PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || The Underworld's Jealousy || PJatO || Frazeleo || PJatO

Title: The Underworld's Jealousy – Five Easy Steps to Happiness

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; right post House of Hades

PJatO 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, of course. They are all copyright by the old Greeks. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, shoujo-ai, hetero, threesome, hurt/comfort, fluff

Main Pairings: Nico/Percy, Frank/Hazel/Leo

Side Pairings: Reyna/Annabeth, Jason/Piper, Frank/Hazel (established)

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Jason Grace

Summary: Five-shot about what should happen after House of Hades. Nico journeys with Reyna and bonds with her, Frank and Hazel are not happy about Leo thinking of Calypso, Leo is confused by his feelings, Jason wants to help Nico, Reyna questions why her loyalty seems to lay by Annabeth, while Annabeth and Percy try dealing with what they had been through in Tartarus.

The Underworld's Jealousy

Five Easy Steps to Happiness

Step 4: Let's Control

"Hello, Annabeth."

The sudden voice startled Annabeth. Wide, storm-gray eyes turned to look at the beautiful Roman. Worry filled Reyna's dark eyes as she stepped up to Annabeth's bed and sat down next to her.

"You look worse than Nico", frowned Reyna concerned. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Nothing", mumbled Annabeth and shook her head. "I'm just... exhausted... haunted by nightmares? Hungry, tired and kind of... dead on my feet... Yeah, that sums it up nicely."

"I wished to discuss something important with you, but... you don't look ready for serious conversation", murmured Reyna thoughtful, straightening her robes. "Let's delay this."

"No", interrupted Annabeth and grabbed Reyna's hand to keep her there. "Just... Talk to me. Maybe it'll distract me from all the thoughts I'm having. Please? I could use the distraction, really."

"A distraction, mh?", hummed Reyna and looked at her thoughtful. "I... would like to be more."

"M—More?", asked the Greek girl, highly confused.

"Let me be frank with you, because I've never been one to beat around the bush", started the daughter of Bellona and looked straight into those mesmerizing, storm-gray eyes. "I like you. More than is healthy, because I've been ready to do many ridiculous things only for your sake since this war started. You... captivated me. You hold my attention. I... desire you."

"You... desire me?", choked Annabeth out, her eyes wide and filled with surprise.

"I find it hard not to", chuckled Reyna, letting her eyes roam Annabeth's body.

The blonde blushed furiously as she noticed that and averted her own eyes. "I—I... don't know."

"That is not a satisfying answer", countered Reyna, cocking one eyebrow. "I've been rejected before. Plenty of times, actually. The least you can do is being honest with me too, just as I am being honest with you. Don't give me such an answer, just... say it, okay."

"No!", rushed Annabeth out and shook her head. "I don't want to reject you! I mean... I just... I don't know if now is a good time to... have such feelings..."

"Because of Percy?", whispered Reyna hollowly, already having feared just that.

"No. Percy and I, we... broke up", confessed Annabeth. "No, because of the war."

"Annabeth", smiled Reyna kindly, taking Annabeth's hands into her own. "The war is all the more reason to stay true to my feelings for me. If I am to die tomorrow, or any other following say to save my people from Gaia, then I will gladly die for a greater cause. But if I am to die, then I want to at least know how your lips taste and how your body feels pressed against mine."

/break\

"Nico!", screamed Percy at the top of his lunges, staring aghast at the Stygian-iron sword pressed against Jason's throat. "What are you doing?! Stop it! You can't just-Why are you doing that?!"

"He kissed you", growled Nico, as though that was much of an explanation.

The son of Poseidon shook his head hastily as he tried to pull Nico off the blonde. "He didn't. I kissed him! B—Because he said he's never kissed a boy before and I figured that it would be the least I could do to let him have his first boy-kiss from the boy he's crushing o-"

A horrible realization dawned on Percy as he stared wide-eyed at Nico. He knew that look in those dark eyes. Jealousy. Years of being chased by way too many people – Annabeth, Rachel, Calypso, Kinzie, Reyna – had taught him to read such things. He knew jealousy when it was glaring at him. And oh gods, was that not the most embarrassing thing possible?! Jason wasn't crushing on Percy, he was crushing on Nico. Worse yet, they were crushing on each other. A quest about admitting true feelings, that was why Nico and Jason had been part of that quest. Because they had a thing for each other. That was why Jason had been so awkward and kept talking about Nico all the time. He hadn't been coming onto Percy, he had tried to get information from Percy! Great, now he felt horrible for betraying Nico's trust like that, for taking Jason's first boy kiss like that and for hating the notion of Nico and Jason together. He had completely failed as a friend. Once again.

"What in the world is going on here?!", growled a highly annoyed voice from behind.

The three boys turned to face Frank, Hazel, Leo, Piper, Reyna and Annabeth, all giving them funny looks. Though the flustered state of Leo and Annabeth did not go unnoticed by Percy – neither did the rather smug grin on Reyna's face as she stood slightly behind Annabeth or the fact that Frank and Hazel were on either side of Leo as though to protect him from a possible danger (it must look quite intimidating to have the sons of the Big Three with drawn weapons and in fighting stances).

"Enough now, boys!", called Piper, her charmspeak heavy. "Sit down and stop it!"

The three boys found themselves obeying, though Jason made sure to sit down as far away from Percy and Nico as possible, half hiding behind Piper and Reyna. Next to Reyna sat the ruffled Annabeth, on whose other side Percy took place with one raised eyebrow. He wondered briefly what he may have missed, but Nico's presence on his other side was rather distracting. Especially because Nico was radiating an aura of darkness, power and danger. And damn, that was a total turn-on. Hazel tried to calm Nico down, taking the free place next to her brother, pulling her two boys down with her so Leo could sit next to Jason and Frank was between Leo and Hazel.

"What happened here?", asked Frank sharply, eying the sons of the Big Three.

"None of your concern, Zhang", spat Nico, his tone hostile and forbidding any objection.

"Let us discuss more urgent matters, yes?", suggested Reyna in a diplomatic voice. "We talked to the Greeks. We bring news. And we shadow-traveled here, so how about food?"

Piper grinned and grabbed the cornucopia, summoning a rich and delicious meal. They fell into light conversation as Reyna started to retell all the things she had discussed with Clarisse, Chiron and Rachel, all the agreements they had conduced. But once again, Nico failed to be interested in these things. He felt hatred flare in his chest for Jason, but he couldn't help but wonder why Percy would have initiated a kiss with Jason. Was Percy having feelings for Jason? H—How could that happen?! He couldn't allow that. Not another insufferable blonde to take his Sea Prince away from him. Not again. His eyes wandered over to Percy, shining with loss and pain. Taking Percy in was drowning those worries out though. Beneath the beautiful, sea-green eyes were dark bangs and there was a haunted look in them as though all he knew were nightmares. Pale and aghast, haunted. It was the only way Nico could describe his beloved. And with a concerned glance over to the blonde girl next to Percy, he felt his fears confirmed. While everyone was digging in like starving men, Annabeth and Percy timidly had their hands folded in their laps.

"Have you two eaten anything since we left?", asked Nico, not caring that he was interrupting.

The others however seemed to care just as little, because the discussions on their future actions and how to deal with having Greek-Roman backup died down the instant this issue was addressed. Every member of the crew had already considered that thought, but no one dared to ask, or if they dared, they had been shunned by Percy and/or Annabeth and send away.

"I—I'm not hungry", shrugged Percy, deliberately not looking at Nico.

"That's bullshit", snorted Nico and rolled his eyes. "You're starving."

"W—What do you mean?", asked Annabeth confused, feeling Reyna's hand on hers.

The son of Hades however didn't seem to pay any attention to her as he grabbed the horn. "It's Tartarus. You drank the fires of the River Phlegethon, haven't you?"

"It... healed us", shrugged the daughter of Athena wearily.

The others took a sharp breath at the thought of drinking fire. Percy and Annabeth had not yet shared any details about their stay in Tartarus. It was a topic not to be approached.

"It burned you from within", corrected Nico, weighting the horn in his hand. "It makes it impossible to keep mortal food inside. The way you hauled down everything during the feast, I figured it may have not affected you or that you may not have drank the fire."

"It... came up the way it went down", confessed Percy unwillingly. "Leaving a worse taste in my mouth than the fire had. I—I don't... want to eat anything. It tastes revolting and it hurts..."

The Ghost King nodded and shook the horn, summoning a single, ripe pomegranate. With a simple motion, he split it in half and placed one in front of Annabeth and the other in Percy's hand.

"Here. Eat", ordered the son of Hades, staring Percy down. "It won't hurt."

"Why should we?", snorted Annabeth, throwing a nasty glare at Nico. "Taking a pomegranate from a child of Hades seems to be an awful idea and why should this be any dif—Percy!"

"What?", mumbled Percy around a mouth full of pomegranate seeds. "Nico said it's okay."

"B—But...", stuttered the daughter of Athena stunned. "You just said it yourself. It hurts, it burns, it... it tastes so, so much more horrible than the fire had. How can you just...?"

She couldn't find it in herself, ever since they had descended, she had not put a single piece of food into her mouth, being actually afraid of how it would taste and feel. She had suspected that Percy had the same problem, but he hadn't voiced it and she hadn't known how to either. Yet here he was, even though eating must have been as revolting to him as it was to her, shoving the pomegranate seeds into his mouth as though his life depended on them. Which, after nearly a week without food, it admittedly actually may. She stared at him in amazement and shook her head.

"Nico said it's okay", repeated Percy, his voice soft, as he slowed down some. "So it must be."

Nico chuckled fondly at the unlimited trust Percy always managed to put into his friends. "The pomegranate is the fruit of the underworld. It's like a binding thing between the underworld and the mortal world. For the next couple of weeks, it may be the only thing you can keep down. But it'll help, it'll accustom you to mortal food again. Tartarus is vengeful, even if you manage to leave, it tries to kill you. You won't be able to eat much, or else it'll come back with a vengeance too. So... hand the rest of that to me, please, Percy. I don't want you with your head in the toilet."

Percy blushed, staring at the half-eaten half of the fruit mournfully as he obediently handed it over to Nico once more. Even though right now it was the best thing he had ever eaten in his life, because it actually had taste and after the fires and the way mortal food had tasted, he couldn't believe he would ever taste something so good again. Still, just as he trusted Nico that the pomegranate would be alright, he also trusted Nico that he shouldn't eat too much.

"That's why you've only been picking at pomegranates after we retrieved you from Rome", conducted Jason, suddenly feeling very stupid. "Of course. Argh. Why didn't you say so?"

"Why should I?", snarled Nico, letting Jason feel that he was not yet forgiven.

"Does... Does that mean Percy and Annabeth will be alright again?", asked Leo softly, worried.

"Yes", replied Nico, nodding slowly. "Like I said, it will take some time. Their bodies need to adjust to the food first. So... for now, only pomegranates. And not too much of that either."

That was about the last thing Nico said for the rest of the meeting as the attention shifted back to the quest at hand. Instead, Nico's eyes were fixed on Percy, the son of Poseidon looking way more relieved now that he had eaten again. Out of the corner of his eyes, Nico saw that Annabeth too was slowly picking at the pomegranate. As much as he hated her for taking Percy away from him, he knew she meant too much to Percy, he could not let her go harmed either.

/break\

The night had come by the time the demigods finally ended their meeting and Percy could not be more grateful for it. After having eaten for the first time in days, he felt positively tired and satisfied. It also helped that Nico was back with him. With them, he corrected himself.

"I think it's time for us to go to bed. I fear the worst is yet to come", sighed Hazel.

"But... where will Reyna and Nico be staying?", frowned Leo confused.

"Well, you could stay with Hazel and me, that would give us two empty rooms and beds", smirked Frank suggestively, making the Latino blush furiously. "Enough room for them to rest too."

"You are not sharing a bed with my sister", growled Nico dangerously. "None of you two."

"Nico!", whined Hazel embarrassed, glaring half-heartedly at her brother.

"Reyna will stay with me", interrupted Annabeth, blushing faintly. "I mean, uh, it... if she wants."

"I would love to", smirked Reyna, not even trying to hide the suggestiveness of her words.

"I'm fine. I can take watch-duty", grunted Nico, not keen on rooming with anyone.

"No. That's crazy. You only just arrived. You need rest", objected Percy and shook his head.

"Percy is right", agreed Jason, earning himself an oddly wistful look from Percy. "Why don't you stay with Percy? Make sure he doesn't do something stupid like eat more. Because he keeps eying that pomegranate a little too fondly for my liking. I think Percy and Annabeth could use a little... supervision at the moment. And with Reyna staying with Annabeth, it would be a good solution to have you stay with Percy and keep an eye on him."

"Very good thinking", agreed Piper with a nod. "Now that that's settled, off to bed, little heroes."

"We have a war waiting ahead of us", nodded Frank solemnly, grabbing Leo's hand.

/break\

Percy was feeling awfully awkward as he shed his jeans and stared at his bed. Truth be told, the bed would be big enough for two people. But Nico was with Jason, or at least there was something between Nico and Jason, so it really wasn't right of him to impose for the sake of his own desires. The thought made him blush. He had never realized that his longing for his dark guardian angel was more than just friendship until he was faced with the possibility of Nico being romantically involved with someone. With Jason. It had hit him hard and square in the face and it hurt.

"I'm sorry, Nico", whispered Percy, still facing the opposite direction.

"What for?", grunted Nico, honestly confused.

The son of Hades stood behind Percy, fidgeting with the idea of even getting out of his jeans. Staring at Percy's legs and the underwear that was currently the only thing covering Percy's ass had made him face quite a problem. Undressing would make it impossible to hide said problem.

"For kissing Jason", replied the son of Poseidon softly. "He kept bugging me, asking me strange questions about gay friends and how I'd handle if one was to confess his feelings to me. He sounded concerned about how it must be to you and Hazel, coming from a time where homosexuality was more than just frowned upon. I... I misunderstood. I thought he was having feelings for me. But... the thing you and him faced, it involved admitting feelings of a sort, right? The two of you had to face it together, because... those feelings are between you."

"Percy...", muttered Nico stunned and shook his head. "You Seaweed Brain..."

"N—No, it's alright", interrupted Percy and turned around to face Nico with a faint smile. "I understand. I'm just sorry. I didn't mean to impose. I guess I was just also a little... desperate. To maybe have someone who desires me. Since... returning from Tartarus, all I want is... someone to hold me and rock me and tell me that everything will be alright..."

"What about Annabeth?", wanted Nico to know, a frown marring his features.

"We... broke up", confessed the Sea Prince with a casual shrug. "And even so, it's just... too close. We've both been there. There is nothing to... talk about. Besides, we already burdened each other enough by being there. I think what we feel is mutual guilt at the moment."

"Y—You and Annabeth... broke up? And you kissed Jason?", asked Nico a little frustrated.

How was his timing that horrible, really? After the Titan War he nearly had the courage to tell Percy, because he had nearly lost his Sea Prince. But then Annabeth had butted in. And now Jason?

"It's not like that!", assured Percy doe-eyed. "I promise, I'm not trying to snag your man away!"

"My... man...?", repeated Nico slowly, trying to filter through everything Percy had said until he understood. "Oh gods, that is the most ridiculous thing you said all day. Jason is many things, mostly annoying and a prat, but he is not my man."

"B—But you were... jealous?", pointed Percy out, completely confused now.

"Of him! Not of you!", screamed Nico frustrated before realizing what he had said. "I just... I can't put up with this anymore. You just... you're frustrating, Percy. I can't... I'd rather have you know the truth than have you think that I'm with Jason. Urgh. No. I can't keep doing that, I can't keep watching you from afar, protecting you from afar, but seeing you with someone else."

"D—Does that... mean you like me...?", whispered Percy stunned, unsure.

Nico took a deep, stuttering breath as he stepped up to Percy, staring intensely into those amazing eyes. "I love you, Percy. I always loved you. I had the worst crush on you when we first met and with the years, those feelings only grew. I love you, Percy. More than my own life."

He could practically see how Percy's brain tried to figure everything out. It was quite agonizing to just stand there and wait. Deep down, he still feared rejection. Even more so, what may happen if Percy returned the feelings. How everybody would react to the great and wonderful hero dating a son of Hades. He feared for Percy, for his bright and happy Percy, to face bullying and rejection.

"I'm so, so stupid", whispered the son of Poseidon and turned the darkest red possible, groaning annoyed at his own stupidity. "How often can someone misinterpret a situation...?"

"You're not stupid, Percy", corrected Nico softly, reluctantly resting one hand on Percy's shoulder. "I've just always done everything to hide my feelings for you, Percy."

"And you did a horrible job of it!", snorted Percy and stared at the son of Hades. "How could I not have seen it for what it really was? All the times you saved my life, how you always returned to camp because of me, how you've always been there and risking everything when I asked you. It was so obvious. How could I not have seen it...? Oh gods, I am so, so, so sorry..."

"You don't need to be sorry", said the Ghost King and turned away. "I understand. You're not..."

Not like me. Not gay. Not maddeningly in love. Not completely head over heels and ready to do everything and anything that it would take. Not meant to be Nico's.

"If only I had known earlier...", murmured the Sea Prince softly, resting his hands on either side of Nico's face, making the Italian look at him. "No. That's not true. I've never... considered this. I needed the time it took to figure myself out. Maybe now is just the right time."

"I don't understand", grunted Nico with a confused frown on his face.

"I... really like you", whispered Percy, his face slowly coming closer to Nico's. "I don't... know about love, I think I've never been in love, I don't know what that feels like. But I know that I like you so very much, that I appreciate all you've done for me. That... that you've always been there for me. You make me feel safe and I know that I can rely on you, that I can trust you. If... you're okay with that for now, would you... give me a chance to fall in love with you?"

The son of Hades was frozen at the spot, unable to comprehend what his love had just offered. This whole situation was too surreal to happen. Never would Nico have pictured—that Percy's lips could feel so soft upon his own. The light press against his lips interrupted his thoughts and he found himself staring into the serene face of the boy he loved. Arms wrapped around his neck as though Percy feared that Nico would push him away again. Not that that would ever happen. Grunting surprised, Nico wrapped his arms around Percy's waist and pulled the Sea Prince closer.

"You taste like sea water", murmured Nico once they parted.

"And you taste like pomegranates", grinned Percy back and cocked his head, licking his lips. "Does... that mean you would give me a chance? Be my boyfriend?"

"Percy", whispered Nico, burying his nose in Percy's hair. "I was ready to stay in the shadows and watch over you. I never thought I'd have a chance. I'll take everything you are willing to give me."

Author's note: I could also rename the story "One Big Misunderstanding", eh? xDDD But hey, they're together now and Jason is still alive! Next chapter will already be the last though. And mainly fluff and making-out.