Wow, I didn't take a month to update this time! Shocking, I know. But I've been in a good mood as of late, especially since I found out I don't have to take the normal writing courses this fall for my freshman year of college. Creative writing for me, and it's going to be awesome.

I also want to thank everyone who came out and reviewed for the last chapter. Once again, I was starting to lose faith in my abilities (a common occurrence...) but you guys proved that some people still want to see this story through to the end.

So enjoy the melodrama, and leave a review with any thoughts, feelings, suggestions, etc.

Percy's P.o.V.

Nico and I had been dating (or whatever you want to call it, considering we didn't actually go on dates) for nearly a month now. And believe me, it was one of the best months of my life.

I felt an overwhelming sense of peace that I hadn't felt in years. For once, there were no secrets, no wars to fight, or battles to strategize. I was finally given the chance to relax and wind down after two wars. Accepting that I was into guys had made all the difference for me, and confessing everything to Nico had only made me feel better. Now that I wasn't depriving myself of anything, I could enjoy life, and being with Nico gave me someone to be honest with.

Of course, there were still bad days. The nightmares weren't gone completely, nor was the borderline insomnia, and sometimes I doubted if I would ever be completely free of them. I could still spend hours staring at the ceiling of my bedroom, unable to close my eyes no matter how tired I was. Random things would trigger flashbacks and I would be left gripping the edge of whatever surface was closest to me or else curling my hands into fists. I still had trouble using elevators and avoided them whenever possible. Honestly, I never been stupid enough to think I would get out of two wars mentally unscathed, so all of this was expected. At least now I wasn't mentally torturing myself over Nico.

He knew about all the bad days, and he would talk to me about his. After everything we'd been through, we were willing to be honest with each other…at least on that front.

But despite those bad days, things were getting better.

Knowing that Nico was going to be staying at camp put my mind at ease. He didn't really like to let on to what he'd been doing in the months I'd been away, but I could fill in the gaps myself, with all his new scars as my evidence. It was good knowing he was at camp where Jason and Will would nag him into being healthier. It was good knowing he had some friends.

My home life had been improving too. Now that I wasn't sulking in my room all the time, my mom and Paul had relaxed considerably. Paul didn't seem nearly as awkward, our time together not as forced. And it was wonderful seeing the smile on my mom's face when I started talking at dinner and when it became obvious that I was enjoying her cooking once more.

School was becoming bearable again. The work itself was still awful, but the days didn't seem quite as soul-suckingly boring, especially since I'd started actually talking to people. My few mortal friends were pleasantly surprised when I awkwardly showed up again, sitting at our usual table during lunch. Before, I would just sit alone in a corner, picking at my food with my head down.

But they were polite and never asked any questions about what was going on, instead just accepting the fact that I was back. I knew it must be driving them crazy though, since I'd mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the school year, only to come back a zombie.

It felt strange talking to them again. I'd missed so much in what had essentially been, as of now at least, over a year checked out of society. Sometimes I felt out of place. They would makes jokes I didn't understand or pop culture references I'd missed, but I would just grin and bear it. It was jarring. I'd changed so much, and they'd changed so little.

It was nice though, and kind of comforting, to have some friends that didn't remind me of all the bad things that'd happened as of late. When I was around them, I could feel almost normal. When I was hanging out with anyone who knew what I was really like, there was always an invisible weight to the exchange, and as of late, every conversation seemed to boil down to awful things, to grief and guilt and sadness. Maybe mortals would never, and could never, understand the truth about me, but ignorance could be bliss.

So I felt happy, and it only got better when I was around Nico or when we IM'd.

I lived for the stolen moments when we were able to talk. The calls occurred much more frequently than visits, usually happening a twice or so a week. The days we talked seemed to increase as our moods decreased, and I was getting even better at reading his moods. I found myself longing for those moments when we could exchange some stolen conversation, especially when I was having a bad day.

I distinctly remember the first week of our relationship. The high left us all too quickly when Nico realized saying no to his father's demands was easier said than done. It wasn't as simple as just stopping his services, there were still a ton of things he had to wrap up before he cut his regular ties. A week in the Underworld wasn't something either of us wanted. For him, it meant a week's worth of sleeping on the cold ground and eating very little on top of already being in pretty poor shape. For me, it meant a week of anxiety, trying to keep any awful thoughts out of my head. All I could think about was the last time he went on a mission for his dad. I still had nightmares about all that blood, and variations of it dominated my dreams for the time being.

All I got that week was a hazy, weak iris message on a Wednesday night, near midnight. It only lasted long enough for him to say he was alright and covertly whisper that he couldn't wait to see me again.

Needless to say, I talked to him every opportunity I had for the next week. Letting him go really was a test.

I was lucky we were even able to make time to talk though. I knew Nico was always able to find some privacy, but in the small apartment I lived in absolute privacy was a rarity. I knew Nico would kill me if he found out we iris messaged at a time when anyone could barge in, so I was limited by many factors. But there were always days where Paul would stay after school for meetings or to supervising some school activity, leaving me to get home alone. My mom worked until late in the afternoon as well, giving me at least an hour or two to talk.

I lived for the weekends I got to spend at camp too. I wasn't able to go every weekend, but I'd managed two this month without much trouble. I'm sure that schedule would remain the same as time progressed. My mom was ecstatic to see me go after so long. You'd think that she would be nervous and afraid to watch me leave the house. After all, last time I left to go to camp for winter break I didn't come back for, like, nine months. But to her, I guess my trips meant that I was going back to how I'd been before the whole mess began. She was so happy to find out that Annabeth and I had worked through our troubles as well. She understood that we weren't dating anymore and probably never would be, but she was more than happy knowing that we were friends now. And when I came home grinning, she was even happier thinking that it was all because of her. And while I certainly enjoyed getting to see Annabeth, I enjoyed seeing Nico the most.

He still wasn't comfortable enough to be out, but at least I'd convinced him to be my friend in front of other people. I could count on getting to joke around with him at dinner and spar with him during training. I could even manage to convince him to come to the bonfire, even though he hated the people and attention. We would sit next to each other at a reasonable distance, Jason grinning bemusedly at us, trying to keep his feelings secret. It was a good thing Piper had gone back to school in California. She could always see right through him, and she would sense my relationship status with a glance. I was always so tempted to grab his hand, but I knew he'd slap me away if I even touched him. I tried to pretend that thought didn't hurt me a little.

The nights at camp played out the same each time. We would walk to our cabin separately after whatever activity had been occupying our time that night. He would suddenly appear in the corner of my cabin, ready for some quality alone time. Most nights, I could convince him to stay the night in my cabin. He was always so afraid that someone would burst in unannounced and find us together. I tried to convince him that the only reason someone would do that would be if the whole camp was burning down. Frankly, at that point I thought we would have a lot more to worry about than the Stolls seeing us cuddling, but he didn't appreciate the joke. Still, it didn't take much to convince him to spend some much needed time with me. He enjoyed it just as much as I did.

But mostly, I lived for the ever increasing nights where Paul and my mom would go out to dinner and a movie. Before, they'd seemed to have refrained from going on date nights. I don't think they wanted to leave me alone, really. My mom imagined that if she left me alone all night I would end up catatonic in my bed. Instead she forced me to sit catatonic on the couch so we could watch TV as a family unit.

The second the door shut behind them, I would call Nico up and he would land in a dark corner of the living room.

It was just me and him, blissfully alone in our own little corner of the world.

Instead of sneaking around camp, we were in a New York City apartment that toed the line between cramped and cozy. We sat on the couch watching a movie of our own, unabashedly cuddling. I never would have pegged Nico to be the type, but was pleasantly surprised to find he loved it, especially when he was tired. It was a nice change, as Annabeth had the time for it.

It was those nights that I felt the most normal. I wasn't hiding, I wasn't stuck in the world of gods and monsters. I was just teenager, having a night in with his significant other. I was just another kid stupidly, blissfully in love.

But it was on precisely one of those nights that I began to feel the least normal and the most worried.

As usual, I messaged him once my mom and Paul stepped out the door to go to some dinner party with Paul's coworkers. He appeared immediately, looking good if a bit weary. I had to smile at myself just a little bit every time this happened. It might make him a little tired, but shadow traveling was a wonderful thing for this relationship. We wouldn't be able to sneak around like this without it.

We jumped back into our little routine. Popcorn and a movie, sitting next to each other on the couch. I'd made it my mission in life to introduce Nico to the glory of the Marvel cinematic universe.

But instead of paying attention to the movie (in this case the Avengers, a personal favorite of mine) all I could think about was Nico, the feeling of his head on my shoulder, his small body pressed up against me. The feeling of his soft hair between my fingers, his slow, deep breathing.

I couldn't help but think that we were rapidly approaching the one month anniversary and still nobody knew about us. It was driving me insane, and I couldn't understand it.

When Nico first showed apprehension to telling people about us, I'd understood it. It was a given, really, when you considered how he'd been raised. But I never thought it would go this long.

I thought we would keep it hidden for a week, maybe a few days more. I thought if I gave him some time to decompress, and if I didn't pressure him into it, he would resolve everything by himself, especially since he was given a little time to think alone. I thought he would tell Hazel as soon as he was able to go see her. And once Hazel knew, I was sure he wouldn't have a problem telling my mom and the rest of our friends. After that, news would spread, for better or for worse.

But we weren't there yet. We weren't even close.

I knew for a fact that Nico hadn't talked about it to anyone else. I think that was the most frustrating part. He was actually being social, albeit begrudgingly and in his trademark "I'm going to pretend

I hate you but I secretly don't" kind of way. He was leaving his cabin, training, joking around. It's not like he was completely shutting himself out anymore. But still, he couldn't talk about the important things.

I was getting desperate at this point. I wanted so badly to be open. I wasn't even thinking about backlash, about bullying, about the potential for my life to go back to sucking. I just wanted for people to know. I wanted to be able to take him out. I wanted to be able to watch movies with him on any normal night, regardless of my parent's schedule. And I certainly didn't want the paranoia associated with not knowing exactly when they would come back through the door.

I don't think it helped that Valentine's Day was coming up in a couple of weeks. I wanted us to be out by then. I knew Nico probably wouldn't be one to celebrate, but I wanted to do something normal for once, something out in public. I wanted to take him out to a nice dinner. I wanted to jokingly flirt with him and make him blush. I wanted to kiss him good night in front of my door.

I just wanted to feel like a real couple.

So I paused the movie, even though it was in the middle of one of my favorite scenes.

"Hey!" Nico groaned in protest, lazily picking his head up and shooting me a glare.

I needed to talk to him, but I had to be careful. No pressure, start off with a positive. If I make a mistake, he'll shut down or freak out or run off. That would be the very definition of not good.

So start off positive.

"I just wanted to talk a little," I began, running my fingers through his hair.

"What about?" he asked, leaning closer. He'd gotten more affectionate and comfortable over the past few weeks. I was thankful for that, it was one good thing I had to look forward to.

"Well, y'know what this Friday is, right?"

"Of course," he said, smiling as he pressed small kisses to my neck. "I'd have to be pretty stupid to forget our anniversary."

Gods, I loved this. I really, really loved this and how normal it had come to feel. I loved this relationship. I wasn't ready to admit it out loud, of course. But it was time to talk seriously.

"I know," I replied, grinning one last time before placing a kiss to the top of his head. "But I've, uh, been meaning to talk to you about something…kinda important."

This immediately seemed to sober Nico up, and sat, moving the bowl of popcorn to the coffee table.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked. I could already hear a hint of fear in his voice. I'm sure I would be able to see it in his eyes too, if it weren't for the minimal lighting. His dear in the headlights look. Exposed. Cornered. Ready to jump at a moment's notice.

"Look…it's nothing bad," I tested, trailing off, before I changed my mind. I took a deep breath.

"No, screw it. I-I really like this Nico, but I'm starting to get …frustrated. I want to…to tell people about us, and before now I was too scared to tell you because I thought it would freak you out. And I'm sorry if you feel like I'm pressuring you, but I just had to be honest. I…I want to do stupid couple things. I don't want to have to sneak around anymore. I just…I can't keep this up much longer."

I swallowed hard, bracing for bad things.

When I looked in his direction, I saw him hunched over. His head was down, hair obscuring his eyes.

"Nico?"

He lifted his head, his face blank. Or at least trying to be. I could see a hint of emotion, especially behind his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Percy. I'm really sorry. I…I just," he spoke choppily, voice betraying his calm demeanor.

I was already full of regret, maybe not about what I said, but about how I said it. I ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated.

"No, I should be sorry! I shouldn't have said that, I…"

But I was cut off.

"No. No, y-you were right. You have every right to be pissed off at me. I know this isn't easy, and I know I don't make it any easier for you. I'm sorry, i-it's just so hard to even imagine…imagine telling Hazel, telling everyone. I can't…can't even figure out what to say…"

I pulled him in a hug like I always did when I knew he was upset. He leaned into my chest, and I rest my chin on top of his head lightly.

"I know it's hard, but isn't it worth it? We can be a normal couple. We won't have to stress about sneaking around or getting caught. We can just…exist and be happy for once in our damned lives. Don't we deserve that much?" I asked that final question knowing the answer. Yes, we deserved happiness. We more than deserved it.

"I guess," he murmured into my chest.

"And you know my mom and Paul are going to be chill. And Hazel…You're her only brother, her only relative left. You are the one that gave her a second chance at happiness. It might be a bit hard for her at first, but she will come around, I can practically assure you of that. She's got so many people willing to help her with it. She's got Annabeth and Jason, and you know that Leo and Piper and Frank are going to be fine with this too. They'll all help her get through this."

Hearing this helped him calm down a little, I think. We'd never talked like this before, rationally spoke about this kind of thing. It really was rational though. I knew that all the really important people in our life would be alright with our relationship. They would embrace us, given a bit of time.

"That's all that matters. We have our friends, we have our family. We're going to be just fine in the long run. Anyone that gives you trouble can go to hell," I finished off, grinning to myself a little as I felt his breathing even out.

"Okay?" I questioned.

"Okay," he whispered.

"You don't have to do anything tomorrow, but just…before Valentine's Day, okay?"

He nodded and pulled away, sitting up and wiping his eyes. I grinned at him reassuringly, and by some miracle, he grinned back a little.

"Wanna keep watching the movie?"

"Of course," he replied jokingly, his voice cracking as he laughed a little. "I can't sleep until I know if the Avengers save the city."

Next up: Hazel & Nico!

I'm open to suggestions for how the next chapter should go. Nothing is set in stone at this point, so if you want to see something specific, just let me know!