Author's Note:

I am so sorry this chapter is late and short. My flash drive was left at my fathers house last week, so I couldn't even finish chapter 3, which only had a few paragraphs. I promise, the next one will be better, and longer. Please don't hate me; I have a hard enough time keeping my life on schedule.


Nico tried, he really did, but his body hurt too much to continue. He was pretty sure Percy felt the same.

This was a good thing, on Nico's part. After thinking it over, Nico knew that he wasn't ready for what Percy wanted anyway. They had undressed, and kissed each other everywhere. But after the training, their muscles ached and they could barely move. So, after talking it over, they decided to just sleep. And sleep they did.


Nico's mind was filled with one thing: pain. He was surrounded by an oily blackness, and he knew at once that he was dreaming. The darkness began to seep away, revealing a room. The walls and floor where made of cement. A lone light flickered on the ceiling. And standing in the corner where two figures, shrouded in shadow.

One was female. She stood with her hands on her hips and Nico could make just make out a grin plastered on her face. The other person was a male. He stood half a head taller that the girl, and just behind her, like a body guard. Through the gloom, he seemed to look hurt, and a little mortified. But who were these people? Nico strained his eyes.

He tried to stand, but was greeted by the feeling of cool metal around his wrists. Nico whirled around, realizing that he was chained to the wall. He began to panic, thrashing against the restraints. He grit his teeth as the edges dug into his skin. But then a cold laugh made his body go ridged. He finally recognized the female.

Annabeth walked towards him, an evil smirk bringing out the storm in her eyes. But those storms were nothing like Percy's; hers were merciless and powerful enough to sink a ship. Nico cowered against the wall, whimpering. Annabeth had never been like this. Why was she so terrifying?

"You were a good friend once, Nico," Annabeth mused, "but to take Percy away from me? So selfish of you." She wagged her finger in the boys face.

"Why are you doing this?" Nico demanded, not letting his fear register in Annabeth's gaze. "Percy doesn't love you anymore." He spat on the floor at her feet.

Annabeth just stared with her jaw set and eyes hard. A flame danced in their core, and Nico knew he had hit a nerve.

"You'll see soon, Nico di Angelo, very soon." She beckoned the male forward, but Nico never saw his face. Before he emerged from behind Annabeth's body, her hand was over his eyes. He thrashed again, trying to shake her off, but she just grabbed his hair, and soon, a huge fist connected with his ear, and the darkness took hold his mind and released it into reality.


Percy was thrown off the bed, but Nico didn't feel all that bad.

Nico emerged from his dream, and bolted upright as a small scream escaped his lips. Percy, who had been partially on top of him, was jolted awake, his eyes resembling those of a fly. He lost his balance and tumbled sideways and down, taking the sheets with him. There was a loud crash, but Nico just stared straight ahead. He didn't even realize that nothing was covering his pale body.

There was a groan from the floor, and Nico finally broke through his horror. He watched as Percy hoisted himself up so that his head poked up from the edge of the mattress. Nico offered a small smile of apology, and Percy responded with a sigh.

"Can't I just wake up when I want to," he whined, standing up while gathering up all the sheets. He tossed one to Nico, who finally realized he was naked. His face flushed, and he quickly drowned himself in the blanket, toga style. Percy joined him, but only put the sheet around his waist. Nico couldn't help staring.

"What happened? Did you have a bad dream?" Percy tugged Nico closer to him and hugged his shivering body. Nico didn't want to tell him about his dream; it would sound so stupid. He imagined himself ranting about how Annabeth was crazy and that she had kidnapped him for torture. Percy would think he was paranoid.

"I'm fine," Nico whispered. "It was just a dream; nothing to worry about."

Percy eyed him warily. Of course dreams were something to worry about. Demigod dreams usually held prophetic visions, so something that bad couldn't be good. "Will you at least tell me what happened?" Percy probed.

"No," Nico said, a little too quickly. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But look at where talking got us." Percy kissed Nico's cheek tenderly. "We're together now."

And Nico knew he was right. Talking had brought them together, but Nico wondered if talking would tear them apart. So, he just slumped into Percy's arms, welcoming the warmth of both the blanket and his skin. Percy sighed, causing the hair on Nico's head to stir. He felt that Nico wasn't being open enough, but he wasn't going to force anything out of him. He would wait until the time was right.

"Well, it must be close to dinner time," Percy said, trying to lighten the mood. "I can't believe we slept through lunch again." Nico laughed, a small outburst of joy. Both boys climbed out of bed, shedding themselves of their covers. Nico stole a glance at Percy and blushed as Percy did the same. Nico put on his jeans and T-shirt, and Percy his jeans and they both headed out to the kitchen.

Percy started cooking up dinner, which was Shake 'n' Bake chicken strips. Nico couldn't bare the touch of meat, so he decided to sit this one out. He twiddled his thumbs while watching the muscles under Percy's skin shift and sway. Before he knew it, dinner was done. They ate in silence, stealing glances at each other. But they weren't those of the flirtatious type; Percy's were filled with wonder and concern, whereas Nico's were sharp and demanding, almost telepathically sending Percy a message: don't bother me.

Once they were done, they cleaned then went to sit on the couch. Percy spread his arms open wide, wanting Nico to be closer to him, but the boy just slumped onto the tan fabric at the very opposite end. He cupped his chin in his hands and sighed.

"Nico, what did you see in your dream?" Percy demanded. He felt isolated, and he just wanted to know.

"I don't want to talk about it. I thought I made this clear."

"I don't care if you don't want to talk. Ever since you woke up, you have been avoiding me; you won't smile, you won't hug me. Gods Nico, you won't even sit next to me. The looks that come off of your face look like pure hatred! What happened?" Percy realized he was pleading, not just asking. He really wanted to know what was going through that boys head.

Nico threw his hands down and whipped around to face the son of the sea god. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, and a permanent scowl was set upon his face. He looked strong, confident, and worst of all, intimidating. He looked as if he were about to kill someone.

But then his mask was swiped away, only to be replaced by one that advertised weakness, sadness, and despair. Percy noticed the entirety on Nico crack and collapse, and he took that moment to envelope him in a hug. The Ghost King wept into his shoulder. His fingers dug into Percy's shoulder blades, but he didn't care. If Nico needed a shoulder to cry on, Percy would be there.

Before Percy could ask, Nico told him the entire story.

Nico concluded with, "She is going to kill me, no joke." He scrambled up, looking Percy straight on, opening his eyes to the teen. But the only thing Percy could think of was keeping Nico safe. He had not thought of Annabeth as someone who would do such a thing, but now he questioned himself. She either intended to torture Nico, or kill him.