PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || The Prince of Pluto || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO
Title: The Prince of Pluto – A Journey to the Stars
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus
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: m/m, scifi AU, aliens, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, hurt/comfort, fluff, pining, explicit intercourse, oral, anal, knotting, f/f, m/f, polyamory (m/m/f)
Main Pairing: Nico/Percy
Side Pairings: Reyna/Annabeth, Nyssa/Piper, Octavian/Luke, Ethan/Alabaster, Jake/Will, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jason/Calypso, Grover/Juniper, Charles/Silena, Chris/Clarisse, Malcolm/Katie, Bryce/Drew, Paul/Sally, Tristan/Beryl, Maria/Marie, Hades/Persephone, Poseidon/Amphitrite, Thanatos/Triton
Percy Jackson Characters: (by planet/asteroid of origin)
Sun: Will Solace, Octavian Simmons, Austin Lake, Kayla Knowles
Mercury: Luke Castellan, Chris Rodriguez, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Cecil Markowitz
Venus: Piper McLean, Silena Beauregard, Michael Kahale, Drew Tanaka, Mitchell, Lacy
Earth: Perseus Jackson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Ella, Ethan Nakamura, Tyson, Sally Jackson, Paul Blofis, Tristan McLean, Beryl Grace, Maria di Angelo, Marie Levesque
Moon: Calypso Nightshade, Zoe Nightshade, Phoebe
Mars: Clarisse la Rue, Frank Zhang
Vesta: Charles Beckendorf, Leo Valdez, Jake Mason, Nyssa Barrera
Pallas: Annabeth Chase, Malcolm Pace
Bellona: Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Hylla Ramírez-Arellano
Ceres: Katie Gardner, Miranda Gardner, Juniper
Jupiter: Jason Grace, Thalia Grace
Saturn: Kronos (King)
Chiron: Chiron, Grover Underwood, Gleeson Hedge
Uranus: Gaia (Queen), the Giants
Neptune: Poseidon (King), Amphitrite (Queen), Triton, Proteus, Kymopoleia, Benthesikyme, Rhode
Orcus: Bryce Lawrence
Pluto: Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Mrs. O'Leary, Small Bob, Hades (King), Persephone (Queen), Thanatos, Olethros, Makaria, Melinoe
Eris: Alabaster C. Torrington, Lou Ellen Blackstone
Summary: The moon-landing had changed the course of history when human made first contact. It opened Earth up to space-travel, exploring the solar system and their now allied planets. Chiron Academy is the leading high school training future space explorers.
Percy Jackson grew up dreaming of one day traveling the stars. When he gets into the academy, he makes a lot of new friends, among them his new crush the half-Plutonian Nico.
Things change when Nico confides in his friends that he is actually the prince of Pluto – and that Pluto is in the middle of a horrible war. Together, the group of their close friends, they decide to ditch school, steal a space-ship and go out into space alone and unsupervised to help.
The Prince of Pluto
A Journey to the Stars
Chapter 12: Team-Building Exercises
Percy sighed as he paced the Princess Andromeda. He had checked and double-checked everything they were supposed to have. His team had... Well, everyone had their own priorities. And they all gave their lists to Percy, for him to decide what had priority. An ungrateful job. Part of why he didn't want to be a leader. He didn't like letting people down and this felt like letting them down.
"Gattino, relax", requested Nico in a gentle voice, wrapping his arms around Percy's waist.
Sighing softly, the omega leaned back against his alpha, closing his eyes. Nico relaxed him. It was so relaxing to be close to Nico, he reassured Percy, made him feel less tense. He tilted his head back to rest against Nico's shoulder. It wasn't just the alpha-omega thing. It was Nico himself. Nico believed in Percy, he backed him up and supported him.
"That's easier said than done", grunted Percy with a pout. "Tomorrow's gonna be... urgh..."
"A full success", declared Nico, kissing Percy's shoulder. "Come now. You need your rest."
Percy had done his everything to prepare for tomorrow's mission. There was nothing more to do. He had eaten dinner with his parents today. He had fretted so much, but his mom too told him everything would be alright. Paul had been more excited than worried; he was a teacher there. He knew about this mission, about the importance of this first big test for the second years.
"You're going to spend next weekend away with your family, right?", asked Percy as the two made their way back to the dorms. "Are you dreading it, or looking forward to it?"
"Why not both?", huffed Nico with a frown. "I love them, but they are a lot. Hazel, she is really enjoying school so far. Part of me had hoped she would think it's not for her..."
"You worry too much", whispered Percy, taking Nico's hand and running circled over his pulse.
"She's my baby sister, of course do I worry", muttered Nico frustrated.
"Percy! Percy, I'm so glad I found you. Ah, Nico. Hello. Can I borrow your boyfriend?"
"Of course, Miss Rhode", sighed Nico as the teacher ran up to them. "See you tomorrow?"
He kissed Percy's cheek before continuing on his way, leaving Percy alone with Rhode. It was curious that the princess looked so ruffled. She offered him a smile, straightening her hair.
"I'm sorry. I know it's late. I know you have your second year mission tomorrow. But there is a student I want you to meet", explained Rhode. "The first years. We just realized, one of them is Neptunian himself. He didn't even know – his mother died when he was seven, he grew up in foster care. I thought, since you haven't met another Neptunian aside from me."
She was leading Percy toward a different part of the dorms. Another Neptunian? Percy wasn't the only one on campus anymore? This was exciting. He was really glad she had decided to tell him right away, he wanted to meet others like him, like them. They paused in front of a door, knocking. The boy opening was... not what Percy had expected. He was about two heads taller than Percy, with messy brown and a broad, happy smile. How was this kid a year younger but so much taller?
"Miss Rhode!", exclaimed the boy excitedly. "Hello. Is this the student you mentioned?"
"Yes. Percy Jackson, Tyson Smith. Our only current Neptunian students."
"Brother!", exclaimed Tyson immediately and hugged Percy tightly, lifting him off the ground.
"Wo—oah", yelped Percy startled, laughing a little. "Uh, nice to meet you too."
"We're the same. So, we're brothers, right? I've never met anyone like me", declared Tyson.
Anyone else and this would have been weird, but something about Tyson's smile was so incredibly sincere. Good-meaning. Pure. Smiling, Percy returned the hug. After all, he had only ever known Rhode too, never seen another Neptunian before in his life. And he guessed it made sense. If Tyson had grown up in foster care, he may still be looking for that sense of family.
"I'm... I'm gonna be away for the weekend, but how about we have lunch on Monday?"
"That sounds awesome", confirmed Tyson excitedly. "Yes. Have fun on your trip!"
"Thanks", chuckled Percy with a small smile. "It's... I'm glad I met you, Tyson."
"Me too. You can teach me all the Neptunian stuff. It looks so cool."
"It doesn't just look cool, it is", laughed Percy, hugging Tyson one last time.
And oh wow. Becoming the teacher? He didn't think he was ready for that yet. His eyes trailed over toward Rhode, who just smiled reassuringly at him. She had his back, was going to help him with this, as she had been helping him with everything. A part of Percy would love to meet her family – the family that raised such a compassionate, kind and helpful woman, also the royal family of Neptune – but he knew that was unrealistic. Why would he, he was just a random half-blood on Earth. And Neptune was currently pretty busy with the war. Not a vacation destiny, really.
/break\
The uniforms looked amazing. They were wearing the official space uniforms. Skin tight, in a light gray, but with color-coded accents on it. The mechanics were dark-brown, the medics yellow, the nutritionists/cooks were dark green, fighters dark red, regular crew members orange, the pilot in turquoise – and the captain in dark blue. Percy looked good in dark blue.
"Everyone at their stations?", asked Percy with as much authority as he could muster.
"Everyone ready, captain", confirmed his second-in-command with a smile.
Annabeth sat at his right hand, wearing the dark gray of the first mate and strategist. Chris, Rachel and Nyssa were with them in the cockpit. Rachel, their navigator, Nyssa had doubled some in navigation and piloting – for fun – so she took her place as the co-pilot for now. Everyone else was back in the ship. Grover and Juniper in the kitchen and storage room, most likely already getting ready to prepare their lunch – cooking for thirteen people was a lot. Piper and Will in the infirmary; Piper had decided to double in some herbal and medical classes as her specialization, because having only one medic was always a bit risky. If something happened to him, they were all screwed. Reyna, Jason and Nico were going to be their fighters – together with Percy and Annabeth. Five fighters seemed like a pretty good number to Percy. Jake was probably napping for now, he guessed. The poor guy had gotten up really early to check everything about the ship one last time before they left, make sure the engine and all were going to run smoothly.
Swallowing hard, Percy sat down in the captain's chair and ordered take-off. His heart was hammering in his chest. The first stage of the test was to get to the satellite. It wasn't necessarily a race, but everyone viewed it as such anyway. Who got there safely first won. The travel would be about six hours, for first timers they usually set around eight hours.
"Okay. We're on course", declared Chris, after checking with Rachel. "You guys are free to... roam the ship, do whatever you want. We'll bring you back when we're heading for landing."
That was the rule. Unless anything happened, no one aside from one pilot needed to stay in the cockpit, everything was automated but it still was never to be left unsupervised. Pilot and copilot usually took shifts, always with one additional crew-member – to avoid the accidental falling asleep. Only when something came up would more crew gather here.
"Wonderful. I still have some reading to catch up", sighed Annabeth pleased. "Rachel?"
"Yeah, I'm taking first shift with Chris", confirmed the redhead. "Percy. Go take a nap. You look like you haven't slept at all... last week."
Percy rolled his eyes at her but he complied. He was sharing a cabin with Will – the only other male omega on their crew. The two weren't particularly close yet, they were on the same team, sure, but he hadn't exactly talked a lot to the medic yet. He knew Nico had befriended Will though, so he hoped he could use this trip as a bit of a bonding exercise. By the time Percy made it to their shared cabin, Will was indeed inside, unpacking their things. They were going to spend the whole weekend here, after all. Most had brought some entertainment for the flight, or homework to be caught up on, with them. Will looked up and smiled at him as Percy entered the room. Most of the time, Will used a high-tech glamour to look just like a regular human, but Percy knew that his species, Apolloneans, were fire-breathing and looked like Earth's reptilians. It was pretty cool, really.
"Hey. I... don't know if I said it yet, but I'm glad you... decided to join our team."
"You had very... very... very good arguments", offered Will with a grin. "Jake's abs. I am absolutely talking about Jake's abs. That is... one adorably easily flustered alpha, honestly."
"Not the motivation I would have hoped had gotten you to join us, but okay", sighed Percy amused.
"Hey. How else am I gonna grow close to him? This is perfect. And, honestly, I had no... inclination either way to what team to join. Malcolm and Katie are my friends and they're in a different team, but Chris and Nico are also my friends. So... Jake's abs were the deciding factor."
"Fair enough", laughed Percy. "They are nice abs. Not as nice as Nico's though..."
"Aw. You two are so smitten", huffed Will out, smiling to himself. "Nico is all 'Percy this' and 'Percy that', those beautiful eyes of yours – admittedly, very pretty eyes. But it's getting a bit boring to listen to him wax poetry about you all the time."
"I like listening to him wax poetry about me", hummed Percy mischievously.
He laid down on his bed, stretching out and yawning widely. Time for a little nap.
/break\
"Hey there, gorgeous. Need... any help with that?", asked Nyssa with a smile.
Her and Piper had been dancing around each other for weeks, dancing closer and closer, to the point that it was quite silly that they were dating yet. Or so Reyna and Annabeth had decided. Well, after those two had finally figured it out for themselves this summer. The four of them and Rachel were sitting in the cafeteria, eating their lunch. Rachel had switched shifts with Jason, Chris had went to get a nap right away, but Rachel was starving. Thankfully, Grover and Juniper had done good work on the lunch. Now, Rachel was doomed to watch more flirting.
"Just kiss. Please. I beg of you. This is getting tiresome", drawled Rachel dryly.
Both Piper and Nyssa flushed at that, staring at each other. Honestly, Rachel saw no point in that kind of back and forth. If someone liked another, they should just say it. Made things easier. She thought there could be benefits in romantic partners working together, they were in tune, they also helped relax each other – like Percy and Nico did for each other. But if they just awkwardly pined from afar, there was no benefit to that. Especially now that they were a team.
"Rach. That was... you should have... Rach", sighed Annabeth frustrated.
The two of them had quickly become rather good friends, despite having edged on at first. Both were very headstrong women and were different in one major aspect – Rachel was an artistic soul, while Annabeth was an analytic mind. They had managed to make their differences work; compliment each other. Both aspects were important in their missions.
"Eh", shrugged Rachel, watching out of the corner of her eyes how Piper and Nyssa whispered softly with each other, both still blushing. "There's more important things to focus on."
"The new first years seem to be an interesting bunch", offered Reyna to change the topic.
"I kno—ow. One is my little cousin", grinned Rachel excitedly. "Her name's Ella. She's precious."
"Alabaster's little sister Lou Ellen is in the first years too", noted Reyna. "So is Nico's."
"And Katie's, Miranda Gardner", added Annabeth curiously. "I suppose it figures. Many younger siblings look up to their older siblings. And... this is a great career opportunity."
"I worry about Ella. I just want her to find her place too", sighed Rachel after a moment. "I like our team. I think some of you guys could think a little less with your libido, but overall... we're good."
"I'm sure your cousin will do fine too", assured Reyna with a smile.
"Mhmh. Now... Let's focus on us, on the now", requested Rachel, tapping the sheet of paper in front of them. "What do we have to expect up there? I mean, I know, in vagueness, but..."
"But you hope us with older siblings have some insider knowledge", chuckled Reyna. "Hylla said that we'll be inspected up there and while being told explicitly that it is not a race, they do note who makes it first. They'll check our rations, state of the ship and crew. We are going to spend two full nights up on the satellite. Tonight there'll be a debriefing on our trip up here. There'll be a mock-fight tomorrow, so the fighters can prove themselves too. A simulation of being attacked by enemies. Classes in the evening and by Sunday morning, we're expected to return to Earth."
"I'm looking forward to the fighting part", declared Annabeth, smiling like a shark.
The way Reyna looked at her at that made Rachel roll her eyes again. Why was everyone so horny? Were it the skin-tight uniforms, the enclosed space? She smiled a bit when she saw Piper gently peck Nyssa's lips. Let it be known that Rachel wasn't against romance. Only when it clouded their minds and distracted from the mission ahead. Something that could become a serious problem in a real, actual mission where there would not be a simulation, only a proper fight.
/break\
Nico was, once again, stuck sharing a cabin with Jason. It made sense, both were guys and both were alphas, they roomed together in their dorms too. However, Jason pouting that his girlfriend was on another ship? Not the most enjoyable roommate. They had arrived second at the satellite – which was impressive, out of twelve. They had sat through a mind-numbingly boring debriefing. And then they had gotten the rest of the day off. This whole thing could be shortened by a lot, but part of the test was to live in the space of their ship. Nico and Jason had sparred in the training room in their ship, after dinner. Tomorrow, it was their turn to prove them.
"Thalia's team was first", offered Jason after a stretch of silence. "I mean. So was Bianca's, since they're on the same team. But... I don't know. Feels like... competition, doesn't it?"
"What we're doomed for by having older sisters in the same school", shrugged Nico.
He didn't see it too much as competition, really. He knew both him and Bianca had to be excellent so they would survive the war when they left for Pluto. To Jason and Thalia, it was allowed to just be a competition. Playful. Terran explorers got to be mostly peaceful, unless they ran into any rebels or war-zones. But Earth itself wasn't at war with anyone. For them, it was different.
/break\
Percy had taken months to actually get used to fighting as a Neptunian. The agility and speed he gained in that form were astonishing. Seeing Nico fight in the air, with his strong black wings spread out far as he attacked fiercely. Jason had worked his ass off training his lightning-control with his sister; she had taught him all the tricks he needed to know. Reyna's natural greater physical strength and Annabeth's ability to turn invisible. The five of them were a great team – they had trained a lot with each other over the summer, to be as in tune with each other's bodies as possible. Piper too, she wasn't much for hand-to-hand, but she had picked a lot up with a knife, trained with Annabeth. They kicked butt, to say it as it was. Highest score in the fight simulation.
"I am dead on my feet", groaned Percy as he exited the shower.
Their ship was smaller, so there was only one communal bathroom. Which meant after a day like today, they had to take turns. They also had to watch out; the ship would be rated again when they returned to Earth tomorrow. Like the hours long fight simulation hadn't been enough, they had to sit through a debriefing class about that after too – going through the videos, analyzing every single mistake or misstep they had made. Everything. It was good, helpful, but also exhausting.
"Sit with me?", offered Nico gently, spreading his legs some and indicating the place between.
An offer Percy certainly wasn't going to refuse. The ship had a large common room for the crew – for team-gathering, debriefings, recreational purposes. Right now, Nico, Jason, Grover, Jake and Nyssa were playing poker in it. Reyna and Piper were doing homework in a corner, while Rachel and Juniper were eating midnight snacks, watching something on the big screen with Will and Chris. Percy snatched a sandwich off Rachel's plate before he made his way to Nico's lap.
"Wanna be dealt in?", asked Jake curiously, watching their captain.
"My brain is mush. No", huffed Percy, eyes closed as he curled against Nico. "Just nap."
"And tomorrow we're going to return home", noted Jake. "Honestly. This... went smoother than I expected. It was... kind of fun? The race, the sleepover. The test was fun to watch."
"Because you didn't have to get your ass kicked", grunted Piper pointedly.
"Poor babe", whispered Nyssa softly, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "You looked hot kicking ass."
That did make Piper perk up some, prompting Reyna next to her to roll her eyes bemused. Percy smiled as he watched them. Jake was right though. For as much as he had fretted about this, it had not just gone better than expected, but it had also been actual fun. Maybe being captain wasn't as bad as he had feared it would be. They had done good, after all. Under his leadership.
/break\
Having Nico off-planet actually made things easier on Hazel; no looming big brother. Their little study-circle had gained two more members – Cecil and Tyson. They were roommates, Cecil having befriended Lou Ellen and her having suggested for them to join their group.
"The mission must be so much fun", sighed Leo softly. "Traveling off-planet? Even just to a satellite. I can't wait for us to be in our second year. I wanna be a pilot, you know?"
"Heh. Me too", offered Cecil with a grin. "It sounds the most fun, honestly."
"Well, that and working on the ship – like, repairing it and stuff", tagged Leo on excitedly. "I love building stuff! My mom, she runs a car-shop, taught me everything. Now I know that a space-ship isn't a car, but... I mean, it's not that different, is it?"
"You're enthusiastic", noted Hazel with a soft little smile.
Leo was cute. His excitement was contagious and he was a lot of fun. The two were quickly becoming good friends, even though the semester had only just started. Though the same went for Frank, Ella and Miranda. Leo had particularly befriended Lou Ellen and Tyson. They all worked pretty well together and Hazel couldn't help but hope that they may become a great team. She knew her older siblings had been lucky with their teams. She was the youngest, she had a lot to catch up on, compared to them – and she had no plans of being left behind. Not just in the sense of the things they knew, but also when they were going to leave for Pluto. She was going with them, whether they liked it or not. Bianca, she was less argumentative about it, but Nico was incredibly protective of her and if it went according to his wishes, she's stay behind with their moms.
"I want to become a mechanic too", said Tyson after a beat, smiling. "I like putting things together."
He was a Neptunian. Hazel knew that Neptune and Pluto had always been close with each other. She knew in another life, if there was no war, she would have attended grand balls on Neptune, as a royal guest. Not be here on Earth, meeting the Neptunian princess as her teacher. There was so much she had missed out on – her parents and oldest siblings, most of all. She couldn't wait to meet them, in that respect she was even more motivated to return to Pluto than her siblings were.
"I think you should dabble in magic with me, Haze", noted Lou Ellen. "You may not be Eridian, but you definitely have a talent for it. Maybe someone upper in your family tree was from Eris?"
Hazel smiled faintly. They did have magic running in their family, but not all members of the royal family could wield it. She would like to train and learn more, to be as useful as she could, to her siblings, her parents and to her planet. She was going to become a captain, and a magic user.
Author's note: Next chapter is going to shine a little more light on our newbie next generation and how they fit among the second and third years!
And if I might redirect your attention for a second to an upcoming fic of mine, because on November 7th, I'll post the first chapter of a multi-chapter superhero AU for Nico/Jason/Percy called "The Legacy of the Big Three", so if you don't mind a bit of Jason to your Nicercy, go check that out when it comes out! ;)