#heroichalfblood

[doevademe]

So I’m still on my dark Percy kick so here is another one. High school au where Percy and Annabeth are the golden senior couple, having been together since their early junior year. However, what no one knows is that Percy is cheating on Annabeth with Nico, shy sophomore who just transferred to their school. Percy isn’t public out as bi yet but when he saw Nico, just wanted him all to himself. Nico isn’t fine with being his dirty little secret though and gives Percy and ultimatum, breakup with Annabeth and then they can be together, or break up with him and keep his golden girlfriend. To his surprise, the next day Percy gets up in front of the entire school during lunch and comes out as bi, breaks up with Annabeth, and even states that he had been cheating on her with Nico. Also Percy is a very possessive lover, always marking up Nico’s neck with hickies and bites, so even if no one knew who is “boyfriend” was, they knew he had one.

"It's just you and me, angel."

"It's not. It's never just you and me."

"Angel?"

"I'm done, Percy."

Nico couldn't help the waves of disappointment and self-hatred that coursed through him.

Yes, he had done the right by stopping his... relationship affair meetings with Percy before they became a problem. However, even now he couldn't help but long for the older teen's smile, for his touch, even if he still had his marks all over his neck from right before Nico had broken things up with him.

Well... 'Broken things up' is a bit of an overstatement but...

Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

It had all started a month or so ago, when Nico had transferred from the sunny paradise of Veneto all the way to the concrete jungle of New York City. Without any friends but his distant cousin Hazel and her group of friends, he had wandered into Dr. Thorn's office and risked expulsion when he caught him in a bad mood, only to be saved by the coolest senior ever, one Percy Jackson.

The boy was perfect, and all he asked in exchange for saving his sorry behind from Dr. Thorn had been a lunch together.

A lunch turned into a walk on the Park, then dinner, then movies. Before he realized it, he was being ravaged by Percy Jackson almost on the daily.

They kept their meetings a secret. Percy wasn't out and Nico... well, nobody knew who Nico was, let alone if he liked boys or girls. He thought it didn't matter. Their relationship was theirs and not the whole school's business.

Hazel and their friends had noticed, though. It was difficult to hide the hickies from them, what with them being all the way up to his Adam's apple. He had just told the truth, that his beau wasn't out and that he preferred to keep it a secret. They had understood. Everything was going well.

Then Jason mentioned Annabeth Chase.

Intelligent, Athletic, president of the debate team, shoe-in for class valedictorian... and Percy Jackson's girlfriend.

Nico hadn't known what to think. He wasn't protecting Percy from dirty looks and sneers by keeping quiet, he was just making sure he could keep his girlfriend while getting some action on the side.

It ashamed Nico that it took him almost a week to ask Percy about it. A week where he swallowed his guilt, his morals and let himself be swept up by the swimming team's ace's smiles, words and touch, only to be told that he was working on it, and that what they had was too good to stop.

Percy wouldn't stop, so Nico had to be the one to step up.

"I'm done, Percy," he had said. "I won't be your dirty little secret anymore."

"Nico, please–"

"I'm not asking you to come out," he had assured him. "But I won't see you anymore if you have a girlfriend. I won't be a homewrecker."

"So you're saying it's you or her?" Percy had asked, eyebrow raised.

"Take it however you want," had been his last words to the boy that made his heart race.

Now it was the next day. He had spent most of the day evading Percy, either by hiding behind Jason (who was built like a fridge) or by taking the long path to his classes so he wouldn't pass through any of the hallways where he loitered in-between periods.

It was easier this way. There was no world where Percy Jackson would choose Nico di Angelo.

Now came the trial by fire. He and his friends happened to share the same lunch period as Percy. He didn't know what he would do when he saw the boy of his dreams acting all mushy and in love with his girlfriend.

Yet when he entered, the cafeteria was a complete chaos. Students where all muttering amongst themselves as they looked at s table near the lunch line.

"Poor thing–" "He just went and did it–" "Right in front of everyone–!" "And for a boy!"

Nico and his friends followed the crowd's line of sight and Nico's stomach dropped.

There, standing on top of his usual table, was Percy Jackson, looking proud of himself and looking around, while behind him, Annabeth Chase looked as if she had been punched in the gut.

His eyes met Nico's, and he broke into a grin.

"Nico!" He shouted, happily hoping down and running to him. The crowd parted to give him space, gawking all the while. "Did you hear?"

"I... I just got here."

Percy's face fell, but he recovered quickly.

"Pity, it was a grand gesture and everything, very romantic, if I do say so myself."

"What are you talking about, Percy?" Nico asked, confused.

"Yesterday you said I had to choose, you or Annabeth," he explained, shrugging. Nico looked over his shoulder. The blonde girl was glaring at him, tears in her eyes.

"I... I didn't–"

"So that's what I did!" he interrupted. "You are mine now, Nico di Angelo."

He kissed him in front of everyone. He expected anything. Jeers, whoops, even slurs. Anything would be better than the deadly silence around them.

"And now, everyone knows," he whispered against his lips. Nico could feel his smirk. He bit on his lower lip lightly, making him jump. "Mine."

The growl was low, gutural, it was probable only Nico heard it.

But he did hear it, and the world around him disappeared. He didn't care if the whole school was watching. In the haze that was Percy kissing him, only one word echoed in Nico's brain.

"Yours."

[p5x-theories]

Since we have all these new party members, how would you rate them and their personas’ designs? Are they all hits or are some of them misses? Give the people your thoughts! *holds up microphone patiently*

Aw, I'm touched you want to hear more of my thoughts on the party member and Persona designs! Alright, sure.

Same as the last posts, I do really like all the newbies! Actually, this might be some of my favorite Personas yet, in particular.

And same disclaimers as last time as well; For thieves, I'm just commenting on what the design looks like it's doing/trying to do, and whether I think it works and I like it. For Personas, I'm not really taking into account how well they do (or don't) represent the figure they're supposed to be, just how well I think the design gets its concept across, and does (or doesn't) match its thief.

Starting out with Bui and Apseudes!

I love Bui's whole vibe, honestly. It feels lightly sci-fi/futuristic, and a little unreal, which is perfect for a teammate who's based on their video game avatar rather than their real real-world self, without being too much. My favorite part is easily the rollerskates! She gives me a vaguely Jet Set Radio Future vibe with them, though I wouldn't say she literally looks like a JSRF character, haha.

I do wonder about those... hair decoration... bunny ear things she has going on? She has them as Yui as well, but I'm very curious if that's a game thing or just a distinctive detail they chose to give her. It's not a problem, per se, just slightly strange in the way where looking at it, I feel like I want an answer for what it is/does? Same with that partial ring/collar thing that floats around her neck. It looks kind of unreal/sci-fi, sure, but it can look a little strange if you focus on it, and raises that same "what does this do?" question for me.

As for Apseudes, I do have to say, I love that it also mirrors her weird hair decoration/bunny ear-shaped things. Also, big fan of the hexagon half-dome thing, and the whole hydroelectric arms and legs thing she has going on. I'll admit, she looks notably more sci-fi than Bui, but I think they get away with it, because she also sort of looks like a power plant or something, which kind of goes with Bui's tech (as a power source), and also clearly reflects Apseudes' element.

Next, Puppet and Nemertes!

My favorite parts of Puppet are probably her visor, that strap thing going around her back and the little forked (almost coat tail-like?) thing around her waist that it appears to hook onto, and the thick, kind of water shoe-like soles of her shoes. Especially with her "weapon", she immediately gives the kind of sea explorer vibe I'm sure she's supposed to, so I think they're very successful on that front.

I do think her design can come off as just a tad boring overall? I think the grey on black isn't the best for helping someone to immediately notice the details. But we don't know her that well yet- this might honestly be fitting for her, for all I know right now! I think the only thing I actively dislike about her outfit is the sort of... grey fabric thing stretched over her chest that ends like halfway over her breasts? It just looks weird to me, like if her shirt was riding up or something, haha. But that might just be my personal opinion, I don't know if that's really a problem.

(My biggest question about Puppet is actually why her codename is Puppet, honestly. I really like it as a codename, I just wish I had more context for it!!)

Now, Nemertes compliments her sea explorer vibe perfectly, as far as I'm concerned. She does admittedly look a little more like a car wheel than a submarine, but the sea creature-theming and water around her more than makes up for it, at least for me. That's definitely my favorite part of her, actually- the tail and fins, along with those pink eyes (or eye-like) structures, and the shape of her head. Those pink eyes, along with the silvers and whites on her, also help to make Nermertes stand out actually a bit more than Puppet does, which ultimately makes sense when you consider Puppet spends basically all her time inside her Persona as a navigator.

On to Riddle and Daeira!

I really love Riddle, she's cute, immediately comes across as a prospector/miner (which, while this joke was probably not intended, makes it really funny that she's the youngest minor on the team), and also still feels entirely competent despite being much younger than the others, especially with all the machinery she wields. My favorite parts of her design are probably her mask (which doesn't make me think "miner" on its own, but somehow really works with the rest of the outfit), her clunky boots and gloves, the double collar going on (probably a shirt underneath the suit), and the puffy sleeves and shorts.

There's really just one detail of her design that bugs me- the weird gap between the tops of her socks and the end of her shorts. It's certainly not as bad as it could be, because her skintone at least isn't a major contrast that draws your eyes to this random bare skin on her thighs (as opposed to Violet in P5R, who does do that), but it still just feels unnecessary. I guess maybe it helps sell the idea of her shorts as shorts instead of pants, but... I don't know, it just bugs me a bit I suppose.

Daeira, then, is interesting because her colors are different from Riddle's (a lighter pink, more orange instead of yellow details, and then a dark blue instead of dark brown), but it still works with Riddle overall. I think it's because of two main things: 1) the pink and orange make Daeira feel a bit brassier, which matches the vibe of an old-fashioned prospector/inventor's big robot that she pilots around, and then 2) it makes Daeira feel a bit more like a big robot toy. I wouldn't say they're the best aesthetic match of the entire cast, but they definitely work together better than it feels like they should.

Last but not least, Sepia and Gorgyra!

Sepia's the one thief out of these four that I don't feel like I can immediately get a beat on what they were going for. He sort of has a gentleman... highwayman... vibe to me, maybe? It feels vaguely cowboy-era to me, and yet I wouldn't call him a cowboy. And the super fluffy cape collar seems to just throw off anything I'm thinking, haha. I like the design (other than maybe the extent of the cape fluff), I just can't quite read what the intention with it was. Maybe he's meant to be some kind of charlatan? He sort of gives the impression of someone a bit overconfident, but maybe not entirely infallible... I'm not really sure, though, so I think whatever the goal was could have been a bit clearer.

I do like the silver/copper lining on his outfit, though, and the hints of purple that are kind of subtle compared to the red gloves and tie (despite the fact that even the red gloves and the tie are desaturated compared to the other thieves). He does absolutely feel like a teammate who would use curse skills to me, even if I don't know exactly what's going on with him.

Sepia aside, I love Gorgyra's design. The pointed glass bottle shape, the scrolls of pink-purple text wrapped around it, the huge hat, the glasses and grin. It's so fun and distinct! It feels like some kind of literature wizard, but also that grin makes it seem just a bit less than trustworthy... I'll admit, I don't quite understand how all this is meant to go with Sepia's outfit, but they do at least share a similar color design (though with Gorgyra being lighter overall), so against the odds, they manage to feel like they go together anyway.

-

Aaaaaand that's everyone! I do really like these four, my individual nitpicks aside. I wish we got to know them better in this beta!! But I suppose that's something we'll have to look forward to in the future, at least.

[dragynkeep]

You know, it would have been so interesting if the RWBY vs Jl p2 movies was actually 2D animated, in a comic book style, to show the difference in universes as well as we can see what a (better animated) 2D rwby would look like, plus in general it would just look nicer

but how would they show off the failed abortion known as their maya models if they tried a different art form :(( i've said it before but i can't believe dc's animation legacy is going to be tainted by this dogshit.

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

I really wish this game gave us Duke Galatea, common on IS, finish the Faerghus Four Fathers Edition by showing us Ingrid’s dad and what his relationship to Lambert, Rodrigue, Matthias and heck, even Rufus. Out of the all the mentioned dads that you have appear in this game, why does he h e to be on of the ones excluded?

Well he does get mentioned and named in Rodrigue and Shez's B-Support!

He seems to be Gustave's age, in that he was older than the rest of the previous Faerghus Four generation by quite a bit; in fact, Ingrid is far younger than her two brothers as well, which reads to me like poor Ingrid was something of an accident for a middle aged couple 😭 she gets my empathy, because same. I do agree that we could have seen/heard from him quite a bit more, but we got his voice, if I recall, in the demo, and we have bits of his dynamic with Matthias, Rodrigue, and Lambert; I'd call that a win by miles.

[incorrectpercicoquotes]

Percy and Nico are that one couple who are fairly smart on their own with some dumb moments here and there, but together they amplify both their intellect and their dumbass energy. You never know if one of their plans are going to be a stroke of genius, a disaster, or both

lmao THIS! As it happens with their good plans, they agree with each other’s dumb plans too, and bad ideas seem good too. 

Percy and Nico are both playful at heart and would go ‘heck, whatever, let’s try this, YOLO’. They both entertain each other’s whims and what-ifs and instead of ‘that’s so dumb’ they feel ‘that’s so cute’

All the younger campers would go: Percy, hero of Olympus! So powerful! scary! and Nico di Angelo! Son of Hades! So powerful! Scary!  But getting to know them, it’s so obvious that they are geniuses with stupidly uptight morals and have lots of love to share

(Still in half the fights they rely on muscle memory haha)

[ryouverua]

My super serious attractiveness tier list, subject to change, and with a surprise dark horse winner.

[itsclydebitches]

So I plan on making a RWBY rewrite (I say that but at the moment it will be a cliff notes of changes) and I would like to ask if you would be alright if I spit ball some ideas to you. My rewrite would be a massive departure from the original and I would like someone who is just as knowledgeable about RWBY’s faults who can give me some thoughts and ideas. This is all if you are alright with it though. Sorry for bothering you! 🥺🙏

Absolutely! I can’t promise anything revolutionary, but random RWBY faults? I’m always available for that lol. Especially with a potential rewrite in the future! 

Sending in asks, chatting with the message app - whatever and whenever you’d like ^_^

[cherubchoirs]

I don’t know why, but I kinda expected/hoped that Akechi would have gotten a new metaverse outfit during the third semester. Like his Prince outfit represents his mask he wears, while his Black Mask outfit is who he believes himself to be. I imagined a scenario where during the beginning of the palace Akechi would be shown every horrible thing about his life, from childhood until now and have a bit of a breakdown, maybe they thieves need to fight him to calm him down 1/2

P5R SPOILERS UNDER THE READ MORE!

god i would have LOVED to have a new outfit for goro in the third semester, even as much as i loved being able to play with him as black mask (ok like...i used their p5d outfits almost exclusively but WHATEVER). i like the idea here too because it gives us an awakening for goro, which we never do get - it makes me wonder if we’re going to get something in the future (possibly related to p5ag???) since there was still nothing in p5r. BUT YEA it seems like the prince attire is both a mask and perhaps who he once thought he could be, while his black mask look represents him embracing his own anger along with the “demon child” label that society placed on him, but neither are truly him exactly. i think black mask is definitely closer, even with his rage and hyper-violent excitability - i think it’s meant to match the sort of energy joker has in the metaverse as it is relatively far removed from his social facade, which i read as being joker’s true self. but i think leaning into the black mask identity takes it further than that, essentially allowing him to be so far removed from the perfect part he needs to play - it is true to goro, but it’s taken to the nth degree as a way to vent his frustrations with his position, with the world at large. i would love the idea of combining his two looks though, the ruined prince is a perfect image for who he is and where he’s at in his life. he has fallen from grace but he embraces that, accepting that while he may not be a hero, he is also not a villain as his roles are no longer dictated to him - he’s not the perfect boy on tv but he’s also not shido’s hitman anymore either. he directs his life now, he chooses the path forward as indicated by his aggressive rejection of maruki’s reality, and while his life as he knew it has fallen apart, he will continue to choose his freedom. so like...maybe just for that reason it would have been nice to see him awaken to who he is now, the goro that is finally fighting for his own freedom and breaking his shackles.

[neni-has-ascended]

So me and my friends a little while ago were trying to figure a theme of what the other persona groups’ metaverse outfits would look like, so far I got tarot cards for P1, horoscopes for P2, and maybe super heroes for P4, I have no ideas for P3 though, got any ideas?

Actually, P2′s Personas’ designs are based on a “masquerade/cosplay” theme, so using the masquerade theme for their metaverse outfits would make more sense!

P4 and Super Heroes is a perfect fit tho, since that was the game’s theme for the Persona design too!

P3′s Persona-design theme was “statues”, so, hm... something like ancient Mediterranean stage dress, probably? Like, Greek Theater and gladiators!

Btw, someone on twitter drew a REALLY cool concept for a Metaverse outfit for Teddie:

https://twitter.com/RibbonOnline/status/1292603087492915205

And I once sketched one for Yosuke (like... 6 years ago...):

[deedeli-liveblog]

One thing I will say about My Hero, every character, every single one who even gets even a lick of attention, had more depth to them then most characters in other series. Even if it is not explained right away why a character is they way they are, it will and it will change how you view the character from that point forward. I know there were tons of characters hat I was pretty neutral to, but after getting to know them, some of them shot up to being some of my favorite characters of all time!

Honestly I love stuff like that. There’s nothing better than having your whole perspective changed on a character cause you get to know them more.

I’ll be sure to give it a listen when I get to the OST later down the line. I try to keep my liveblog experience as close to how I watch shows in general and I avoid stuff like that until I catch up.

[doevademe]

So here is an idea with a slightly dark Percico, during the time where Percy has amnesia, rather than deny knowing him, Nico in a moment of weakness says that they are dating that he missed him so much. Percy goes along with it, seeing no reason not to trust Nico and something about him being his boyfriend just feeling right. Eventually they reunite with Annebeth who is pissed at Nico for lying but can’t convince Percy that he is, making Nico into even more of an outcast, only for Percy to reveal that has already gotten his memories back long ago and now that Nico has lost most of his friends Percy has him all to him. Now they can be messed up possessive people together

Nico couldn't take it anymore.

The glares, the disappointment, everybody looked at him like he was a monster, and not even for the reasons they usually did.

If it was about being a son of Hades, Nico would at least feel outraged, like he didn't deserve what was happening to him, but this time it was different, this time he deserved the scorn of those around him.

"What's wrong, babe?" Percy asked, concerned. Nico bit his lip.

It had been a moment of weakness. Percy had just said he was important to his nonexistent past, and Nico had just said 'Well, as your boyfriend I sure hope so!' He had planned to dismiss it as a joke soon after, but Percy had just nodded like it made all the sense in the world and kissed him as an apology.

Nico hadn't been able to come clean after that.

"Percy, we need to talk," Nico said softly.

"Is Annabeth giving you trouble again?" he put his arm around him protectively. Nico saw a dark shadow fall over his eyes. "She really needs to stop that. Like I'd ever go for her when I have you."

Yes, things had only gotten worse once Annabeth had landed on New Rome. Nico had been sweating bullets. Surely seeing the actual love of his life would return Percy's memories. Then Percy would hate him for lying and taking advantage... again.

Yet what happened was even worse. Percy had rejected Annabeth, saying that he knew they were friends, but that he had rejected her to be with Nico. Percy weaved a story from the half-truths Nico told him and his own imagination, but the way he had talked made it sound as if Nico himself had been feeding him all those stories.

Annabeth had tried to claw his eyes out, and had only been stopped by Percy. The daughter of Athena had demanded him to break whatever spell he had put on Percy, but her boyfriend had refused to believe her.

"She has calmed down a lot," Nico lied. After Percy had remained 'loyal' to him, Annabeth had tried to prove their relationship with pictures and witnesses, and everyone had believed her, even his sister... everyone except for Percy. "It's about um... us."

Nico was now not only the untrustworthy son of Hades, he was also a homewrecker, an oportunist who had bewitched an amnesiac man into forgetting his girlfriend out of sefishness.

Everyone had turned their back on him, except for Percy, who kept kissing him and complimenting him like nothing was wrong.

"Did I do something wrong?" Percy's voice had a tint of worry as he looked around. "Was I too clingy? Or too clueless?"

Yes, Percy had been, but that was not the problem. If anything, Nico felt guilty over how much he enjoyed Percy's affections.

"No, it's not—"

"Is there someone else, then?" Percy's gaze turned possessive, even darker. At that moment, he was reminded of Poseidon being the god of storms and earthquakes. "Don't think I don't notice."

"N-notice what?" Nico couldn't help but stutter. When angry, Percy was almost a force of nature himself.

"Jason Grace and Leo Valdez, they look at you sometimes," Percy said dangerously. "Everyone should know that you are mine."

Nico blinked. No. There was no way that Percy was that oblivious.

"They look at me with nothing but disgust!" he finally exclaimed. "And they're right to do so!"

Percy's face softened as he turned to hug Nico properly, combing his fingers through his hair.

"Nico, there's nothing wrong with you... with us," he said. Nico wanted to scream in frustration. "If they can't accept us, we're better off without them."

"It's not about acceptance!" Nico sobbed. "Annabeth was telling the truth. You are her boyfriend, not mine!"

"Nico, you don't—"

"I lied Percy!" Nico screamed into his shirt. "That kiss you gave me on Camp Jupiter was our first. You've never seen me as anything but a friend or a traitor. I took advantage of you!"

He just wanted it to stop. To at least mend the relationship with his sister, even if everyone else, including Percy, hated him.

The son of Poseidon just hugged him tighter.

"Oh, Nico," he said, sounding disappointed. Nico braced himself. "I already knew."

Nico's eyes widened, he tried to pull away, but Percy just held on tighter.

"What?"

"My memories came back during my quest with Hazel and Frank," Percy explained. He caressed the top of his head. "I have known you lied since before Annabeth came back."

"But then why—?"

"Honestly, it was pretty hilarious to see her all mad," Percy laughed. "I almost cracked then and there, but I needed to keep at it, until everyone took her side, at least."

Nico shivered. It had all been Percy's ellaborate plan. To alienate Nico from everyone who could be on his side. To make him even more of an outcast. All to get back at Nico for lying about their relationship.

He didn't know the son of Poseidon could be that machiavellian.

"I guess I deserved it," Nico whispered. "I'm really sorry, Percy."

"Sorry for what?" Percy asked. He seemed honestly confused. "You know what I remembered when I got my memories back? How devoted you are, how many times you have saved me, how much you're willing to do for me. How utterly perfect you are."

Nico wasn't understanding. What was Percy getting at?

"You even lied to have me for yourself." Percy's voice was filled with amazement. Nico felt the hug tighten once again until it was almost painful. "But I also remembered all the people who could take you away, just as I realized how precious you were to me."

"Percy!" He struggled to get out, but Percy didn't let him.

"People like Connor Stoll and Will Solace, always looking at what's not theirs," he continued, almost snarling. "I knew if I wanted to keep you, I needed to make sure they wouldn't look at you twice."

Nico's heart was hammering in his chest. The worst part is, he wasn't sure if it was from fear or excitement.

"You did all this... so I'll stay?"

"I remember Nico, you have a knack for just leaving," there was a reproach in Percy's voice. "But that's in the past. Because now you know how much I love you."

Yeah, and now there was nowhere else that would take Nico in.

"It hurts, being hated by everyone," he admitted quietly. Percy's hug became slack.

"I know, and I'm sorry." Percy at least sounded sincere. "I know I made it worse but... I couldn't lose you."

And it was like something switched inside Nico's brain. Like everything made sense now. He had always been an outcast anyway.

But now he had Percy.

"You'd never lose me, Percy," he said, giving him a kiss. "Because I'm as yours as you are mine."

And Percy smiled like Nico had just told him the moon really was made of blue candy.

"I'm glad we both think the same way."

Nico nodded and kissed Percy again.

The whole world could hate him for all he cared. Percy was his, and it was more than worth it.

[doevademe]

Sweet sappy prompt: it’s been a few years since Percy and Nico have seen each other, they talk sometimes via iris messages but haven’t actually seen each other face to face. Nico has been off doing whatever chore Hades makes him do and Per y has been trying(and failing) to live a semi normal life, including learning how to braid his now four year old sister’s hair. One day Nico pops in saying that he is going to need him for a quest in a few days and Sally and Paul force Nico to stay over in the mean time. Nico sees Estelle’s braids and compliments Sally, only for him to be surprised that it was Percy. Right before they go on their quest, Nico asks Percy if he can braid his hair since he has been so busy that he hasn’t cut it in a while and it got fairly long. They both don’t know why they are so embarrassed or why their hearts are racing so much over braiding hair.

It was strange how life worked out. When he was 16, he never thought he'd ever truly get close to Nico di Angelo, and that his friendships with other demigods would be forever. Yet, here he was, 22, a college dropout working as a cashier and still living with his parents and dealing with monster attacks every week or so. Most of his friends had moved on and had their own lives now (or in Annabeth's case, were too pissed by his dropping out and their break up to keep contact).

The only person from his past he talked regularly with was Nico.

He knew he was mostly a dead man switch, though. Nico would call twice a week. If he didn't, it meant he was in trouble and Percy would go rescue him (not that it had ever happened).

Speaking of, Nico was supposed to call that day, wasn't he? Percy wondered if something happened.

Well, nothing said he couldn't be the one to call for once, right?

Decided he opened the door to the apartment and almost had a heart attack.

Nico, in the flesh, was on the other side, looking serious.

"I need your help."

"Di Immortales!" Percy swore. "Give a heads up when you do that!"

"Nico, I'm done!" His younger sister called. "Come here!"

Nico sighed and turned around, putting on a soft smile as he sat by Estelle and her construction block tower.

"Impressive," he praised. Now that his back was to him, Percy noticed how long his hair had gotten. It reached below his shoulders. "It's almost as tall as you!"

Percy shook his head at his sister complaining about how tall she actually was and went to the kitchen, where his mother was finishing dinner.

"Hi, mom," he said and kissed his cheek. "How long has Nico been here?"

"Just an hour or so," she answered with a smile. "Said he needed to tell you something in person."

"Huh," he said. Now that was a surprise. "Need help with anything?"

"Just set the table, honey, I'm almost done."

Percy nodded and set to work. Nico was sitting at the table, resting while Paul took over playing with Estelle.

"She really knows hows how to tire people out, huh?" he teased. Nico grunted and opened an eye. "So, what do you need help with?"

"It's nothing dangerous," he said. "But it's a quest that kind of needs two people... I need to settle a dispute between two minor gods, but they won't speak directly to each other... Or to someone who spoke to the other. It's a mess."

"Couldn't you sent me an IM for it?" he asked. "Don't get me wrong, it's great to see you in person after so long, but this doesn't seem that urgent."

"One of the gods is Iris so..." Nico shrugged. "Anyways, the actual parlay will be tomorrow, so I just came to ask if you would help. I'll be on my way soon."

"Tomorrow, you say?" Sally's voice made them jump a bit. "Then please, stay. You can sleep in Percy's room!"

"That's really not—"

"I insist," his mom said in her cheery voice that left no space to argue. "It seems like you haven't had a decent meal in a while."

Nico turned to glance at him, but he just nodded encouragingly. It would be nice to have Nico around.

"Sure," he said. "It'll be my pleasure."

---

"Your hair is so pretty and long," Estelle said in wonder while they ate. "Mommy keeps mine short."

"Well, yours is much better kept than mine," Nico said. Percy would have never guessed his friend knew how to deal with children. "Your mom braided your hair so nicely."

Estelle giggled and shook her head, while their parents chuckled. Percy could only blush as he hid behind his fork.

"What?" Nico asked, bemused.

"Mommy didn't do that! It was Percy!" She said loudly. Nico turned to look at him and he tried his best to avoid his gaze.

"I... picked it up after dropping out of college," he muttered.

"Percy watched around 80 videos on it," Paul piped, making Percy shrink in embarrassment. "Fashion influencers, how to videos, I think even a mom youtuber."

"Okay, so I looked it up!" Percy exclaimed loudly. "I wanted to pitch in with my sister in some way while I got a job, sue me!"

"I'm just kidding," Paul said, raising his hands. "We appreciate you helping us with Estelle."

"Yeah, I love my braids!" the little girl declared. "No one does them like Percy!"

"Yeah, it's cute," Nico said, giving one of his rare, small smiles.

Now Percy was blushing for a whole other reason. Did Nico mean Estelle's braids or...?

"So, Nico, you were telling us about Lisbon?" Sally asked, sensing Percy's discomfort.

He sighed in relief as Nico went back to explaining his last quest, tracking missing souls through Portugal.

---

"Percy?" Nico whispered so low the son of Poseidon might have missed it if not for the fact that the inflatable mattress was right by his bed. "You awake?"

"Yup," Percy whispered back. To be honest, something about Nico being in his room made him too alert. He had been awake for an hour already.

"I was thinking... I don't look the part to mediate in a godly conflict, do I?"

Percy wanted to reassure Nico, but he had to admit he looked like a cross between a hobo and an 80s metalhead.

"Well..."

"I've been busy, okay?" He snapped. "I haven't had time to cut my hair. That I shampoo at all is a miracle as it is!"

"You were the one to bring it up, not me."

"Well, since you seem to be an expert I was wondering if... if you could braid my hair like you did with Estelle..."

Percy coughed. The request somehow felt personal... intimate.

"You sure?" he asked. "My only experience is my little sister, so I don't know how good it'll turn out."

"Anything's better than this," he said, pointing at his hair.

"A-alright," Percy said, swallowing. "Just... sit with your back to me, I'll do my best."

Nico obeyed him wordlessly. Percy's hands were trembling as he took the first strand of Nico's hair and started combing it with his fingers. The son of Hades tensed for a second before relaxing.

As Percy worked, he couldn't help but think of how different this felt from when he did it to his sister. It felt like Nico was letting him inside in a way he never allowed anyone else.

It made him feel special. Like he was showing Nico how much he... cherished him, or something.

The seconds became minutes as Percy worked on Nico's hair, his heartbeat increasing every time Nico sighed or moved.

What was happening to him?

"There, done," he forced himself to say after a while. Nico stood up and saw himself on the mirror Percy had on his desk that he never used.

Nico reminded Percy of those statues of young, beautiful men from Ancient Greece, and Percy couldn't help but think no one would doubt the existence of demigods if they saw Nico right then.

"How do I look?" He asked uncertainly. And Percy could feel his heart pick up the pace like he was running the marathon.

Percy tried to shake his head, to get a clear head. It was still Nico, his friend, the guy who once said he was not his type. Even if he was feeling... something. This was something that had no future!.

"Perfect," he still said, because there was no other word to describe Nico.

The son of Hades smiled gratefully, and Percy knew he was lost.

[doevademe]

Prompt: I have always loved the idea that both Percy and Nico come to the same person to rant about how much they pine for each other but they can’t be together be they are dumbasses, and it’s always Jason due to him typically being their third of their trio, but do want to know who I think would be funnier? Frank, who is Nico’s sister’s boyfriend and who is distantly related to Percy. I can see them both going to frank because 1) Frank is just an overall sweet guy who will you can kinda just talk to with having any snappy comments in return (you know characters like Annabeth, Leo and Jason would absolutely make fun of the both of them) and 2) frank is lowkey a pushover and would absolutely not be able to stand up to Percy and Nico using him as an emotional bucket to dump into. Frank is over here suffering just wondering how he got roped into this mess of a relationship.

Frank Zhang often wondered what had landed him in this position.

Maybe he was too nice, maybe he needed to practice saying 'no' once in a while, maybe he had been unlucky enough.

His bet was on him making a dumb comment once after walking in on something he shouldn't have.

It had been early in the morning and he had been going on his way to the senate, when he saw Percy's back as he leaned against someone suggestively.

Now, he knew it wasn't Annabeth, as they had broken up a while ago, but the way Percy covered the other person with his body was a little too intimate for the public street, at least in his opinion.

"Please don't do that in public," he had said before noticing, and Percy jumped to separate himself from... his future brother-in-law, Nico di Angelo.

"We weren't doing anything!" Percy had shouted, face red. "Just... talking about breakfast!"

Nico nodded quickly, as red as Percy.

Frank nodded carefully, fully prepared to move on and try to forget this ever happened, unaware that he had signed his death sentence.

"And he just... doesn't notice!" Percy said, frustrated. "I have tried everything, telling him he looks nice, invinting him to dinner, I even touched his ass!"

Frank looked around, hoping no one in the bistro had heard his friend/distant uncle, but was disappointed when he caught a few people looking at them discreetly.

"Just... he'll never see me as anything but a friend," he said, sulking.

"You know, you could be direct with him," he tried. "Just tell him how you feel."

Percy looked at him as if he had gone crazy.

"Are you insane? What if he doesn't feel the same?" Percy said. Frank was vaguely aware that his cofee with milk had gone cold a while ago. "It will ruin our friendship! I rather have Nico as a friend that not have him at all!"

Frank groaned. This was a test, maybe by his father to see if he would finally kill his nemesis. But Frank didn't have it in him to be that ruthless, and Percy was one of his closest friends...

"If only there was a way to know what he thought about me," he lamented, making the Praetor bite his tongue.

Yeah, if only someone could tell him that Nico felt the same... someone who hadn't been sworn to secrecy.

He had had to brush up his mythology trivia after he hadn't remembered what swearing by the Styx meant twice.

"Well, I need to get to class." Percy sighed and finished his cold cofee in one quick gulp. "Thanks for listening, Frank, you're the best."

The son of Mars gave a feeble smile and waved him off.

He paid for his part of the bill and went towards the fields of Mars, where he bumped into Nico.

"Frank," he greeted, face inescrutable like always. "Nice seeing you today."

"Uh, same," he said lamely. "I'm actually on my way to oversee some training drills so..."

"Are you free for lunch?" Nico asked, looking like he didn't care. Frank paled, but nodded after Nico stared at him intensely. "Great, the usual place, then?"

"O-okay..."

----

Hazel had been overjoyed over him spending more time with Nico. Having the most important men in her life be friends was everything to her.

If she knew why they hung out so much however... maybe she'd feel some pity for him.

"I just... can't understand him," Nico said, groaning into his pasta. Frank counted his blessings that at least Nico was much quieter. "Like, he touched me... inappropriately, yesterday, but after I asked he just said his hand slipped."

When Percy had chosen him as his confidante, he had said it was because they were friends, and since Percy had helped him get together with Hazel, so Frank felt as if he owed him.

Nico, though? He had been blunt and honest. He had just said, "you saw, please help me," and Frank was still very intimidated by the son of Hades to say no.

"And at this point, maybe he's telling the truth!" Nico exclaimed. "Maybe it's all in my head! I mean, Percy has always been a very touchy person, it... it could mean nothing..."

"Maybe you are the one that needs to be forward?" he tried for the second time that day. "Don't tell him what you feel, just say how it comes off as and confront him."

"What if he denies it?" Nico asked. "I... I couldn't take the rejection... At least like this, I can pretend that he likes me like I like him."

Frank busied himself with his steak to not comment. Nico sighed again and took a sip of his wine.

"I don't say this often but, thank you for listening," Nico said earnestly. "You're a good friend, Frank."

Frank gritted his teeth as he gave a forced smile.

"Anytime, Nico."

It wasn't like he could say no.

----

"Also," Frank said loudly to the Legion. Hazel raised an eyebrow, that was all they had discussed for their daily activities. "Any children or Legacies of Mercury or Hermes should speak with me before dinner. Dismissed."

The Legion saluted and marched.

"What was that about?" Hazel asked curiously.

"I need someone capable of forging handwriting," he said.

Now Hazel was really worried.

"You're not getting into anything dangerous, are you?"

"Huh? No! Don't worry!" he reassured her quickly. "It's the opposite, I'm getting out of a messy situation."

Hazel looked at her boyfriend's expression and relaxed a little.

"Is it one of those situations you could get out of if you just said 'no'?" She asked knowingly. Frank stayed silent. "Oh, Frank..."

"It will be better for everyone, not just me," he said. "Hopefully."

And hazel could only pray he was right.

[doevademe]

So here is a more risqué prompt; Percy is just coming to terms that he likes Nico and thinking of all the ways he wants to hold and touch him, going from simple hugs and kisses, to intimate thing, unaware that in that moment, Nico is taking a shower (lets say Nico is staying at Percy’s place for a bit) and Percy is accidentally using his powers to caress Nico’s body with the water

It had been an accident. Percy was just trying to learn how to cook some simple pasta dishes from Nico so he could surprise his mom, since her birthday was coming up.

He hadn't intended to drop the hot tomato sauce on Nico's shirt.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry, Nico!" he said, getting the dishrag and trying to clean Nico, but only making the stain bigger. "Here, let me just—"

"Stop," Nico said. He didn't look mad, just mildly annoyed. Then the unthinkable happened.

Nico di Angelo removed his shirt.

Percy gaped as he looked at Nico's thin but well defined frame as he examined the stain on his shirt. For the last month or so, Percy had been looking at Nico differently, and was just coming to accept that he liked Nico in a very non-platonic way.

"Nico!" He said escandalized. Nico turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Only one of us is from the 30s, and I'm sure it's not you," he said. Percy gulped as Nico turned back to the shirt. "I may be able to clean this... can I use your bathroom?"

"S-sure, go ahead!" Percy stammered. Nico nodded and went on his way, giving Percy a very nice view of his back and tight pants, usually covered by his long, slightly baggy black shirt.

He turned off the stove and paced, trying to control himself, but the image of Nico shirtless kept popping up.

He sat on the couch and gave up. Nico would take a while cleaning up his shirt.

He closed his eyes and let his imagination about shirtless Nico run wild.

----

Nico soon realized his shirt was a lost cause. The ways he knew to remove tomato stains would leave his black shirt in even worse shape, and by that point it was easier to buy a new one.

He would have to borrow one from Percy in the meantime, though, he felt all sticky from cooking and what little sauce had passed through his shirt.

"Percy won't mind if I take a quick shower," he muttered to himself as he undid his pants and dropped his underwear. "It's his fault I'm all dirty, after all."

He turned on the shower and hopped in as soon as it was a nice temperature.

The water felt so nice agains his skin. He took Percy's soap and lathered his body as well as he could.

Just as he was about to rinse off the soap suds, he felt it.

Instead of following gravity, the water moved upwards, almost carressing his hair and cheek.

"What the— Ah!" The water started moving in circles around his sides and stomach, tickling him a little. "S-stop!"

His arms, his face, his whole upper body really, was being touched by the water in a very not water-like way. He grunted a bit, squirming, when the water seemed to gather around his lips and press.

Was... was he being kissed? By water, of all things?

Nico tried to push away, but aside from having a mind of its own, it was still water, his fingers just passed throught the liquid.

After the kiss, the water got bolder, moving on to his legs and thighs.

Nico tensed up, but the water took its sweet time everywhere else, even pressing on his nipples, making him moan in surprise.

Nico shut off the shower, but the remains of the water was still on his body, moving and touching and making him feel way too good.

If only he knew why...

Nico's eyes widened.

"Percy?" He shouted. The water immediately stilled and started behaving normally again.

"Yeah?" Percy asked from the other side of the door. He sounded a bit flustered.

"My shirt is ruined, so I took a shower," he said. "Do you think you can pass me a towel? And can I borrow a shirt?"

"Uh, sure, just wait a minute!" He said, a little too quickly.

Nico started pacing in the shower. Had Percy...? No, or at least, not consciously. He knew his friend enough to know he would never force himself on someone else.

Which meant Percy had been... thinking about doing all those things with him, and the water had just obeyed him without him noticing.

Nico stopped pacing and looked at himself in the mirror, his ruined shirt still in the sink.

"Percy likes me," he whispered to his reflection. He saw himself grin like a loon.

There was a knock on the door.

"Nico? It might be a little big on you but—" The son of Poseidon stopped mid sentence and stared as Nico opened the door wide open, giving him an eyeful of his naked frame.

He ignored the screaming in his head as he took a step closer to Percy and took the towel, wrapping it around his waist.

"Thanks Percy, it'll do," he said, but Percy seemed frozen in place. "Give me five minutes and we'll get back to the pomodoro sauce."

"Uh... um..." he managed to say before just nodding and closing the door with a bit too much force.

Nico sighed in relief and almost fell to the floor at his own boldness.

"Percy likes me," he repeated to himself, touching his lips and remembering the watery kiss.

He was half tempted to turn on the shower again and see what Percy imagined this time, but he shook his head and decided to get dressed.

It wouldn't be too long before he had the real thing, anyway.

[doevademe]

Slightly angst idea: during a fight, Nico is injured during the battle, it looks worse than it actually is, but Nico (who isn’t dating Percy right now, Percy has already confessed but Nico rejects him because he doesn’t take Percy’s feelings seriously) watches as Percy goes into what I playfully calls “Hurricane Perseus” where he is just going across the battlefield, wiping out everything in his wake, other people have to get out of the way to avoid being dragged into his path of carnage. After every monster is dead, Percy goes to Nico and cries tears of relief that Nico is okay. Nico can’t tell if he is touched that Percy loves him that much, or he slightly concerned considering that put other campers lives in danger. One thing he is certain of, he doesn’t doubt Percy’s feelings anymore and gives Percy a little kiss on the cheek saying the need to talk once he gets looked at.

Blood can be a bit of a drama queen, Nico had found out.

Some places, like anywhere near the head, tended to gush with blood at even the slightest scratch, despite it being superficial.

There was just no way to know for certain how bad an injury was until an expert looked at it.

The only thing Nico knew for certain was that his head hurt, there was blood flowing into his eye and blocking his view, and that he felt a little dizzy from the cyclops that had whacked him, but that he would ultimately live.

Try telling that to Percy Jackson, though. The young man was holding him up in pure panic, even ripping his shirt to try and wipe the blood from his face.

"Nico, just... just hold on, all right?" He asked desperately. "Help is on its way!"

"Percy, it's not that bad," he tried to say, though his speech was a little slurred due to the hit and came out more like "Purshy, izzon't sabbat."

"D-don't force yourself, okay?" he said softly. Behind them, the other campers kept fighting the small army conjured by some big name monster general that had returned from Tartarus after a few years trapped down there. "Help's on the way."

"...Not Will," he managed to say. Having his ex-boyfriend take a look at him in the middle of a battle was not high on his list of priorities.

Percy chuckled.

"I'll take any medic right now," he said. "And hey, better him than me, right?"

Nico winced. It hadn't been even 24 hours since Percy had asked him out, and the awkwardness had been palpable.

Nico knew that Percy was on the rebound. His break up with Annabeth had been relatively recent, and that in his state he would have asked out anyone who was available and made him feel not alone.

It was not that he didn't like Percy. It was that he knew that it would be a short-lived and unhappy relationship.

Taking his history with Percy into account, Nico felt they deserved a real romance, if it ever happened, not a temporal thing to get the son of Poseidon back on his feet.

"I'll take care of him," a girl, Kayla, said. "You need to go back there. Kampê is slaughtering us!"

"But Nico—"

"I expected more of the generals who felled me the last time," the half-dragon woman screeched as her whip snared a child of Hermes's sword. "I guess the Hekatonkheir was the reason they won."

About five demigods threw themselves at her, but Kampê just cracked her whip again and sent them all flying.

"Even one of their champions fell to a hit from a lowly foot soldier," she gloated, looking straight at Nico. "I'll enjoy torturing him as payback for what his father did to me!"

Percy's eyes darkened. He gently placed Nico on Kayla's lap and turned, drawing out his sword.

"You won't ever touch him again," he said in an eerily calm voice.

The monster laughed.

"And how do you plan to..." Kampê stoped herself as rain started pouring heavily, the raindrops hitting her and then going to Percy, making the water gather around him like a typhoon. "Troops! Focus on that one! Destroy him!"

The cyclopes, dracanae and hellhounds barely had time to register her order, as Percy jumped and started slicing the monsters apart.

The strength of the winds and water around him dragged the monsters to him, leaving them open for slaughter.

"Florian!" She gasped, as the small son of Demeter who followed Kayla around was sucked into the maelstrom along with the hellhound he had been fighting.

"Clossmy woond," Nico slurred, Kayla turned to look at him. "Now! You... can sheck me laterrr."

Terrified, the daughter of Apollo nodded. Nico felt the itch of his wound disappear as Kayla sang a hymn to her father. Nico thanked her and ran towards the newly formed hurricane.

"Retreat!" Kampê shouted, but it was too late, her whip had been caught in the storm, and it was dragging her into Riptide's bloody path.

"Your stupid revenge scheme hurt him," he heard Percy say coldly. "Everything that happens to you now, you deserve."

Nico gulped as Percy slashed like a madman. Due to Kampê's dragon skin, the slashes weren't deep enough to kill her, but they all bled, and the half-dragon woman cried out in pain as Percy continued his assault.

The campers were shouting, about three of them had joined Florian inside the maelstrom, and at least one of them had lost consciousness.

"Percy!" Nico shouted, making Percy look at him. "End this now!"

Percy nodded and waved his hand. Kampê screamed as a flow of water came out of her, dehydrating her and making her so fragile the next slash cut her in half.

The storm stopped, and the campers caught dropped to the grass like dead flies. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kayla and Will rushing to help them.

"Nico, how are—oof!" Nico hit Percy with the hilt of his sword in the stomach. "What was that for?"

"That was for endangering the campers!" He said, glaring. "Control your powers better! You can't just... are you crying?"

"I'm just... so relieved that you're okay!" Percy sobbed, hugging Nico. "I... I thought I would lose you!"

And Nico couldn't help but wonder, was he really so sure that Percy was just rebounding, or was he... too scared of finally having him?

Nico hugged him back and separated himself a little, giving him a experimental kiss on the cheek.

Percy lit up like a christmas tree.

"N-Nico?"

"My head's still pounding," he announced. "I need to have a full check-up."

"Uh... right, right," Percy said dumbly. "I'll take you to the infirmary."

"After that... we need to talk."

"About what?"

Nico smiled and tightened his hug as Percy picked him up.

"About yesterday," he said softly. As the adrenaline left his body he felt more and more exhausted. "I think we owe each other an actual conversation."

[doevademe]

How about a little hurt and comfort, Percy and Nico were high school sweethearts who had been dating since freshman year. However their senior year, someone, could be anyone really, convinced Nico that Percy was cheating on him and Nico is really insecure, believed them. Percy was hurt that Nico would believe someone over him and the two broke up and Percy moved away to college. Years and plenty of therapy later, the two meet up again at their high school reunion, Nico a famous writer and Percy a marine biologist. The two strike up a conversation and rekindle their lost love, even them getting some mild revenge on the person who broke them up.

Nico didn't know why he was back here.

High school had quite literally been hell for him. He had been shunned by basically everyone once people realized he wouldn't use his father's money or influence to their benefit.

In fact, his only fond memory of high school had been dating the Swim Team Captain until they broke up when he was a junior, after he had cheated on him.

He didn't blame the girl (not anymore, at least). Their relationship had been secret to nearly everyone, mostly for the Swim Team Captain's sake (sporty types felt so threatened when they think someone of their same sex is checking them out), but Nico had been a very insecure kid back then.

So when Drew Tanaka told everyone that the Swim Team Captain had slept with Rachel Elizabeth Dare, for Nico it just made sense. He was not much to look at, and he still didn't know what the Swim Team Captain saw in him. He hadn't confronted him, until he tried to deny it.

Nico had seen red. He told him to own up to it. Being with a girl was much less shameful than being with Nico, and the Swim Team Captain had just looked so hurt by that.

They broke up just in time, anyways, as Nico would be entering his senior year while the Swim Team Captain would be off to college, the same one Rachel Elizabeth Dare happened to also be attending.

It had taken years of counselling, having other relationships, and basically scrubbing himself clean of all self-loathing, but he could finally admit that it hadn't been his fault that his first boyfriend cheated, and that he was better off not basing his worth around a guy liking him or not.

He had been doing so well, that sadly Hazel had seen it fit to have him go to their high school reunion as a test.

Which brought him back to the present.

He hated being there. Most people either wanted to revive their high school memories (because they peaked early), or they wanted to show off how much better off they were after leaving school (Nico technically fit that descriptor, but he didn't want to be there).

Oh well, he'd just walk around, say hi to the few people he hung out with (he saw Leo Valdez earlier, talking up Drew Tanaka, who seemed to be regretting coming as much as he did) and leave quietly. Even at 26, he was still quite good at being invisible.

"Nico!" A voice called. Nico froze in place as many of the former students turned to look at him and started whispering.

No, not at him, they were staring at the person behind him.

Nico turned around, only to see the former Swim Team Captain, gorgeous as always and waving at him.

He wanted to run. Hazel had been wrong, he was not strong enough for this.

The former Swim Team Captain approached. Nico hated that his stare still could freeze him in place.

"It's been a while," he said, as if their last talk 10 years ago hadn't been a shouting match. "How have you been?"

And Nico was so shocked, so mesmerized, that the first words out of his mouth had been, "You were not Class of 2015."

And he chuckled, just like he used to, and Nico had to force himself to remember all his growth. He was not a lovesick teenager anymore.

"Actually, I was hoping to run into you," he said sheepishly, making Nico's eyes widen.

"W-what for?" Nico asked.

Percy Jackson just took his hand and guided him to the punch table.

"We never did go to prom together," he said wistfully. "And I'm partly to blame."

"Only partly?" Nico raised an eyebrow. "Percy, you cheated."

Percy sighed.

"Even after all these years you still believe that?" He asked. "What's your evidence? A girl who wanted revenge because I rejected her said so?"

Nico was about to retort except, yeah. Drew had been that petty and vengeful back in high school. By their senior year, no one believed her gossip.

Why had Nico been convinced the Percy one was true? Just because of his own insecurities?

"You're right, there was no proof," he admitted. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"You had no reason to." Percy shrugged. "Why trust me when I didn't want to be public about us?"

"It was high school, Percy," Nico reminded him. "Teens are the worst."

"See? partly my fault, partly yours," he said with a smile. "I came here to set the record straight, to close that wound."

"Very mature of you," Nico teased. Percy smirked back.

"Well, of course," he said. "I'm basically an old man now."

They both laughed.

"So, what have you been up to?" Nico finally asked. "What did you end up studying?"

"Dropped out," Percy said proudly. "You're looking at the owner of Poseidon Boat Rentals."

Nico whistled, actually impressed.

"Deadbeat dad finally did something for you?" He asked, knowing Percy's bio dad was a big name freight owner. Percy nodded. "About time. I'm working for my dad. Not that high in the corporate ladder, but I'm learning."

"Still nepotism, Nico," he said back. "Dad only gave me the first boat, I had to work hard to buy everything else."

"I started as a secretary, with a Master's degree!" Nico complained, though he was still smiling.

They kept talking and talking until they were the only ones left in the old gymnasium. Nico had forgotten how easy it was to talk with Percy.

That was a problem, because that realization came with the longing of being with Percy. He briefly wondered if he was regressing, but no, he still valued himself, even if this was the last time he talked to the love of his life. IT would just hurt a lot.

(Yes, Perseus Jackson was the love of his life. There was a reason he never used his name, even in his thoughts, after the break up)

"So, I was wondering," Percy said, a tint of nervousness in his tone. "Neither of us left Manhattan and, we're both single so... you think we could, go to the movies or something?"

Nico blinked. It seemed he wasn't the only one that missed his high school boyfriend.

"I would love to, Percy."