Ah, posting day. You are here again. Seems like just yesterday I posted the last chapter. Anyways, I want to say thank you to all of you that are sticking with this. I hope you are enjoying it. I'd also like to say thanks to those of you that checked out my one-shot. I posted an update so go check that out. So, I loved writing this chapter. The end especially. I'll talk more about it at the end. Next chapter is it though. The big secret finally comes out. Excited?

I got a shout out :D. Well it was for a review I posted, but it still made me feel loved. You can go check out Promises. I'm enjoying the fic myself so maybe you will too. On a similar note. I give my own shout outs. Sometimes in author notes or sometimes on my page. You all can go check my page out and see if I mention you. I think my shout out for the fic, Do Hell and Sea Mix?, is still up there. I am loving that fic. My page is also a place for my ramblings, chapter updates, upcoming plans, etc.

Oh, and next week will be another special post day. I'll be debuting a new fic. It will be canon. Well, sort of. Canon story wise so far. Still Percy/Nico. Its just getting them there. Managing it from the point of view that Percy is straight. So that will be fun. I did a lot of research on everyone for that. Did you know Hazel is older than Nico? I didn't. Yea, in SoN she is like 14 and Nico is 13. Seemed weird because he was acting like the older brother.

I think that is all I have to say this time. I hope you love this chapter, and I hope you stick with me as it continues. I also apologize for killing you slowly Make-It-Now-or-Never. Lol. On to the chapter.

Warning: Eventually I'm going to feel the need to not post a warning. Like I'm doing in my other fic. Anyways, slash, violence, language, sex, underage drinking. Making Percy seem like a whore? I feel so ashamed.

Disclaimer: Sell me the rights, Riordan! I need it. I just want to make Percy and Nico all cute together T.T

Chapter 4

"Hello, Percy." Percy spun around to find Nico smirking at him. The slightly shorter boy stood very close to Percy, trapping Percy between Nico and the door. Percy eyed him suspiciously for a moment, this was the first time he had seen Nico when it wasn't night time. He wanted to reach out and touch the black haired boy to make sure he was really there.

Suddenly, the door opened behind Percy to reveal his mother, Sally. She gave Percy a confused look before motioning for them to enter. Percy turned back to look at Nico, expecting him to be gone, but the boy was still standing there. Then his mother did something that surprised Percy, she addressed Nico.

"Who is this?" she asked. Percy stood stunned for a moment, unable to really fathom what was happening. Someone was finally interacting with the boy he thought he dreamed up.

"I'm Nico, Percy's friend," Nico stated calmly. His mother nodded and stepped aside for both of them to enter the penthouse. Percy's father, Poseidon, sat in his chair, reading over some papers. He glanced up at Percy for a brief second and nodded to his son. Then Poseidon's gaze came to rest on Nico. Percy felt as if the air tensed from the way his father stared at Nico. Nico didn't seem to notice, or he chose not to acknowledge the way the older man stared at him.

"Who's this?" Poseidon asked.

"Oh, Percy brought a friend of his over. His name is Nico...I'm sorry I didn't get your last name," Sally replied.

Nico seemed hesitant at first to respond, he seemed to be looking around the room. "di Angelo," was his simple reply. Poseidon's gaze didn't ease up from the new boy. It made Percy uncomfortable just watching it. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you. Will you be joining us for dinner, Nico?" Sally asked, as she trained her gaze on Nico as well. Percy didn't understand it. It was like his parents knew something wasn't right about the mysterious boy.

"I don't want to be a burden."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Percy's mother replied in an odd tone. His parents' gazes now looked as if they were analyzing the boy.

Percy clapped his hands bringing everyone's attention to him. "Alright then. Let's eat."

Dinner was extremely awkward. Percy's parents decided they wanted to probe Nico for questions, and the boy didn't seem thrilled answering them. "So, Nico, where are you from?" Sally asked.

"Texas," Nico stated plainly.

"Oh, did you and your parents move out here?"

"No. My parents are dead."

"Oh, that's sad. I'm sorry to hear that." Nico shrugged, but Percy saw a glint of sadness in the boy's eyes.

"I have a friend form Texas. Well, I mean I just met him, but he said he was from Texas. Maybe you know him? His name is Luke," Percy said.

"Nope, I'm afraid I don't know him. Maybe I can meet him sometime," Nico replied, a small smile played on his lips.

Percy's parents seemed to notice the boy's change in demeanor and decided to change their focus to Percy. "So, Percy, how is school going? Keeping your grades up?" Poseidon asked.

"Yea, it's going fine," Percy mumbled, unhappy to have their focus on him now. "Annabeth helps me if I need help with anything."

"If you tried a little harder, maybe you wouldn't need help. You have two genius parents. You should be smart enough to figure things out on your own," Poseidon said in a slightly annoyed tone. "What about your lessons?"

"I'm still going. I finally got a blow on Master Ares." Poseidon seemed to lighten up with that news."

"You're still taking your medicine?" Sally asked.

Percy was silent for a moment, but he played it off as chewing his food. "Yea. Don't worry about it, mom." He glanced over at Nico, who was looking at him suspiciously.

"I'm just trying to be a good mother."

"Like you always have been," Percy mumbled under his breath, but his parents still heard him.

"Don't speak to your mother like that," Poseidon said raising his voice a little.

"What are you going to ground me? I don't really live here anymore, or have you been too busy with work to notice that?" Percy shot back.

Poseidon narrowed his eyes at his son. "Don't forget who pays for your apartment, your food, and your college education. Don't take that tone with me." Dinner continued on in near silence after that.

Finally, he was excused from the table. He grabbed Nico's arm and ran to his old room. His parents kept it looking the same, even after he moved out when he started college. Old posters of bands hung on the walls, a few books on the shelf, and a television on the wall opposite his bed. Nico glanced around the room silently. Percy really wasn't sure what to make of the boy anymore. A few nights ago his friends didn't even remember there being a Nico, and now his parents are having an awkward dinner conversation with the guy. Maybe they wouldn't remember Nico tomorrow, though. "I don't understand you," Percy blurted out suddenly.

Nico turned around and looked at him curiously. "That's kind of the point, Percy. You aren't supposed to know anything about me."

"Why?"

"It's safer for you that way." Nico turned back to look at the books Percy had. "Though, you're not doing a very good job of going unnoticed. You should also know they have already started to sink their teeth in you. It seems they have found you as well."

"Who are you talking about?"

Nico picked up one of the books and flipped through the pages. "Can't tell you." Percy groaned in frustration. "At least not yet. You should know that your normal life will soon come crashing down. The more you attract attention from them, the sooner you'll be thrown into my world."

"Your world?" Percy asked, he tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Your world. My world. They are the same world in a physical sense, but people don't see everything that goes on around them. Your friends recall events differently than you, yes?" Percy nodded. "That's what I'm talking about. They won't know what is really going on, at least not unless they are exposed to things directly. Confusing, I know." Nico put the book back on the shelf, and then flopped down on Percy's bed.

"Well, won't you be drawing attention to me?" Nico shrugged.

"Doesn't really matter, I'm hard to detect. However, you are starting to 'blossom', and that makes you very easy to locate. It's how we found you. I mean if you prefer I leave you alone..." Nico trailed off.

"No!" Percy practically yelled. "I mean, no. I don't know what's going on, and here you are at least kind of guiding me. I just don't understand...how do I put this? The way you acted at the club and stuff. You seem to be kind of attached to me for someone on assignment."

Nico laughed. "I can separate my job from my personal life. As for my actions, I think you're kinda cute. Though, if you end up with the enemy, my attraction won't stop me from doing what I have to do. Wouldn't be the first time." A dark gleam ran through Nico's eyes. Percy knew that there was a story there, but he also knew he shouldn't push the subject. Something about Nico's eyes just radiated danger, something about them reminded Percy of that dark alleyway the other day. It was like his eyes were trying to suck Percy into the darkness of them.

"You think I'm cute?" Percy asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Nico gave a small chuckle, and rolled his eyes.

"You know you're attractive, Percy. You're confident of your looks." Percy raised an eyebrow at that. "Like I said, I've had to watch you for a while now. I'd say around a month. It's hard not to pick up on things. Like how you've been flirting with, like, three guys, four if you count me." Percy blushed, and Nico laughed when he saw it. "Though, I think I'll just have to make you mine." A look of lust gleamed in Nico's eyes for a moment. Nico glanced at the clock by Percy's bed. "I need to be going."

Percy frowned a little. He didn't want the boy in front of him to leave yet, but he wasn't entirely sure it was so he could get more answers from Nico. Instead of mysteriously vanishing, like he had last time, Nico stood up and walked out of Percy's bedroom. Percy stared after him a moment before he decided to follow. When they reached the streets Nico stopped and turned to look at Percy. "What if I need you?" Percy asked.

"I'll be watching, so don't worry about it." Nico moved closer to Percy, a sad look on his face. "Try and enjoy your last few days of normalcy, Percy." Nico trailed his hand down Percy's arm. Their gazes met, and Percy felt a slight urge to kiss the boy in front of him. That thought caught him a little off guard, and he blushed. As if he read Percy's mind, Nico smirked. He leaned in closer to Percy, and Percy let his eyes close.

The kiss never came, though. When Percy opened his eyes again, found himself alone. Nico had vanished, again. Percy groaned in exasperation. This boy was going to be the end of him, with all of his forwardness and pulling away before anything happened. Maybe it was for the best for now, though. Percy was still confused regarding his love life. Four guys, three of them were new and mysterious, and then there was Will, who has been around longer. He had no way of knowing when he would get to spend time with Nico to get to know him better, instead, he had to wait for the black haired boy to show back up. However, it might be a good idea to get to know the other two a little more, and spend more time with Will. He'd have to make sure to try and keep it all innocent though. He didn't really want to lead any of them on.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his phone until he found Jason's name. He typed out a quick text, asking if Jason would want to hang out again tomorrow. He hailed a taxi and got in once one stopped. He told the taxi driver the directions to his apartment, and the man began to drive. Percy's phone vibrated, it was Jason. Percy smiled to himself when he saw that Jason had said it was fine.

"Sorry I'm a little late," Jason said as he sat down across from Percy at the table. Percy and Jason had agreed to have lunch and hang out for a little while. "I had to work a little late. Then I had to drop something off with my boyfriend."

Percy tried to fight the frown that was beginning to form on his face. Of course this guy wasn't single, he was gorgeous. "Oh, it's fine."

Jason seemed to pick up on Percy's negativity. "You don't have a problem with me being gay do you?"

Percy snapped to full attention. "What? No, no. That's not it. I just kinda thought..."

Jason's eyebrows raised as he caught on to what Percy was trying to say. "Oh, I see. You thought I was cute," Jason said with a cocky smile. Percy nodded. "Well I mean, you're attractive, Percy, don't get me wrong, but yea I'm kind of dating. I mean if I wasn't, I'd probably go for you. I'm rambling now, aren't I?" Percy nodded as he laughed.

"It's fine, really. It's not a big deal, actually, it makes my life easier, anyways." Jason raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Well, it's just I've kinda met like three new guys, including you, and there is another that I've known for a while. So, I'm just trying to figure things out."

"So, that's why you wanted to hang out?"

"Well, yes and no. I mean, I kind of liked just chilling with you yesterday. So, I thought it would be fun, but at the same time, I thought you were cute and wanted to see how things went."

Jason shrugged. "Like I said, maybe if I wasn't dating. I'm sure you'll figure your problem out though."

It was kind of a relief for Percy, as it meant his choice had gotten a little easier. He was a little disappointed though, the guy was very attractive and he was fun to be around. "So, what's your guy's name?"

"Apollo," Jason replied. He picked up his phone and pulled up a picture of the guy. Percy's jaw almost dropped. This guy looked like a model. He had perfect curly blonde hair. His skin was perfect. His eyes were a beautiful deep blue. "Yea, I met him shortly after I moved out here. We've been together ever since."

"That's really awesome that you met him soon after moving out here. Lucky, I guess. He's cute."

"Thanks. He's a keeper."

Percy thought of something. "So, is that why you ran away? You came out to your parents and they didn't approve of it?"

Jason's shoulders tensed a little. He sipped from his drink, and kept his eyes on the table. "No. It's more complicated than that. I really rather not talk about it. Maybe in the future."

It got quiet for a while after that. Both of them finished their food. They talked every now and then about small things. "Percy." Percy turned to see who had called his name. He spotted Luke on the sidewalk and motioned for the guy to come over. Luke smiled at Percy as he approached, but then his expression changed when he saw Jason. A frown formed on Luke's face, and his eyes narrowed. He sat down quietly next to Percy. The two blondes held each other's gazes for a moment, Jason's expression almost identical to Luke's.

Percy kept glancing between the two, unsure of what to say. Finally, he just asked the obvious question. "Do you two know each other?"

Neither of them seemed to want to answer, their eyes had become deadly. Percy felt something weird in the air, as if the air had become dry. Percy felt the hairs on his arm stand up. Percy cleared his throat and the two broke their locked gazes. "Unfortunately, yes," was Luke's quiet reply.

"I think I'm gonna go. I'll text you later Percy," Jason said. He got up and walked off before Percy could protest.

"What was that about?" he asked as he looked back at Luke.

Luke shrugged. "Long story. Maybe another time?"

"Did you two date, or something?"

Luke sighed, his expression turning back to his usual cheerful one. "No, it's just complicated. I'd rather not talk about it." Percy nodded. "Sorry about that though, I guess I ruined your lunch with him."

"It's ok. I'll just catch up with him later."

"So how do you know Jason?" Luke asked. He seemed very curious.

"Well, I bumped into him yesterday, after you left. I made him spill his coffee, so I bought him a new one and we talked for a while." Percy thought back to the previous day and to how Luke had spotted something and seemed to need to leave. "Wait, was that why you had to leave yesterday? You saw Jason?"

Luke didn't answer, so Percy figured he'd just keep staring at him until the guy caved. "Sort of. I did have to get to work, but yea, I saw him and didn't want to risk having to run into him. We just tend to try and stay away from each other." Percy's phone went off. It was Will, who wanted to know if he could stay at Percy's for the night. Percy texted back letting the boy know he could and focused back on Luke.

"So how was work?"

Luke groaned, ran a hand through his hair, and slouched in his chair. "It was hell. I don't even know why I'm awake right now. I should be asleep still." A mischievous smile spread across Luke's lips. "You could come back and keep me company in bed," he said with a wink.

Percy laughed. "Hmm. That does sound tempting. Maybe in the future, when I get to know you better." Luke pouted a little. "Sorry, not gonna work. Maybe if you're lucky I'll send you a picture later or something."

"Ha. What kind of picture?"

"Maybe I won't have clothes on, maybe I will," Percy said with a shrug.

"Well then, I'll have to behave so I can get that picture."

"No promises. Just a possibility." Percy checked his phone. "I hate to cut this short, but I should probably get home. Maybe we can hang out soon though."

Luke nodded. "Yea, just let me know, and I'll see if I'm free." Percy stood to give Luke a hug. Suddenly, Luke pulled him in by the collar and pressed his lips against Percy's. It shocked Percy at first, but he didn't stop Luke. He kissed him back for a few seconds before pulling away. "Was that good enough to get a picture?"

Percy laughed. "I'll think about it, ok? Not bad though." Percy turned and headed off towards his apartment.

Percy sat on the couch in his apartment. Will sat at his side, head rested on Percy's shoulder. Annabeth sat at their dining table, working on some homework. Grover sat in a chair, next to the couch eating some popcorn. The three guys were watching some horror movie Grover had suggested, while Annabeth somehow managed to not get distracted. Will slid his fingers into Percy's hand. He leaned up and gave Percy a kiss on the cheek, which got him a kiss on the forehead in return. Percy wasn't doing as good of a job as he had hoped of keeping things innocent with the guys.

Will leaned into Percy's neck and started kissing it, which made Percy release a small gasp. Grover turned his eyes towards them for a moment before he turned back to the movie. "You can take that on back to your room, Percy," he said.

Percy laughed. "Sorry, Grover." He stood up and grabbed Will's hand. He led them back into his room and shut the door. The blonde walked over to Percy's bed and sat down. He stripped his shirt off and then slipped out of his pants. As he was about to slip his underwear off Percy caught his hand. "Not tonight. I just want to enjoy your company for the night." Will smiled up at him and pulled Percy in for a kiss. He slipped Percy's shirt off and Percy maneuvered out of his jeans. He straddled himself between Will's legs. He trailed kisses down the boy's lean torso, but stopped when he reached the boy's navel. He grinned and leaned back up to kiss the boy quickly before he flopped down next to him.

Will let out a groan and cuddled up against Percy. "You are such a tease. Be glad you're so sexy."

Percy let out a chuckle. "Sorry, I couldn't help it." He leaned in and kissed Will one last time. "Goodnight."

"Night," Will mumbled into Percy's chest. Percy soon drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, he was on a rooftop, rain pouring down on him. A figure emerged from the shadows. It was Nico, only he looked slightly younger. He wore a dark scowl, and his eyes seemed to dance with shadows. "What do you want?" he spat bitterly. "I told you I didn't want to see you again."

Percy's mouth moved on its own, but it wasn't Percy's voice that spoke. "I just wanted to try and get you to change your mind. I still care about you, think about what we could have together," the voice said.

The shadows seemed to darken around Nico as he became visibly angry. "I'm not coming with you. Now I suggest you go and leave me alone before I do something I regret."

"Why are you being like this? I thought you cared about me? I guess you're just as cold as I heard you were."

"This isn't about us!" Nico yelled. "This about you. I don't want to see you again." Nico turned to leave, but the person Percy was seeing things through grabbed his wrist.

"No, you can't just leave. Please don't leave me."

Nico turned back. The look in his eyes was startling. His eyes were full of utter darkness, like a black abyss. His voice was dark. "Let go of me." The hand didn't budge. Nico held out his hand and shadows were pulled into his hand to form a dagger. In one swift motion he swiped at the mystery person.

Percy shot up in bed, covered in sweat. For a brief second, he thought he saw someone standing in the corner of his room, but when he blinked his eyes nobody was there. His heart was pounding in his chest. He looked down at Will, who was still asleep. He ran a hand down his face and crawled out of bed. He walked into the kitchen to find Annabeth still at work at the table. "What are you still doing up?" he asked.

She looked up and took in Percy's sweaty appearance before she returned to her book. "Had to finish this. I take it you two had a good time?"

Percy was confused at first until he looked down at himself. He was still sweaty, and all he had on were his boxers. He looked in the mirror to see his hair a mess. "No. We didn't have sex. I just had a nightmare."

"Oh, sorry. I just assumed. Must have been a bad one, you're shaking a little." Percy glanced down at his hand, sure enough, his hand was shaking uncontrollably. Percy walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He sat down at the table with Annabeth and drank it slowly. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I'm not really sure what to say. It was confusing. It seemed so real. It was kind of frightening."

"Well Percy, nightmares usually are frightening," Annabeth replied with only a hint of sarcasm. Then her demeanor softened. "Was it like the dreams you've been having?" Percy shook his head. "I'm just worried about you, Percy. You've been acting a little strange, and the dreams seem to be getting to you."

Percy finished his glass of water. He stood back up and put the cup in the sink. He headed back to his room without another word. A shadow passed along the far wall of his bedroom like it had the other day. Percy slowly walked around the corner to once again find nothing there. Percy ran a hand through his hair. He just stood there for a moment looking around the room. Why was this happening to him? The better question was, what was happening to him?

Percy crawled back into bed and curled up behind Will, who unconsciously shifted closer to Percy in his sleep. Percy kissed his neck before he lay his head down. It took him longer to fall asleep this time. He stared at the ceiling for a while and at the walls, in an attempt to catch a shadow move. His eyes soon started to droop and he fell back asleep.

In this dream he stood on the streets of New York City, only everything was in ruin. A few buildings were on fire, others crumbled to the ground. Ash filled the air, it falling like rain all around the city. Bodies lay on the street around him. A voice spoke in his head. "This is what will come to pass if you go with him. Go with him and the world will fall. He's using you."

"Who?" Percy asked out loud.

"The boy of darkness. He will lead you down a path of destruction. He is a threat. He is dangerous." Nico suddenly appeared in front of him. His eyes the black abyss they had been in Percy's previous dream. He held his hand out for Percy to take. Percy slowly reached for his outstretched hand. When he grasped Nico's hand Nico sank his fingernails into Percy's wrist. The world darkened around them.

Percy's parents appeared nearby, they were in chains. With a wave of Nico's hand shadows formed around them. "No!" Percy yelled, but Nico didn't stop. The shadows sharpened to tips, like swords. There were hundreds around his parents. Nico closed his fist tight and the shadows impaled his parents. Shadows closed in around them and dragged Percy's parent's corpses away into nothingness.

Percy looked back at Nico, his appearance had become frightening. In the pure black of his eyes blood red irises appeared. His skin had drained of all color. Even his voice had changed, it now bordered on demonic. "Come with me, Percy. I'll help you. I'll take care of you. No one needs to interfere, though, they'll all just hold you back. They all must go."

"No! Stop! Please stop!" Percy struggled against Nico's grasp, but to no avail. His futile attempts were drawing blood from where Nico had claws in Percy's wrist. "Don't do this."

Nico tilted his head to the side, in what should have been an innocent thing, but it was just frightening, given the boy's current state. Nico pulled Percy closer and whispered in his ear in that same evil voice, but now had the sound of a smaller child. "Ring around the rosie." Annabeth, Will, and Grover appeared behind Nico, but Percy couldn't run to them. They just stared at Percy with blank expressions. "This evil thing it knows me." The shadows began to form around Percy's friends, hands crawling out to grasp at the three of them. "Ashes, ashes." The hands ripped his friends apart, their screams filled the air. Nico's teeth had become fangs. A dark screech emanated from his mouth and he lunged at Percy.

Yay for creepy slightly demonic Nico! And there is my Diablo 3 influence. So, Percy's parents met Nico. Percy finally has someone who acknowledged the boy. Wtf is up with Jason and Luke? Luke stole his dog, thats what. No? I feel like I should know this since I'm about to start Chapter 7...hmmm. So, how did you like the chapter? How do you like Nico so far? If he seems odd to you, good. He's supposed to be. There's a reason he might seem slightly bipoloar. How did you like the last scene? :D. I loved writing it. Did the last dream creep you out? Cause it did me. Don't write creepy stuff in the dark at 3 am with a creepy version of 'Ring around the rosies' playing. Anyways, I really want to hear what you guys think about it so far. This chapter. Thoughts. Remember big reveal next week. Let that sit on your mind all week. Mwhahaha. So, leave me reviews. Shoot me a message. I love talking to and hearing from my readers. Until next week. See ya.