**Last chapter. I apologise for my English spelling of "mom".

Percy trudged up the steps to the door of the townhouse his mum and Paul had moved into, head hung low and feet dragging as if they wanted to take him elsewhere. Which, with a heavy heart, Percy knew was true.

Using the key that had been mailed (harpy-mail, actually) to him at Camp Half-Blood, Percy let himself in and tried to appear less glum for his mother.

'Hello?! I'm here!' Percy called out down the long, well-lit hallway of Sally Jackson's house. Percy dropped his bag by the bottom of the adjacent staircase, having been told (multiple times, by very excited Iris-Messages) his room was upstairs, and kicked off his shoes.

'Mum? Paul!' He tried again.

'Percy?!' Sally Jackson's voice called from further in the house, and Percy couldn't help the small that lit up his face at his mum's voice. 'Perce? You here?!' She called again.

'Yeah mum, I'm here,' Percy said with a smile growing through is mother's yelling of "Paul! Paul, he's here!"

He padded down the hall, emerging into a kitchen/living room open area, his mum standing behind the kitchen island bench, a cloud of flour around her and the smell of vanilla in the air. She grinned at Percy as he breathed in the heavenly scent.

'Mum, you didn't…' He started.

'You know I did.' Sally replied, looking very happy with herself. Percy grinned back.

'And I love you for it,' He said, coming closer for a hug, which he gratuitously recieved. Once half-squeezed to death, Percy pulled back to smile again at his mum, and saw her own grin had diminished enough to become almost forlorn.

'Any word?' She asked gently. Percy hesitated before shaking his head, a small smile forced as far as he could on his lips.

'No, not over-world or under.' He said quietly. Once arriving back at Camp Half-Blood, Percy had been treated the same way the once-reverent Romans had treated him; like he was a dangerous animal that couldn't be provoked. Upon hearing Nico had shadow-travelled the Hades out of there once he'd felt Percy enter the camp, Percy pretty much entered a fit of rage which was also fuelled by heartbreak and may've flooded the strawberry fields (before apologising profusely to the nymphs and drawing back the lake). Percy had stayed at camp for the night to re-supply and rest before setting off again. Using his various skills gained over the past half-decade of being a wanted demigod, he pretty much travelled around the world, searching for any sign of Nico. Most of the four months that had passed since leaving CHB had been spent in the USA and in Italy (if not the Underworld), and the surrounding countries. Sure, Percy had to endure a whole lot more monster-based crap because he was in the Old lands, but he simply dealt with it, fuelled by finding Nico and at least apologising.

Neither of which he had achieved before pretty much having to visit his mum and start going to mortal school again. He'd received special time off —courtesy of Paul's sweet talking— which he'd greatly overstepped, plus, Sally missed her son, so she'd been nagging Percy to come back despite constantly telling him how much she wished he'd find Nico.

'Hey, Percy!' A masculine voice called from behind Percy. The demigod turned to see Paul Blofis, his stepdad, coming in for a hug, which Percy gladly met. 'Long time-no see, kiddo!

Half and hour later, the three are sitting on the lounges in the other side of the room, Paul requesting to hear all about Percy's "trip" after it was pointed out that the side of Percy's head was slightly singed.

Still forcing a smile onto his face, Percy looked down into his cup of soda, not really knowing how to respond. Sensing his discomfort, Sally asked Paul to excuse she and her son for a few minutes. Knowing better than to waste his breath asking if he'd said something wrong, Paul left for his study. Sally stood slowly to come and sit next to Percy, who was still staring into his cup.

They two sat in silence for a few minutes before Percy spoke.

'I… I l-looked so hard,' Percy stuttered, the tears that had been building in his eyes finally spilling over and falling onto his lap, Sally having taken his cup before in could spill.

Being a mortal with a sorely over-hunted child, Sally didn't actually know that much about what happened over the last… Half a year, now. She knew that something capital-B-italics-worthy Bad happened to Nico, or between Percy and Nico, and Nico had been in hiding, Percy nearly getting himself killed dozens of times in his attempt to track Nico down. But now he was back…

'Percy, I—…'

'I spent so much time, and it just got worse when I didn't find him, and I went to freaking Hades for gods' sake, and he…' Percy choked on a sob, and Sally broke a little inside to see her child hurting so badly. 'He didn't help me, he didn't even say anything…'

Sally gathered up Percy in the biggest, tightest hug she could manage, and tried to think of something to say. Percy just cried.

'I looked and I looked, mum, I just… I didn't…' Percy broke down and wrapped shaking arms around his mother.

'Percy…' Sally began, taking another deep breath when Percy obviously stopped rambling to listen. 'He's here.'

It took exactly two and a half seconds for Percy to understand what his mother was saying— Sally knew, she counted. He pulled back abruptly, looking at Sally with red-rimmed eyes.

'What?'

'I'm so sorry sweetie, he asked us not to tell you unt—'

'Where.'

Sally tried to evaluate exactly how her son was feeling and how he would react to seeing Nico right now, but at that moment, the only expression on Percy's face was betrayal and desperation.

'Your room.' She said. 'Upstairs.'

Percy was gone. He scrambled up from the couch and ran back toward the staircase like the Minotaur had just busted through the wall and was chasing him, the only thought in his head being of his... Of Nico.

~ O ~

Percy stopped abruptly before his doorway, only looking in his room for now. It wasn't like he didn't trust him mum and thought she was lying, it was just… Nico.

Percy took one step forward to look around before saying anything. His room had been set up painstakingly by his mum, with every item he'd ever collected for his room in the years before lovingly placed where Sally thought Percy would like it.

To the right, his bed, a window casting light on him from the middle-back wall, and a bookshelf (kind of bare) and desk hugging the right wall.

'To be honest, you took longer than I thought…' A quiet voice came from the left side of the room. Percy's head whipped back to that side of the room and scoured it for Nico. Something moved, and Percy stopped breathing when he saw what could've only been the top of Nico's head (no one else besides Percy had hair that dark) behind his bed. Percy was speechless.

'With the looking thing, I mean. You took like…' The person —Nico, Nico was actually there, in his bedroom— moved to sit up, and dark eyes looked at Percy over his bed. '… A month more than I thought you would.'

Nico's voice was quiet; Percy didn't want to acknowledge that the boy he loved sounded scared of him. Slowly, the son of Poseidon came to kneel by the other side of the bed, as if approaching a wounded animal, which was half-correct, he realised.

'Yeah, my mum was kind of bugging me for a while…' Percy started, hoping more than anything he wouldn't do something wrong and Nico would… Go poof.

Nico smiled a little, but it wasn't happy, not even amused; just rueful.

'Yeah, I guess… She got that I…' Wanted me back? Could forgive me? Please, Nico… '… Was ready to see you.'

Percy nodded and looked down into his lap.

'Nico…' He started quietly, only realising at this moment that chances were Nico could forgive him, eventually, but things would never be the same.

'You're wondering what to do from here?' Percy glanced up to see Nico actually meeting his eyes this time, but still with that heartbreaking little smile of his. Percy nodded, feeling tears come to his already-irritated eyes again. Nico gave a little nod as well and looked back to where Percy guessed he was hugging his knees.

'I still love you, you know…' He said quietly, and Percy bit his lip to hold back a sob at how broken and ready to give up Nico sounded. 'I do. I always have, and I think I always will. But… I don't know what to do next either.' Nico said, his admission barely a whisper.

'Nico, I will do anything to make this right, or… Help you get…' Percy's voice stopped working at that point, his voice shaking too much to get anything out. He was just hurting so bad for Nico, who was only looking at him like that again. Like they were still together, still in love. Percy's thoughts were racing, and he laughed a little at a new realisation.

'I just… I just realised… This is all my fault.' Percy laughed brokenly among choked sobs and tried half-heartedly to wipe the tears blurring his vision. He knew Nico was still looking at him, and wasn't talking because he knew Percy needed to get stuff off his chest, too. 'If I… If I wasn't being so… Y'know, me on the aqueduct, then I wouldn't have fallen, 'nd…' Percy sniffed, and stopped talking in return for biting his lip again. This was meant to be about Nico, and how sorry Percy was for hurting him— that's all. Percy swore to himself to not even think about anything else happening because there was no chance of anything being right between them again.

The next time Percy glanced up, Nico had shuffled to face him more, both hands folded neatly on the edge of the bed.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, and while Nico just stared serenely at his folded hands, Percy took the moments to calm down and try and stop crying. Which every time he even looked at Nico, he resumed.

'Nico…' He choked, 'I'm… I'm so, so s-sorry,' Percy looked down into his lap as he choked up again, and missed the calm mask Nico had been wearing break, and the son of Hades look at him with only love and understanding in his eyes.

'Perce…'

'I-I think that… If I c'n… Just…' Shit, this was not going how Percy wanted it to. Just stop fucking crying, apologise properly and leave him alone, Percy!

'Percy,' Nico said quietly, extending one hand across the bed. Percy was still crying quietly to himself, so Nico just watched with tears of his own forming and waited for Percy to get it all out.

'If I can just f-feel… I'm so… Nico, I'm…'

'Hey, Perce,' Nico chided gently, drawing Percy's attention. The other teen looked up, face going from utter dejection to blank confusion when he saw Nico's hand extended to him. 'Percy, it's obvious neither of us have been in a situation like this before, and I don't think anyone we know has, so… We're just going to have to figure this out ourselves, okay?' Nico suggested, watching Percy's face scrunch up slightly in bewilderment.

'Percy, remember when you helped me to stop cutting? When you helped me to stop hating myself and give myself a chance?' Percy, still quite in shock felt his heart beat even faster when Nico's face began to tremble with the strain of holding back tears. 'You taught me that sometimes,' Nico's fingers wriggling moved Percy's attention back to them, but he looked back up at Nico in shock, not understanding how this was happening.

'You taught me that the hating has to stop, eventually. Percy…' Tears began to roll down Nico's cheeks and Percy's shattered heart twisted a little more. 'I love you, you, and I know that thing wasn't you. It didn't look like you, 'cos it wasn't you,' Nico shook his head, the tears still coming, 'And I know you love me, too. I need you— I need…' Nico looked down into his lap to sniff and shake the tears that were blocking his vision away, and looked back up with a pained smile.

'I want to forgo the danger, Perce.' Was all Nico said. Percy blinked multiple times, trying to take in what Nico was saying. Obviously, he must've taken too long because by the time he began paying attention to what was happening outside his head again, Nico had stopped crying and was smiling at him.

'It smells like you in here,' Nico whispered, his voice breaking through trembling lips.

Finally, Percy computed what just happened, and an indescribable amount of joy blossomed in his chest. He slowly reached out to lightly grasp Nico's still-extended hand with his own.

'… Would you like to stay?' He asked gently, half of him already knowing the answer. Nico's tearful smile grew and he nodded, to which Percy nodded in return, both of them beginning to cry again, but not half as much out of sadness as before.

They sat like that for a few minutes before there was a light knock at the door. Sally came in, smiling gratefully at the two and seeing they were going to attempt being back together again, and promptly offered them some blue cookies.

**Well, I love Sally. It's just a universal fact that she's the best.

Oh yeah, this was the last chapter. Wow, 35k story, well done TJ! *pats self on the back* Please tell me what you think before I post the epilogue (+ a few other things in chap 17) because I might have to re-upload it to change stuff, idk… Well, this story has been fun. I really liked writing the "sometimes the hating has to stop" line because I think that's the most profound message I've come across in life so far, so I'm really glad to share it with all you in some form.

Stay tuned, love you all.

- TJ**