SOPHIE
Once we're all done telling about our… adventures, I hail Bronte. I can tell that Percy still harbors feelings of resentment towards him, but he controls himself. When Bronte shimmers in, Percy's eyes narrow, and he deliberately turns away.
Bronte is standing under the Panakes, and he sighs. "Sophie, the Council can't fit you into their schedule until Monday."
"But that's three days away!"
Percy rolls his eyes. "People with power never have time for you."
"That's not tru-"
Percy gives a sharp, incredulous laugh. "Sure it isn't! It's not like what we need you guys to do is essential to the survival of your entire species! No, there's always something more important for you to do."
Bronte tries to intercede, but Percy raises a hand. "It's fine. We don't want to hear it. You're one vote of twelve, and we're used to people ignoring us. Just leave." His eyes flash dangerously, fully revealing what will happen if he doesn't listen.
Bronte opens his mouth, disgruntled. I transmit to him, 'Just leave. He's not going to let you alone, and I'll catch you up later.'
He gives a small nod, then lifts his crystal to the light and disappears. Marella looks incredulous. "Did you just intimidate a Councillor into leaving us alone?"
Percy gives a small, disturbing smile. "I have that effect on people sometimes."
Marella, unnerved, shivers. I clear my throat. "Since we have time, we should work on something we need to do."
"But what do we need to do?"
Dex's question hangs in the air, waiting to be answered.
"We… actually don't have anything to do," Biana says slowly. "This plan solves everything."
Keefe grins mischievously. "Dex and Percy, let us convene at the bottom of a lake, where we may plan some marvelous pranks in solitude." He extends his arm towards Percy, who then reaches out for Dex. Percy winks as they dissolve into mist.
Fitz groans. "We are all going to die. This'll be fuuuuun."
Tam scowls. "Keefe is going to be so much more insufferable now."
I shake my head. "No, Percy is a good influence on him. He's not as self-sacrificing anymore."
Wylie snorts. "That's only because Percy is the most selfless person you'll ever meet, and he won't let anything happen to anyone he cares about."
Maruca frowns. "How do you know?"
He sighs. "Percy has been talking with me recently, because we're the same age. He thinks that I'm more likely to understand what he's been through, and honestly, I agree." When I raise an eyebrow at him, slightly offended, he continues. "Age brings a certain experience and understanding of others of the same age with it. I'm not downplaying your achievements, but it's true."
I roll my eyes but drop the subject. Just then, Percy, Dex, and Keefe poof into existence. "I just realized you've never met Nico, Will, Reyna, and Kaylie! You'd love them. I'm calling them over."
He slices his hand through the air, leaving a trail of mist behind it. He throws a golden coin through it and says, "Hey, Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Nico DiAngelo, wherever he is."
The mist shimmers in mid-air, and a face appears in the water. "HEY, NICO," Percy yells.
Nico double-takes. "Perce? Is that you?"
Percy beams. I've never seen him so happy before. "Yeah, it's me. It's been forever since I've seen you. Here, take a look at the scenery here and shadow travel over. Bring Will, Reyna, and Kaylie."
Nico nods then slashes his hand through the mist. Percy grins, looking wildly around. The shadows under the Panakes tree gather, and then spit out four people. A pale, balck haired boy in a black aviator jacket, another boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes, a regal Latina-looking girl, and a short black girl with green eyes. Percy's eyes light up in delight. "Hey! Nice to see you again."
The little girl runs up to him and hugs him. "Percy, Percy! I haven't seen you in forever! Why didn't you visit?"
He laughs and crouches down. "Hi, Kaylie! I've missed you. Here, come meet one of my friends." He pulls her over to Linh. Soon Linh is entertaining Kaylie with her water figures, and Kaylie is squealing in delight every five seconds. Percy grabs the other three and drags them under the Panakes tree. "We need to talk."
NICO
I haven't seen Percy so happy since the Seven were alive. So when as soon as we are facing away from the other people, the smile drops from his face, I am not surprised.
"They are elves," he states.
Will and I just blink at him. "What?"
Reyna raises an eyebrow. "Percy, are you feeling okay?"
He groans. "They are actually elves, the gods' pet project but that's not what I'm talking about right now." He takes a deep breath. "Guys, please don't hate me. I-I haven't been completely honest with you. I have been training with my powers, but not just the water ones. I-," he looks at the ground, "I can control the water in people's bodies."
Will sucks in a breath. "What?"
Percy buries his head into his hands. "I-Oh gods. Oh gods, I can't do this. I can't-," he begins to hyperventilate. "I'm sorry." He disappears, but not before I grab onto his shirt and force him to take me with him.
Immediately, I'm drowning. Water fills my nose, but before I can breathe any in, Percy wraps me in a bubble and lifts us both out of the lake. "WHAT THE HADES, NICO?! You can't just follow me! You could've died, you idiot."
"Percy, you're not the only one who's done some dark stuff. I'm the son of Hades, my powers are the literal definition of dark."
"Can you control people? Nico, it hurts them! They don't have control over their own body, and it hurts them!"
"Percy, stop. I killed someone by just telling them they were a ghost." He looks at me, wide-eyed. "See, I've done dark stuff, too. It doesn't make us think any less of you."
He seems to calm down a little bit. "Yeah, but it makes me think less of myself. I promised Annabeth I would stop, but I can't. The power… it's intoxicating. It's like a drug. Everytime I use it, I want to use it more. Even now, I have to stop myself from grabbing control of your blood and doing something with it. It's even worse when I get emotional. Then I can just barely control it."
"Do they know?"
"Who?"
"The elves. How much do they know?"
Percy sighs. "They know my father, and they know my powers. Nothing else. They don't need to get involved in all the crazy demigod stuff."
"I think you should tell them."
"What? Why?"
I look at him. "They're your friends. You should trust them."
He huffs out a breath. "Fine, but you have to explain to Will and Reyna the other stuff."
I nod in agreement, and he evaporates into thin air. I walk into a shadow and appear in the middle of the field. I watch as Percy rounds up the elves. He doesn't even realize that he's a people magnet. They like him, and listen to him without him telling them to.
Will walks up to me and drapes his arm around my shoulder. "So, Nico. Would you like to explain what just happened?"
I roll my eyes and lead him over to Reyna. "So, Percy is scared of himself, basically. Or not himself, but his powers. He can't control himself very well with his darker powers. He explained it like it was a drug. The more he uses it, the more he wants to use it."
Reyna narrows her eyes. "Like with Bryce Laurence?"
I wince at the reminder. "Yes, but I don't feel compelled to use the power. He does. So his power is more dangerous and volatile."
There is a pause in the conversation as we watch Percy tell the elves-I still think the gods were stupid to do that- about his quests and adventures. They gasp and laugh and cry every so often, and I can hear Percy's deep voice narrating the past seven years. He stumbles over some of the words, but he tries, at least in the beginning, to keep up the appearance of someone who isn't affected by the stories at all.
"-I stabbed it with its horn-"
"-Grover in a wedding dress-"
"-I can see the stars, my lady-"
"-Mrs. O'Leary! The best dog ever-"
"-Luke, the son of Hermes-"
"-ASLEEP FOR SEVEN MONTHS! Fricking Hera-"
"-Gorgon's blood-"
"-Annabeth was alone-"
"-Tartarus-"
"-A nosebleed caused her to wake up. My nosebleed-"
"-We were so happy-"
"-Dead. All of them, just laying there-"
"-The crystal took me to Havenfield-"
"And that's that."
Percy's voice is hoarse and the sun is dipping down behind the horizon. His scleras are red from crying, but the tears evaporate before they leave his eyes.
The elves are sitting in silence, trying to process what they just heard. Abruptly, Percy stands up. "I'm going to bed," he rasps. He turns, crosses the field to the Panakes tree, and lays down. He falls asleep almost immediately.
The elves and other creatures that Percy didn't think to explain- Stupid Kelp Head- disperse, probably off to their rooms.
I hold my arm out to Will, who picks up a tired crying Kaylie. "Poor Percy. I didn't know he was so sad."
Reyna lays a hand on her shoulder. "He's getting better. These… elves are good for him."
Kaylie pouts. "I'm good for him too!"
Will laughs. "Yes you are. Let's go home, Nico."
We shadow travel away to Camp Jupiter, where we've been staying for the past couple of months. This camp is preserved, almost as if the monsters knew that everyone would be at Camp Half-Blood. New ROme is still intact, the air of the civilians living there somber and depressed.
Reyna and Kaylie fall asleep in the barracks for Cohort 3. I crawl into one of the beds in Cohort 5's barrack. Will lays down in the bed next to mine.
"Nico?"
"Yeah, Will?"
"I love you."
I can feel my cheeks going hot. "Um, yes. Me. Also."
He chuckles. "G'night, Di Angelo," he slurs.
"Goodnight, Solace," I whisper back.
