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 20: Family Reunions (1)

The king, who seemed very friendly and welcoming, gladly opened his palace's doors to the crew. They all got rooms assigned – actual rooms, with space, with fancy and comfortable beds that looked like shells. There had been a huge feast for them that evening, the royal family dining with the crew, asking a lot of questions about them and their journey. There was a lot going on, there were so many of them so Percy was kept quite busy. He made note of the royal family though; King Poseidon, Queen Amphitrite, the princes Proteus and Triton, the princesses Kymopoleia and Benthesikyme. Percy would like to get to know them more, he was so eager. Eager to learn more, eager to see more of Neptune and meet more Neptunians. He didn't really sleep that night, just laying awake in his bed and staring at the ceiling, his mind buzzing, until he finally threw the blanket away and got up. For a few minutes, he simply paced the room. His eyes were drawn to the large windows, he simply couldn't comprehend just how much Atlantis was. So gorgeous.

"Okay. Okay, time to go find my pretty bird", whispered Percy to himself.

Nodding pleased, he left his bedroom and tried to remember where Nico's room was. They had parted late after dinner to rest, exhausted from the long day. Yet even exhaustion couldn't make Percy fall asleep. As he found Nico's room, he smiled triumphantly.

"Ni—ick? Are you asleep?", whispered Percy as he sneaked into the bedroom.

"How could I sleep?", huffed Nico back, his voice coming from the bed. "My parents are safe. Are out there, are currently on their way. I am hours from being united with them again. Can't sleep."

His smile softened as Percy crawled into the bed and pressed a gentle kiss against Nico's cheek. "Hello, pretty birdy. I couldn't sleep either. It's... I know it's not the same like for you, but I..."

"You have a right to be excited about being on Neptune", assured Nico as he wrapped his arms around Percy's waist. "Wait. Did you just call me pretty birdy?"

"Yes. You're my pretty birdy", hummed Percy, a pleased grin on his lips. "You call me gattino, so I think it is just fair if I call my winged boyfriend my pretty birdy."

Laughing loudly, Nico wrapped a wing around Percy, covering him with it. "That's fair, gattino."

They curled together, arms and legs entangled. A few heartbeats were simply spent in each other's space, soothing one another with their scents. Everything here smelt off, smelt different. It set them even more on edge, so to have each other, to have each other's scents, it helped them some. Within minutes, both of them – so tense and with their minds racing just moments ago – fell asleep.

/break\

"...Can... Can you tell me, does it sound... uh... racist, if I say that they look really alike? I mean—Percy was kind of the only Neptunian I have ever seen, in their actual Neptunian form?", whispered Leo tensely, tugging on Hazel's sleeve. "I just, uh... I mean, look at them."

He, very specifically, motioned over to where Percy was currently speaking to King Poseidon and Prince Triton. Hazel wasn't the only one looking more closely now, Leo had also drawn Nico's attention. It wasn't just that their fur was soft-blue and their markings were azure-blue stripes. Even their built. Nico furrowed his brows. The eyes. That was why Poseidon's eyes looked so familiar, not because he remembered Poseidon – it had been far too long to remember details like the man's eyes – but it was because he had looked at Nico with the same eyes as Percy...

"It's not like... they all do, though. And it's not just because Proteus' stripes are orange, okay! But like... I mean, I'm not the only one who sees this, right? It's like Triton is a ten-years-older Percy."

...Or like Percy was a ten-years-younger Triton. The frown on Nico's face deepened. No, but that couldn't be, could it? His eyes wandered over to watch Poseidon. No, surely his mind was just trying to distract itself from the long wait. He put the thought aside during breakfast, though it still nagged him. Even as Proteus informed them that their family would arrive in the evening. The nagging thought wouldn't leave Nico, to the point that he went and sought out Poseidon in the afternoon, finding the king in the vast, beautiful garden.

"Nico, my boy. I'm sure you're antsy to be reunited with your parents."

The king smiled as he rested a heavy hand on Nico's head, ruffling his curls. "I... I mean, yes, of course. But... I came to... talk to you. And I am unsure how to..."

"Whatever it is, you can talk to me", assured Poseidon with a kind look. "Your father and I, we were thick as thieves when we were young. In a... in a better timeline, you and your siblings would have spent so many summers on Neptune to learn about our culture."

With a thin smile on his lips did he nod at that and tried to brace himself. "Have you... been to Earth, seventeen years ago? I just... perhaps I am growing paranoid, or seeing things, but..."

The look o Poseidon's face was confused, because Nico wasn't making much sense. "I... Yes, I was? Though I am not entirely sure where this is going or how you know about that, my boy."

"Did you... How do I even ask this?", Nico grunted and rubbed his face. "Did you have an affair?"

Hesitantly, Poseidon removed his hand from Nico's head and frowned at the prince. "When I said you can talk to me about anything, quite frankly, I did not mean my sex-life..."

"Believe me, I do not want to talk about that either", grunted Nico and made a face. "My... My Percy, he looks... just like you. Look at him and Triton. It's ridiculous. I know it's a far reach, I mean, you're the king of Neptune, why would you be on Earth? I just..."

Poseidon still looked like he wasn't really understanding. "I never had an affair, Nico. Amy and I, we... were on a break. We had problems, we decided to take a time-out. We agreed on one year. The first half year, she left to live on Salacia, she had missed her parents and family there dearly. We'd made up an illness, a family emergency that took her away. Then, after half a year, it was her turn to stay on Neptune and I left. I traveled, under the guise of a diplomatic mission to strengthen alliances. I visited Ceres, Pallas, Venus and... Earth. Yes, there was someone, a wonderful woman named Sally, I... started developing genuine feelings for her so I... left, before I could fall in love. I went to Mercury for the rest of my time before I returned to Neptune. And while I regretted leaving Sally behind, she also reminded me how much I love my wife, if that makes sense? She made me feel the way Amy used to and it reminded me what Amy and I were missing. We had been so busy with ruling and parenting, we had neglected us. We rekindled our relationship and came out of it stronger than ever before, a true unit. I... still don't know what made you bring this up."

Rather pointedly did Nico gesture toward the pond not far off from them where Percy was standing with Tyson, Triton and Benthesikyme. "Look at Percy. Look very closely."

"He's a strong lad", grunted Poseidon confused.

"His mother's name is Sally Jackson. She had a relationship with a guy who... left... before she found out that she was pregnant, leaving no means of contact behind. She raised him all on her own and a year ago, his Neptunian heritage came through. Look at him and Triton."

Finally, Poseidon looked, truly looked. His eyes widened slowly as he saw what Nico wished to show him. It wasn't just the fur – though that alone should have been more alarming for Poseidon. The blue stripes. Rhode had told him about this, had theorized that maybe Percy's father was from some kind of distant branch of the royal family – there had been many side-branches over the centuries and many people whose linage could be traced back to former royals. Never would Poseidon have suspected the child to be his. He had never even considered that him and Sally could have... He had just left her. They had... He hadn't...

"I... I have a son", whispered Poseidon, voice wavering. "I didn't... I didn't know..."

People always said that Triton was a carbon copy of Poseidon; from the stripes to the eyes and cheekbones and body-build, he truly did look like Poseidon in his youth. Proteus, he had always come more after Amphitrite – not just in stripes, but also his facial structure. The same went for their three darling daughters, though Kym clearly had Poseidon's chin. But Percy? Percy looked just like Triton, looking at Percy like this, Poseidon remembered Triton's wild, rebellious teenage years.

"I know you didn't know. Percy knows you didn't know", assured Nico softly. "Sally told him how things were back then, that you two had an... agreement, that neither of you planned this."

"What... do I do?", asked Poseidon helplessly, running a hand through his hair.

"Tell him", suggested Nico. "I didn't... It was just a hunch. If I was wrong, I didn't want to cause trouble. You should also... uh... tell your wife and other kids..."

Poseidon made a small, miserable noise at that. "Yes. Yes, I should..."

"If you want to, I can be... there. I don't have plans until my parents arrive anyway and I'd... I'd like to be there for my Percy", offered Nico softly, eyes on Percy.

He looked so happy, laughing as Triton said something funny. After Poseidon took a deep breath, he nodded to himself and then walked over to his children. Nico followed, smiling to himself.

"Ty, you think you can give us a moment? I know there's a huge library in the palace that Ella would love to see. Maybe you could find her and ask where it is?", suggested Nico.

Tyson was easily distracted by the suggestion and ran off, leaving Nico alone with the royals of Neptune and his boyfriend. Who... was actually also a royal of Neptune now. Percy looked confused, searching Nico's face for answers, though Nico couldn't give anything away. This wasn't his to tell, so he simply grasped his omega's hand, linking their fingers.

"We have... important things to discuss, if you would follow me", requested Poseidon.

/break\

The frown on Percy's face was one of confusion as he sat in what looked like a conference room with the royal family and Nico. Why was he here? He had kind of expected King Poseidon to come and get his children and talk to the heirs of Pluto. Not... to Percy? And Nico wasn't helpful at all, he just kept gently stroking the back of Percy's hand whenever Percy looked at him quizzically.

"You remember what Rhode told us about Percy?", asked Poseidon, motioning at Percy.

Suddenly, Percy straightened up. So this was about him? Furrowing his brows, he turned toward Nico one last time, but the alpha remained stoically quiet, just reaching a mighty wing out to wrap around Percy in what felt like support. What was going on here...?

"Don't tell me you already had time to dig into that?", asked Benthesikyme curiously. "They literally arrived yesterday! Weren't we all kinda busy hosting our guests?"

"Yeah, that's fast. Especially without Rhodey here to do the research", agreed Kymopoleia.

"I...", started Poseidon, slowly stroking his beard. "I am."

"Darling, please, use more words", requested Amphitrite.

"I... am his father", offered Poseidon before turning toward Percy. "Your... father. We think. I talked to Nicchodaemeous and..." Now, he turned toward Amphitrite. "When we were on the break, Amy."

"What does that mean?", grunted Proteus, eyebrows drawn together deeply.

"Seventeen years ago, your father and I were... not working", Amphitrite sighed. "We agreed that we needed a break from each other so we can... find each other again. It's been long ago, you might not even remember it, but I lived on Salacia for half a year? You came visiting me a lot."

"...Grandma was never sick, was she?", muttered Proteus, frown deepening even more.

"She wasn't. We couldn't... let the public know, it would have caused trouble", confirmed Poseidon uncomfortably. "When your mother returned, I left on a... diplomatic mission that led me, among other planets, to Earth. Where I met a woman. We never... even exchanged last names. I didn't want a commitment and she wasn't looking for such a thing either at the time. When the time was up, I returned to Neptune and your mother and we worked our issues out, because the distance to each other made us realize what we missed and loved about each other. I... haven't thought of Sally in many years, but at the time, I... did have... feelings for her."

"Which I know. We did talk... about our... time apart too", said Amphitrite soothingly as she saw her children's faces. "I had someone I cherished during that time too. However, I didn't..."

Her eyes wandered over to Percy and they softened, while her husband sighed. "I didn't plan—It was... I wouldn't have left like that had I known, I swear."

"Can we uh all just... take a moment and... let Percy process?", requested Percy, holding one hand up. "You're telling me my father is... the... you? The king of Neptune?"

"We can take a DNA test, but... your mother's name, the time of your conception, your... looks. Look at you, you're cut from the same cloth as me. You have my eyes."

Now all the attention was on Percy as everyone turned toward him, looking at him closely, looking for the resemblance. The attention made him uncomfortable, not to mention the way his thoughts were swirling. Without even thinking on it, he just got up and very quickly left the room. He needed to be alone and he needed to think.

/break\

"You're such a weirdo, Perce."

Percy slowly looked up at Grover, who stood in the door of the closet with an amused smile on his lips. He'd run off to the ship and hid in his closet, which was just... it was a small, controlled space that he could easily overlook, where nothing could overwhelm him. Grover knew that, Percy used to very occasionally sit in their closet at school too.

"Nico told me what happened", offered Grover as he climbed into the closet to sit opposite Percy before closing the door again. "He... wants to be here for you, but their parents are gonna arrive soon and he also needs to be with his sisters. So he asked me to check in on you."

"His parents-", grunted Percy and started getting up.

"Hey now", interrupted Grover, grabbing Percy by the arm. "Stay. It's okay. Your boyfriend has two sisters with him right now and they... I think, after how long it's been, they might want a bit of family-only time, before Nico gets around to introducing the boyfriend, mh? He'll be fine."

"...Right. Yeah. You're right", muttered Percy a bit embarrassed.

"What about you? Are you fine?", wanted Grover to know, wrapping his arms around his knees. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? I mean. Your biological dad. You always wondered about him. And he is... definitely not what you expected, I'd guess."

"You can say that loudly", grunted Percy, mimicking Grover's stance. "I... don't know what I was expecting, at all. I mean, I expected a nice guy because my mom fell for the guy so he had to be nice, right? And I expected him to be shocked, to maybe even have a... family already. Maybe not wanting to get to know me so he wouldn't jeopardize his family. But... I thought he was a regular guy. Like, I don't know, a mechanic or doctor or whatever. But not... not a king. Not the king of a whole, entire planet! What do I do with that?"

"I don't know", admitted Grover, his head tilted. "Like, seriously, this situation is very... uh... unique. There ain't no guidebook on how to proceed here. But for now, I'd say... take a deep breath and calm down. Take the time you need to yourself. And when you're ready... go talk to your... father the king. Wow. Yeah, that's weird to say, honestly."

That made Percy huff out a small laugh. "It really is. I just... part of me maybe even thought I'd... never find him? I mean, Neptune is a huge planet. But... I..."

Grover nudged Percy's leg with his. "Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

"Thanks, G-man, you're the best", whispered Percy with a crooked smile.

/break\

All of Nico's thoughts were with Percy, even while he was physically with his sisters. At least until their parents stepped through the door. Hazel stood back, unsure. She barely had any memories of their parents and older siblings. Bianca was over and in their mother's arms within seconds. All Nico could do was stand frozen to the ground, staring at his family. Their father had aged, more than the years that had passed. Stress? Anxiety? Exhaustion? His hair was graying, there were lines on his face, but it was still the same kind and loving face Nico remembered. Their mother was crying as she was smothering Bianca with kisses.

"Neeks?", asked an unsure voice. "You're so... tall. Where'd my pipsqueak go?"

Blinking slowly, Nico turned to look at his older brother. "Z... Zag..."

Suddenly, the blinking was much more necessary – he was blinking away tears. That was his big brother. He looked like... like a lankier, taller version of Nico, though his hair was dark-brown, not black. Zagraeus smiled before he reached out to ruffle Nico's hair. Before he even really had his fingers in Nico's curls, Nico just jumped him, wrapping his arms tightly around Zagraeus' chest.

"Hey there, pipsqueak", chuckled Zagraeus. "I... missed you too. A lot."

"Hay-Hay? Is that... That can't be, right? You're... a real young woman now."

Nico turned to watch their older sisters Makaria and Melinoe slowly approaching Hazel. She looked so nervous, because she didn't even really remember them, but before she had the chance to say something, she was being hugged from both sides. It took a bit, for them all, before they approached each other in a huge huddle, all trying to hug each other.

"Don said that you're here, but... how? Why?", asked Hades, face buried in Hazel's curls.

"We got the news that you were... we thought you were... d... dead", replied Bianca in a strangled voice. "We... We stole a ship and we wanted to go to Pluto-"

"You are your father's children", muttered Persephone with terror-wide eyes. "That would have been so dangerous. I am so glad you decided to land here. I... We, we managed to escape, when they took the palace. We barely made it to Neptune and Amy and Don took us in. If we had known, we would have tried to contact you, tell you we are alright. We didn't even know... Earth would get news from Pluto, we thought you were simply... safe..."

"We were", promised Nico. "Moms kept us very safe. They raised us well. We... We're doing... doing good at school too. But we just... we were worried about you."

"Not a day has passed that I haven't worried about you", whispered Persephone.

She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently. He hadn't even noticed that he was still crying. It didn't look like he would be stopping any time soon. So many emotions had built up over the weeks of their journey – over the years since they had left Pluto, really.

"I missed you so much", sobbed Nico as he buried his face in his mother's neck.

"I know, my sweet boy, I know", assured Persephone soothingly.

"I didn't want to land here", admitted Bianca, swallowing hard. "I... I just... I just wanted to continue on to Pluto, I didn't... I would have... We wouldn't have found you then... I... I was so..."

"Pigheaded?", offered Nico snidely, his snark undermined by his sniffing.

"...Yeah", admitted Bianca after a moment, tilting her head down. "I'm... glad your boyfriend is more level-headed than that... I think I owe him an apology."

"His... boyfriend?", echoed Persephone surprised. "Hades. Our children have been away so long, they are... old enough to have... boyfriends..."

Nico made a face, trying to hide his blush. "Yeah, uh... You can meet him... later."

"I'd love to. Especially if this level-headed boyfriend brought us together again. I think I owe him thanks", stated Hades, smiling at his son as he smoothed down Nico's curls.

All that did was make Nico cry even harder, clinging onto his father.


Author's note: Next chapter, Percy gets to talk to his father and... so does Nico, well, talk to his own father, because he still has some open questions concerning the "how do I court a non-Plutonian?", if you remember ;)