Song is by The Cure, and I'd really recommend giving it a listen before this chapter.

Chapter 16: Disintegration

Town of Half-Blood, 1969.

Rachel didn't like waiting.

Well, there were a lot of things she didn't like. The smell of cows. Jackson Pollock fans. People who got up after the sun had already risen. All those were things that put some frustration in her heart and made her lip twitch into a soft scowl. But more than anything, she did not like waiting.

Well, normally at least, but she could stomach it this time.

She leaned into the swinging bench that hung over her porch, crossing her legs as she did the same with her arms, and taking a moment to check her watch.

5:30 P.M.

He was really late. Which was surprising all it's own considering he had been the one to ask her out. Ask her out... what he'd done was basically beg her to go out with him, and she couldn't really tell if it was the very clear nervousness he showed with every word he spoke, like he didn't think he deserved to go out with her, or the fact that he has always been kinda cute, or maybe the fact that it was rhe millionth time he's done it, but she said yes.

Regardless, she was waiting, softly swinging back and forth on her porch while the annual storm raged over her family's farm.

She liked the rain. Not working in it, nor really walking in it, but painting in the rain? Or painting the rain itself? Those were two things that really made Rachel smile.

So, again, the fact he was late to the date he'd asked her out on was a little bit of a pain in the ass. She checked her watch again, letting out a soft sigh as she rose to her feet and stretched slightly, feeling those old farm girl bones of her crack. She considered maybe heading back inside, setting up her easel, and ignoring whatever knocks might ring out later in the night as she painted to her hearts content.

She considered it, until she saw a pair of headlights pull into view in the distance.

She smiled softly, watching as the old Jackson family truck pulled up to the homestead. It was a beater. A rickety old piece of work with green paint so chipped and faded the colour looked more like oxidized copper than any kind of paint job. It rumbled up to the house and grumbled to a stop before it shut off and the driver stepped out.

He was... a Texan. Lord was he ever.

Spurred brown leather cowboy boots, ancient worn out denim jeans, a faded orange plaid flannel, a practically decrepit denim coat, and a cowboy hat that he was right in the process of plopping down on his head. The young man straightened his thick lensed glasses on his face before he took a deep breath and walked up to the porch, all while Rachel kept her eyes locked on his and sharpened into a tight squint.

He got up to the steps, stuck one hand into his pocket and brought the other up to nervously rub the back of his neck.

"Uh... hey." He offered. It wasn't a good opener, and was barely anything close to confident, but it was certainly a him line, and it was him she'd said yes to after all.

She rolled her eyes and walked down the steps, her work boots letting out a soft stomp with every step. She got up right in front of him, keeping her arms crossed over her chest as she looked up into his eyes.

"You're late." She said, hardly masking the annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah, about that..." He said, nervously looking around, "...I don't think you'd belive the reason if I told you."

She let her lips twitch into a soft smile, "Try me."

"Alright," He replied with a sigh, "Blackjack got into the house."

She was quiet for a second, before a soft laugh hissed out of her nose.

"He got into the house?"

"Yeah," Percy replied, a slight smile on his lips, "I, uh... left the door open and the big oaf followed me right in."

Rachel shook her head with a sigh.

"Percy, you have been asking me out basically every week for the past three months."

"I have." He replied, in a tone that wasn't annoyed, rather affirmative.

"And, despite every excuse I've had, you've never once been deterred."

"This is correct." He replied in that same tone.

"And now that I've finally said yes, you're telling me you are almost an hour late because your horse got into the house?"

He pursed his lips and cocked his head side to side, "Well, technically it's mom's horse. She just let's me ride him sometimes."

Rachel sighed, dropping her head a bit, "I cannot believe I waited on my porch for an hour for someone who let's horses get into their house."

Percy smiled, before he reached up and pulled his hat off his head.

"Y'know what I can't believe?"

She rolled her eyes and softly glared at him.

"What's that four-eyes?"

He reached over with his hand and plopped his hat down on her head, covering it from the rain.

"That I found someone willing to wait on their porch for an hour, and for me, no less."

Rachel looked up at him with a narrowed glare while the rain dripped off her newly acquired hat. He smiled at her, cocking a crooked grin as the rain dripped off his glasses and soaked his hair. She'd never have said it out loud, not this early at least, but goddamn did he look good like that.

She cleared her throat, collecting her thoughts and getting a firm grip back on her pride.

"So. What's the plan for today then, cowboy?"

He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, "Well, I was doing some thinking..."

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Some thinking? Thats new for you."

Percy nodded, "It is, and it might be a subject I revisit, because in that thinking I wrangled myself up a good idea."

Rachel uncrossed her arms and hooked her thumbs in her pockets.

"Do tell."

He smiled, jerking his thumb towards the truck, "Hop in. It's a surprise."

She narrowed her eyes at him again, crossing over to the passenger door, yanking it open, and hopping in. He smiled, hogging up to the driver's seat and doing the same.

He shut the door behind him and reached into the back seat before he pulled something out and showed it off. It was a cassette tape.

"You like Led Zeppelin?"

She looked at the tape, then at him.

"Can't say I've ever listened to it before."

A look pulled across his face that was a mix of shock, amazement, and terror.

"You've never heard the greatest rock band to ever exist? You're joking, right?"

She couldn't tell if it was how ridiculously genuine his reaction was, or the fact that he was getting this upset that she was apparently missing out on the answer to all of life's questions, but either way she smiled at his statement.

"I don't listen to a whole lotta music, Percy."

He grumbled to himself, "You may not listen to a whole lotta music, Red..." He stuck the cassette into his dashboard and hit play, "...but you're at least gonna listen to a whole lotta love."

It started playing and... well damn, Rachel didn't lie when she said to she didn't listen to music, but she also couldn't lie and say she didn't like this. It was a good song. A good funk with a good flow and a good bass line.

"Like the bass?" Percy asked, practically plucking the thought from her head. She narrowed her eyes at him with a small smile.

"You a mind reader now or something?"

He shook his head, "Nah, I've just got ears, and there ain't nothing quite like a John Paul Jones bass line." He gave her a soft smile, "And from how you're swaying in your seat, I'd guess you feel the same."

She let a soft laugh hiss out of her nose, and shook her head.

"Where on earth was all this confidence at the diner when you asked me out?"

He drew a deep breath as he backed up the truck and pulled away from her home.

"Waiting for a pep talk from mom to come out of me."

Rachel smiled, picturing a certain image in her head. Percy sat at the dinner table, timid and nervous, as the battleaxe of a woman that was Sally Jackson lectured the young man on how to find his words and make them flow. He must've noticed the look on her face because he clicked his tongue and spoke some more.

"I gotta say though. Talking to you? Easy as hell..." He shot her a side eye, "...and easy-to-talk-to is a very positive trait in my eyes."

She blushed at that, her cheeks nearly turning the same shade as her hair as he let a small chuckle come out. They both felt quiet before Robert Plant belted out a line from the speakers,

"I'm gonna give you every inch of my love."

That was enough to snap Percy's mouth into a straight line and make his cheeks turn almost as red as Rachel's.

Rachel watched the reaction and couldn't help the laugh that poured out of her mouth. He let a small smile spread over his face as his cheeks lost their colour and he cleared his throat.

"Thanks, Robert..." He grumbled to himself as she collected herself and turned forward, watching as the old wipers pushed rain off the old windshield.

"So where are we going, anyways?" She asked, shooting him a squinting side eye, "Better not be Dionysus' place, four eyes."

He shook his head, keeping his eyes locked forward.

"It's a surprise, Dare. So don't you go trying to ruin it, now."

She scowled and kicked her feet up on his dashboard.

"Alright, cowboy. You've got my attention. Not necessarily my interest, but my attention?" She shook a finger in his direction, "...that, you've got."

He smiled to himself, "Alright, I'll give you a hint." He softly drummed his fingers on the wheel, "...it's somewhere we know well, but don't know at all. Somewhere thats spoken our whole lives, yet has never cast so much as a whisper in our direction."

She breathed a sigh out of her nose, "What kind of philosophy crap is that supposed to be, Jackson?"

He shrugged, "What? I've been reading a lot of Socrates lately, and I've come to a realization; it helps to think about things sometimes."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Thinking about life, and all it's possibilities? Well... there ain't much else to do in this big old desert, so may as well do that."

She sighed and leaned back in her seat, taking a moment to stare at him. He was... well, he was certainly easy on the eyes. Even with the coke bottles that sat in front of his face. Sharp jaw, strong neck, and a lean toned body. She remembered other kids calling him a nerd in high school. She also remembered the summer Sally actually made him work on the farm instead of stuffing his nose in books and he came back looking like... well, to put it bluntly, like a man.

A strong, slim, handsome man. One that she'd be lying if she said she hadn't caught herself staring at every now and then. And now she was in his truck, feet kicked up on her dashboard, letting him lead her out into the great horizon of their state.

She cleared her throat, forcibly tearing her eyes away from the man as she looked ahead.

"Y'know, there's more to life than just books, Percy."

He scrunched his face up, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact..." She reached over and bopped him on the nose, "...there's a certain thing I fill plenty of my time with."

Percy sighed, as he merged onto the main highway, "You've seen me with a brush, Rach. There's a reason I didn't take art past grade nine."

Rachel smiled at his words, "Art isn't just painting, Percy. It's... expression, shown through hard work and talent."

Percy smiled to himself, "Is that some philosophy I'm hearing in your words there, Red?"

Rachel shot a mock frown at him, "I think you've been wearing off on me too much, Percy."

He chuckled and shook his head, letting a soft silence settle over the two of them as Led Zeppelin continued to play in the background.

"I actually have been practicing art." He said, drawing her eye.

"Oh really?" She implored. He nodded as a smile pulled over her face.

"Yeah, I've been doing a little something. I'm not very good yet, but..." He trailed off as he pulled off the highway.

She narrowed her eyes a bit, "What kind of art are we talking about here, Jackson?"

He softly drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, "You'll see."

She let her lips twitch into a soft smile as he pulled off the road and arrived at their destination. She turned forward and let a soft groan out.

It was the big house. That's what they'd always called it, at least. The massive, three story farmhouse that neighboured the Minerva ranch. It was an ancient thing, probably the oldest building in town, and had a gotten a bit of a reputation as the place the cool kids went to do cool kid things.

Drink. Smoke. Drop acid. Have sex. All the things Rachel wasn't quite partial to and hoped Percy wasn't either. He must've caught the look in her eye because he gave her a smile as he popped open his door.

"Don't worry. I'm not that kinda guy, Red. I'll be certain to buy you dinner first."

Rachel rolled her eyes, but still smiled as the young man exited the truck, jogged around to her door, and held it open, offering her a hand.

Normally Rachel wouldn't have taken it. She knew how to get out of a truck, she was Texan for christ sakes, but there was something about his earnest gesture that made all those biases fade away. She took his hand and let him lead her out of the car. The two of them looked up at the house, Rachel from under the brim of the hat.

"We gonna burn it down or something?" She mused. He chuckled at her words as he led her to the porch.

"Lord no. I've got something a bit more special in mind."

She let out a soft hmm as she followed him up the steps. He opened the front door and led them both in, flicking on the lights as he did so. It was a craphole, and they both knew that, but Rachel decided she'd give him the benefit of the doubt and followed him in.

He led her into the house. Past the foyer, past the kitchen, into the living room, and boy howdy, what a scene he'd led her into.

It was a picnic. The goddamn cowboy had set up a goddamn picnic right in the middle on the living room. There was a blanket and a basket of food and a couple of wine glasses too. Rachel let a breath out, which was either in disbelief or amazement at his display.

He smiled to himself and led her over to the setup, letting her take a seat on the blanket before he knelt next to the fireplace which, most likely from him, already had firewood in it. He fished a lighter out of his pocket and ignited it, holding it up to the wood and getting a nice fire going. Once he was done, he leaned back on the blanket right next to Rachel.

They were quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat and held his hand up to the room.

"Not bad, eh?"

She breathed a laugh out of her nose, a smile pulling itself across her face as she turned to him.

"Alright, I'll admit it four-eyes. I'm impressed."

He smiled at her before he held up a finger and shifted away slightly, reaching of out of her line of sight.

"Well just you wait then, because I've got one more trick up these denim sleeves of mine."

He pulled back into view and her eyes widened a bit at what he'd grabbed. A guitar. A simple, acoustic guitar. It was a soft, tan colour, with a dark brown pick guard and a black fret board. The thing looked old, like it had spent decades playing songs and had somehow ended up in Percy Jackson's hands.

Rachel let a small smile as he settled the guitar into his lap.

"Is this the art you've been practicing, Percy?"

He pursed his lips as he settled his hands into a chord and strummed his thumb along the strings, letting a gentle arpeggio ring out into the room.

"There's a strong possibility." He answered in a mock serious tone. She laughed at his joke, a move that made a grin pull at his lips, before he cleared his throat and turned slightly to face her.

"I wrote something. Something for you."

Rachel snorted another laugh, "You wrote a song for me?"

He pouted, a move that just about made her heart melt in her chest, "I did as a matter of fact. Well, maybe not a song. A poem, with a musical tinge behind it."

He hefted his guitar, letting his hands settle on the instrument. He fiddled with the strings a bit, tuning them proper, before he cleared his throat again and strummed a chord. It was a soft chord, which he followed by shifting his hand and playing an arpeggio of another chord.

"Rachel." He sang, in a soft tone, "You are... quite mean to me."

She rolled her eyes and let a small smile grow as he continued.

"Your eyes burn with anger at every stupid thing I say. The scowl you usually pull makes me feel the worst way"

She let her eyes settle on his hands, watching as they played the guitar, and her smile softened a bit.

"You tease me quite a bit, enough to draw tears. Yet losing this friendship? It's the one thing I fear."

He strummed his hand over the chords, before softly playing a melody, plucking each string individually.

"Yet with all that we are, the fire and the flames..."

He lifted his eyes off his strings, and met hers. Green on green in a mock battle of attrition.

"...you're the only one I want, and who could I blame?"

He played the song off with a soft strum, descending the strings before he took his hands off that instrument.

"Wow." He said out loud to himself as he stared into the fire. Rachel smiled at the young man.

"Wow?" She asked.

"Wow." He repeated, "That was awful."

She drew her lips into a grin as she reached over and gave his now slumped shoulder a squeeze.

"It was passable, four-eyes."

He snapped his eyes over to her with a beaming smile that really didn't reflect the lukewarm praise she'd given.

"Passable, eh?"

She nodded, narrowing her eyes a bit as her smile grew, "I might just bump it up to acceptable... just for you."

He chuckled through his smile and turned back to the fire. He watched as the flames flickered in front of the two, keeping the two of them warm while the annual storm raged outside. She matched his gaze, listening to the soft crackles of the fireplace.

"Kinda wish this could stay." He said suddenly. She turned back to him with a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked. He shrugged a bit, all while keeping his eyes locked on the flame.

"This moment." He replied, turning to meet her gaze, "I don't want to scare you with my excessive eagerness or nothing..."

She smiled at his words, "Percy, you asked me out a dozen times. I think if I were gonna be scared off it'd have happened by now."

He laughed, letting air blow through his nose as he cracked a grin and looked back at the fire.

"No, but really Red. This little moment, what we're having here..." His smile softened a bit as a real chunk of sappiness sizzled in his heart.

"...I really wish it could last forever."

She watched his face as he spoke, watching how his eyes stayed locked on the flames and his smile kept firm across his mouth. It was clear he was being extremely honest, that much was obvious to anybody, including Rachel. Sue sighed, deciding that she really couldn't help herself, or this big oaf for that matter.

"Alright Percy. You went ahead and earned this, alright?"

He shifted his head slightly to respond, but froze when she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

She pulled away and rook note of several things. One, his face was just about as red as her hair, two, his eyes were as wide as saucers, and three, a massive grin was already pulling at his lips.

"Please pinch me, 'cause I swear this is me dreaming." He said, still looking at the fire. She did, rather hard, making him softly grunt in pain. She laughed at his little display as he rubbed his arm and gave her a soft glare.

"Thanks Red."

She smiled at him, before scooting over close and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Any time, Four-eyes."

They sat like that the rest of the night, listening as the rain pelted the windows outside, and watching as the fire burned in front of them, the flames dancing off the wood.

Rachel would never admit it to him, well at least not for another few months, but that night was one of the best nights of her life.

Rachel's door shattered to splinters the second Percy's shoulder connected.

There wasn't any thought, or any planning, or any time to have either. No, all he had time for was drooping his bike, sprinting towards the door, and launching himself through it with all the force he could muster.

He did, and Christ... what had he done?

The home was engulfed in flames, locking up all around him as Rachel's home slowly became consumed by the fire. Percy didn't waste any time, he stuck his head in the air and brew a deep breath through his nose, ignoring the burning smoke and focusing on the smells he needed to sense.

He picked out ones he recognized. Rachel, her husband, and blood. Lots of blood. There was another one in there, another whiff that he recognized all too well and made panic shoot through him once a knife.

Nico.

He followed his nose, sprinting through the old home he knew so well and trying not to by the memories it pushed to the forefront of his mind.

There was the kitchen table, half collapsed, right where they'd played monopoly together and she'd kicked his ass.

There was the living room, with her same old TV set from years ago, right where they'd stayed up late and watched old horror movies on the weekends.

He turned up the stairs and sprinted as hard as he could, ignoring the way the lumber groaned under each step. It didn't matter. It didn't matter if this house was falling apart. A house could be rebuilt, the people inside couldn't.

He got to the top, following the scent some more as he reached one of the doors. He pounded on it.

"Nico?! Are you in there?!"

There wasn't an answer and Percy didn't wait for one. He drove his fist through the wood and ripped the door off the wall, stepping into the room and finding the boy up against the window, trying desperately to get it open as coughs ripped through his body. He turned to the man at the door and his eyes widened.

"Percy? What-" But that was all he could get before Percy sprinted forward, grabbed him, and crashed them both through the window.

Nico screamed as they fell, as he probably should have. For all he knew, Percy had just killed them both. Percy spun as he fell, orienting them both so Nico was on top of him. They landed on the ground, letting his body take the full brunt of the force and saving the boy from any injury.

Percy was on his feet in a second, and had his hands on Nico's shoulders just as fast.

"Is she in there, Nico?"

The boy drew deep breaths as he stared up at Percy's eyes, terror clear as day in his.

"How did you do that, Percy? How did you-"

"NICO!" Percy roared, not able to help the tone as his anger peaked, "IS SHE IN THERE?"

The boy nodded as he practically shook in fear. Percy grit his teeth.

"Where?"

Nico drew a shaky breath, "The basement. But Percy, you can't-"

He couldn't finish his sentence, Percy didn't let him. He removed his hands, and took a few steps back, acknowledging that the front door frame had collapsed. He grit his teeth harder and let a scream his through them as he sprinted at the house again, this time towards a window, and threw his body through it.

And there he was. There he was in all that he'd done. In the mess that he'd brought. The oats he'd sown. The hell he'd made.

He held his arms up, trying to block himself from the flame, but he couldn't help but wonder if he should bother, or if he should just let the flames consume him. This was his fault, all of it. Every flame that flickered across Rachel's home. Every ember, every bit of smoke, every burning bunch of oak. It was his fault and no one else's.

He surged through the flames, pushing debris out of his way as he made his way toward the basement. He rounded the corner, dragging his hands over a beam that had collapsed through the ceiling and throwing it aside, ignoring the burns it branded into his palms.

He deserved it. He deserved to hurt, to burn, to bleed, to die. He deserve to throw himself into the flames and let them drag him to hell, right where he belonged. He grit his teeth and surged for the basement door, turning another corner and finding... something he didn't want to find.

Rachel's husband, propped up against the wall with his throat ripped out. Not slit, or torn, or slashed. Ripped out. Like something had bitten a chunk out of it, or torn the flesh with a chainsaw. His head was cocked unnaturally to a side and his dead eyes stared right at the basement door.

The door that had a chair propped under the handle.

Percy snarled as he shattered the chair to pieces with his bare hands and ripped the door off its hinges. He sprinted down the stairs, but too quickly. He heard a crack, and a groan, and a splintering sound, and felt the steps colapse underneath him.

He reached out as he fell, digging his fingers into the concrete foundation and slowing his fall as he landed on the basement floor. He whirled around, scanning the basement, and there she was.

Standing in the corner, coughing violently.

"Rachel..." He got out, his voice weak as tears welled in his eyes. Tears that weren't from the fire. She turned to him, reaching out a hand before a sickening noise rang out from above them both.

The floor beam over their heads had a crack in it, and it shifted. Too much. So much that Percy's body moved without his control as he sprinted underneath it, just in time to catch it as it broke completely.

And the weight of the whole house settled on his shoulders.

He groaned in pain, and couldn't help it. He was strong. Very strong. Strong enough to bend steel in his hands, strong enough to crush limber to dust, strong enough to kill most things with his bare hands, but this? It was unbearable, like Atlas had shrugged and the weight of the sky had just shifted onto his shoulders.

Right alongside all that regret.

Oh, who the fuck was he kidding when he'd said he let it go, he hadn't gotten rid of it at all. He hadn't lost it when he'd unloaded on Zoe, neither had he lost it when he'd tried to talk to Rachel. He should've let it go years ago, let it slip from his mind, let it disappear into the recesses of his mind, where all of his old life laid.

But he didn't, did he?

No, instead he was the same way he always was. Stupid. Stupid and selfish and cruel. Cruel to everything he loved and all he cared about. Cruel to the town that he'd called home.

Cruel to her.

He was a coward. A fucking coward. A weak, timid, cowardly fool. Someone who couldn't bare the life they'd let themselves get pulled into and had pathetically crawled back to the life they no longer deserved. He groaned more as the house shifted and he fell to one knee, feeling the beam dig into his back.

He should've just let it crush him.

What else was there to do? The stairs were gone, there was no way out for her. No way out of the fire he may as well have set, no way to escape the monsters he'd set loose on their home. There was nothing, nothing to do but-

Stop.

The words may as well have burned into his mind the second Rachel's hand touched his face. That silky smooth palm, those gentle fingers, that soft skin, the warmth, the tenderness, the steady heartbeat he could feel through her skin.

A heartbeat that wasn't rapid, or strained, or pounding. A heartbeat that was so calm it made Percy want to cry.

It was calm because she knew.

She always knew.

He couldn't bring himself to look at her. He knew he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve to see her face, to watcj her features, to take in all the beauty that he'd missed for half a century. He stopped his resistance when another hand came up, softly gripping his other cheek and guiding his face back up to hers.

There wasn't any fear in her eyes, or any regret. There wasn't any fury, or anger either, though he knew that's what he deserved. There wasn't anything in her eyes that was meant to hurt him, or blame him, or hold him responsible. All there was, was acceptance. Acceptance and forgiveness.

That's what hurt most of all.

"Did Nico get out?"

He wanted to laugh. To laugh and cry and scream and roar and tear his fingers through his chest, pull out his heart, and place it in her hands. Right where it had always belonged. Right where it would've been. They were about to die, and she only wanted to know if Nico was safe.

He let his head droop and his eyes water as the home lurched over him.

"He did. I made sure of it."

The words hurt to say, and hurt even more to hear.

He didn't want this to be it. It wasn't fair. He wanted to be there for her when her end came, not when it was forced on her by his hand. He'd come back when she was on her deathbed, sit by her side, hold her hand, and pour his heart out. He'd tell her he hated every second of his life without her. He'd tell her he'd give anything to be with her. He'd tell her that she was all he ever wanted, and that he'd have given anything to change what had happened that night.

He'd tell her he'd follow her, out into the dark, regardless of what anyone had to say.

And now? There was nothing. No time for apologies, no time for goodbyes, proper ones anyway, no time for anything but stammered truths and half-formed heartfelt statements. He opened his mouth, hoping he'd have enough time to tell her what he needed to say, what he needed her to hear, before the house crushed him both.

She didn't let him.

She pressed her hand over his mouth, gently shutting her eyes as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"You are not allowed to apologize Percy." She said, in a quiet voice, "I will not let you do this to yourself. I won't."

He drew shaky breaths before his own tears poured down his cheeks.

"It's my fault, Rachel." He struggled out from under the beam, "It's all my fault, I-"

Her hand came up again, this time pressing a gentle finger over his lips as she quietly spoke.

"I forgive you Percy. I don't blame you, but I know you blame yourself..."

She held his cheeks tight and lifted his face to hers.

"...so I forgive you."

She left him with that, those gentle words, and he focused on every detail that could describe how she'd said them. The tone, the pace, the sounds they made. Everything about them seared into his mind.

He watched as she took a step back, another tear falling down her face. For just a second, just a moment as the fire raged around them and prickled at his peripheral, his mind decided to give him a parting gift.

Just for a moment, she was herself again.

That young, feisty, hot-headed girl. The artist with callouses on her hands. The girl who'd given him every bit of shit he'd deserved. The girl who'd kept him happy every second his heart had beat. The girl who'd given him a chance when he'd barely deserved it.

The girl he'd loved, for just a moment, she was standing there.

The beam lurched over him and he sunk power to the floor. He grit his teeth and cranked his neck, desperate to see her again.

He looked up, and there she was. The grown woman she'd become, the monument to the life he'd lost, the reminder of what could've been.

She gave him one last smile, forcing it through the tears, before leaving him with one last sentence.

"See you around, four-eyes."

With that, the home gave one final lurch, the flames finally eating away completely at all it had been, and all it would ever be. Finally burning through the memories, burning through the pain, burning through the love that it had once held.

With one final lurch, the house finally let go, and it collapsed on the both of them.

Nico didn't want to believe what he was seeing.

He didn't want to look at it either, but... what else was there to look at? What else was there in the whole world but this burning home, which may as well have been his whole world right now.

Nico was praying, and he never prayed, not since his sister. He prayed to whoever was up there, whoever made these things happen, that Percy was gonna walk out of that house with Rachel in his hands and they would all hug and be together and it would all just be great.

Reality struck him in the face when the house collapsed.

It lurched, falling int itself as the burning lumber fell into its core. Nico couldn't do much but watch in horror as the home landed, settled, and continued to burn, even despite the rain that continued to pour down.

Nico wasn't having this. He ran over to a nearby tree stump, one he'd see Rachel chopping wood on before, and grabbed the axe that was embedded into it.

He ran over to the wreckage and started swinging. Desperate, mad swings that didn't do much more that wobble the lumber. Nico didn't care. He drove the blade in over and over, screaming and sobbing as he did. He didn't care if it'd take him all night, he was getting them out. He had to.

He raised it over his head, ready to swing again, when something made him stop.

A hand, bursting through the lumber. It reached out into the sky, first open, then clenched the freezing air as it cracked itself into a fist.

The next thing to come was a second hand, then both hands grabbed the wreckage and pulled their body free. Percy's body.

He pulled himself out and fell to the ground, collapsing to his hands and knees as the rain poured onto the tattered remains of his coat.

His old denim coat. The one he'd always had, ever since he was a boy. The one that was now in tatters.

He rose to his feet, pulling the ruined jacket from his shoulders and tossing it aside as the rain soaked his shirt. He turned to Nico, who was in a shocked silence as he stared wide eyed at Percy.

Percy stepped towards the boy, who took a tentative step back. Percy reached out his hand, a gentle gesture that Nico couldn't help but allow, even when he knew he shouldn't have. This was still Percy. This was will his friend.

Percy laid a hand on his shoulder and pulled the boy close, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tight. Nico was still for a moment, before the axe fell from his hands and he threw his hands around Percy, letting sobs rip through his body as he realized something.

Rachel wasn't there.

Percy didn't give him a chance to ask questions, he pulled away and grabbed Nico's shoulders.

"Why are you here, Nico? Annabeth said you were staying at Thalia's, why are you here?"

The bottom took a shaky breath, sneaking a glance at the home before Percy brought his attention back by snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"Focus, Nico. Why are you here?"

Nico took a deep breath, "Power went out at Thalia's. We all agreed to go home..." His eyes raised up to Percy's, who had kept his gaze locked on the boys. "...Annabeth too."

Percy felt his lip twitch as his breathing got heavy. He closed his eyes and an image flashed in his mind. An image of a girl, walking right into a trap.

"Percy... how did you do that?" Nico whispered, not yet done with the young man, "How did you do all of that?"

Percy didn't answer, he didn't even acknowledge something had been said. He just reached down and picked up the axe. The same axe that had always been there, ever since he'd-

Enough.

Enough pity. Enough torment. Enough living in the past. Enough of all of it. That wasn't waht Rachel wanted for him and that wasn't what he was about to do. He kept the axe in his left hand and reached into his pocket with his right, fishing something out of his pocket and handing it to Nico.

His motorcycle keys.

The boy stared at the keys before he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He looked back up at Percy.

"You know how to ride that, kid?"

Nico was silent, then nodded. Percy gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Good. Go to Thalia's, lock the doors, don't let anyone in unless it's me."

Percy left him with those words as he turned away and tooka few steps off into the desert, but not before Nico said one last thing, one last question that Percy had been dreading and anticipating and secretly had been longing to hear.

"What are you Percy?"

Percy stopped. He didn't hesitate, not this time. There was no worry, or regret, or shame, or fear. There was nothing now, nothing but the truth sitting before them, just.waiting for Percy to claim it.

He turned to the boy, let his eyes flash, and let his fangs poke out from his lips. The boys eyes widened, before they settled, and he let his face pull into one of grim acceptance. Percy blinked the glow away and drew his fangs ad he left Nico with a few parting words.

"You know what I am, Nico."

And with that, he took off into the night, straight in the direction of the chase family ranch.