Disclaimer:: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus or its characters. They are the property of Rick Riorden, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Nico wandered through the house, the full bottle of beer Piper handed him dangling in his fingers. He had no intention of drinking it, but she insisted just one wouldn't hurt so he allowed her to pass the bottle into his hands and he took a swig, to make her happy. Piper ran off a few minutes after that to go find Jason. Nico still wasn't sure what was going on there. Thalia had stayed with him for a while but wandered off about 10 minutes later to find the bathroom, leaving Nico standing in the living room alone. He watched the drunk teenagers dance and grind against each other. It made him feel like a creep. He hadn't seen Percy yet, and he couldn't decide if he was glad or upset about that. Maybe that's what made him decide to wander further into the crowd. He just came into the kitchen and turned to leave when someone called his name.

"Nico! Hey, over here buddy! Come on!"

He turned to see Jason leaning against the counter, his arms firmly around Piper's waist. Percy sat on the counter next to them, a goofy smile on his lips. Nico wanted to turn and walk away, but with that smile aimed his way and the tight baby blue T-shirt stretched across his muscles Percy was too tempting to ignore. Cursing his own weakness Nico took a swig of the beer and joined his 'friends'. He leaned with his back against the island in front of them and flashed what he hoped was a convincing smile.

"How's it going?"

"Much better now." Jason said with a smirk, "Percy's been waiting for you all night." Nico saw Percy's cheeks redden, which just confused him.

"I mean... I just wanted to make sure you were here. Umm, having fun. Cause I invited you. I know you didn't really want to come, so I wanted to just make sure. You're know, that you did. Have fun I mean." Percy stammered, his blush deepening even more as he stared at his dangling feet. Jason and Piper tried to stifle their giggles. Nico raised his eyebrows, he had no idea what was going on. But damn Percy was adorable when he was embarrassed.

"Forgive them Nico," Leo came up behind him with a laugh and put his arm around Nico's waist, holding the boy close. "They are very drunk." Nico froze at the contact and jumped away. He felt bad because the small Latino looked a little hurt.

"Yea, no its okay." Nico tried to sound casual, as if he had just been startled. "I get it. Kind of."

"What do you mean kind of?" Piper asks, suddenly with no hint of laughter.

"Well, I don't really drink. I've had a whole of two sips of this since you gave it to me an hour ago." He lifted to bottle to show it was still full.

Percy frowned and slid from the counter, bringing him within two feet of Nico. "Why don't you drink?"

Nico tried to steady with breathing, the boy was so close he could smell his skin. It was like a summer breeze blowing across the ocean.

"Umm, I just find bad things happen when people drink too much." Nico swallowed. Especially around him.

Percy's frown deepened. He reached around Nico and dumped the rest of his beer in the sink behind him. The movement brought him almost right up against Nico, making him stiffen. Percy stood there for a moment, his eyes glued to Nico's. The younger boy wanted to look away but he was drowning in those eyes; blue green and as deep as the sea itself. Percy gave Nico a small, almost sad smile and stepped away. Nico inhaled, he hasn't even noticed he had been holding his breath.

"If Nico's not drinking then I won't either." Percy said with a smug smile. This just caused his friends to laugh louder,

"That's a nice gesture and all Perce," Jason sputtered through his giggles.

"But it's kind of lost considering," Piper continued.

"You're already drunk as a skunk." Leo fished, causing everyone to burst out again. Percy frowned again, and looked at his friends in confusion. Nico couldn't help but smile himself; Percy looked like a sad puppy. Those gorgeous green eyes wide with hurt.

"Humph. Come on Nico, let's go, these guys are being jerks." Percy took Nico's hand and pulled him towards the doors to the back porch. When they got outside he realized he was still gripping Percy's hand. It was soft and warm. Nico pulled his hand free and stepped away, hating the way the cool air touched his skin. Percy glanced over in surprise. Nico looked down at his feet.

"Do they always make fun of you like that?" He asked leaning against the railing. They were alone outside and the noises from the party were muffled by the glass doors.

"Ah, their just teasing, they don't mean any harm." Percy leaned his elbows on the railing and looked out over the dark yard. Nico nodded, unsure what to say. "Besides, they're right, I have had quite a bit to drink. I didn't mean to drink so much. I was just anxious."

Nico glanced sideways; the moon shone off Percy's black hair and cast shadows across his face. The older boy took his breath away. Percy turned towards Nico, they were only inches apart. Percy straightened up, bringing his face close.

Nico swallowed, "Ummm, why... Why were you...anxious?" He asked quietly. He saw Percy take a deep breath before nodding and leaning closer, like he was going to tell him a secret.

"Nico..." He said almost breathlessly. Nico froze; the urge to reach out and pull Percy against him smashing their lips together was almost overwhelming. He blinked and pulled away, stepping back.

"Sorry, I ah, I have to go." Percy blinked up at him, surprised, but before he could say anything Nico took off through the house.

Percy followed after him, calling out, but the Italian didn't hear. Or ignoring him. By the time Percy reached the front door the boy was long gone.

"Shit!" Percy slammed the door closed.

"What's wrong, Perce?" His friends came up behind him, having followed when they saw Nico tear through the house with Percy close behind him.

"Damn it. I'm such an idiot."

"What happened Percy?" Piper grabbed his arm and turned him to face them. He could feel his eyes burning. He really messed up big time. Nico would never talk to him again. He couldn't help himself; his dark hair was almost shining in the moonlight, those almost black eyes sparkling up at him. The way the color of his shirt contrasted with his dark skin, pulled tight across his chest. Percy remembered that chest from gym class; topless Nico was an image he hadn't been able to get out of his head.

"I tried to kiss him." He mumbled "And he took off."

Piper pulled him into a hug, Jason and Leo patting his back. "Aw sweetie, it's going to be okay."

"Yea, you probably just spooked him."

"You'll see, everything will be fine."

Percy looked at the closed door. He seriously doubted it.