He heard a knock and then, "Percy!"
Percy turned and saw his cousin, Nico di Angelo, standing on the fire escape. Percy scrambled off his bed to open the window and Nico jumped through. "What are you doing here, Nico? I told you that I would let you know when I made my decision."
Nico hesitated before responding, "Maybe I just wanted to stop by."
Percy paused at the hesitation and took a good look at his cousin. He looked exhausted, hungry, and like he was in pain. "You look like shit." Nico scowled at him then blushed when his stomach rumbled.
"Come on, let's get some food into you." Percy grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the door. Before they could go through, Nico tried to yank his arm back and jerked to a halt. Percy stopped as well and gave him a what-the-fuck? look. Nico's eyes flashed to the doorway and Percy almost missed it.
Almost.
He also didn't miss the limp, he ignored it for the minute though so he could reassure Nico. "No one's home. Mom and Paul are out for the night and won't be back 'till after work tomorrow." Percy felt Nico relax under his fingers. Percy nodded and dragged Nico out of his room and into the kitchen. "I'm gonna order pizza, any preferences?"
"Pizza? Preferences?" Nico tilted his head to the side confused, looking at him like Percy was speaking a different language.
"Um yeah. Y'know, preferences. Like do you want pepperoni or sausage or anchovies or pineapple," Percy looked at him like he had never seen him before. Who didn't know pizza?
"I don't have any," Nico shook his head slowly. "I've never had pizza before."
"WHAT?" Nico jumped and hit his knee on the table and groaned out in pain as the movement jerked his injured side. "Sorry, sorry," Percy ran to get an ice pack and handed to him. "It's just-you've never had pizza. I'll order then take a look at your side."
Nico nodded numbly as he watched his cousin run around trying to find the phone to order the pizza. Watching was making him dizzy so he put his head down on the table and let the sound of Percy's voice wash over him. He didn't understand why he had gone to Percy, he hadn't even decided to come here. He just tried to shadow travel to a safe place. He figured it would take him to camp or something. Not to Percy. But now that he thought about it, he didn't actually feel safe at camp because of the problems being a child of Hades caused and the fear. He didn't want to feel the fear the others emitted when he was around. He was jerked out of his thoughts as felt Percy pulling off his jacket. At least trying to pull off his jacket.
"C'mon, Nic, you got work with me here." Nico slipped off his black hoodie and let Percy pull his t-shirt over his head.
"Fuck. Nico, this is bad, why didn't you say anything? I don't know if I'm going to be able to help you. What the fuck happened?" There were three gashes that were hastily wrapped going down Nico's side. His ribs were bruised and his shoulders, one of which was dislocated, and neck were covered in bruises with what looked like claw marks scattered across his back. "Shit. Shit. I don't have any ambrosia or nectar. I'll be right back. Can you hold this here? Good. You're doing great Nico." Nico heard Percy get up and the water turn on then the spray nozzle being used and Percy speaking. "O Goddes. Accept my offering." Percy dropped a drachma into the rainbow. "Show me Korinne DeLuca." Korinne DeLuca? Who's that and how does Percy know her?
"Percy? Why are you calling me?"
"How good are you at healing and do you have and ambrosia or nectar?"
"Pretty good and yes I do have it. Why? Are you hurt?"
"No not me. It's-you'll see when you get here. I live in 6G. Can you hurry?"
"Yeah. I'm on my way." Then Percy returned to Nico's side.
"You're okay Nic. I called Kori. She's one of Apollo's kids. She knows what she's doing. I didn't even know that she lived in the same building as me or went to the same school until today when I knocked her down in the hallway," Percy rambled until he heard the knocking on the door. He shot up to open it. When Kori walked in, her step stuttered when she saw Nico but she continued over and told Percy to get her warm water and a cloth. He did as he was told and as she spoke to Nico.
"Hey Nico, I don't know if you remember me but I'm Kori. I'm from cabin 7, I helped my brother heal you a couple times when you were hurt. I'm gonna have to move you ok?" Kori looked over to Percy and he went to Nico's other side after putting the water down in the living room. He helped Nico to his feet and walked him over to the couch and laid him down, putting a few pillows underneath his back to prop him up then ran to get ice.
"I'm going to reset your shoulder first. It's going to hurt. Percy, turn him over so he's flat and make sure he stays still and have ice ready." Percy nodded and turned Nico over gently and placed his knee at his uninjured side. Kori grabbed Nico's hand, entwining their fingers and placed a hand between his shoulder blades and start to pull Nico's arm away from him slowly. Nico grit his teeth through the pain.
"You're doing great Nico. Almost done. There! Done. Now I'm going to fix your side and then put your arm in a sling." Percy got off Nico, put the ice on his shoulder, and handed Kori her bag. She started to clean the gashes as talked to distract him and Percy went to find the ibuprofen when he heard a knock on the door. Percy sighed. He had forgot all about the pizza. He grabbed his wallet and answered the door.
"How much do I owe you?" he asked without looking up. He heard Kori walking up behind him.
"Where's th-Charlie?" Percy finally looked up and found Kori staring at the girl in the doorway. Kori blinked at her. "Percy, this is my sister-"
"Charlie DeLuca from Cabin Four?" Percy finished for her.
"Yeah. What's up, Jackson?" Charlie said.
"Just waiting for you to tell me how much I owe you." He smiled at the familiar face.
"Oh yeah! $22 even. I get off in two hours," Charlie finished looking at her sister. Percy looked in his wallet and saw he was short five bucks.
"I'll be right back just gotta the some money from my room." As he was walking past Nico who was resting on the couch taking a sip of nectar, he heard Charlie, "You got some 'splainin to do." He dropped the ibuprofen in front of Nico and told him that the food was there and grabbed the five and some extra for tip and went back out to the front.
"Here. Thanks Charlie, see you some other time." Percy shut the door, and went to the living room with some plates. "Well, that was awkward." Kori snorted.
"Eat some food Nic and then you can sleep in my room and I'll sleep in the guest room." They grabbed plates and got their food and Percy watched Nico take his first bite of pizza. Nico chewed then smiled at Percy to say that he thought it was good. Percy grinned and they all talked about miscellaneous stuff for awhile.
"Not to be a downer or anything, but who did this to you Nic?"
"Megaera and Tisiphone," Nico put down his plate. Kori hissed softly.
"Megaera and Tisiphone? As in the Furies, Megaera and Tisiphone?"
"Would you two knock it off? Don't you know names have powers?" The two ignored her.
"Yeah," Nico answered Percy softly.
"What did Hades say?" Percy asked and Kori facepalmed and mumbled. "Names guys."
"He told me to go away and eat some ambrosia if I could find any and not to blow myself up."
"Did he know how badly you were hurt?" Nico didn't answer. "Nico. Did. He. Know?" Nico looked away and that was answer enough.
"That bastard! How could he not help you? You're his child. His only child." Percy exploded then sat back down and hugged Nico. "Good thing you came here. I'll help you anytime you need it Nic." Kori met Percy's eyes over Nico's head and indicated a package then gestured to the door and left.
"But why?!" Nico cried. "Why would you help me?"
Percy wouldn't admit it but his heart broke when Nico said that. He forgot how young Nico was sometimes. Percy pushed Nico back enough to look him in the eye. "Because I care about you. You're my family, Nico. That's why. Okay?"
"Yeah." Nico wiped his face. He looked around. "Where'd Kori go?"
"She had to go home. Come on, you can sleep in my room. Before I leave for school tomorrow, I'll get you some clothes and you can shower and I can change the bandages."
"O-ok." Percy helped Nico up, careful of the arm in the sling, and brought him to his room. He opened his drawers, searching for a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He found them and helped Nico change into them.
"Get some sleep. I'll have to run somewhere, I have my mom's cell phone so if you need anything, call it. The number is right next to the phone."
"Ok," Nico yawned and he was out. Percy shut the door and let his head fall back against it. He sighed. Nico was so young, only eleven years old(twelve in during spring break) he shouldn't have to be going through this. Bianca shouldn't have joined the hunters. Percy shouldn't have let Bianca die and now Nico was alone. Nico shouldn't have to worry about fighting a war. Or his dad not liking him. Or people at camp not liking him.
Percy shook his head and looked at the bloody clothes in his arm and checked the size. He was going to buy more while Nico slept. Clothes that weren't completely black. Maybe blue and green. Maybe not green, he didn't want to trigger memories of Bianca. Percy sighed again. He'd decide when he got there.