[A/N] It's been awhile but your not hallucinating, this is an update. I have a plethora of excuses for why this hasn't been updated but you probably don't care. Regardless, reviews make me want to write, so REVIEW!
[DISCLAIMER] I own pjs, not PJO.
The door to Percy's cabin was violently thrown open causing Annabeth to push Percy away from her and on to the floor.
"What the fuck Thalia?" Percy sputtered pushing himself up from the floor and pulling on his discarded shirt.
"Get out!" Thalia said venomously, the air around her crackling with static electricity.
"But it's my cabin.." he said meekly, knowing it wasn't in his best interest to patronize Thalia at the moment. Annabeth was busy straightening her clothes and hair.
"I don't care just, GET OUT!" Thalia screamed, causing both Percy and Annabeth to cringe. The air around her was now crackling dangerously.
"But why do I have to leave?" Percy pressed, hoping to somehow find a way to talk some sense into her.
"Go ask Nico, just, get out." she hissed vehemently, the electricity in the air causing their hair to stand on end. Annabeth smiled at Percy and indicating the door, he rolled his eyes but left without any further argument.
"What's wrong Thals?" Annabeth asked patting the bed next to her indicating for her to sit, she did so without a moments hesitation. The air settled as Thalia seemed to calm down and Annabeth's hair lost most of it's charge.
"I caught Nico checking me out." she said getting straight to the point. Annabeth smiled knowingly but hid it when Thalia turned to look at her.
Nico was sitting about halfway up the climbing wall on a shadowed ledge. He kept a look out for anyone coming towards the climbing wall, thankfully no one did.
"I can't believe she caught me, twice, in a row." he said to himself, shaking his head. Thalia had gotten hot, it was as simple as that. What kind of guy doesn't check out hot girls?
"Shit" he said as he saw someone coming towards the climbing wall with black hair. It didn't look like Thalia, it looked more like a guy. Percy emerged from the trees, he held his hand above his eyes to block out the sun as he searched the climbing wall for Nico. Nico sat as still as a statue in hopes of not being noticed.
"I can see you up there!" Percy yelled to him, Nico gritted his teeth.
"What?" he yelled down to him, he wanted to be alone and brood.
"You tell me!" Percy shouted "Me and Annabeth were in my cabin when Thalia stormed in and told me to get out!" Nico could tell Percy wasn't happy with this situation. He groaned, stood up, and shadow traveled down to meet him.
"How does that have anything to do with me?" he asked playing stupid. Percy ran a hand through his hair obviously frustrated.
"When I asked 'Why?' she told me to ask you." he said crossing his arms. Nico proceeded to light a cigarette.
"It was stupid." he said pointedly looking away. Percy glared at him.
"What was it?" he asked sternly, this had better be good he had been enjoying himself before Thalia came in.
"She caught me checking her out," Nico said flushing slightly and still not meeting his eyes, Percy looked at him incredulously "twice," now he started laughing at him "in a row." he finished. Percy walked toward him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Your fucked." he said smiling broadly at him and laughing. Nico rolled his eyes.
"Tell me something I don't know." he said smiling despite his dilemma.
"Of all the possible girls, why Thalia?" Percy asked smirking at him. Nico shrugged his shoulders.
"It's not my fault shes hot is it?" Nico asked him seriously, causing him to laugh.
"No of course not, but you need to figure this shit out," Percy said seriously, Nico raised an eyebrow at him "or next time I'm kicking your ass for her." Percy smirked at him.
"As if you could." Nico said confidently, doing his best to look nonchalant. Percy chuckled good-naturedly putting an arm around his friends shoulders.
"Does the fourth of July ring any bells?" Percy asked laughing harder, Nico paled at the partially remembered night but decided to play stupid.
"I've no idea what your talking about." he said shrugging Percy's arm from around his shoulders and walking back towards the climbing wall, Percy followed him.
"I'm not surprised, you drank enough to kill a mortal that night." Percy informed him for the umpteenth time since the incident. Nico scowled at Percy's obvious joy from recalling the night.
"It's your fault anyway." Nico said accusingly "You were supposed to be my wingman!" he added using his best excuse for what had happened.
"Bro." Percy began his usual response to Nico's excuse forming on his lips "You ignored me when I told you not to start drinking" Nico rubbed his temples "and we both know how you get when your drunk." Nico turned away hoping he wouldn't have to hear the rest of the story.
"After you got shot down by Jennifer all Hades broke loose," Percy struggled not to laugh at his friends death glare "you even told me to go jump in a lake when I tried to stop you from hitting on anyone else."
"Okay, okay, you can stop now, I remember." Nico said hoping beyond hope Percy would drop it before the end of the story.
"If you insist." Percy said laughing again and holding his hands up placatingly.
"No way!" Thalia said laughing, Annabeth nodded her head also laughing. The two had gone from talking of Thalia and Nico's altercation, to talking about Nico himself.
"It's true, after he told Percy to go jump in a lake he started hitting on every girl there," Annabeth said still laughing "even me!"
"What did you do?" Thalia asked her laughter diminishing, the things Annabeth had told her running through her head.
"Not a thing." she said smiling fondly at the memory, "Percy took him out to the balcony and talked some sense into him, well, dragged him out to the balcony and beat some sense into him." they both started laughing again.
"I had no idea he was such a player." Thalia said after their laughing had slowed, Annabeth shook her head causing Thalia to look at her confused.
"He's not, unless he's plastered." she informed her "In fact when we found him still on our balcony the next day and he couldn't remember anything after Jennifer rejecting him." Thalia and Annabeth fell victim to another fit of giggles.
"Lets go get some lunch." Percy said with a grin, Nico nodded his head eagerly. They headed back towards the dining pavilion, Nico looking wistfully over his shoulder at the climbing wall. They kept up a brisk pace, until the cabins came into view, then Nico took to a more stealthy creep, using buildings, trees and even Percy himself to hide behind. Percy laughed at his friend causing Nico to scowl.
"What are you doing?" Percy asked through his laughter, Nico continued scowling as he moved from behind Percy to a nearby clump of bushes.
"I always knew you were an idiot." Nico said only half joking as he peeked between the leaves, Percy laughed even harder despite the insult.
"You can't avoid her forever." Percy said seriously his hands behind his head as he walked at a leisurely pace. Nico scratched his chin in silent contemplation of what Percy had just said, yes of course he was right, but time heals all wounds, right?
"I don't have to avoid her forever, just long enough for her to calm down." he said smirking, slipping from behind the bushes to behind a nearby pillar. Percy shook his head at Nico's words knowing it wouldn't work. They were getting closer to the dining pavilion, and would be forced to pass by the big three's cabins to get there, Nico gulped.
"How about some lunch?" Annabeth asked her friend, who nodded her agreement. Both of them stood and made to exit the cabin, Annabeth holding the door open and letting Thalia go first. Percy was laughing and walking towards the dining pavilion, he had just passed the Demeter cabin and was almost in front of them. When he noticed the two of them standing there his laughter grew twice as loud.
"What's so funny now?" a voice hissed from the bushes in front of the Demeter cabin. Thalia smirked victoriously, she knew who the owner of the voice was and she knew why he was hiding. Annabeth rushed over to meet Percy her own laughter mixing in with that of her boyfriends, she followed her over but continued past the two, she stopped a few feet away from the bushes blocking his escape route.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit." the bushes muttered, Thalia approached slowly trying not to startle her catch into fleeing. She stopped in front of Nico's hiding place and crouched down on her haunches in front of it.
"Not going to run away this time?" she asked casually, smiling innocently the whole time. Nico fought the urge to shadow travel, he didn't trust her smile, there was something off about it.
"As long as you don't try to kill me I won't." he said peeking out of the bushes making himself visible to her, an awkward smile adorning his features. Thalia chuckled as she pushed her bangs behind her ear.
"You'll know when I'm trying to kill you." she said smiling genuinely and tilting her head slightly to the side. Nico felt a blush creeping across his face despite what she had said, at that moment he couldn't help but think of how beautiful she really was. He stood up and did his best to untangle himself from the bushes tripping slightly as he did so, Thalia smirked standing up.
"So, uh.. Are we cool?" he asked sounding unsure of what she would say. She moved slightly closer to him a coy smile playing on her lips, he smiled thinking this would go better than he expected. Then he felt a stinging pain on his left cheek where Thalia's hand had just left its mark, he looked at her flabbergasted, she was grinning now.
"We are now." she told him before turning away and walking towards the dining pavilion, a spring in her step, she had enjoyed that more than she would ever admit.
"Ow." Nico said dumbfounded, she had slapped him, hard. He would probably never admit to himself, or anyone else, that he had had it coming. A red hand print was making itself painfully visible on his cheek, campers going about their daily business who had seen the exchange were already busy telling their friends and speculating on what had caused it. He shrugged his shoulders, glared at anyone who happened to be looking in his direction, turned away from the dining pavilion and proceeded to make his way back to the climbing wall.
Did you like it? Leave me a review telling me if you did or didn't, in all honesty I don't care either way, as long as you review. :D