Percy was swimming in the lake at Camp Half-blood, enjoying a nice backstroke out in the middle of the day. He could feel the heat beating against his skin, and the waves lapping against him, it felt amazing, and so real.
He didn't know, or care, how long he had been out there, it was a nice day and he was determined to enjoy it, before he got sucked into another one of the God's errands. He was lost in thought when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he freaked, and you'd think his first instinct would be to use some of that all powerful Poseidon magic, Instead, he flailed like a first time free-faller, and ended up losing his balance, dunking under once, before regaining himself.
"What in the-" Before he had a chance to act first, think later, he caught sight of Nico.
"Hey, sorry man, I uh- didn't mean to startle you." He seemed a little embarrassed, but he was also had an unmistakable smirk.
"What is this, the dark and gruesome son of Hades, smiling?"
Nico looked away a little sheepishly, "It happens.." He didn't have a shirt on, and his skin, as pale as usual, was gleaming in the sun. Percy also noticed that Nico wasn't just a skinny frame, he had some muscle hiding underneath all those black t-shirts. Suddenly Percy felt a little self conscious, and embarrassed, though he had no clue why, but he didn't like the weird somersaults his stomach was doing."Gods is I just me, because it is hot out here! But you don't look like you're feeling it whatsoever." Percy forgot that the sun affected others differently, being in the water made him feel on top of the world, he was as unlikely to get a sunburn as he was to drown.
"I don't know, I think you've always been pretty hot" Nico looked taken aback and had a blush creeping up on his face.
"Percy... I uh, have something that..." Nico looked like something was lodged in his throat and slowly killing him, but he just couldn't get it out.
He didn't get a chance to finish because the sky suddenly wasn't filled with a magnificent blue and a hot sun, what took their place was dark murky clouds, that managed to be terrifying. "That doesn't look-" Percy was steadily looking into the sky, completely distracted by the surreal weather change happening before his eyes, that he hadn't noticed the sea responding to the dark shift as well, not until he heard Nico scream his name.
"Perc-" Nico went under the water, pulled in by massive waves that turned as dark as the sky. His head bobbed back up and he struggled to wail for Percy again. It didn't take long, and Percy was moving, controlling the water best he could, but it was resisting, and it was doing a great job of it.
Percy tried to ride the waves, but it was taking too much energy and concentration, it was doing more harm than good. So instead, he swam like hell.
"Nico! Just hold on!" His arms moved as fast and as hard as he could make them. A whirlpool formed around Nico just as Percy reached him.
"Shit shit shit, no... Nico!" He yelled with all the force in his body, if he had even the slightest charmspeak that Piper did, he was sure the waves would have spit Nico right out.
Nico's head went under, Percy dove in without thinking, and the moment his head hit the water, he woke up.