Title: Promises
Pairing: Percy/Nico
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Percy Jackson characters, they all belong to Rick Riordon.
Warnings: boyxboy, a little Annabeth bashing
A/N: Sorry for all the mistakes you find :)
Also if anyone wants to be my beta and beta this, I'll be more than grateful!
Thanks to all those who reviewed!
Chapter Eight
Empedocles was gone when I had come back from giving the items back to their rightful owners. Mrs. O'Leary had stayed outside and slept under the window closest to my bed. I didn't think too much of the situation and just went to bed. He wasn't there either when I woke up the next morning. The bed he had claimed was still made. Wasn't he supposed to watch me at night?
I changed into the spares I had brought and dropped off the dirty clothes back at my cabin before heading to breakfast. It was almost 9 and only the stragglers still remained, majority of the campers had already eaten and left. Percy included. His table was empty. I quickly ate my fill and left the dining hall to join the Ares cabin for the first activity of the day.
Out of nowhere, I was suddenly pulled away from the small crowd (I was in the back) and dragged down to the beach. When I got my bearings back, Percy had already taken us to our oasis. Yes, 'our' oasis. He seems to have taken to the spot like a bee to honey. Can't blame him, it's a great hiding spot to get away from people looking for you. Though it does defeat the purpose of me coming here to get away from Percy now that he knows where to look for me in the future.
Note to self, find a new hideout.
"I felt like skipping today." He grinned, taking a seat on the warm rock. He had his feet stretched out, ankles dangling over the edge and arms extended backwards to prop him up.
"And thought to bring me along. How thoughtful." I sat next to him on his left side. I brought my feet up close to me, wrapping my arms around my bunched up legs and rested my chin on my knees. A small smile graced my lips. Today felt like a good day for some reason. Or at least, I like where this day is heading.
"I know, right?" He was such a smart ass. I must be rubbing off on him. Ha, mission accomplished!
"Now who's a lazy ass?" I grinned, punching his arm lightly.
"Yea yea, details details." He absentmindedly rubbed his arm. "So how was Empedocles? What did you guys do?" He green eyes held such curiosity that I couldn't help but indulge him.
I groaned and hid my face on his shoulder, letting my body lean onto him for support. He laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, making sure I didn't fall. It's been a while since I have been like this, lively and just worry free. Nothing else mattered right now, and by the smile on my face, I didn't care.
It was like I was back to normal.
"That bad huh?"
"That man is weird. He says interesting and liberty a lot." I tried to impersonate his voice, but ended up sounding like a buffed up man than a mad scientist. "And he smiles way too often that every time I see it, it makes me uncomfortable." Percy patted my head in mock sympathy.
"Aw, you poor baby!"
I didn't have to look up at him to know he was cracking a smile at my bitching. I knew he was smiling at the fact that I thought someone's smile was creepy. Just because I don't often smile and whose father is like the epitome of doom gloom, doesn't mean I hate every single thing that screams happy. He received an elbow in the stomach for that, telling him if he saw it he would be creep-ed out too.
"What did you two do?" he asked again.
"It was weird, he had me find random items stashed in random places." Before we left the infirmary, I had asked him what the purpose of that was and he just smiled that creepy ass smile, pushed his glasses up (the glint making him look evil) and said "Shadows, Mr. Di Angelo."
"That's all?"
"Yea." I paused. "And then at the end, when we were separating the objects to return them to people, I had sensed Mrs. O'Leary outside." I didn't know how to feel about that. I mean it felt different than before I lost my powers. It's hard to describe the… sensation I guess.
Percy looked down at me, a broad smile slipping onto his handsome face. "You're getting your powers back? That's great Nico!"
"I don't know for sure, it's just- it could be something totally different. Or a fluke." I told him, trying not to get his hopes up just to crush them if it really was a fluke. He didn't need that. I didn't need that.
"It's still good though right?" I hated how his voice was sounded as if he was expecting me to lash out at him for being wrong.
"Hm, I guess." My hand lightly slapped his cheek. "What about you Perce? How was your night? Full of good dreams?"
I wanted to get off the heavy subject, and sensing that, Percy easily went with the flow. "Oh you know."
I arched a brow.
"Why no, Perseus, I don't know. Please enlighten the class."
He just nodded his head a couple of times. "Yeah, full of good dreams."
"And what about?"
Rosy red lightly dusted his cheeks. "Things not important. You don't need to know of them."
"Ah! But au contraire mon chéri*." He laughed at my French accent. "I've told you more about my night that it's only fair you do the same!" I smirked evilly. "I bet you were having very good dreams, oh yes, very naughty dreams. I bet I was the star of them, cause I'm that awesome. They involved me right? Ha ha, oh wait! Those were probably my dreams. I can't help the narcissism. Can you ever blame me? I'm sexy and I know it."
He choked on his saliva, causing him to cough a few times. He had to turn his head away to hide his now tomato red cheeks. I continued.
"They probably went along the lines of Ooh Percy! There! Right there Percy! Ngh, touch me there again Percy!" I batted my eyelashes at him and smiled. "Am I close?" I asked, talking about his 'good dream'.
"You're horrible Nico!" He couldn't for the life of him look me in the eyes without blushing and thinking on what I had said.
"I know Perce, it's in my genes. They're called 'Percy's a dork'." I laughed, and it must have been infectious because Percy laughed right along with me, calling me a 'damn tease' somewhere in there.
Once the laugh subsided and it died down to small chuckles, I shift my head on his shoulder so I could look into his eyes. He followed suit. We both had smiles directed towards the other. Our Faces ended up centimeters apart. I was having difficulty just breathing properly from the proximity (and from the laugh). He leaned down some and I moved up some, smiles slowly slipping. We were so close to having our lips touch and my lids dropped half mass in preparation to close fully when we finally did kiss. Though it never came.
"Percy!"
We both jumped apart and losing my support I fell in my back. We both glanced to the left where we could make out the figure of Annabeth coming towards us.
"Your girlfriend's calling." I smirked, turning towards him, letting him know I was only joking.
"Shut up, she is not my girlfriend!" I raised my eyebrows at him, grin stretching over my lips.
He rolled his eyes and shuffled his butt to the edge of the rock and hopped into the water. It went up to his armpits. I never knew it was that deep. I laughed at him. I never thought he would go through such lengths to get away from the daughter of Athena. He turned towards me, hands gripping my ankles and pulled. I slid easily to the edge, my legs up to my knees in the water.
"You crazy? I ain't going in the water!"
Percy ignores my half-assed protests (I couldn't help the urge to just laugh and have a damn smile on my face, though some of it was because I was ticklish) and moved his hands up my thighs. I sat up right then and there; hell bent on glaring him into submission. Though the glare's affect went down due to the still ever smile. This was just ridiculous! His hands hooked under my knees and I opened my mouth to warn him as he started to pull me towards him when Annabeth's voice was much, much closer than previously. Instantly he let go of me and instead ducked underwater. Switching on my acting skills I leaned back onto my hands, pretending I was alone and doing nothing suspicious. Not that dangling my legs still covered in jeans is suspicious or anything.
"Percy! Percy are you the- oh...Nico." She didn't sound so amused to have found me instead of her intended.
It was hard to keep from laughing. "Hey, hi." That was so out of character. Damn Percy! His hands gripped my calves, trying to keep himself under.
She looked uncomfortable. She never really was comfortable around me when it was just me and her. If she was with someone else, I don't think she'd have the same expression. Is she scared of me? The son of Hades? She shouldn't be I'm human now, and younger than her. After a moment of silence in which she debates on whether to ask me something or to just leave and continue searching for the son of Poseidon, her eyes steeled.
"Have you seen Percy?" She inquired.
I pretended to think about it. "Nope, sorry."
She accepted the answer and hesitates on turning away. Probably wondering if she should tell me not to skip actives or continue on. Athena's children were too goody-two-shoes at times, they needed to liven up. Deciding on the latter, she left, once again calling Percy's name.
When she was out of sight I kicked out my foot, striking Percy to let him know coast was clear. He reemerged, glaring. I couldn't help but let out the laugh I've been holding in. This was just too much! There must have been a rock or something in the water as when I looked back at Percy he was between my legs and an inch or two taller than me, hands on either side of my hips.
"I wonder about you sometimes Perce."
"Oh yea?" He leans in closer and I do the same until we were breathing each other's air.
"Yea. Like how you made me the mistress. That's a damn huge blow to the Misses."
He chuckles. "Shut up Nico."
We close in once more for that kiss. We were so close that I could literally feel the feather like brush of his lips. Then a bark distracted me and I turned my head to the side to see a big shadow ball sprinting towards us. It happened all so fast. Mrs. O'Leary barreled into me, causing me to push into Percy and tumble into the water. When we both resurfaced, spitting and coughing out the salty water, Mrs. O'Leary yipped. She sat at the edge of the rock, tongue lolling out and tail wagging excitedly.
Looking over at Percy I laughed. It was all too funny, Percy's facial expression and Mrs. O'Leary.
"She felt left out, the poor girl! She wanted to join the fun." I said, swiveling back to the son of Poseidon.
Percy was there suddenly, standing close and hands reaching up to grab my face. Without wasting any time, he crashed our lips together in an eager lip lock.
He pulls back after a while to look into my contact colored eyes, darting back and forth between them, hoping to gauge my reaction.
I chuckled at his plain as day worry. I know that this is a sticky situation that should be considered with more care and thought, but I didn't feel like thinking or even on dwelling on it. I'll do that later.
"Hm, that was my first kiss." I said.
He snorted, smiling a little.
"Does that make you feel special?"
"Knowing that I'm your first?" He shrugged. "Yeah I guess."
"That's all I get? Gee, that was lame." I rolled my eyes. "Well then, it's a good thing that wasn't my first kiss."
His eyes widen in surprise and his finely lined eyebrows shoot up to disappear into his hairline.
"Who was your first?"
I tilted my head, smirking at him. "You were too late; Mrs. O'Leary had already stolen it." He scrunched his face in annoyance, splashing water at my face.
"At least she acted like taking my first kiss was the best thing to ever happen to her, right girl?" She barked, in agreement or not, it didn't matter.
"Pah-lease." His hand caught the back of my neck, pulling me back into a chaste kiss. "You should be elated that the great Percy Jackson seized your first kiss."
"Hm, touché."
He shook his head in an 'Oh Nico what am I gonna do with you' sort of way. Percy lightly rested his forehead on mine, hand still glued to the back of my neck, thumb rubbing up and down my neck. His fond expression faltered a little as he said, "It's a shame you weren't my first."
"I've heard about that. You're kiss with Annabeth. Rumor was it was epic. God, the cheek is such a sacred place**; it's a place worth remembering." I grinned. "Though I did think the good luck kiss was a little cliché, not complaining though, it did keep you alive…somewhat. And then that underwater kiss, I bet I could do so much better." I wiggled my eyebrows at him.
"You're just…terrible today."
I laughed. "I know Perce, I know."
*au contraire mon chéri means "On the contrary my love/darling"
**Annabeth had kissed Percy after a chariot race on the cheek.
So I don't know if this fits in at all, but I felt it was time to get thier relationship started/going. So this came out. It's getting harder and harder to write these chapters now a day.
Let me know what you think!