Until he saw the blood trickling down Percy's side, Nico has already dared to envision the future. Of him and his beloved treading the path of life, grateful of the little things they have, overcoming whatever obstacles that may come across their journey, for a search of their own happiness.

The Spirit has earnestly believed that with Percy by his side, he could overcome anything. He would triumph over everything.

Alas, that was not meant to be.

And when he saw droplets of blood oozing down a path from the terrible gash on Percy's torso, staining the torn baby-breath blue fabric into a dark shade of crimson, he stumbled upon a cruel realisation.

That he will never find a place in this unforgivable world. A dangerous unstable being resented by life itself. This world has brutally denied him of his own existence.

He was foolish; trying to tempt the Fates to change what has always been the force of nature; the law that he, and all the Spirits, will never be accepted here.

For only a moment, for only a minuscule period of time; the world was black. And when light dared to give way for his vision to gradually clear up, a dreaded feeling clutched through his stomach in an iron-liked grip.

Percy was gone.

At that moment, all Tartarus has broken loose.

Date a Nico

Percy has not expected an ambush.

Particularly from two persons of the small knit-tight group of misfits he considered as friends. But when a mysterious bullet-like projectile hit him squarely on the left side of his stomach, its sharp end tauntingly glinting and protruding through his side of torso, he did not even get the concept of friendship that was supposed to exist.

All he felt was betrayal. And the white-hot pain gnawing at his side.

It took a considerably large amount of effort to raise his head and another to consciously grin, despite the pain, at the grief-stricken face that was Nico's. 'Its g – gonna be alright, really.' Of course the Spirit will never be convinced.

Especially when his mouth spouted out more blood, the red warm liquid trickling down his chin to his neck, his throat constricting as they clotted.

The agony he was enduring was probably so little in comparison to the anguished look on Nico's face. As so to the shadows swirling around the boy in a halo of darkness, and the sudden drop of temperature as the surrounding atmosphere froze in grave anxiety.

The operation that he and the crews of Ratatoskr have carefully devised, the date that he has thoroughly anticipated with bliss, all was useless. They were totally in vain when he saw the green laser dot targeting his Spirit, when he pushed his date away from the improbable danger, when he took the shot for his own risk.

'A spacequake has been detected in the area. All civilians, please evacuate to the nearest shelter. This is not a drill. I repeat; a spacequake has been detected in the area.' Accompanying the automated repetitive announcement, the blare of the siren was deafening as it echoed throughout the city, proving the calamitous situation that was about to unfold.

'Nico, don't –.'

He saw the sudden burst of black, and he thought that he has already lost consciousness. But when his sight focused back into sharpness, the ground was already about fifty feet below him. That was quite surprising for him.

He looked up and saw the grim face of Malcolm. The boy was carrying Percy bridal-styled, soaring through the cold air whipping past his face. Percy remembered the fact that he was a Wizard, highly-trained militaristic personnel serving the DEM Industries to fight Spirits. Through the technology of the Realizer, Wizards are capable of impossible feats for a human being like flight, handling destructive weapons and improvised strength. Malcolm was now clad in his winged Advanced Wiring Suit, equipped with an Advanced Combat Realizer-Unit, and two revolting-looking gun. Getting all the fancy gadgets from the government, he supposed. How he managed to change his outfit on such short notice was beyond Percy, though.

'Hey, Malcolm! Get me down there –,' he spurted blood on the blonde's cheeks, temporarily obscuring his speech. The serious look the Wizard sported did not betray a hint of disgust or revulsion, though. The stormy grey eyes just bore through him, seemingly worried.

'Shut up for a sec, please. You need medication.' Malcolm frowned. 'And what were you actually thinking, Perce? Trying to approach a Spirit and bringing him in to the public. That was stupid.'

Percy flinched. 'Oh, just stop your nonsense, smartass. You guys are the ones who hurt me.' It was Malcolm's time to flinch. 'I'm not that stupid to even risk seeing a Spirit. Wait, what were you trying to imply here, huh?' Percy coughed some more, weighing his options. Somehow he instinctively knew that Nico's identity should never be revealed. In pain, he did what he knew through expertise; playing dumb. He managed to sputter angrily, 'Nico is my date, and last time I checked, he's a normal human being.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes, smartass, until that Spirit wrecked up our date! And now I lost Nico when you decided to play hero.'

Malcolm looked mildly surprised, uneasiness starting to show in his frowning face. And was that a blush, that faint red tinge on his cheeks? The blonde cleared his throat. 'Damn that Reyna. I told her not to do anything stupid. That's a rare one.' He chuckled darkly. 'She's cool, but when it comes to those damned Spirits, she couldn't fight the urge to kill. Even risking her friend's life.'

Percy rolled his sea green eyes at the Wizard. Malcolm looked at him back, an apologetic smile tugging at his lips. 'I'm kinda sorry?'

'Whatever, babe. Now, will you kindly get me back to the ground? Preferably an area with water.' He winced at the grappling pain. 'I – I have to find my sweet Valentine.'

Date a Nico

Immersing herself in the glorious knowledge of architecture was quite thrilling for a pretty nerd like Annabeth. Smiling slightly while reading through the facts on stability of constructions and artistic muse of ancient architects, she was mildly annoyed when her phone buzzed in frenzy. Lifting the iPhone up, Annabeth was surprised by the message she received.

Her superiors have declared a mission downtown, needing her assistance as Lieutenant Chase. There was a Spirit running rampant, emitting off a fair amount of Spiritual waves enough to alert the headquarters.

On a separate couch in the bookshop, the intercom was blaring in Rachel's ear, and so was her tablet, the screen now blinking red and signaling emergency. As if on cue, the whole area was deafened by the siren and the automated announcement urging them to evacuate into the shelters that were located in various parts of the city. 'Damn it.'

Jason, who was totally engrossed by the book on aviation that Rachel has finally bought for him (with a fair amount of persuasion), perked his head up, looking alarmed and slightly confused.

'Commander! The Spiritual powers flowing from Percy to Nico has reached a critical level! At this rate –'

'I know. The whole city's facing the risk of destruction. Nico would even destroy himself. For all we know, Percy's in danger. Transport me back on Olympus, now.'

'Yes, Commander.'

She has not noticed the blonde besides her, his scarred lips forming a thin line, staring apprehensively at the redheaded girl. Annabeth passed by their couch, bolting out through the bookshop's entrance whereas everyone was evacuating for the high-security shelters.

'Rach, where's Percy right now?' Jason asked, his tone of voice eerily calm. 'Uh…' Rachel's tongue went numb. Technically, they lied to the Spirit so he would not interrupt the operation. 'He's not in private tutoring, was he?' One of his eyebrows cocked upwards as he watched Rachel who has gone too silent.

'Rachel Elizabeth Dare, what do you mean that Percy's in danger?' There was an obvious demand in his tone now, and the girl knew that Jason was getting restless as the seconds passed by, shifting into what she called as his 'praetor' mode. If she delayed him the truth, it would only agitate the Spirit more. That must not happen.

'Jason, don't be mad at me or the crews. Or Nico. We kinda stole Percy so that he would spend a romantic date on Valentine with him.' She had her lips pursed as the Spirit fell silent, a frown forming on his golden eyebrows. 'It was the only way to save Nico from being another hunted Spirit again.'

Whether he was considerate to her pleas or he really was a good-natured young man with a brave kind heart, Rachel would never know, the moment Jason huffed in disappointment, his voice brimming with worry. 'Why didn't you ask for my help? If it would save Nico, sharing Percy even seemed worthwhile, Rach. Nico loved him dearly for that. And he's my buddy, too. If it keeps him safe, I'll be glad to help, you know?'

'I'm terribly sorry, Jason.'

'As long as you keep this book safe for me.' With that, the Spirit bolted out of the entrance into the chaos outside. 'Jason, no!'

Date a Nico

'Captain Ramirez-Arellano to HQ. Requesting two legions of fully-armed Wizards. Identified Spirit: Spectre.'

'Roger, Captain. Prepare for level-one capture. If it's persistent, open fire when necessary.'

Smirking victoriously at her profound achievement, Reyna activated her Territory; the generative magical field fuelled by the CR-Unit, immediately transforming her clothes into her Wiring Suit. Lifting off the ground, she was first startled by the sudden burst of darkness that dimmed the sunlight, deterring everyone's vision.

When the surrounding has finally cleared off, she anticipated the sight of her prey. Spectre. She cannot help but cackled slightly. 'Found you.'

Spectre was hovering in the air, his face half-concealed by the dark hood of his astral raiment, the signature armour that protected the Spirits; each of them differs from the other. Spectre was always the mysterious hooded figure, unearthly pattern decorating his strange garments. Having fighting the Spirit before, Reyna somehow knew that his astral raiment looked unfamiliar now, resembling more of a dark hoodie, rather than the cloak rippling of lost souls that he has always worn before disappearing off the radar.

'You surely thought this through, haven't you, Wizard? Summoning me like this, I didn't really expect that you wanted to die that much.'

'Shut up, Spirit. You are the cause of death yourself. Speaking of which, there was no spacequake happening right now. I'm surprised.'

'You and your foolish judgements. Those calamities are beyond our will. It happens when it happens, and I am powerless against that.'

'I don't give a damn about that bullshit,' Reyna spat. She could practically see the manic grin she loathed playing on the Spirit's lips.

'Amusing. Now that we know how desperate you are, then in Tartarus you will rot. Hades!' his roar invoked terror in Reyna's heart, though she suppressed it. Heeding his words, the shadowy nebulous clouds swirling lazily about the atmosphere formed into a giant spectral bloodhound, leaping around the air before pouncing into Nico's raised hand, materializing into an ancient iron sword, its blade as black as the darkest night, the sharp end glinting menacingly at Reyna.

The brunette's determined expression faltered if only for a bit. 'He summoned an angel.'

'Roger that. Captain, we have another hundred meters to cover before we reach you.'

Angels are not to be dealt easily with. They are the epitome of a Spirit's power, the absolute shield that protects its master from any possible threat. Spectre's angel was Hades, the sword that splits his enemies into shadows and the unrestricted spell raising the dead against his foes. The sovereign of the underworld itself.

The captain wasted no time as she raised her machine gun the moment her two requested legions of Wizards arrived at the scene. 'Conditions are green. Troops, open fire!

'Such futile approaches.' Nico swung Hades into the general direction of port, releasing a wave of shadows thus obscuring the bullets from the attacking Wizards. Their assault was futile as it was, the majority of the bullets shot bounced off the Spirit as if they were repelled by an invisible force field.

Restless, Reyna swung her own Realizer-powered blade at the Spirit, bringing the matter on her own. The two enemies parried through the hour, her subordinates holding fire as they watched the two powerful foes clashed their swords, each of them wearing a murderous expression on their faces.

Proving true to his realm of power, whenever the captain delivered the killer strike, Nico faded into the shadows before launching a surprise attack on Reyna's exposed back just as the latter condensed her Territory, thus blocking the hit. This unprecedented dance went on as the other Wizards watched with anticipation.

'I can sense that you're wearing out, huh? Surrender would suffice.'

'In your dreams.'

Reyna was a girl with the mission to destroy Spirits once and for all. Her darkest memories were fed by the vengeance of her past that fell victim to one of those creatures. Her attacks were rogue yet swift thus giving a hard time for the Spirit, whose powers were mostly sealed, to cling on to her pace.

'Captain, I'm coming in,' shouted a familiar voice, and Annabeth jumped into the scene, wearing a determined expression as she joined in the carnage. Reyna has that demented smile gracing her lips again. 'Perfect timing, Lieutenant. We will end this once and for all.' Nico cursed under his breath as he parried two blades at once, willing the shadows to aid him within the sparks of clashing weapons. The dead were far underground for him to summon. He was outnumbered.

'We will never yield, Spectre. Until your blood stains our hands.'

'Neither will me, then.'

Date a Nico

Before he tripped on the second rubble of bricks, Percy's intercom was blaring so loud he thought his eardrums would burst.

'Olympus to Percy. Olympus to Percy. Answer me, Jackson!' Rachel was screeching at the top of her lungs, her voice was so ear-splitting that the boy fought the urge to crush the small device with his foot. 'Can you just not scream, Dare?' The commander giggled in response. 'There you are, I thought you were dead. Seeing that you're still kicking, go to Nico, now. And find Jason too while you're at it.'

'Oh gods. Where'd he go?' he could feel panic rising in his chest. The Spirits he held responsibility of should have a few sessions with a therapist. They must know how to control their emotions to keep their powers down. Preferably with hot chocolate. 'We're pinpointing his coordinates. He's moving in an impossibly fast speed, Perce. Guess he had his powers back, too.' Yup, definitely a therapist, hot chocolates. And marshmallows. 'Man, can't they just stop worrying about me a bit?'

'Perhaps they need more action in bed,' another voice piped in, and Percy could hear the fuss from the intercom, followed by a groan of pain. 'Please keep your dirty thoughts in your own mind, you pervert.' Apparently Rachel had kicked her vice commander in the guts, judging from the obsessed cackle coming from Octavian as he received the hit.

'Okay, he's engaged in a fight. Against twenty Wizards. Their powers may return to them, Perce, but it's limited. Their astral raiment and angels will not be powerful enough to protect them. As soon as you're there, let yourself be seen. Apparently he lost control because you disappeared.' Rachel was slightly panicking, and it was not helping his composure. 'You can blame Mal for that.'

Percy winced at the dull ache on his torso, his hands running through his hair. He lost the beanie already, praying that Rachel would not kill him. As soon as Malcolm landed besides a small pool, he had jumped out of the Wizard's arms into the water, immediately found relief amidst the pain in his wound. He was never sure if the unique ability of self-generative factor and healing powers were perks of being a human who can seal Spirits like him.

Water seems to be his life force, his wound closing up as soon as it was immersed the element, leaving just a faint scar. He sneaked away from the distracted Wizard soon after. Another field of his many expertises; stealth.

'There! Yes, just another two hundred meters. Look out for Wizards,' the commander instructed him as he ran along the deserted alleyway to the location he was prescribed with. He prayed that he was not too late. 'His stats are less than twenty percent. Emotions are severed. Oh man, if we reach Category E –'

'Just shut it, Rachel. I know.' Percy kept the sob aching in his throat from bursting out, wiping his moistened eyes. If Nico's readings reduce more than negative, the hope that he will return to Percy's side is critically thin. The Spirit would lose himself.

Percy was not so sure if he would live with the loss. What he knew was that he would never forgive himself by then.

Date a Nico

He was on the verge of defeat.

A blast from the two Wizards hit him squarely on the chest and Nico was smashed against a wall, which crackled slightly under the brute force. He groaned as the sharp pain travelled throughout his spine on the pressure. His once invincible astral raiment was losing its powers and he lost Hades when Annabeth slashed it out of his grip.

'Finally. This is the end.' Smiling slightly, Reyna's hand clasped around the Spirit's throat. Under the sudden constriction, he spat blood on her face, still having the will to grin mockingly at the Wizard. Reyna seemed not to be bothered at all, raising her blade and slowly drawing a single cut on his cheek, chuckling with satisfaction. 'Die in humiliation it seems, Spirit?'

'A – At least I die avenging my love.'

His breathing was ragged and his voice was raspy as Reyna blocked air from travelling to Nico's lungs. The awful grin that was still plastered on Spectre's face irritated Reyna. Spitting in disgust, she raised her sword, ready for the kill.

'What love is there for you, monster? Never in this world, nor the next.'

In the blink of an eye, a white-hot lightning bolt arched through the heavens, striking Reyna and sent her soaring through the violent air. Her sharp senses worked just in time for her to activate her protective Territory, preventing herself from being entirely burnt by the sudden assault. Nico dropped to the ground, half-conscious and greatly weakened. All of the Wizards glanced upwards.

'Ah, you blocked? Nice reflexes.'

A rainstorm was brewing as thunder rumbled in a distance. Amidst the swirling dark clouds, a caped figure was hovering in the air howling violently around him. 'Come forth, Jupiter.' The angel heeded to its master's command as lightning struck his raised hand, manifesting as a golden gladius, crackling with a surge of electricity.

'Jason Grace.'

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. The boy, sans glasses, smirked at the sound of his name. Slightly licking his scarred upper lip, Jason swiftly evaded the Wizard's sudden attack. Sparks flew as their blades clashed. Running his fingers through his golden hair, the Spirit decided to play the game with wit and a fair share of taunts. 'I know you haven't found a date yet, but you don't have to ruin other people's Valentine.'

The frustrated scream that Annabeth released as she opened fire with her machine gun was enough to let Piper know how infuriated her friend was. Hovering along the other Wizards as she tended to the slightly injured Reyna, the second lieutenant was intrigued by the appearance of the Spirit, her cheeks tinged pink at the sight of her crush. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. 'All personnel, switch targets to Thunder.'

Serving the purpose of his intervention, Jason knew they would fall for the bait. The purple cape of his astral raiment, threaded with gold, flapped on his back as he soared through the violent wind with inhuman speed, nineteen Wizards tailing him, the sound of their guns drowned by the tempest. Too bad the bullets could not even reach him. Even if they did, his astral raiment would protect him while it last. Aided by Jupiter, he soared upwards through the heavens, sending bolts to the accursed pursuers and watching them plummeting to the ground.

The lieutenant was the only stubborn one to fall, or to die for that matter, casting him a murderous glare as she drew her blade. They were forgetting that he was in his realm, where he was most powerful. Jupiter crackled menacingly in his grip. 'I won't let you kill him,' Jason growled, pissed off by her determination. Annabeth responded, 'Likewise, I'm only interested in killing you.'

'I'm honoured. Hope you would catch up with me in this dance. Jupiter!'Annabeth has not even the time to evaluate his movements when Jason suddenly whirled towards her like a blast of lightning, jabbing her with the gladius. Agile as he was, the Spirit was not aiming to kill her, leaving enough time and sense for Annabeth to block the attack just in time. Except that there was a sharp smell of singed hair. The wizard shrieked furiously, 'Damn you!' earning an amused smile from her foe, who chuckled slightly.

The clashing sounds of a laser blade against an angel were enough to shake the heavens in terror.

Underneath the darkened sky and the reverberating sounds of weapons all around him, Percy dashed through the pouring rain, panting hard from the long-distance run. Looking all around him, Percy spotted the sprawled figure of Nico under a tilted column of a building. Relief surged through him that he almost sobbed, his lungs burning from the lack of air.

'Nico, you okay?'

'Wha – Percy? Is that you?' his voice was unrecognizable from its smooth tone, now raspy and gravelled. He could see that it took quite an effort for the Spirit to speak. 'You're… alive?' Hearing those words, tears were streaming down his red cheeks, and he softly hit Nico in the chest repeatedly (not helping) in relieving anger. 'You stupid, stupid thing! Of course I am. It's you we I've been worried sick! You could've gotten yourself killed!'

He cried feebly in Nico's chest, embracing him in a tight hug. 'If you die, how can I live with that, Nico?' his voice was muffled against the fabric, and Nico smiled (which looked more like a grimace), his fingers twirling the soft black curls. 'I'm sorry, mio amore. I thought you were gone, and I panicked.' Cupping the boy's face, watching the long eyelashes shading the somewhat reddened sea green eyes, he wiped a stray tear, despite the rain, off Percy's flushed cheeks.

The boy puffed his cheeks in annoyance. 'Forget you saw me crying,' he said stubbornly. 'Si, si,' said Nico affectionately, observing how sexily adorable his prince looked right now, with wet messed-up hair, blushing cheeks, his soft lower lip bitten in mock irritation. His sweatshirt clung to his wet body. The Spirit gulped, drowning himself in obscene fantasies, well, until they were rudely thwarted by a large explosion near them. Both boys perked up and evaluated the surrounding danger.

About fifty meters away from them, Reyna was regaining her strength, pushing herself off the ground to stand, albeit trembling slightly. Piper was gone to assist Annabeth battling Thunder. Turning her head around, her eyes zeroed in upon the slightly indiscernible sight in the heavy rain. The readings on her monitor showed highly concentrated Spiritual activity above them and a weak signal just ahead. 'Spectre.'

'Percy, the captain's closing in! Nico's powers are dangerously volatile; you might need to reseal him again.'

'R – Roger.'

He glanced up towards the sky and turned back to face Nico. 'Can you get Jason to be here?' he asked, and the Spirit nodded briefly. He raised his hands and manifested Hades once more, using what little strength that was left of him. The angel materialized in a swirl of shadows, its long blade pointed towards the darkened sky.

'You!' A familiar voice shouted, and they saw the silhouette of Reyna limping towards them behind the curtain of pouring rain, her blade unsheathed, her stance preparing to attack. Nico flicked his wrist. The ground crumbled underneath the captain who was advancing twenty meters from them. 'What the hell is this?' She struggled against the corpses rising from the ground, their limbs of rotting hands and feet grabbing her legs, obscuring her from moving forward. Nico had summoned the dead.

'Now, Percy!'

Nico swung the sword, releasing a dangerous blast of shadows that rushed in between the battle above. Both enemies was stunned as Annabeth was blocked by darkness when she was about to land a stab on Jason's vulnerable torso. The Spirit glanced downwards and saw Percy and Nico together. Heaving a sigh of relief, he plummeted towards the ground, leaving a trail of violent wind behind to prevent unwanted entities from following him.

'When Jason's here, we must leave.'

Percy grabbed Nico's shoulders and stared through his eyes, his lips parted slightly as he shifted his position on the Spirit's lap. His short hitched breaths warmed the Spirit's face. Brushing off the stray strands of hair from Nico's forehead, he said in tone softer than usual, 'Close your eyes.' The Spirit obliged, his heart hammering in his chest.

His lips were captured by the boy's soft ones. The kiss was smooth and warm, despite the cold all around them. Chaste and unguarded, like leaves twirling lazily in the summer wind. Mildly salty like the sea and purely sweet like sugary strawberries. As magical as their first. The kiss deepened when they felt the other Spirit approaching, Percy's beautiful eyes, as green as the border of sea and land, half-lidded and glazed with desire.

'Now.'

'Hades,' he whispered against the rosy lips.

What the Wizards could only see was the arc of lightning bolt vanished in a swirl of shadows and darkness before disappearing completely. He could only see dark when Percy lost his remaining consciousness into the void as they shadow-travelled away from the ruins of buildings.

'I need status this instant,' her teeth were gritted as Reyna felt her stomach boiling with rage and contempt, her eyes glaring at the charred and soot-blackened spot where the Spirits had vanished.

'Insufficient readings to continue tracking. Ma – Madam, targets are lost.'

The remaining Wizards winced as they endured Reyna's furious screams. 'Curse you, damned Spirits!'

Date a Nico

Percy woke up to find a sleeping Jason sitting by the side of his bed, his head rested on the soft covers near Percy's feet, lips parted as he snored softly. Leaning slightly to the left, he felt another figure lying by his side, the arms embracing his waist possessively. Nico, who was muttering gibberish in his sleep.

'They refused to leave your side.'

Rachel was carrying a tray full of each little pieces of Elysium he could ever wish for, a stack of mini plump pancakes drowned with maple syrup, crunchy French toast and a mug of hot chocolate with an assortment of marshmallows, all blue. 'Sally's worried.'

'Oh,' was all he could say, feeling a little bit guilty for not calling his mum this weekend. 'I told her you're fine. You're okay, right?' the commander inquired, her eyebrows raised. Nodding slowly, he licked his lips as Rachel sat the tray on his lap. He looked around to find all of them in Olympus' sickbay. 'How long have I been here?'

'Just a few hours. Look, Malcolm called.' His mouth was full of pancake as he looked at Rachel in apprehension. She flipped open his phone that was in her possession since gods-know-when. The girl continued, 'He said he apologised. Reyna too. They're worried.' He felt his lips cracked into a grin, syrup drooling out. 'Hm?'

'Yup. She told me so. "Rachel, can you tell Percy I'm sorry for almost killing him and his boyfriend?" And no, she didn't know Nico's identity,' she answered the silent question, looking at his shocked expression. 'Annie also sent a message. "Seaweed Brain, you owe me a salon hair treatment session and Jason Grace's head in a silver platter." She said it's for Piper, whatever that means,' said the red-haired girl absentmindedly. He felt himself grimaced at that. The said blonde shifted some in his sleep at the mention of his name.

'Apparently they didn't find out that the unknown civilian outside the shelters sitting on Spectre's lap was you. Heavy rain Jason caused there. Nico wore his hoodie, and you convinced Malcolm that he's not what he's supposed to be. And yeah, Jason's not wearing his glasses, so he looked just like Thunder. No reason to suspect him, as well. Even if the unfortunate happens, Ratatoskr can back him up.'

The commander cleared her throat. 'Speaking of which, we did manage to cover up the tracks you left for DEM to sniff out the Spirits' presence. Even though both of them,' she motioned at the two sleeping figures besides him, 'are still in the list of most wanted, our dearest archenemy decided on focusing their Wizards to Vengeance, the one-eyed Spirit, whose Spiritual waves were detected in this city quite often lately. Rest assured, we have a moment of rest for ourselves.'

Percy found himself heaving an exaggerated sigh of relief after realising that he was holding his breath. That was too good to be true. 'Thank the gods.' He glanced at the sleeping face of Nico, tracing the Spirit's jaw with his fingers, merely brushing against the smooth skin. 'He's safe now?'

Rachel flipped open the leather cover of her tablet, nodding briefly. 'I had Octavian and Chiron looked into this matter. The anomaly's gone. You managed to reseal him the moment you arrived here with that disgustingly intense kiss and yeah, all is well.' Her fingers were a blur as she swiped on the screen furiously. 'What had me surprised was that Jason's powers were gone as well.'

'I didn't kiss him, did I?'

'Nope. I figured that he managed to obtain and return his powers at his own will. His emotional state was stable all along, so our theory is that he kinda borrowed his powers from you through the 'pass', due to his determination in protecting you. Same case happened with one of the sealed Spirits in Japan. It's all still undergoing research.'

It took a minute for him to process the non-stop information he received in his brain. Getting a lot of different topics to think was not helping his ADHD. Sensing his troubles, Rachel giggled. 'I'm going to leave you scatterbrains peacefully, okay? Rest well, Perce.' She turned her back to the door.

'And don't be naughty with your boys, eh?'

Percy felt his cheeks burned. He threw a pillow at the girl, who cackled with glee upon being hit at the backside of her head. 'Dumbass!'

He rested his head on the pillow once again, setting the tray on the table besides the bedpost, his eyes watching the night sky glittering with a milky path of stars outside the window. They did it. Nico was saved, and all that was left was to paint life to be as inviting and colourful for his Spirits. And all the other Spirits waiting to be sealed and freed from the cruel reality of this world. He would save them, not just to prevent the spacequakes, and looking past the scars and the taints, to also show them how beautiful this world really is.

He shifted on the bed and lied on his side, facing the calm expression of the sleeping Nico. As if in a trance, his head tilted forward, indulging their breaths, his lips quivering at the warm sensation. Nico's dark eyes suddenly blinked open. 'Why did you stop, bello?' he asked with a smile, noticing the gaping face of Percy, who halted his face just in time. He blushed and nodded, before his lips were captured by the Spirit's in a hungry kiss, all tongues and licks and the clacking of teeth.

'Did you have the rose?' The question hung in the air as Percy was caught off guard when both were catching up their breath afterwards. Feeling for his pocket, his hand retrieved the crystalline art piece, sadly shattered into two pieces when he fell down from the shot.

'I'm sorry, Perce. I should've given a real rose. But absolute blue roses are not real, they're either painted or lack pigmentation in a real rose. They wilt. I learnt glass-blowing in the art class at school, and I thought I would give it a try. A glass rose will last longer.' He sighed, his fingers twirling at the broken piece of the stem, while Percy fidgeted with the flower. The boy was prompted to ask, 'Why did you choose the colour blue?'

'Well, firstly, it's your favourite colour.' Percy found himself nodding enthusiastically at the truth. 'Secondly, a blue rose is a symbol of rarity and extraordinary. You are extraordinary beautiful, my prince. You're mysterious and unpredictable, adding up to your charming traits. I love you for that.' Percy snorted, although his blushing cheeks betrayed his frowning face. When Nico became poetic, he felt very unguarded and vulnerable. 'You keep calling me beautiful. Come on, I'm handsome, and smoking hot.' Nico chuckled. 'That, too.'

'Well, it's a good thing it's broken. Nico, you meant well, but from my point of view, despite being extraordinary and mysterious, the blue rose is not real. Being a rose of fantasy, it's…' he struggled for the right word, '… unattainable. Unreachable. Our love must never be that.'

'And you're saying I'm sickly poetic,' deadpanned Nico before both laughed softly.

It was true. The shattered piece has not lost its beauty, but being broken means that what lies as a possible threat for their relationship will never be true. It will always stay that way, preserved, mysterious and forever attainable.

'Gods, I love you.' Nico drowned himself in Percy's scent, salty and demure. He felt hunger in the pit of his stomach, the need to touch.

His tongue traced the shell of the boy's ear, eliciting a whimper. It trailed downwards, lips nipping the earlobe before finding its way to Percy's exposed neck. He was shivering, the Spirit realised, as he planted feverish kisses on his prince's jaw line. Making its way back at the neck, he licked against the smooth skin and –

They were rudely interrupted by a fake and exaggerated cough.

'I'm right here, dude.' Jason did not look pleased at the sight of Percy's red kiss-swollen lips, at his mussed hair and the sneaky hands of Nico exploring their beloved's well-toned body. The other Spirit ignored him and proceeded on sucking at the exposed skin joining the neck and shoulder, eliciting a moan from the boy, Nico's eyes half-lidded and glinting mischievously at Jason. His cunning tongue left a mark on the sun-kissed skin, much to the blonde's chagrin. 'Is that a hickey?'

Frustratingly messing his golden hair, Jason wiped his face roughly with his hands before taking in a deep breath. 'You. Had. Him. For a whole. Fucking. Day.' Nico smirked, obviously pleased to throw Jason in a state of envious rage. 'Did I? Yay.'

Jason took three more consecutive deeper-than-normal breaths to withhold the building anger. Deliberately unbuttoning his shirt, his arms splayed on the bed, the Spirit whispered at Percy in the most charming manner possible. 'Don't you want me?' The boy could not just say 'no,' to the half-lidded electric blue eyes, gulping his drool at the sight of the broad shoulders and toned pale chest.

Nico pushed the blonde away with his foot. 'No, we're not interested,' he said, earning a snarl from his friend. Percy decided to intervene before any battle commence. 'Boys, stop it. I need to rest.'

The look on Jason's face was disturbing when an idea hit his cunning brain. 'Let's have a little competition, di Angelo.' Nico smirked, sensing that Jason's idea was exactly brewing in his mind as well. 'Bring it on, Grace.'

'Whoever turns Percy on will have the rights to his body tonight. Methods are not limited, and you're so gonna lose.'

'Really? I can see the evident result already.'

'Why do I feel like I'm being the whore, here?' Percy piped in annoyed.

Calypso, the medical officer on duty aboard Olympus, was busy scribbling notes on her notepad before verifying her identification code to the entrance of the sickbay. Humming a melodious tune as a little entertainment for herself, she opened the door to find two stark naked Spirits doing gods-know-what at her patient.

The scream was enough to alert the whole crew at the main bridge. Watching the poor girl with her caramel braided hair in disarray running around hysterically informed Rachel enough. 'Get my camera!'

'And you're telling me I'm a pervert.'

'Tavy, sweetheart, go burn your teddy bears before I whack you senseless with this hairbrush.'

Under the pale moonlight and the pleasant warmth of his lovers' bodies, Percy Jackson the saviour of Spirits, had the hottest Valentine night never like before.

He was just glad Nico was there for him.

Date a Nico

One human walks down a dangerous path alone.

To save the Spirits.

To bring them to his side.

To the side of the Spirit who subdue other Spirits.

End

Terminology (that I hardly press in this fic) of the Date a Live universe:

Angel: The absolute shield that protects the Spirits. Its form, ranging from monsters to weapons, all reflects upon the Spirits themselves. Unlike the original angels in the novels, which are named after the Abrahamic religious angels, I took the privilege of the names of our heroes' godly parent as their respective angels.

Astral raiment/dress: The Spirits' armour or clothing created by their power. Upon sealing, they will disappear along with Spirits' power, but can be retain if the Spirits demonstrated the power they retrieved from the sealer in a small limited form and a much weaker state.

Territory: Sphere of influence created by a Wizard's CR-Unit allowing them capable of feats normal human being cannot achieve; flight, barrier creation, improvised strength, weaponry attacks, trap etc.

Spacequake: A large-scale disaster caused by the large bend on the walls between dimensions when Spirits arrive in this world.

Source: Date a Live wikia.

Glossary of what little Italian that was mentioned:

Mio amore: My love.

Si: Yes.

Bello: Beautiful.

Author's Notes: I hardly regret anything and I would like to apologise for any heartbreaks, disappointment or ill-will of anything related. This chapter are merely talks and action (I'm experimenting) and a little bit naughty parts, so sorry for any disappointment (again). Thus my second published works end. For those who followed till the end, accept my heartfelt gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you. *bow

Reviews are much loved for I am but an inexperienced writer.

May Percy Jackson live on.

Sincerely, Hecate.