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 24: Returned to Earth

They had barely landed, the doors had opened and the first thing Percy saw was his mom. There were others too, but everything else faded as he saw his mother, a desperate and relieved look on her face. He basically launched himself into his mother's arms, wrapping her up in a tight hug and burying his face in her neck. A little sob escaped him. He'd been so strong in these past weeks of travel, had been the captain and leader. He had missed his mom, but he hadn't even realized just how much he had missed her. Everything melted off him as she hugged him.

"My baby", Sally pressed a kiss to Percy's head. "I missed you so much, you have no idea just how worried I was, I thought you were dead, I didn't even... Miss Rhode told me what happened, where you were, but... but what you did was so dangerous and I... I was so worried..."

"I... I know, mom. I'm so sorry, I couldn't tell you, I didn't want to... I... I couldn't abandon Nico and the others. They needed my help. And everything worked out, I swear. I'm sorry."

"Everything worked out", Paul huffed exasperated. "You went into an active war-zone! You are so grounded, boy. You're grounded until you are thirty. We were out of our minds with worry."

"Of course", Percy nodded quickly, wincing a little. "Anything. Just... please... Don't be mad."

"We're not... not mad. We were mad the first week. But the longer it went on, we went through... all of the emotions. Right now, we are just relieved that you're home again", Sally kissed his cheek.

"I have so much to tell you", Percy looked up excitedly. "So much happened."

"Sh, it's okay. Let's get you home with us and you can tell us everything", promised Paul.

"No, seriously, a lot happened", Percy ran his fingers through his hair.

"I... I can see that", Sally's voice was stunned as she stared at the royals exiting the ship.

"Are these your parents, Percy?", asked Triton when he approached them.

"We are. And you are...?", asked Sally curiously. "I'm sorry. I do recognize the king and queen of Pluto, they've been all over the news lately, but..."

"I'm Prince Triton of Neptune, it's a pleasure to meet you", Triton offered his hand a smile.

"I... am very confused, but it's an honor to meet you, your... uh... highness?" Sally blinked.

"Tri! You came with them! I'm so glad to see you again!", Rhode interrupted excitedly.

She jumped Triton to hug him tightly, causing him to grunt. "Of course. I wanted to meet our brother's family. And I think father wasn't happy with the idea of letting Percy travel all alone."

"I wasn't alone, I literally had my whole crew with me", argued Percy annoyed.

"I'm sorry. I have a couple questions", interjected Sally.

Percy winced and pulled his mom along. The rest of his family followed quite easily, Triton looking confused and Rhode looking guilty. Sally and Paul exchanged looks, trying to figure this out. Thankfully everyone else was preoccupied with their own family reunions.

"So... I met my... biological father", Percy wrung his hands nervously. "And, uhm, yeah... turns out that he's actually... King Poseidon of Neptune. That's Triton, my half-brother."

"I... think I need a moment to sit down", Sally blinked very slowly.

"Yeah. Let's... Let's go to your place and talk, in peace", suggested Percy awkwardly.

"Should I have told them? Prepared them for this?", whispered Rhode softly.

"No. No, this was right. I wanted to tell my parents myself, in person", replied Percy. "It's just... a lot to explain and a lot to... digest too. Will you... come with me?"

"Of course. We're here for you, little brother", assured Triton, ruffling his hair.

/break\

Everyone got at least some time to reunite before they were called into the principal's office. Well, Percy and the di Angelos were called into the principal's office, with the rest of the crew nervously waiting outside, pacing. Everyone expected to be expelled.

"You children are incredibly lucky to have survived this", Chiron glared at Percy, Bianca, Nico and Hazel one by one. "What you did was reckless and dangerous and you were unqualified for it."

"We... We're aware, sir", Percy spoke up, because he was in charge. "But we don't regret it. We're willing to accept any punishment you deem fit, but we don't regret what we did."

Chiron huffed, shaking his head a bit. "Both, king and queen of Pluto and of Neptune, have spoken up on your behalf. Praising your bravery, the way you handled this mission."

"We... did the best we could", replied Percy reluctantly, unsure where this was headed.

"And if this was the best you could do after your first year at this school, the kind of things you could be capable of once you finish your education here would be astonishing", stated Chiron, slowly running his fingers through his beard. "We have talked about this at length while you were gone and... we have come to the agreement that you children never left the planet."

"I'm... sorry, what?" Nico blinked a couple of times in confusion.

"There is a war going on between Saturn, Uranus and Pluto. A war that has not yet rippled all the way to Earth. If word got out that Earth actively meddled in these affairs, that a ship from Earth flew all the way to Neptune – through the current no-flight zone of Saturn and Uranus – without having the go ahead of Earth's government, that might very well catapult Earth into the middle of this war", Chiron spoke slowly and seriously, to make sure the children heard what he was saying.

"So... we... never left this school?", asked Bianca, blinking at their principal.

"You never left this school", confirmed Chiron with a nod. "You all have been here, at the academy, attending your classes. You are also all such eager students that you are all volunteering to take summer courses. Not to make up for time you missed, but because you all willingly aim this high."

"O... Of course we are", confirmed Nico, fidgeting with his hands. "But... our parents?"

"Prince Triton manned a ship with the royal family of Pluto and their guards to make the trip to Earth to request help in the war. There was no one else aboard the ship", stated Chiron seriously.

It... made sense. Expelling all of them would draw attention. Publicly admitting to what they had done might do serious, genuine harm. Might lead to them being dragged into the war. Percy... hadn't even considered that. He hadn't thought about the repercussions of what they had done.

"That look on your face right now, Percy. That's it. You didn't think this fully through. Because you're children. You're not... This was too big for you. You handled it well, but you shouldn't have handled it to begin with. I do hope you children learned a lesson here."

"Yes, sir", chorused Percy, Nico, Bianca and Hazel.

/break\

"Hello, Don. It's... been a while, hasn't it?"

The smile on Sally's lips was twisted, her heart racing. It had been so many years since she had last seen him. He looked different. Not just older, with some distinguished gray, but also the royal robes that he was wearing. King Poseidon of Neptune. That really was Percy's father.

"Sally. You're... as beautiful as I remember", Don smiled at her through the screen, eyes soft. "I gather Percy has... talked to you. About who I am. I... I'm sorry, Sally. I never would have deceived you like that, I would have told you who I was had I known you were-"

"You didn't deceive me, Don", Sally interrupted him, her smile turning more sincere. "We both agreed not to share too much of our personal life. This was supposed to be a no strings attached bit of summer fun. Neither of us could have... Percy was an accident. One I love with all of my heart and I would never want to imagine my life without him in it, but he wasn't planned by either of us."

"Yeah", Poseidon chuckled sheepishly, ruffling his own hair. "The boy's amazing, Sally. He's... so strong, so brave, so charismatic. He inspired not just the loyalty of his crew, he quickly charmed my people too. They adore their new prince already. So do his siblings."

"Percy told me about them", Sally smiled faintly. "He seems to love them a lot already too. I... hope he can see them again one day. Can see you again one day."

"So do I", Poseidon paused to heave a sigh. "I... I do not wish to endanger him. I don't want him to come visit until things calm down. But I do want him to... visit again."

"I... I'm very glad he found you", Sally pressed her lips together to a thin line, trying to prevent the tears from welling up in her eyes. "I tried my best, to raise him right. To... protect him. I couldn't always. I... We... But I'm married to a good man now. He loves Percy like he's his. He helped Percy get into the academy too. I thought our life was going right, finally. And then he presented as Neptunian and I was so lost. I felt so... guilty, for not being able to help him find you."

"I hear that my daughter has been a tremendous help with that though. And you did good. He has grown into a very good young man, Sally. You did very good."

Sally chuckled at that, tilting her head. "It's truly good to see you again, Don."

/break\

"I can't believe we just... got away with this without punishment", Hazel's voice was a whisper.

"Summer classes are a punishment, Haze", argued Frank with a frown.

"Not really, I mean we missed super many classes in the past week", countered Leo.

Frank hummed slowly at that. A smile played on Hazel's lips as she turned to look at them. She liked them, both. On the journey home, she had confided in her mother about this. Maybe it was easier because... Hazel didn't really have a connection to Persephone. Talking to Marie or Maria would have been so much more embarrassing, because they were her moms, in the sense of having raised her. With Persephone, she got an outsider's perspective, in a way. Persephone wasn't close enough to Hazel yet to make this awkward, but it was also a very good opportunity to maybe bond some with the queen. Because Hazel wanted a relationship with her, she wanted to be close to Persephone. There were years of separation to get through, but this had been a good start. And she had actually given Hazel good advise. She was too young to get hung up on these things, she should enjoy life and be with the one she liked the most. If she liked both Leo and Frank then there was nothing stopping her from being with the both of them, if they also agreed.

"So, I was thinking. Now that we're back home..." Hazel slowly sat up.

"What's... Yeah?" Frank furrowed his brows tensely and turned toward Hazel.

"I wanna go out on a date with you", stated Hazel, looking at Frank and Leo.

"Who? Me? Or him?", asked Leo confused, pointing at himself and Frank.

"Yes. Both of you", Hazel grinned brightly, before sobering up a little. "I mean, if you guys are okay with that too. I just, I really like the both of you? And... I do think you two might like each other too. So I would... I would like to try a relationship with the both of you."

Now, Leo and Frank were staring at each other, silently asking if the other liked them back, if what Hazel said was true, while also both blushing furiously. It was very cute to watch. Hazel grinned, bouncing back and forth a little as she gave them a moment to digest.

"It's just, this whole... mission. The journey there and back home, being in that confined space with all of these couples... I mean, seriously. My brother and Percy were always cuddly and all over each other. Seeing Nyssa and Piper sneakily hold hands and exchange little kisses. And I'm pretty sure Beckendorf and Silena are just straight-up out of a fairy tale. I just... it made me think. About what I want. And I want... I want to date you two."

Frank ran his fingers through his hair, while Leo flushed brightly. "I... I mean. Yeah. I'd... like that. A lot. If Leo likes it too! I would definitely not, if Leo wasn't-"

"Leo is fine with it too", blurted Leo out, cheeks dark-red. "I would like to try this too."

Hazel's face brightened at that. Hah. She now had two boyfriends. Nice.

/break\

The past few days had been a lot to digest. Percy had returned, safely, in one piece. Sally had gotten to reconnect with Don and after all these years, that had been strange. She was still grappling with the reality that her son was a real prince now. It was a lot.

"I'm sorry. You are Percy's mother, right? Would you mind if we sit with you?"

Sally was in the cafeteria, eating lunch. Perks of working here was eating for free from this rich buffet. She looked up blinking curiously, her eyes widening when she realized who had spoken to her. The queen of Pluto and next to her, her husband the king. Nico's parents. Which was something Sally had known conceptually for weeks now, but being aware of something and then actually having a king and queen stand in front of her was something else entirely.

"I... Yes, of course, please, sit down", offered Sally, trying her most polite smile.

Paul next to her choked on his steak, trying to clear his throat. He too was struggling with it all. The king and queen simply sat down with them, not minding the humans' awkwardness, thankfully enough. She was beautiful, was the first thing Sally thought. Persephone looked a lot like Bianca, just older, more regal, carrying herself truly like a queen.

"It is... a true honor to meet you", Sally smiled, considering if she had to bow.

"The honor is all ours", Persephone assured her. "You raised an exceptional son. He united us with our children again and safely brought us here. I will eternally be grateful to him."

"Yes, he is... very great", replied Sally, her smile growing.

"And, if I may be so daring, it would be an honor to have him be a part of our family."

That made Sally frown and turn toward Paul, who made a small noise. "He is... Him and Nico are courting, but I do think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves there. Even though they are in a very happy relationship, they're also still children."

"I do think 'children' is a bit of a stretch there, they're young adults", corrected Hades politely. "And from what I have seen between them on Neptune and on the way back... I think they are much closer than you assume. They are... definitely good with each other. For each other."

"That they are", agreed Sally. "Nico has been a pillar for Percy, when figuring out how to be a Neptunian and an omega. I'm grateful for your son, he gives Percy so much strength."

"They give each other strength. And... aren't those the best relationships?", asked Persephone.

Sally could only hum in agreement, nodding along. What Nico and Percy had was very special and it was definitely deeper than a gentle teen romance that one would one day look back with nostalgia and fond amusement. She didn't know where Nico and Percy were heading exactly, but she was sure they were going to be in each other's life for a while to come. Which meant Hades and Persephone were going to be a part of their life too, as Nico's parents. Time to make new friends.

/break\

Nico was exhausted. Him, Bianca and Hazel had basically spent the entire first week showing their family all of New York. First, just the academy, their own rooms, all their favorite spots, then also the city itself. Tourist tours. Going out for dinner with the whole family. Doing super cliche, but fun, things together, as a family. Hades, Persephone, Makaria, Melinoe and Zagraeus were staying with Marie and Maria right now – safely protected by Olethros and Thanatos, of course. It gave them a chance to be caught up on their kids' lives by their nannies-turned-foster-mothers. There was still a strange sense of... obligation? Nico felt guilty when he didn't spend time with them, like he was now obligated to spend every waking minute with them to make up for lost time. Which, of course, did not work out well with them now having classes. He hadn't really seen much of Percy in that past week and that now also made him feel guilty. But Nico couldn't be in three places at once, he was running himself into the ground. So while he hated that his parents had now left for Selene, to attend the council on the moon and plead their case, he was also a bit relieved, because with them not being on Earth right now, he didn't feel obligated to spend every waking hour with them.

Once he collapsed on his bed, he reached for Percy's hoodie that he kept in his bed. It was silly, because it felt like being a child with a stuffed toy again. But the hoodie smelt like his omega and when he couldn't physically be with Percy, it was nice to still be able to smell his amazing scent. Maybe he was craving Percy more than expected, because the sea-salt scent flooded his senses even stronger than expected. Furrowing his brows, Nico tried to roll over. When he did so, he opened his eyes and... looked directly at Percy, who was laying asleep in Nico's bed.

Jason cleared his throat from his own bed. "Percy's been here for like an hour. He was waiting for you, but at one point he fell asleep. I think he's missing you as much as you miss him."

Smiling, Nico reached out to caress Percy's cheek, having his omega immediately lean into the touch. "It was... During our mission, we fell asleep in each other's arms every single night. Now, we're back here. Back to having roommates. Back to not sharing a bed. And then school and our families have kept us busy and..."

"I get it", Jason grinned as he got off his own bed. "And since, unlike you, I didn't get to take my partner with me onto that mission, I will now be taking Calypso out for a date and give you two some privacy, mh? I'll text you when I'm on my way back, okay?"

"Thanks, Jason. You're... a good friend", Nico offered him a small smile.

Jason grinned at him and saluted before leaving the room. Nico all the while adjusted himself, pulling Percy up against his chest and getting more comfortable. The Neptunian purred pleased and snuggled into Nico, burying his face in Nico's chest.

"I love you so much", Nico pressed a kiss against the top of Percy's head.

His gaze wandered to the shelf above his bed. It wasn't very high above his bed, toward the foot end, so Nico could look onto it while laying in his bed too. He had put that shelf up when the courting stones became a few too many for his nightstand. So he could properly display them. They were all prettily lined up, looking gorgeous. The stones he had gotten from his Percy, the stones he was one day going to display in a beautiful glass case in their house, showing them off for guests and their children, so when their future kids would see them, they could ask how Nico had gotten them and he'd get to share every story with them. Especially the one he had gotten on Neptune was going to be quite the story. Nico smiled pleased as he thought about telling his kids about this.

"What are you thinking about? You're thinking so—o loud, you woke me..."

Percy was so cute when he was sleepy. Sea-green eyes blinked up at him, before Percy lowered his head back onto Nico's chest, wrapping an arm around Nico's waist to pull him closer.

"It's silly. You'll think I'm stupid", Nico flushed embarrassed.

"I could never think that of you, pretty bird", Percy leaned in to kiss Nico's cheek.

"I was... I was thinking about... how I would one day tell our kids about how I got all my courting stones from you", admitted Nico, cheeks darkening even more. "I know it's silly, we're not going to have kids like any time soon or anything, I guess it's just... being with my parents again for the first time in years, having them tell me stories about how they got together and all...?"

"Mh... I get that", assured Percy, stealing a proper kiss from Nico. "I do that sometimes too."

"What? You are? How? When? Why?" Nico perked up interested.

"Meeting my bio dad for the first time, it got me thinking. About what kind of father I'll be, what kinda genes or quirks I'll pass on, because me and Tri share so many qualities. I never thought about those things, because I've always been an only child. It's okay to think about a fictional future."


Author's note: They're back home, safe and sound. Aaand next chapter, we have the grand finale! ;)