Hell And High Water 9

Things he a little complicated but, as always, they get worse later on

Nico wandered around for quite a while, trying to clear his mind. Despite his best efforts, however, his thoughts were still clouded and he couldn't concentrate on anything of significant importance for long enough to say so. He just wished he could forget. He wished he had a way to.
Nico had never been one to like smoking, but he bought a pack and lit up cigarette after cigarette in a sick attempt to try to organize his thoughts. All he managed was to make things worse.
He walked the streets for hours on end until darkness threatened to fall. That's when he remembered the phone call from him. Nico knew he wasn't far from the place the man asked Nico to meet him and he found his feet unwillingly carrying him in the direction of the park. He entered a coffee shop across the street and sat and waited while he sipped on a hot drink. The mix between the coffee and the cigarette taste still on his tongue was slightly nauseating but it at least gave him something to think about other than what was going on in his life. Once the coffee was gone, Nico checked the time and saw he still had plenty of it before he was to expect the man to show up at the park.
Nico hadn't eaten anything and the day was slowly wearing on into night. He knew Hazel wasn't here, but, if she were, she would be very mad at him for not eating. He snatched a menu from the table and ordered a sandwich. He managed to eat it all without throwing up and then looked back at the time. He only had a half an hour. Thirty minutes to think if this was really a smart thing to do.
The time wore on slower than Nico ever thought was possible and he occupied himself tapping his fingers on the table and playing with the napkin holder. He sat for such a long time that he received an insane amount of looks and stares from people, workers and patrons. A waitress even came and asked if there was anything she could do for him. Nico just shook his head at her and she gave him a soft smile.
Finally, the clock read 9:00. Nico took a breath and paid for the coffee and food before leaving the cafe and looking at the park across the street. From where he was standing, with the help of a street lamp, Nico could see someone sitting on a bench, fidgeting with something in his hands. A trail of smoke went up from the man's head and Nico knew it was him. The son of Hades drew in a shakey breath and walked toward the bench slowly. When he was only three feet from it, he stopped. Music could be heard coming from the one bud the man didn't have in his ear. Nico recognized the song right away. He used to love it; now he couldn't stand it.
Nico took a couple more steps as the song changed into another one he knew all too well. He hung his head as the music made its way to his ears. The man on the bench did the same.
Nico thought he could handle it. He thought he would be able to talk to him. But he had no idea he would freeze up like this. He took a couple steps backwards before turning and running. He made his way around the park and to the street that would lead him back to the hotel.
"Nico!" The voice was familiar and Nico contemplated stopping to hear it say his name again, but he picked up his pace and ran in the opposite direction. He knew the voice belonged to the man on the bench. He could hear it calling his name and telling him to come back. Only one thought ran through his mind: maybe you should have thought about that a long time ago.
Nico never turned back to look at the other male and didn't stop running until he could no longer see or hear him behind. The darkness around him was cold and, like always, the city didn't rest at night.
Most people would have found the city beautiful at night, but Nico had never seen beauty in things like that. He still didn't. He walked along busy streets and through alley ways, not having anywhere in particular he was heading. His mind was empty of all thought and his feet just carried him along the streets. He finally stopped when he came to a small bar. It was about ten thirty and the bar was pretty busy.
The guy at the door asked for identification and Nico flashed his fake i.d. before he was ushered in. He sat at the bar and wasted no time in ordering a drink. He turned away from the bar and watched people interact on the small dance floor before him. He sipped on the alchohol in his hands and lit up another cigarette. It tasted better with the alcohol than it did with the coffee and, for a time, he felt alright. The slight ecstasy he received from the two items in his hands was enough to keep his thoughts from wandering too far.
As night continued on, Nico found his way to a group of men playing poker. They were all so drunk that it didn't seem to matter they weren't actually betting anything. Nico sat down and 'gambeled' with the men for what seemed like hours as he downed drink upon drink. Each shot and bottle made him more oblivious than the one before it did. He pointlessly, and unknowingly, hit on a few men at the table and some did the same to him but they were all too drunk to notice that, much like their lack of real gambling.
When Nico had had enough, and had forgotten almost everything and was damn near to forgetting his own name, he left the little bar. As he made for the door, he tripped and fell into someone. The man was pretty pissed that Nico had spilled his drink and was more than ready to kill the son of Hades for his drunken stupidity. The teen slurred an apology that did him no good and went stumbling into the door frame from a punch to the gut. He slipped to the floor and saw stars as the punch made him breathless and dizzy. He managed to stand again and took a few more steps toward the door. He stumbled yet again but the strong arms of the bouncer prevented him from falling to the ground.
"Woah there, kid. Take it easy."
Nico slurred a few words in an attempt to form a sentence and took a step, falling yet again.
"Alright. Let me call you a cab. Sit." The bouncer pushed Nico onto the ground. He flopped down in a half sit half fall motion as the world around him spun and made him feel like he was on the inside of a kaleidoscope. Time passed awkwardly and the bouncer helped him up and into the cab before paying the driver in advance.
The son of Hades somehow told the driver where to go and he stopped the car outside of the hotel. Nico stumbled out of the yellow vehicle and tripped over the sidewalk with a groan. The cab driver snickered and told him to take it easy before driving away. Nico managed his way into the hotel and up to the room. He banged on the door loudly, waking Percy with a fearful start.
"Percy! Open the door!"
The son of Poseidon recognized the voice, even it was slurry and loud. "Nico?"
Percy got out of bed and opened the door. Nico had been leaning on it so he fell in when the door was pulled open. Percy caught him before he could hit the ground and gagged from the smell that clung to the son of Hades.
"Are you drunk?"
"No!"
Okay. The mix between his shouting and the smell on him made Percy want to throw Nico back outside. But he couldn't do that. Nico had done so much for him and it was only right that Percy repay the favor.
"If you say so." He ushered the son of Hades to his bed and laid him down before pulling his sneakers off of him. He turned to toss them by the door and heard a bang behind him. Nico had rolled off the bed. Percy sighed. It was bound to be a long night. He helped Nico back onto the bed and told him not to move.
Percy still ached from getting shot so running around grabbing a bucket, water, and a wet cloth were not very enjoyable for him. Nico was sitting up on the bed when Percy came back and he looked terrible.
"I don't feel very good." Nico slurred.
"I bet you don't." He placed the bucket on the floor and opened the water for Nico. Before the son of Hades was able to drink it, he threw his head foreward and buried it in the bucket, throwing up the alchohol and little bit of food in his system. Percy took the bottle from him so he didn't spill it and wiped off his mouth with the wet cloth after he had thrown up.
Percy sighed. "How much did you drink?"
Nico managed a wonky smile. "You look really hot."
Percy coughed a little. That was neither an answer to his question nor a comment he was expecting. "Yeah, a lot."
The son of Hades reached a hand out to touch Percys face but fot it swatted away harshly.
"Just relax, Nico." He pulled he pulled the younger demigod a little so he would be able to get he son of Hades under the blankets.
"Woooaaah. I'm dizzy."
"No doubt," Percy said more to himself than to the son of Hades. "Sleep, Nico. You'll feel better in the morning."
That was the farthest thing from the truth Percy had ever said. He himself had never gotten drunk before, but his old step father had been an alcoholic so he knew not only what to do but what to expect, too. And it wasn't exactly 'feeling better' in the morning.
And there was no way Percy was going to be feeling very pleasant any time soon, either. Especially with Nico yelling and complaining like he was.
"I can't go to bed with my clothes still on!" The younger shouted.
Percy spoke to him softly, trying to contain his growing agitation. "Yes you can."
"No!" The son of Hades didn't plan on giving up any time soon.
Percy sighed. He knew some people could get childish when they were drunk and, apparently, Nico was no exception.
He decided he would try, to the best of his ability, to let Nico have his way and not boss him around. "Fine. Get undressed, then get back into bed."
Nico uncovered himself and sat up, wavering a little from dizziness. Percy never took his eyes from Nico as the son of Hades attempted to rid himself of his socks. He pulled one off and tossed it on the floor before taking the other off and tossing it behind him,almost hitting Percy in the face with it. He stood shakily and tried to undo his belt but fell sideways and just happened to be caught by the night table. Percy ran to his side without a seconds hesitation and pulled him back onto the bed.
The son of Poseidon sighed. "Just leave your clothes on and go to bed."
"No!"
Nico tried to stand again.
"Stop!" Percy pushed him onto the mattress. Nico looked up at him angrily and tried to undress himself while he sat. He seemed to be very dizzy and confused but was pretty persistent about taking his clothes off. He just couldn't manage to actually get them off.
Percy sighed again, knowing giving in would be easier than fighting him. "Let me help you."
The older demigod pushed Nico onto the bed gently and finished undoing his belt and pulled his jeans down, with difficulty since Nico wouldn't stop moving around. Percy sat Nico back up and slid his shirt off before laying it on the floor with his jeans.
Nico gave Percy a look that tried to be seductive. "You wanna take anything else off of me?"
"What?"
Nico smiled and managed to sit up on the bed despite Percy trying to push him back down. "I would love to strip you down." Nico managed a wink but it was more of a blink with one eye being overly squinted while the other was closed.
Percy knew the comments were just because Nico was drunk and he shouldn't think too much about them.
"Get into bed."
Nico laid down and held his covers open. "Join me?"
Percy ignored the question to the best of his ability and turned away from the bed. Nico sat up and grabbed onto Percys wrist so tightly the older couldn't break free. He tugged Percy toward him and pulled him onto the bed. Within seconds, he was attacking Percys lips with his own.
Nicos lips were laced with alchohol and cigarettes, which was bad enough on its own, but when the taste of the vomit he had spewed only moments earlier was added to it, it was nauseating. Percy pulled away from him.
"What's the matter?" Nico slurred. "You'd kiss me before but now you won't?"
"You're drunk." The son of Poseidon said flatly.
"So what? Would you kiss me if I wasn't?"
Percy didn't have an answer; he was too busy dealing with the son of Hades' hands that were trying to find their way to his thighs. Nico was almost too much when he was drunk. "Just go to sleep." Percy knew that, come morning, Nico wouldn't remember any of this.
"I don't wanna go to sleep!"
Percy was exhausted and Nico behaving like a child was not helping. He was not in the mood to deal with any of this. But he supposed this was how he had been behaving before.
Percys voice was soft when he spoke again. "Please."
Nico scooted to the end of the bed and looked at Percy with a devious stare. "Persuade me to."
Percy groweled low in his throat. "I shouldn't have to persuade you to go to bed. You are drunker than s**t and if you don't get some sleep, you are going to feel worse later than you do now. So please, for your own good, go to sleep."
Nico gave him a drunken half smile. "Are you this boring in bed? I sure hope not."
"Oh my gods! Nico just shut the hell up and go to sleep."
"Damn, you're fiesty." He pointed a finger in the general direction of the son of Poseidon but missed him by about a foot. "I like it."
Percy had seriously had enough. Trying to talk Nico into going to bed would be pointless so he just kept quiet and figured he would pass out sooner or later.
"Percy!?"
No such luck.
"What?"
Nico threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat up.
"Do you like me?"
Percy turned to face him. "What are you talking about?"
"I really like you. Like alot."
Percy shook his head in annoyance. "Go to sleep."
Nico pouted awkwardly. "I'm not tired. I don't wanna sleep."
The son of Poseidon had really been in need of a good nights sleep and was hoping the younger demigod wouldn't have returned until he was out. But Nico had and now Percy was dealing with something much worse than just feeling awkward and uncomfortable.
Nico silenced and contorted his face."I think I'm gonna-"
He couldn't finish his sentence before his face was buried in the bucket again and he was throwing up more of the alchohol in his system. Percy climbed out of bed and waited for Nico to finish throwing up before he wiped the son of Hades' face clean and took the bucket into the bathroom to wash it out. As he rinsed all of the spewed up alcohol out of the bucket, Nico managed to call for him and say he was gonna be sick again. Percy ran back into the room and got the bucket to Nico just in time to catch the spewed contents of the youngers stomach.
"It's gonna be a long night." Percy sighed out.
Nico groaned.

All through the night, Nico continued to throw up. Percy sat on the bed with him and soothingly rubbed his back in an attempt to relieve some of his discomfort while he himself fought to keep his eyes open. After every time Nico would get sick, Percy would clean off his face with a cloth and rinse out the bucket. He was beyond tired and had even fallen asleep once on Nicos sholder but woke up when the younger lunged forward to bury his face in the bucket again.
As the hours faded on and the sun rose, Nico managed to stop throwing up and get to sleep. He was flopped awkwardly on the bed so Percy situated him so he would be more comfortable before climbing into his own bed.
Percy got a few hours of decent sleep before he woke back up again. He sighed in relief when he saw Nico still curled up in his blankets and dragged himself from the bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. He made sure to clean the tub before he climbed into the water and washed himself down. After a while, he forgot he was actually in the shower and managed to doze off a little leaning on the wall. The toilet in the room above his flushed and made the water run cold, yanking him from his daze. He turned the shower off and dressed quickly, hoping Nico would still be sleeping when he went back into the room.
He should have known better.
Nico was sitting up on the bed, rubbing his face. He clearly still didn't feel well but, it was his own fault. Percy dropped his dirty clothes into his bag before going to the fridge to see what food was still left over. ...None. That meant he would have to leave a hungover Nico in a hotel room, by himself, in order to get food and pain medicine for the headache the younger would no doubt have.
Nico heard the refrigerator door close and he turned to look behind him at the son of Poseidon. When Percy turned back around, he saw that Nicos face was white, his cheeks were red, and his eyes were blood shot.
"How do you feel?" He knew it was a stupid question.
"Like s**t."
"Your fault."
Nico nodded and laid back down on the bed. Percy grabbed him another bottle of water and put it on the bedside table before speaking.
"I'm gonna get you some food and pain medication. Don't go anywhere."
Nico nodded. "I don't plan on it."
Percy grabbed his key card and left the room. He breathed a sigh of relief from not having to deal with Nico for the time being before he headed toward the lobby where breakfast was being served. He gathered a plate of food before going to the gift shop and buying Tylenol, since he had used all Nico had when he got shot. He poured both of them cups of coffee and went back to the room. He tried to open the door but, since his hands were full, he couldn't manage. Nico dragged himself from the bed, threw a shirt on, and opened the door, taking the plate of food and cup of coffee Percy was handing him.
The two sat and ate silently. Well, it was more like Nico barely ate and Percy watched him. The son of Hades managed a piece of toast before he showered, tossed clean clothes on, and headed back out of the bathroom.
"Percy."
Percy had a feeling he knew what was coming. "What?"
"I'm sorry."
Yup. Just what he expected. Percys thoughts were that the son of Hades should have been sorry but he spoke differently than he thought. "Don't worry about it. I owed you, anyway."
Nico knew what he meant but felt like this was totally different. He had taken care of Percy because it was his fault the son of Poseidon had been shot. It wasn't Percys fault Nico had gotten drunk. It was Nicos fault. Percy shouldn't have had to do that.
Within a short time, the pain medication started working. Nicos headache was fading and his nausea was almost gone, thanks to the food and coffee. Things had gone pretty quiet as the two lay on their beds. Nico was trying to remember what had happened the night before and Percy was sleeping.
It wasn't too long before the silence was broken by Nicos phone going off. The number that popped up belonged to Ares. Nico really didn't want to talk to him but he didn't really think he had much of a choice.
He slid his thumb across the screen and held the phone to his ear.
'Hello, Nico. Did you have fun last night?'
Nico didn't even care how the man knew about the night before. "What do you want?"
Ares ignored Nicos harsh tone. 'Oh, just to talk.'
Nico thought back to the phone message Ares had left for him after Nico failed on the hit. He didn't think his idea of 'just talking' and Ares' were the same things. "Then talk away."
Ares snickered. 'You know I hate talking over the phone. I'd rather see you in person.'
Nico shook his head as he spoke. "That's not gonna happen."
'Oh, I beg to differ.' Ares chuckled.
They were both silent for a moment.
'You see, I still feel like I could use you. You and your friend.'
Nico gritted his teeth. "You leave him out of this."
'Oh ho ho. Have I found a soft spot? I think I have. Good. I can use it."
Nico tensed but stayed silent.
'Meet me at the park that you were so keen on standing in last night, watching that guy on the bench. One o'clock. Today. Bring your friend with you. I have a few things I would like to discuss with you two.'
"Why should I?" Nico spat at he looked over at Percy who was still asleep.
Ares chuckled a little in his sickening way. 'Oh, because, if you don't, I will find you both and kill you. You can count on that.'
Nico rubbed his eyes. He knew the man well enough to know he was being completely serious.
'Be smart, kid. And don't be late.'
The phone line went dead after that. Nico hung up his own phone and looked at the time. It was about 9:30. He had plenty of time to get Percy up and ready; to prepare him to expect anything.
"Percy." Once again, his name leaving Nicos lips hurt.
"Mmmmm."
"Wake up."
"Mmmmm."
"C'mon, you gotta wake up. We have things we have to talk about." He shook Perct slightly until he opened his eyes and sat up. The son of Poseidon rubbed his eyes and yawned.
"What?"
Nico sunk his hands into his pockets. "I just got a call from Ares. He wants to meet with the two of us at one o'clock today."
Percy groaned. "What time is it?"
"9:30."
The son of Poseidon blinked a couple of times. "Wake me up later." He buried his face in his pillow.
Nico pulled his blankets back and watched as Percy curled his body up. "No, c'mon. We have things to sort out before then." He tugged on Percys arm and pulled him up.
The son of Poseidon managed to groggily sit on the bed and the two realized things had gone back to normal: Nico was the one doing all the work and Percy was being rather childish.
"What is there to sort out?" His eyes were open but Nico could tell he didn't want them to be.
"A lot. Please just get up. This is important."
Percy groaned out of irritation but moved himself so his feet were hanging off the bed. He gave Nico a look that showed he wasn't pleased: it was kind of a pouting face with Percys bottom lip stuck out. Nico felt like it would have been kind of cute if there wasn't a tinge of anger in his eyes.
"Don't look at me like that."
Percys expression softened a little.
"Alright. First things first."
"Stop." Percy rubbed his eyes and held up a hand. "First things first, I have to pee."
Nico nodded and watched as Percy went toward the bathroom. He didn't bother close the door and Nico was three-quarters tempted to peek around the corner. He may have been hungover and not drunk, but he was still thinking about Percy in all sorts of ways he shouldn't have been.
The son of Hades cleared his throat when Percy left the bathroom and didn't even give the older demigod time to sit before he started talking.
"Ares is a very fitting name for this guy. If you thought Herc was scary, you have another thing coming."
Percy nodded.
"There's a few things you have to remember with him. Are you listening? This is the important stuff."
Percy nodded again.
Nico proceeded to tell him all the things he should and shouldn't do. Percy tried to listen but Nico was moving pretty quick. He said things like "Don't speak unless you're spoken to and even then say as few words as possible" and "Tell him your name is Don if he asks". Then Nicos name popped up. The request was a little odd, but simple enough. "Try not to call me by my name. If you do its fine just don't overdo it." That's when another name Percy never wanted to hear again was said: Herc. "Say nothing about him(which Percy did not plan on doing) even if he's brought up." Nico just kept talking and talking and Percy tried his hardest to keep up with him. "Don't talk about your family or camp. It'll put them all in danger."
This was a lot to process for Percy. And Nico hadn't even gotten to the really important stuff.
"He needs to think you know what the world is like for all of us. If he knows you don't, he will use that against us. You can not act surprised if he talks about some dark stuff. Pretend you know all about it."
Percy nodded yet again. He wasn't sure how well he wo do with that,because there were still plenty of things go he truly didn't understand about the life Nico lived.
The son of Hades kept telling Percy more. "He's pretty twisted and I have a feeling he might offer something to you. If he does, turn it down before you even know what it is. Be polite about it but not too much so. Along with that, if he asks anything of you, do not comply, I don't care what it is. If an argument pops up between the two of you, I hope it won't but I can't be sure, let me do the arguing. Play up being a diva or some sort of deal to make it make sense."
Percy managed to nod for the hundredth time as the words seeped slowly into his ears and reached his brain. He felt like everything was in some sort of a slow motion fast foreward, if that made any sense.
"There's only a few more things, Percy. Just listen. Keep a safe distance from him so he can't get his hands on you. Make sure you keep an eye on him so, if he makes any sort of move, you can back away. But don't focus on him too much or he'll get suspicious. Another thing is that he has plenty of cronies that you need to watch out for on the outside, so stay alert. That way, if you see anything out of the ordinary, you can let me know and I will get you out of there as soon as possible. Okay?"
Percy nodded yet again but he was wondering what Nico meant by 'out of the ordinary'. He wasn't about to ask, though.
Nico moved on his bed a little before saying something else, "This is the most important part. I need you to listen to me very carefully. If things get sketchy, run. Try to find the police station, the hospital, or a church. He won't go to places like that so you're good to lay low there. If I don't come to find you, get back to camp. You'll be safe there."
Once that sunk in, Percys mind flooded with questions. "Wait, what do you mean by sketchy? Why would I have to run? Why wouldn't you come with me? Why would I have to wait?"
Nico was doing everything he could to prepare Percy for what could happen. He knew Percy was bound to have questions, he just wished the son of Poseidon wouldn't have asked them.
"Percy just do what I say. If I tell you to run, you run. If I don't come to get you by night fall, stay until morning and then go back to Camp."
"Go back to Camp? Why?"
"Percy!" Nicos eyes were closed and the shouting had brought his headache back.
The son of Poseidon jolted.
"Stop. Just do what I say, okay?"
Percy swallowed hard and nodded.
It had taken Nico quite a while to walk Percy through all of that and all they had left was an hour. Nico didn't know what to expect for the day but he had a feeling it wasn't going to be too pleasant.
Nico convinced Percy to have something to eat for lunch, which was pretty difficult, to try and calm his nerves. It didn't do any such thing, though, and actually made Percy sick: everything he ate, he threw up. The son of Hades wished the older demigod had a little fiercer of a stomach.
Nico did what Percy had done the night before and cleaned him up after he rid his stomach of his lunch. They didn't have much time before they had to meet Ares at the park so Nico got Percy together and had him change his clothes so he didn't smell like vomit; that would not have been a way to start things off with Ares at all. Percy cleaned himself up while Nico took a shower so they looked half ways presentable, even though Percy wasn't sure why it mattered. If this guy killed poeple, or hired others for such, why would it matter what kind of state they were in? If they were going to die by this guy's hand, he really didn't think clean clothes and minty breath would do either of them any good.
The two climbed into Nicos car and made there way to the park Nico had stopped at the night before. For a moment, the son of Hades wondered if he would be there, if he was in on this. Nico looked around for a minute to see if the man he went out looking for the night before could be seen anwhere. Thankfully, there was no sign of the smoker who had been listening to music on the park bench.
The two sat in the car, watching the minutes count down.
"Nico?"
"Mmm?"
Percy licked his lips but never took his eyes from the world outside the car window. "I'm scared." That's when he turned.
Nico looked at the boy sitting in the passanger seat and saw his words pretty much plastered on his face. There was really nothing Nico could say to calm Percy, even though he wished there was.
He took a deep breath. "You'd be crazy not to be."
As soon as the clock on the dash board switched to read 1:00, Nico began to look around for the man he was expecting to see. Percy wasn't sure who he was looking for but his eyes scanned the park for anything that didn't seem to fit. Within thirty seconds, something caught his eye. It was a tall man leaning against a tree. Percy hadn't seen him before.
"Nico?"
"What?" Nico asked without looking at him.
"Is that him?"
Nico turned to him then and looked to where Percys eyes were focused. The man standing there was indeed the man they were looking for. The one and only Ares.
"Yeah, that's him." He looked back at Percy. The fear was evident in the son of Poseidons eyes.
Nico opened the door and climbed out of the car. He went to the passanger side to open Percys door.
"Nico. I don't wanna go over there."
Nico shook his head. It was already one minute after one o'clock and he knew that Ares was a stickler about time and they were already pushing it.
"You don't have a choice."
Percy was shaking his head now. He really didn't want to meet Ares. He had been involved with the actual Ares a few times and anyone who had gained the street name of the god or war was worth fearing. And that's exactly what Percy was doing.
"I'm scared, Nico."
"You'll be alright if you stick to me." He looked away for a moment. "Just remember what I told you and you'll be fine."
Percy was still shaking his head.
"Percy, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. If you just do what I told you, you will be fine. Now, let's go. We're late already and we don't want to piss him off."
Percy nodded after a few seconds of convincing and climbed out of the car. The two made their way to where Ares was standing. Neither said anything but Percy was going over everything that Nico had told him to remember to, and not to, do.
Once Nico and Percy reached Ares, the man began speaking. He eyed both teens as he did and Percy was made slightly nervous.
"So, this is the kid you used?" He was looking Percy up and down, making the son of Poseidon turn from nervous to beyond uncomfortable. "Or tried to use, rather. It's no wonder it didn't work. He looks too soft."
Neither boy said anything.
"Not particularly loquacious today, are ya?"
Nico shook his head as he spoke. "Just tell us why we're here."
Ares raised an eyebrow. "Alright. I said on the message I left you that I was very angry that you failed the hit. That was true and the anger still stands. I also threatened to kill you both."
Nico didn't respond to that but Percy tensed up for a second before he remembered what Nico had said about not letting things bother him. He forced himself to relax.
"I have decided that killing you would be a little too cruel."
"That's nice of you." Nicos voice was infected with sarcasm and distain.
"I thought so, too." Ares returned the tone. "Anyway, I'm gonna give you another chance to prove yourself. This time, though, it all rests on you." He looked at Percy when he said that.
Percys eyes shot open in shock. What the hell was this guy talking about?
"Would you care to elaborate?" Nico asked. Unlike Percy, he already had a feeling he knew what Ares was getting at. He just hoped he was wrong.
"I'm hiring your friend for a hit." Ares said without feeling.
Nico was right. Everything he had told Percy went out the window at that point and the son of Poseidon started really panicking.
Thankfully, Nico was thinking clearly. "What if doesn't take it?"
"This hit has to be done." The man said coolly. "Otherwise, you both die."
Nico shook his head. "That's ridiculous." He was staying pretty calm and acting like it was no big deal, on the outside. On the inside, though, he was seriously freaking out. "He's not even a hitter."
"Shame." Ares sighed. "That means that you both die because, apparently, neither are you. Otherwise, you would have killed Herc."
Nico had a thought then that made him pretty angry. "Is that what this is about? This is because I couldn't make the hit?"
"Damn right it is. And now it falls on your friend."
Nico tried to think. Beside him, Percy was losing it. His heartbeat was quickening, his palms were getting sweaty, he couldn't think straight. Nico could not let this happen. "If this is about me, then let me take the hit."
Ares shook his head. "No. From what I hear, it's his fault you failed. So, it's up to him to fix it. Either he takes the hit, and pulls it off, or you both die." He seemed to feel the need to stress death.
Nico really did not want to get Percy into it but, when he weighed his options, he figured he didn't have much of a choice. They couldn't fight, they couldn't run, they couldn't win.
"Who's the hit?"
Percy tensed again and shot Nico a look that was completely ignored by both men.
Ares shook his head. "You don't get to know that until he accepts the job."
Nico took a step foreward. "That's not fair."
Ares played with his fingernail. "That's life, kid. Anyway," he turned to Percy "you have three days to decide if you want to take the hit or not. It's the 17th so I need an answer by the 20th. If it's a yes, I will give you all the information you will need. If it's a no, I will find and kill you within twenty four hours. Do you understand?" There it was being stressed again: death.
Percy looked at Nico with fear in his eyes and the son of Hades nodded once. Percy faced Ares and nodded.
Ares crossed his arms. "I need spoken consent."
Percy opened his mouth very slowly to speak. "I understand."
"Good. I'll make a call on the 20th. If you don't answer, I will find you and kill you. Choose wisely, kids."
Ares turned and walked away liked nothing had happened. Percy was still pretty awestruck and he just stood for a minute, staring at the park around him. Nico didn't know what to say to him so he grabbed Percys wrist and pulled him back to the car. He opened the passanger door and pushed the son of Poseidon in softly before climbing behind the wheel and driving away.

Author's Note

Same as always: ignore the grammatical and spelling errors and let me know what you think if you feel compelled to.