a few choice-words mixed in, but yeah", agreed the teen. "They're Sander's and Donny's?"
"Chrysoula and Chrysanthos di Angelo", nodded the adult, opening his hair to run his fingers through it in exhaustion. "Annoying little buggers. But what can I say? I'm stuck, being their godfather and all. Not that I ever learned to deny Donny and his begging eyes..."
"Shit", huffed the younger Sam frustrated. "I had hoped I'd learn to resist those... So, what are you doing here? And why do you look like a penguin? Not questioning the kids, because I can so see that one happening. The names though... well, still better than Hades Poseidon, I guess."
"True", agreed the older Sam amused, tilting his head. "What I'm doing here should be obvious. This is my house. So, congrats on that. Us being so persistent on chasing others away will pay off. So don't stop, this house will one day be yours. And I'm not looking like a penguin, I'm looking like a lawyer, you little bastard. So, congrats on that too. We're working for Nico in the DPS, representing demigods who need legal help in the mortal world, to get out of mental institutions when someone didn't believe them or to get them away from abusive homes and such."
The teen straightened some, a slight grin tugging on his lips. So he would be getting the house after all? Damn, how did he get enough money to buy himself a house, all alone? And he'd actually become a lawyer? That was more like a stupid thing he sometimes thought about when not with his grandpa and ma, because when he was with them, he felt obliged to join the army in some way. Something broke in the kitchen and two voices yelped. The older Sam scolded.
"Kids!", screamed the adult annoyed. "Get back here! You know what, all of you! I don't trust you on your own up there, boys! You're plotting something again, aren't you? Get down here!"
The twins returned, both looking kind of guilty. The older Sam patted their hair to let them know that he wasn't angry with them before they sat down on the ground to play with the toys scattered all over the floor. Someone ran down the stairs and within seconds, two more children were standing in the living room. One looked an awful lot like a miniature version of Donny, maybe six years old, so Sam guessed he was another di Angelo. Figured that Donny would be reproducing just like his mother. Poor Sander. The other child however caught Sam off-guard. The small boy, five years he'd guess, had his forest-green eyes and the same stupid wavy hair that was the reason why Sam always cut them to a mohawk so no one would see the wave in them.
"Calogero, go and get your siblings their cake. They managed to break something again so watch out", ordered the older Sam before beckoning the other child over to the couch, spreading his arms. "Come here, Eli. I want you to meet someone. Don't be so shy, he's a friend."
"Uh... Hello...", started teenage-Sam awkwardly, staring at the small child that was now standing in front of him and looking at him with those large, forest-green eyes. "Nice to meet you, Eli."
"Is not my name", mumbled the boy softly, reaching his hand out politely. "Papa always says you have to introduce your right name. Hello, sir. I'm Samuel Elijah James Raser the Fourth."
"Urgh, your papa and his obsession over manners", muttered the older Sam, lifting the boy up onto his lap. "I told you that it is perfectly fine if you introduce yourself as Eli, kiddo."
"B—But I like my name!", pouted Eli wide-eyed. "It's your name, daddy! And great-grandpa's!"
"Yes, yes, blasted family traditions", huffed the older Sam, kissing the boy's hair, smiling slightly.
A hundred different questions were running through Sam's mind as he stared at the content, older version of himself, who was hugging his son tightly. More than two third of his questions involved the child. How was he possible? Who was his mother? No, more important; Who was his 'papa'?
"I know you're having many questions", interrupted the older Sam a little amused, running his fingers through Eli's hair as the child curled together against his chest. "And I'm sorry, I'm very, very sorry. But I can't answer them. I can't tell you anything. You're allowed to meet us, to see this, to see that all of this will be yours one day, but I'm not allowed to tell you how or when."
Sam nodded numbly, staring at the happy boy in his older self's arms. Eli hummed softly and snuggled closer to his dad, playing curiously with his dad's hair. The boy was a bit scrawny and obviously rather shy, but he looked happy and Sam guessed that was what mattered. Closing his eyes for a second, he tried to focus. But when he opened them again, he was back in the forest, with the stupid, sparkling thing buzzing in front of him. Batting it away, he jumped up from where he was sitting on a lodge and ran back to their meeting point as fast as possible before that blasted thing would show him more stuff he didn't have now and doubted he would be getting. As he reached the clearing, he saw Thea, Sander and Donny getting ready to leave.
"Sam! Oh, I'm glad you're here!", grinned Donny and jumped him. "Neither you nor Trend had returned on time, we didn't know where to start. Now come! Trend is long overdue too!"
Sam nodded slowly, hugging the Sea Prince who was hanging off his neck. Together, the four teens made their way into the direction Trend had chosen as his path. Donny, Thea and Sander were happily chatting about what they had seen – something about a Lotus Hotel and Tartarus and the Titan War, which all together sounded like gibberish. They reached another clearing and he saw a highly annoyed Trend standing amidst the soft, greenish glow of hundreds of fireflies.
"Finally", huffed the son of Athena. "I started to think you ditched me."
"Sorry, we got caught up with some... time-travel", grinned Donny sheepishly.
"Even you? As the leader?", grunted Trend unimpressed and gave the others a hard glare. "Well, look what not getting caught up with time-travel brought me. Fireflies."
Trend was feeling a little bad when he saw the guilt in Donny's eyes, but if the boy was to lead them then he should not be the one to walk straight into a trap. Looking the others up and down, he figured they must have seen different times. Thea looked miserable, Sander looked surprisingly determined and confident and Sam looked... upset. Trend frowned curiously.
"Hello", started Donny as he stepped up to the fireflies, his back straight. "I'm Hades Poseidon di Angelo, champion of Lady Persephone. I'm here on my mission to return Teardrop. You are the closest ranks he has around him. Tell me what happened to him. Where did he go?"
"We have no knowledge of his whereabouts", chorused an echo of hundreds of voices all around Donny, making him feel a little insecure. "The enemy of spring took him. We are many but we are weak. We could not defend our leader. It is your duty to save him."
"Okay", nodded Donny slowly, stepping back a bit as the intensity of their voices intimidated him. "But tell me how I can find him. If not even you know where he is."
"He had been seen by our cousins on the other side of the great water, where the ancient lands lay."
"You mean... Europe...?", muttered Donny wide-eyed. "We need to go to Europe...?"
"It is all we can tell you, young prince. We hope you will live so we can meet again."
As if on cue did the fireflies vanish. Donny shifted slightly as the others turned inquisitive eyes on him. Still, the sounds from the depth of the forest made him quicken his steps and leave. He had the others hot on his heels as he led the way back into the direction of their campsite.
"The insects are not the only ones starting to stir", muttered Donny in explaining.
"Yes. I hear the monsters closing in on us too", nodded Sander, his sword drawn. "Better hurry."
The teens remained silent as they hurried to get back to safety, no word spoken to not attract the monsters that came closer and closer. A collective relieved gasp escaped their throats as they stumbled into the safety of their tent. Once inside, they got more comfortable, sitting together.
"Well? What is it they said?", wanted Thea to know, glasses up and laptop open already.
"That the... enemy of spring took Teardrop and that they don't know where exactly he is, but that he had last been seen overseas, where the ancient lands are located. Europe", explained Donny.
"How the fuck are we supposed to get to Europe?", groaned Sam annoyed and fell back onto the pillows behind him. "Trend is getting horse-sick after just a few hours of flying and I doubt our pegasi would be able to carry us over the ocean, not even Fighter can carry two people that far..."
"How about", interrupted Trend softly. "We think about that in the morning, perhaps we will come up with an idea over night. And we focus on something good for now."
"Yes! Great idea", nodded Donny with a smile, disliking the gloomy atmosphere those news had brought to them. "Say, how come you didn't travel through time, Trend? I mean, we others did."
"I seem to have more common sense than you do", snorted Trend and rolled his eyes. "But tell me, what did you see? What kind of past have you encountered? Great heroes of the past?"
"You could say that", laughed Sander and stretched out comfortably. "I met Percy Jackson, after the Titan War. He was... really impressive. It was... strange, somehow..."
"I met my parents!", grinned Donny happily as he curled together next to Sander, resting his head on the brunette's arm. "They... always find each other. It's reassuring, how strong their love is."
"I will be having nightmares for days and days to come", muttered Thea as she stood to get the cornucopia. "I saw... mom and uncle Percy, when they were in Tartarus... They were so strong. Their friendship conquered all, even the depth of the darkest chasm. Still... I also saw them kiss..."
"Ew", yelped Donny and wiggled his nose, turning to Sam. "You didn't tell us what you saw yet!"
"Yeah, well...", shrugged Sam and ran one hand through his mohawk. "I... didn't exactly visit the past, I went to the future. I... met myself and my son. Well, and your son...s and daughter."
"Mine?", yelped Donny wide-eyed and sat up, staring at him curiously.
"No. Yours", corrected Sam, pointing at Sander and Donny. "Little bundles of joy and mischief."
Trend frowned curiously while Sander and Donny were busy blushing and staring at each other. Sam's son? Sam was gay. Was he going to get together with a fire-bender or a water-bender to have a child of his own? Was it a surrogate mother? Magic? Who was he sharing his family with...?
"Now! To get to the something good Trend was aiming for earlier!", exclaimed Thea loudly.
/back|to|the|future\
"Why's the boy gone? Where did he go?", asked Eli in a soft voice, staring at his dad.
"He had to return to his own time and place", chuckled Sam wistfully.
The clicking of the lock interrupted his thoughts as the frontdoor opened. "Honey, I'm home!"
"Don't call me 'honey', you wan-", started Sam before biting his tongue. "-derer..."
How much he missed his curses. A rich chuckle sounded from the hall, soon followed by a tall blonde who entered the living room with one cocked eyebrow, dark, gray eyes staring at him.
"You know the rules, Sammy. Naughty words in front of the kids are put onto the naughty list."
"It was only half a naughty word", huffed Sam and released Eli so the boy could run up to his papa. "What are you doing here anyway? Your shift doesn't end for another three hours."
"Papa! Papa! Papa! I missed you! I love you!", exclaimed Eli, throwing himself at the blonde.
The three di Angelos looked up from where they were playing, grinning. "Hello, uncle Trend!"
"I love you too, Elijah. Hey there, you little imps of mischief. Well, you sounded annoyed on the phone earlier", replied the blonde as he lifted Eli up into his arms and walked over to Sam. "I figured I could call in a favor and leave the hospital early to come and aid you help."
"Help?", grunted Sam, taking Eli from him. "Well, the twins broke something in the kitchen. Again. You can go and clean that mess up if you're so adamant on helping me, dick..y-bird."
Trend smirked and leaned in for a kiss before whispering. "That's another one for the naughty list. You're out of shape today, Sammy. And so nice again. Sometimes I wonder why I married you."
"Liar", snorted Sam, throwing a pillow after him. "You married me because I'm awesome."
Author's note: Sooo, I wanted to put a little note of the future at the end, because I kind of fell in love with writing Eli. And because next will be Sam's birthday surprise and it would have been odd to start it with a little and then take the chapter-break. So, next chapter: Sam gets the present from Trend and the others, they will feast on bacon and Trend, Thea, Donny and Sander will bug Sam for information about his life in Ireland, so I get some bonding-time between our heroes in here too!
