A/N: Hello people! :D It's been a while since I have updated. Sorry about that. But I do have a very good reason for taking so long! You see this chapter was not only written by me, but I had a little help from one of my best friends! She loves reading and writing fan fictions, so she is going to be helping me write the rest of this fan fiction. She doesn't have a fan fiction account, but she will be helping me with some of the stories on my account. So, I would like to introduce you to…. (dramatic drum roll) Angelic2000!

Angelic2000: *Waves awkwardly to the people*

Love Me Forever Or Love Me Never
Chapter 12: Where You Belong

"What do you mean you're running away?" Percy asked gently.

Nico didn't reply. Lowering the cell phone from his ear for a moment he took a deep breath, letting the cool air invade his lungs. He swiped his bangs away from his face and gave a sigh of misery. Once again he placed the phone against his ear.

"I'm running away." He repeated meekly. Unintentionally he shrugged his shoulders, although there was no one around to see it.

"Okay, Nico, where are you exactly?" Percy asked his throat feeling as dry as cotton. Just the thought of Nico actually running off somewhere made him sick. He couldn't lose Nico, not again.

"I'm walking in the woods behind my house. I was going to call someone to come get me, but…. I found you instead." Nico whimpered. He didn't mean to sound so… emotional, but he was being truthful. He had found Percy and at the moment when he needed him most.

Percy's heart nearly broke as he heard the pain in Nico's voice. "Okay, Nico, is the old tree house still around there somewhere?"

Nico perked up at just the mention of the place. He hadn't thought about that old thing in years. When he was younger, around ten or eleven, he had begged his father to build him a tree house. He wanted a tree house more than anything. He imagined himself clambering up a rope ladder, setting up a base high in the trees where no one could reach him, spying on passersby as he leaned out the small window. Being the kind of dad that he was Hades didn't see a purpose in having a tree house. Besides, it would have taken quite a lot of time to build- time that Hades didn't have considering his job run him twenty four hours. Maria, on the other hand, thought it was a wonderful idea. She insisted that Hades give it a try. Of course, with much grumbling, Hades agreed- Maria could get him to do anything.

One day Hades drug his tools out to the woods, Nico following close behind wishing to help his father, hoping this tree house could be something that they built together. Once again being the kind of man he was, Hades told Nico he didn't need help. So, in the end, Nico just stood by quietly as his dad tried his best to fashion a tree house. Despite the fact that he wasn't much of a handy man Hades managed to finish the thing quickly and, to Nico, Bianca, and Maria's utmost surprise, it was decently built. At least it wasn't going to fall apart anytime soon.

"Yeah, it's still around here somewhere." Nico replied quietly, still lost in his memories.

"Okay, well, go to the tree house and I'll be there soon." Percy replied quickly into the phone. Did he sound…. excited?

"Sure. Whatever." Nico grunted into the phone. There was a click on the other end. Percy had hung up on him, he didn't bother to say bye. Tearing the cell phone away from his ear Nico growled in annoyance before shoving it into his pocket. Who did Percy think he was anyways? Trying to stop Nico from running away. He could do anything he wanted to. In fact he didn't really see a point in going to the old tree house. Why did he want to see Percy, the boy who put him through hell?!

Suddenly, Nico stopped. A better question would be why did Percy want to see him?

Percy smiled before closing his cell phone. At that moment he felt as though he was high. Everything seemed so great. He couldn't believe that he was actually getting to see Nico again. He also couldn't believe that the boy was thinking about running away. How could he?! Why would he?! It didn't make sense!

Jumping from his bed Percy stalked across the room, stepping in long strides. His body was tense, not just from fear that he might lose Nico, but excitement about just seeing the boy again. He had to tell him. No matter what he had to tell Nico the truth.

Struggling to force his shoes onto his feet as he hopped across the room Percy grabbed the door knob, heading out into the hallway. Finally getting his left shoe on his foot, not bothering to put on socks or change out of his pajamas, Percy slammed his door shut. He had meant for it to be so loud, but the noise seemed to echo throughout the house, alerting everyone that someone was up. Flinching, praying that no one would notice, Percy froze in the center of the hallway.

"Percy?" The voice chided at him groggily. In one instant the light in the hallway flickered on. Percy mother stood in the doorway of her bedroom, looking tired and worn. She stared questionably at her son.

"Percy, what are you doing?" Sally asked walking towards him.

"Mom, I'll be back in a little while. I- I have to be somewhere right now!" Percy exclaimed, unsure of how he should explain his current situation.

"What? At two thirty in the morning? No way Percy. Get back to bed." She replied shaking her head.

"No, mom you don't understand! I have to-", Percy sighed in frustration. Sally, taking note of her son's chaotic stage, began to worry.

"Percy, what's going on? What's so important? I want the truth, alright?" Percy looked at her wearily.

"Well, mom is just- I have to see Nico, right now!" Percy cried suddenly. He watched as his mother looked confused, almost as though he was talking nonsense. "Okay, you may not know this, but me and Nico haven't really been on good terms lately and- I did something awful to him and I shouldn't have treated his so badly-"

Sally held up her hand, signaling for her son to stop talking. At that moment Percy fell silent.

"When you say you two aren't on good terms you're talking about what happened at the baseball field not to long ago, right?" She asked, hoping he would clarify.

Percy mouth fell open. "You knew?! You knew about the… the kiss?"

"Percy, I'm your mother. I know a lot more than you think." Sally said with a light smile.

"O-oh." Percy said a small smile curving on his lips. As quickly as the smile appeared it was gone. "Mom, I have to make this right. Nico- he's talking about running away and I just need to talk to him before he does something stupid."

Sally gave a slight sigh before looking back at Percy. "Percy, just promise me you won't take things too far."

Percy's face broke out into a wide grin. Nodding slight he beamed at his mother before grabbing his car keys and dashing towards the door.

The car ride to Nico's house seemed agonizing as Percy drove in silence. He felt as though he was about to explode. So many emotions ran through him: Happiness, fear, anxiety. It only took around ten minutes to arrive at Nico's house, but for Percy it seemed like a eternity.

Not wanting to be seen by the rest of the family Percy parked his car on the curb. Slowly he crept around the house and slipped into the back yard. No doubt if he would have been caught by Hades the police would have been called on him for being on private property. It didn't take long for him to navigate through the woods, although it was quiet dark. With a few trips and a couple of bumps into trees Percy eventually found his way to Nico's tree house.

The old place hadn't changed much since the last time he was there, which would have been a couple of years ago. The old rope ladder looked dingy and the wood was slightly rotted. At first he was afraid the old thing would completely fall with him. But, of course, he just swallowed his fear and gave it a try. After all he was doing this for Nico.

The first thing Percy took note of when he got to the top of the ladder was the boy slumped down in the corner, head leaned against the wall. Nico lay there silently, chest moving up and down in slow motions. At first Percy was afraid something was wrong with the boy, but quickly he realized Nico was asleep. Smiling to himself Percy stepped further into the tree house. It was quite a bit small than he remembered, but there was still enough room to move.

The next thing Percy noticed was how dirty and gritty the old tree house had become. A layer of dust covered the floor under his feet. Looking at the tree house's floor Percy noticed something else, too. There, lying among the boards of wood wedged into a crack in the floor, sat a small, plastic skull ring. Reaching down, holding the thing gently in his hand, memories rolled over Percy. He knew exactly what it was from. Years ago Grover, Percy, and Nico had all meet at the tree house after a long night of Halloween trick or treating, spending hours trading their treats and telling ghost stories. Percy distinctly remembered Nico refused to eat anything with nuts in it. He also had vague memories of people handing out the small rings with the candy.

Standing up once again Percy pocketed the small trinket. At that moment his heart felt heavy, like the world was coming down on him.

He shook his head, remembering the task at hand. Slowly he stepped forward, leaning down next to Nico as he slept. The boy looked so peaceful with his eyes closed and lips slightly parted. For a moment Percy felt guilty about waking the boy, but quickly got over his guilt. Putting his hand on Nico's head Percy ruffled the boy's hair harshly, running his fingers through the black locks and causing the boy's hair to fluff up. Nico woke with a start, surprised that someone was touching him. Looking up he was meet by those sea green eyes.

"Percy?" Nico called startled, voice weak.

"Hi." Percy said gently, sinking down beside his friend. For a moment an awkward silence filled the tree house. Finally Nico piped up.

"Why did you want me to come here?" Nico asked bitterly, venom seeping into his voice. Percy had never heard the boy speak like that.

"We really need to talk." Percy whispered. He had the sudden urge to take Nico's hand, but decided against it. Not yet.

"About?" Nico asked once again, getting quite tired of the question game.

Percy was about to just blurt out what he wanted to tell Nico all along, but suddenly a thought came to his mind. "Let me see your wrist." He commanded. He reached out towards Nico's arm.

Nico shrunk back at that moment, slightly cowering in the corner. "N-no." He stammered, jaggedly pulling his hand up to his chest, cradling it. At that moment Percy heart sunk.

"Dear god. Nooo…" He moaned out the word as though he was in pain. For a moment he bite his lower lip, feeling as though he wanted to scream or maybe smack the boy for doing that to himself.

"What?!" Nico asked sharply, observing the way Percy reacted to his actions.

"You really did it didn't. You really cut your wrists." Percy said his voice sounding slightly hollow.

Nico looked away, hoping to avoid his gaze. "You idiot! Why would you do that to yourself?!" Percy screamed suddenly, moving closer to Nico. "I- I can't believe you did that!"

For a moment Nico was afraid that the boy was going to hurt him. "You dumb ass!" Percy yelled once more. Nico let out a yelp of panic as Percy's arm reached outwards.

In one swift moment Percy grabbed Nico around the waist, jerking the boy forward as though he was a rag doll. It took Nico a moment to realize that the action was not meant to harm him, but it did force his lips against Percy's. The moment the two touched something sparked. The kiss was gentle, yet captivating. It was just the two of them there, the rest of the world disappearing. Desire ignited the world around them allowing the two to become lost in lust. The pit of desire grew in Nico's stomach as the kiss grew more urgent; rushed.

Although, for Nico it wasn't just lust, it wasn't need. It was everything. Somehow, somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind Nico knew the feeling were not mutual and the entire thing was one sided. Despite the growing doubt that plagued his mind Nico allowed himself to believe, maybe just for that one moment, that this was more than just a kiss. It was Percy way of saying he wanted Nico- he couldn't live without the boy.

Seconds later the deep, intoxicating aroma of cologne wavered up to Nico's nose, engulfing him in the sweet scent of Percy. Gentle finger slowly glided up his side, touching him in a comforting manner, as though to sooth away the worry that managed to rise in Nico's mind. At that moment a long, gentle moan rose from Nico's lips.

Percy, hearing the groan of approval from the boy before him, smirked through the kiss, holding back until he couldn't contain himself anymore. Despite his better judgment he let the noise leave his lips: a single chuckle.

Nico could hear Percy's words rolling through his mind as though the saying was already prerecorded in his brain. You are so Nico, the boy would say with a smile. It seemed like an appropriate thing to say after that noise he had just made and there was no doubt in Nico's mind that Percy would speak so or say something along those lines.

Without warning Percy pulled back away from Nico, slowly breaking the kiss. The rest of the world slowly began to fade back into focus as Nico allowed his mind to clear.

"Happy birthday, Nico." Percy whispered suddenly, breath ragged and voice husky.

"Huh?" Nico ask, the burning kiss still lingering on his lips even after the cold night air has already extinguished the flame. Despite the fact that the kiss had only ended moments earlier Nico yearned to once again feel Percy's warm lips pressed against his own, passion dancing between them, feeling each other's heat and listening to each other's heartbeat.

"Your birthday's in a couple of days, or have you been so "preoccupied" lately that you forgot?" Percy said. It was impossible for him to keep the hint of ruefulness from seeping into his voice. At that moment Thalia's voice wavered back to him. I'm glad he has something going on with that Leo boy; Thalia had shrieked into the phone. Just the thought of that name made Percy cringed. Even if he didn't know the boy he hated him with every fiber of his being.

"Percy?" Nico questioned, noting that the boy looked irritated. Percy quickly shook his head, expelling these thoughts.

Slowly reaching outwards he took hold of Nico's hand intertwining their fingers. He gasped slightly as he realized how cold Nico's hands were.

"You cold?" He asked softly. Nico nodded slowly, looking hazily at the boy in front of him.

"Maybe I should head home." Nico said. He stared at Percy, a small smile playing on his lips. He was ready to go back where he belonged.

Nico and Percy left the tree house moments later. The chilly night air whipped at them as they walked. Before long Percy's fingers began to feel numb. Quickly he stuffed his hands in his pockets. At that moment his fingertips brushed across something. It only took a moment for Percy to realize exactly what it was and it took a seconded for him to come up with an idea. Nico glanced over at Percy as the boy stopped walking.

Suddenly, before Nico could utter a sound, Percy was on the ground, kneeling on one knee, hand out stretched in a tender manner.

"Percy, what are you-", Nico started.

A groan escaped Percy lips. "Nico, for once in your life just fucking go with it. Now give me your hand, you questioning son of a bitch!"

Cautiously Nico held his hand out. Percy took it quickly, running his fingers over Nico's smooth, pale flesh. Without warning Percy brought Nico's hand up to his lips, giving the boy a gentle kiss.

Taking a deep breath Percy started to speak again. "Nico di Angelo, I have known you for years and I can't wait to spend eternity with you. Each day, whenever I see you, I feel as though I am the luckiest person in the world. I- I can't explain to you how sorry I am that it took me so long to see what was right in front me. You are my everything. You are my dream come true. I- I love you."

Nico smiled weakly, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. Although the entire scene that was playing out was extremely cheesy Nico had to admit it was a sweet attempt. "Oh god, Percy. I love you." Nico whimpered meekly.

"Nico di Angelo, I have one question for you." Percy said, quickly fishing in his pocket. Taking out the small skull ring that he had found in the tree house Percy held Nico's hand out, sliding the ring tenderly on his ring finger.

Without warning Nico took his other hand and placed it across his face, blushing like a madman. Light bits of laughter exploded from his lips, a full smile breaking out on his face.

"Would you please do me the honor of becoming my boyfriend?" Percy ask, those beautiful sea green eyes shimmering brighter than the stars.

Suddenly, Percy was on his back, pushed off his knees. Nico pounced on top of him, holding the boy under him, locking his lips with Percy's with a sudden urgency that he had never felt before. It only took moments for Percy to roll Nico over, now claiming his place on top. Tenderly he pulled his lips away from Nico's own, face lingering inches from the other boy's. A stab of pain wracked Percy heart. He didn't want to say it, but he knew he had to.

"Please, don't be in love with someone else." Percy whimpered quietly to the blushing boy who lay under him, pain twisting in his features.

A quick image of Leo flashed through Nico's mind, making a small pang of guilt tug at his heart. "Never." He whispered back. Without another word Percy leaned down, his lips once again claiming Nico's own.

A/N: So, thank you all for reading. And a big thanks to Angelic2000. Love you girl! I hope she will help me with some more fan fictions because I had a major case of writers block for this chapter and I need her help. Plus whenever we get together we go bat shit crazy! :D

Angelic2000: Is that it? Are we done?

CryChick12345: Yep, I guess so.

Angelic2000: Oh, okay! *Waves goodbye to everyone* Bye! Bye-bye! Goodbye!

CryChick12345: *Pushes Angelic2000 out of chair* No one cares!

Angelic2000: *Sits back up* *Flips of CryChick12345* Fuck you, potato.

CryChick12345: O.O