Hell And High Water 11

Planning and preparing and... a true Percico moment???

Percy stayed on his bed and Nico in the bathroom for quite a while. The son of Hades did finally leave the bathroom to lay on his own bed and had fallen asleep sitting against the headboard from everything going through his mind. Percy, on the other hand, sat awake staring at the ceiling and thinking.

He didn't think he had ever wanted Nicos help more than he did then; he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Whenever he had killed anything before, it had always been something that he happened upon, never something he went looking for. Then there was the fact that this wasn't a something, it was a someONE. People were usually smarter than all the creatures Percy had come in contact with over the years. How was he supposed to be able to hunt one down?

Percy had so many questions that needed answers but it wasn't that fact that had him going crazy. It was the fact that he had someone that knew all about this stuff, knew what to do, probably knew where Daemon was, and had more ideas swimming through his head on how to kill someone than anyone should but wouldn't help him. That's what was driving Percy mad.

The elder groweled quietly into the otherwise silent room. He was still having a very hard time coming to terms with everything but the worst part was that this all had to happen so fast; he only had a week to find this guy and to kill him. If he didn't, someone would be after him and Nico to kill them. This was the most serious situatuon Percy had ever found himself in before, but there were so many issues already at hand. Like, how was he supposed to find Horme? He didn't have connections in this world to help him through this. He didn't have street smarts. He didn't have anything but someone who could help, but was refusing to. Percy only had two options; try to convince Nico to do something, or go it totally alone.

He looked over to the bed where the son of Hades had been laying ever since he left the batroom just under an hour ago. The phone call had ended double that and the younger demigod hadn't said a single word since. Hate welled up inside Percy as he looked at Nico, just laying there. He wondered how Nico could act like that after pretty much signing Percys, and his own, death warrants and handing them over to Ares on a silver platter. He got that this Daemon guy, or Horme as Nico called him, had been his friend but was he worth dying for? Nico had said they hadn't spoken in over a year so why sould he feel any sort of connection at all to him? In Percys opinion, he shouldn't. And yet, the son of Hades was choosing this guy over the one he had spent three years of his life trying to find and save.

Percy looked at the clock. It was almost ten and the day seemed like it was practically melting away; and so was the time until the deadline for his hit. He realized he had a week, but he felt like he was going to need every minute of it for planning and preparing. He sat up on his bed and turned to face Nico. Anger boiled up in him again as he saw the slightly younger boy laying, in a light sleep, on the bed.

"Nico."

The son of Hades didn't stir and it was only then that Percy realized Nico had ear buds wedged in his ears; so, even if he had been awake, he wouldn't have heard Percy. The son of Poseidon was getting exceedingly agitated with the fact that Nico had basically just left him to do or die, without a care in the world. All of this was his fault and, just like when Percy had gotten shot, the son of Poseidon was taking the fall for it.

Percy angrily ripped Nicos ear buds from his ears, waking him easily, and was surprised when Nico didn't respond with anger. The son of Hades sat up very slowly and crossed his legs. He placed his hands softly on his knees and looked at Percy with a very calm expression. He seemed very docile despite the fact that Percy had expected him to behave like a wild animal.

Nico didn't say anything and just looked at Percy, wondering what was going to come next. That made Percy even more angry.

"How the hell can you just sit there and not care that I have to plan a murder right now?" He managed not to shout, thankfully.

Nico shook his head gently. "I told you: I can't have a part in it. That's why I can just sit here."

Percy was getting even more angry and his voice raised a few notches in volume. "You do realize there is no way that I'll be able to do this. And, if I don't... when I don't, that guy is gonna come after us to kill us."

Nico nodded, remaining just as calm as before. "We'll deal with that when the time comes."

Percy put his hand on his face and spun on his heal in a circle. He had always done things like that when he got agitated or stressed and Nico had always found it really attractive. This time, though, it wasn't quite as appealing. It still was, yes, just not as much. It shouldn't really have been, though, given everything that was going on.

"You got me into this, Nico." Percy pointed a finger at him.

The son of Hades stood from the bed and approached Percy slowly. The elder demigid took a step back. He may have been the one who was overly angry at the moment but he didn't want to push Nico to reaching that point. But, Nico stopped far enough back not to make Percy too uncomfortable.

"I understand that, Percy." Nicos voice was steady and his tone was calm. "Let me ask you this. If I were sent to kill Grover or Annabeth, would you help me?"

Percy didn't see how that even made any sense. "That's not the same thing." There was ever growing anger in the son of Poseidons voice.

"How is it not?" Nico, on the other hand, was still very calm. "The only difference is that you haven't seen them in three years when it's only been a little over one since I've seen Horme. You wouldn't help me kill one of them, why do you think I should help you kill my old friend?"

Percy responded quickly. "It's just not the same!"
Nico waited for Percy to say more. When the son of Poseidon stayed silent, Nico coughed a chuckle and shook his head. Percys argument really wasn't a solid one and it seemed as though the older knew it. Nico went back to his bed and laid down before plugging his ear buds back in. Before he managed to press the play button on his music, Percy was speaking again.

"Nico, wait."

The son of Hades pulled his head phones back out and placed them gently on the bed before looking at Percy.

The older shook his head gently and cranked his neck back so he was looking at the ceiling. He let out a sound that resembled a mix between a growl and a moan and dropped his head to face Nico again.

"I need your help. I get he's your friend. I get you have a history with him. I get that, I do. But I need your help." Percy hated begging... "I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm scared out of my mind. At first, this all seemed fake. I thought that, maybe, I would wake up this morning and it would end up to be a huge, twisted dream. But it wasn't. It was real. I don't wanna do this any more than you do. But, you said it yourself, I'm not losing my life over this." He shook his head tenderly. "Please just help me."

Nico sighed. Percy was pitiful when he begged. Like a small child, or a puppy, desperate for something. But, truth be told, he was desperate. He was desperate for help; for guidance. And Nico could help. The son of Hades just wished he would have thought about all of this a lot sooner. He had already gotten the son of Poseidon into so much trouble, and this was just icing on the cake. But he couldn't just leave him to fend for himself. He had to help, just like when Percy had gotten shot. This was his fault, and he had to help. He had convinced himself of that with very little trouble, but admitting it to Percy was something else.

Nico resituated himself a little before clearing his throat. "I want you to listen and listen very carefully. I will help on one condition."

Percy stared at him, waiting to know this 'one condition'.

"I planned on at least staying by your side through all of this, just not helping. I have decided, against what's left of my better judgment," he scoffed "that I will help you plan for this."

Percy blinked awkwardly at the younger.

"Plan and that is it. When it comes time to carry it out, I will be nowhere near you."

The son of Poseidon had been confused but when Nico said that, he felt a little more puzzled. He wasn't entirely grasping what Nico meant right away but, as the seconds passed, he felt as though he caught on. And he was asked himself one perplexing and important question: How could Nico find it okay to help plan a murder but not find it okay to participate in one? Despite the fact that Percy felt totally lost and was frightened beyond belief, he slowly nodded in agreement.
The younger sighed gently in relief from Percy's consent and got to work. Straight away, he began pulling notebooks and file folders from his bag. Ever since he started this life, he had kept files on everyone he had dealings with. There were some he didn't keep, like the ones of the people who had been killed or had fled the country and didn't plan on returning, but he had most. He had Daemons and that seemed to be the only one that mattered at the moment, so he was good.

Nico handed the file to Percy as he stuffed all the others back away. The elder stared at the outside of the manila folder for a moment before Nico told him to open it. Inside was a slew of information about the person Percy had been hired to kill. Most of the sheets of paper Percy saw were typed but had an obscene amount of hand written information sprawled out over what was there.

Percy shook his head a little as he looked over the scribbles. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Nico sighed. Percy really had no clue about any of this...

"Everything there is all you will ever need to know about a person in order to hit them (He couldn't force himself to say kill). Their likes and dislikes; their fears and dreams. I have taken more time than you could ever imagine studying the people I work with and jotting down everything I learn about them."

Percy couldn't imagine Nico ever spending that much time on anything but he hadn't seen the son of Hades in three years, so, who knows?
For the next few hours, Percy went through the file and gawked at what he was reading. This Daemon guy, or Horme, as Nico was now requesting he be called, was... interesting. He had had military training in counter interrogation and hand to hand combat. He had been involved with a gang of hitters and dealers as their own personal body guard and, basically, brass balls. From what Percy was reading, he would do just about anything. He had walked into a bank, with no face mask or any kind of disguise for that matter, and robbed the place without a seconds hesitation. He had a weapons dealer, or at least did at one point, that could get their hands on military grade weapons. Along with all of that, Horme was a skilled bomb maker and MMA fighter. Percy had a feeling that he was not a guy to mess with and was seriously the wrong person to try to kill.

Even with all the file told him, Percy felt like there should have been more. Everything he read was telling him the guys strengths, not his weaknesses. And if Percy even had the slightest bit of a hope in killing him, he needed to know those things. He looked at Nico, who had been impatiently pacing the floor for over four hours.

"Nico?"

The son of Hades took a few more steps before he came to a stop in front of Percy and looked up at him.

Percy started panicking. He didn't know how to word such a thing in a way that wouldn't make Nico flip his lid.

"There's a lot of information in here, but..."

Nicos expression grew a little darker. "But what, Percy?"

"I don't think..." Oh he really did not want to have to say this, and to Nico of all people. "I don't think there's enough for me to be able to..."

It seemed as though a switch inside of Nico went off with those words,even though the sentence went unfinished. "Seriously? Do you have any idea how hard a guy like Horme is to gather intel on, even when you work with him?"

It was apparent that Nico had expected a respone so Percy gave him a quiet and shy one. "...No."

"Then don't tell me you don't have enough to go on." He spat back. "You're lucky you have that much."

Percy swallowed hard. He didn't doubt, for a second, that he was indeed lucky. He had a feeling a lot of guys didn't have anything when they were put in his predicament. But that didn't help him at all.

Nico had gone back to pacing, clearly unwilling to actually be of any service. Percy hung his head a little and picked up the notebook and pen Nico had dropped onto the bed next to him. He looked back at the file folder and huffed. There was a lot of information, yes, but he didn't know what to do with it. He couldn't see how any of it would do him any good. Despite that, he started scribbling down all sorts of notes. He wasn't sure if any of it was relevent or not but he tried. He had to try. He remembered back to school when he had done 'close reading'; they were supposed to read through something and try to figure what the author had meant when they wrote it. That was kind of what Percy was doing right then. He would read a few things in type about one particular topic and see a couple of notes in hand writing about the same thing. It obviously must have been important, or else it wouldn't have popped up so many times, so it went in the notebook. As he kept going, things began to make more sense. Seemingly simple connections became revolutionary and important. More and more, Percy was finding ways to get at Horme. He was learning Hormes fears. He was learning Hormes weaknesses.

Some of the things Percy had managed to learn were the very few allergies Horme had, although knowing he was allergic to bees and seafood seemed unimportant. Along with that, he learned that Horme was good with guns and such but not knives. He could snipe someone from ridiculous distances and make bombs with simple household cleaners and some copper wire, but probably couldn't cut up his own dinner. Percy learned he could fight someone to the death with his bare hands and even hide by using walls to hold himself to a ceiling and then jump on unexpecting victims, which was a little frightening. But, the son of Poseidon still wasn't sure how knowing any of that could be useful.

"Nico?"

The son of Hades had finally sat down on the floor and was leaning against a wall. He opened one eye when he heard Percy say his name. It sounded oddly elegant coming from the son of Poseidon lips...

"You told me you would help me plan it out..."

Nico nodded his head before pushing himself from the floor and making his way over to the bed. He picked up the notebook and sat down next to Percy, his heart fluttering when he accidently placed his knee on top of the son of Poseidons thigh. Percy had clearly noticed it, too, because he looked down at their legs for a split second. But he didn't say anything or try to move either one of their bodies, so Nico let it go and tried not to let it bother him. He looked down at the notebook and began reading over what Percy had written.

The elder demigod watched Nico intently as the son of Hades read through his notes. He made a few faces but Percy couldn't tell what emotions they were supposed to be indicating. At one point, Nico even let a small chuckle resonate in his throat. It concerned Percy a bit and made him wonder how badly he had messed up, but Nico didn't say anything so Percy figured it couldn't have been too bad.

Finally, without looking up from the notebook, Nico spoke. "You have some seemingly well thought out plans, but, my concern is... can you actually carry this out?" Nico had already stopped focusing on their touching legs and his words made Percy do the same.

The son of Poseidon didn't say anything and Nico shifted his eyes to look at the older demigod. There was a very evident fear plastered on his expression. Nico sighed and dropped the notebook to the bed.

"Look," he pointed to something Percy had written. "I can tell by all of this that you don't want to get physically close to him in order to get the job done. I don't blame you." He looked up at Percy and shook his head a tiny bit. "But I know from experience that it's pretty difficult to carry out a hit from a distance. So all this about using water to drown him by flooding his car or appartment," Nico shook his head a little more aggressively "It's not gonna work."

Percy didn't understand why it wouldn't; he was the son of Poseidon and could do anything with water. Why couldn't he kill with it?

Nico sighed. He was starting to get annoyed with having to spell everything out for Percy. "Water is a great tortue tool, but it takes too long to hit someone that way, especially if you plan on not getting close to your target. And you never considered that, in the file, it says he's a skilled diver." He tried to keep from sounding sarcastic, blunt, or harsh when he spoke but he couldn't believe someone wouldn't think of each and every possibility when they had so much to go from.

Percy snatched the files and flipped back through a few of the pages and scanned them as he did, looking for that important piece of information that he somehow overlooked. When he found it, his sholders slumped foreward in defeat. Nico smiled dryly at him, his face forming into a slight smirk, before he took back the file.

"You've highlighted his allergies. I can see where you're coming from but, unless you plan on treating him to a date at Red Lobster or a bee farm, knowing that isn't gonna do you any good."

Percy looked down and flushed slightly, feeling pretty stupid that he had thought those things were important.

Nico moved his finger to point at another thing Percy had jotted down.

"This could work, though."

Percy shifted his eyes and read what Nico was pointing at but wondered how knowing the guy wasn't good with knives would be any more helpful than knowing his allergies. Nico could see Percys confusion again and he sighed; he felt as if he was trying to teach a child how to read and his patience was growing pretty thin.

Nico grabbed his pen and wrote as he spoke. "You're good with a sword. If you can somehow get him away from a gun, or get the gun away from him, you could have a serious chance." He looked back up at the elder demigod.

Percy hesitated for a moment, letting what Nico had just said sink in. "Are you suggesting that I use Riptide to kill him?"

There was that 'kill' word Nico would have really liked not to have heard... He tried to keep his cool, though. "Yes." Was Nicos very flat reply.

Percy stared at him, blinking his eyes in awe. He didn't say anything so Nico continued speaking. "Now the only thing left is getting to him." The son of Hades turned back to the papers. "That's the hard part, though. Knowing he doesn't have many weaknesses, you have to try to use one of his strengths. He has plenty so you get to be picky about it." Nico chuckled a little but Percy didn't find his comment the least bit humorous.

Percy moved on the bed a little, reminding both boys that their knees and things were resting on one another. The way Percy moved sent a shiver along the underside of Nicos upper leg to a place where it really didn't need to go. He coughed awkwardly but didn't move for fear of it having the same result. He tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Where were we?"

It was clear to see the son of Hades was distracted about something and, given the fact he was staring at their touching legs just seconds before, it didn't take much for Percy to figure it out. He blushed slightly, and wondered why, but didn't move.

"A way to get to him?"

Having his memory jogged and his mind torn from his previous thoughts, Nico smiled lightly. "Right. We work to his strengths. But we need to work to yours, too." Nico fell silent for a second before a brilliant idea, or at least what he thought resembled a brilliant idea, entered his mind. He smiled. A truly devious look that made Percy a little nervous. "I may be against you using water as a weapon, but I am not against you using it as a ruse." He was smiling widely.

Percy stared at him, slack jawed and wide eyed. "I don't understand."

Nico huffed. "Of course you don't."

From Percys expression, Nicos comment had offended him. But the son of Hades couldn't have cared less.

For the next half hour, if not more, Nico went through a plethora of brilliant ways that Percy would use water to get to Horme. Each one seemed more outrageous than the last but, Percy figured, that was why they would prove effective.

Nico found himself smiling and smirking more than he thought he ever could in his entire life at the ideas he was coming up with. Not even once during that time did he consider the fact that these ideas were being fed to someone who could potentially kill his longest time friend. He was actually kind of curious as to how the hit would end and why he hadn't been able to come up with ideas like these when he could have really used them.

Nico went through and wrote down so many different ideas for Percy to choose from that he had begun to repeat a few. A lot of them were simple, but seemed like they could work, while some were intricate and confusing to the son of Poseidon. Nico assumed Percy would be able to figure them out himself, considering he had a week to study up, so he didn't spend much time trying to explain them. He just wrote them down and gave a few words detail to keep Percy quiet.

Soon, the morning had wore on into afternoon and Percy felt absolutely drained. His head hurt from everything he and Nico had talked about and come up with and he felt as if he hadn't eaten in days. The two ordered lunch from room service and had it brought to them because neither one really wanted to leave the room. It wasn't until the food arrived and Nico stood from the bed to answer the door that they both learned how much of a mess they had made. There were file papers all over the bed and floor while the blankets and pillows had been tossed over by the door and Nico had to step over them to reach the enterence to the room. There were balled up sheets of notebook paper with unrealistic ideas and useless notes written on them scattered throughout the room, since neither had bothered to find the trash bin, and a few pens with emptied ink cartridges were scattered pointlessly. Neither cared much about the mess, though.

Once Nico received the two boxed sandwiches they had ordered and paid the room service deliverer for them, he sat back on the bed with Percy and the two ate in silence.

As Nico savored the last of his lunch, a thought entered his mind. "How much do you hate guns?"

"What?" It was an odd question to be asked whilst eating but, seeing as how it came from Nico, it wasn't as shocking.

"Back at Apollos," Nico clarified, "you said you didn't like guns. How much do you not like them?"

Percy snorted a bit. Honestly, he hated guns. He hated everything about them. Growing up in New York City meant that he was no stranger to the sound of them expelling ammunition or hearing about the damage they could cause on the morning news. He had always hated guns. Always. But how was he supposed to tell a hitman that carried one with him wherever he went that he couldn't even stand talking about them?

"Why does it matter?"

Nico really hated Percys habit of avoiding questions with pathetic ones of his own. "Would you just answer the damn question?" His voice was a little harsh but he didn't bother apologizing for it like he had before.

Once Percy recoiled from his shock of Nicos sudden change in tone, he shook his head lightly. "I can't stand them."

"Why not?"

Percy had remembered that Nico had gotten angry with him when he was asking questions and wondered how this wasn't the same thing. The same thing with turned tables. He wasn't about to say anything about it, though.

Percy took a deep breath before he forced his thoughts to focus on his past.

"I grew up in New York City. If you didn't know, it's kind of a crime haven." He shook his head slightly. "Before I even started school, I was so familiarized with the idea of guns and how easy it was to kill someone with them." He stopped and expected that to be enough but Nico remained dead silent, awaiting more. Percy hated the fact that he had to but he kept talking. "I was walking home from school one day when I was about eleven. I saw a man rob a family owned deli. In broad daylight." He looked at the wall across the room while Nico kept his own eyes glued to the older teen. "He not only killed the owner, but he killed the man's wife, and his young daughter, too. She was my age." He sighed. "That was the very first day I ever saw, in person, what a gun could do. And that was the very day that I started hating them with everything I had in me." Percy never moved his eyes from the awkwardly colored wall as he tried to clear his mind of the memory he had just brought back up.

The room instantly felt very uncomfortable. As if the air had grown heavier and unbreathable. Percy said something more in the hopes of lightening the mood he had formed and keeping things as relaxed as he could. "Oh, and don't forget that I was shot not too awful long ago."

Nico had felt the tension, too, and he sighed when he felt it dissipate just as quickly as it had formed. The son of Hades swallowed slowly and looked away from the elder demigod in a slight bit of shock. He had expected Percy to bring up being shot but the other thing... He never saw the first part of Percys reasoning coming. That just made the idea he had seem even worse than it did when it popped into his head. But, he felt as if he needed to do it. He wasn't about to let Percy go through with what they had been planning without at least knowing how to use a gun.

Nico licked his lips and Percy watched as the wet muscle peeked out of the son of Hades' mouth. He shuddered at it... "Have you ever used one before?"

Still wondering about his own reaction, Percy shook his head lightly. It took a few seconds for his mind to really process what Nico had asked and even more for an idea of what he was getting at to sink in.

The son of Hades stood from the bed and slipped his sneakers on before grabbing his car keys. "Get up."

"Why?"

"Don't question, just do it." For the first time in his life, Nico felt like he was behaving, in a way, parent-like... He didn't like it.

Percy didn't question Nicos order further before he stood and slipped his own shoes on. He followed Nico out of the hotel room, out of the hotel altogether, and into the son of Hades' car.

He swallowed tensely as his palms began to sweat. "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out."

Percy shook with a fear that was very quick to manifest.

The two drove for a while before Nico finally stopped the car. About an hour had passed and when Percy lifted his head from the window to look around, he regretted not being more adamant about being told where they were going. Percy tensed when he saw the sign on the small, ratty looking building.

"A firing range?" His voice was as shakey as his body was. "What are we doing at a firing rage? Are you meeting someone here?"

Nico dropped his head into the seat behind him. He didn't look at Percy before he started speaking. "I'm gonna teach you how to use a gun."

Percys eyes opened very wide and he responded with, what was trying to be, a firm "No".

Nico gave the son of Poseidon such a firm and sour look that the older demigod had to turn away. "Percy, you can't go after someone to kill them without knowing how to use a gun." He hated himself for using that word...

"I don't care." The elder spat quickly, returning the look. "I'm not doin' it."

Nico dropped his head into the seat. He was getting very annoyed with how everything had been going and wished there was some way he could change it. He was wishing that Percy would have just gone with it, or that he himself wouldn't have had the idea, or that the son of Poseidon wouldn't have been hired for a hit, or... there were too many things he was wishing at the moment to actually go through them all. But, that didn't mean he was going to let Percy go after Horme without knowing how to use a gun, even if the elder would prefer not to know.

Nico climbed from the car and closed his door before approaching the passanger side. He opened the door for Percy  and expected him to get out, but he should have known better. Percy was just as stubborn as he himself was and had no plans of getting out of the car. Nico rolled his eyes and sighed. He peeked his head into the frame to look at the son of Poseidon.

"Percy, get out of the car." He was, once again, struggling to keep his cool.

Percy never took his eyes from whatever he was staring at outside the front window. "No."

Like always, Nico was growing more impatient by the second. "I'm not giving you a choice."

Percy neither moved nor spoke. He had no intentions on getting out of the car, or using a gun, or anything Nico wanted. If he would have known what Nico was planning from the get go, he would've fought it then, too. There was no way he was going to let the bratty little emo kid from Camp Half Blood tell him what to do... Percy realized Nico wasn't the same person as he had been but the elder had to have a good reason not to listen to the younger, and that was what he went with.

The son of Poseidon didn't respond to Nicos demand so the younger figured an ultimatum. "If you get out of the car, go inside that firing range with me, learn how to use a gun, and carry one with you on your hit, I will promise you that I will never do anything to put you in any kind of danger ever again."

Percy scoffed. "That's one hell of a promise you can make to someone who's having an extremely hard time trusting you right now."

Nico was just about done with Percy; he was smarter than the younger gave him credit for and more clever than he himself knew. So, if something like that didn't work, then maybe Nico would have to go at it a different way. He crouched down so he was about eye level to the male sitting in the car. He was thinking on the fly and he really hoped this idea would do him some good.

"Percy, do you miss your mom?"

Percy scrunched his face up in confusion and slight disgust and turned to the son of Hades. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

Nico felt as if he had hit a nerve... "If you wanna see her again someday, you need to do everything in your power to stay alive. And, at this point, that kind of entails knowing your way around more weapons than just Riptide."

Percy dropped his head back. He was never fond of being manipulated and Nico was doing just that by means of his way with words. The elder huffed and swung his legs out of the car. Nico smiled in victory and closed the door behind the son of Poseidon, led Percy to the door of the firing range, and opened it before ushering him in.

The building was small and musty smelling, almost as if it hadn't been used in years.

"How did you even know about this place?" Percy queried, looking around.

"I saw it on our way here. I never figured it would come in handy. Guess I was wrong."

The two made their way down a hall and to a decent sized room where a number of targets were still set up, waiting to be shot at. Nico looked at the set-up for a few moments and took in what was there. It seemed well enough for its purpose and he was content.

The younger turned to the son of Poseidon, pulled the gun out of the back of his jeans, and made sure it was loaded before he handed it to Percy. The elder demigod looked back and forth between the gun and the person holding it. Nico took a step closer to him and nodded his head. Percy stretched a shaking hand toward the gun, remembering what Nico had said to him about seeing his mom again. That was the only reason he was doing this. The only reason Percy slowly wrapped a shaking hand around the handle of the fire arm Nico was offering to him. He gripped his fingers onto it tightly and looked up at the younger demigod. He caught the son of Hades' eyes so he could see the fear in Percys own. All Percy received as a response was a single nod of Nicos head and a fake smile. If anything, that made him more leary.

Nico slipped the gun out of his own hand so all of its weight was in Percys. The son of Poseidon made no indication that he would attempt to drop the fire arm or give it back to Nico so the son of Hades took a few steps back. He waited for a handful of seconds and saw that Percy was just staring at the gun in his hands. Nico took a deep breath, once again trying to maintain his patience. He remembered, now, why he had promised to never work with amatures.

Nico walked back so he was standing in front of Percy and he turned the son of Poseidon so he was facing the targets. He never moved from behind the older boy as he reached down to meld their hands together on the gun. He lifted it into the air and positioned Percys hands and arms, with the help of his own, in the proper way to fire a gun. As he went to move Percys finger to the trigger, he put his body closer to the son of Poseidons than he knew was humanly possible. He felt Percys breath hitch and heart beat quicken as their bodies continued to get closer and Nico rested their fingers on the trigger. He paused for a second, relishing in the way it felt to have Percy so close to him. His thoughts trailed off and he forced them to find reality again by telling himself that Percy was just scared; that his pounding heart had nothing to do with their current closeness. It kind of hurt to have to admit, but he felt it necessary. That's when he backed away from Percy and looked at his stance for a moment, trying hard not to focus too much on the person himself, and spoke a few simple words.

"Breathe."

He saw Percy take a shakey, deep breath.

"Relax."

He watched as Percy allowed his sholder muscles to loosen and droop a little.

"Aim with both sights, front first."

Percy tilted the gun a little in his shaking hands so that the front of it was lined up with the center mark on the target before lining the back aim up with the front.

"Squeeze the tigger, don't pull it."

Percy caught a glimpse of the son of Hades out of the corner of his eye and wondered, silently, ...What was the difference?...

And Nico spoke again. "Shoot. And don't move until you know you've hit the target."

Without thinking too much on what he was about to do, Percy squeezed his pointer finger against the trigger and the gun let go of a bullet that ripped through the air and found the target. He hadn't done a very good job of keeping his hands from shaking and he feared that he had completely messed up, but he never moved his hands. When the sound finally stopped echoing through the room, Percy lowered the gun and looked to Nico. The younger demigod ushered him to follow and the two approached the target. Percy had hit pretty close to center, but there was still plenty of room for improvement.

Nico looked up at him, in slight shock. "To be honest," Nicos voice sounded frighteningly soft compared to the gun shot from a moment ago, "I would've never guessed you were afraid of guns."

Percy said nothing.

"I want you to try again." Nicos words were void of emotion. "Empty the clip this time." He turned and walked back to the spot where Percy had been standing before. When Percy met him there, the son of Hades indicated he wanted Percy to shoot at a different target.

Percy lined himself up with the new target the same way he had done before, making sure his stance was identical to his previous one. He had kind of expected Nico to walk him through it again, but the son of Hades stayed totally silent. Silent and away from Percy.

The son of Poseidon took a few breaths before he pulled the trigger once. The bullet flew from the barrel of the gun and he didn't wait for the sound to die off before he fired a second shot.

Nico hadn't watched Percy the first time but, now, he felt like he couldn't tear his eyes from the elder demigod. Just a little over a month ago, Percy had hidden in a bath tub when Nico had entered their hotel room. Now, he was firing a gun, the thing he said he was most afraid of, without hesitation.

Nico marveled at how Percy looked standing being his gun. Watching someone shoot, no matter who it was, had always excited him. But now he was watching Percy shoot. He literally could feel his blood pump a little faster.

Percy emptied the cartridge and paused for a second to look at the target before him; there was a whole in it the size of a silver dollar and all the bullets had punctured the paper within that hole, although it wasn't quite dead center. He shifted his eyes slowly from the target to the gun in his hands and examined it for a few seconds. Then he turned to Nico and noticed that the son of Hades was intently staring at him with a look in his eye that couldn't be named. Something inside Percys stomach fluttered when he saw the look.

"Nico?"

At the sound of his name leaving Percy lips, Nico almost ran at him and gripped onto his sholders. He steered Percy harshly toward the nearest wall and pushed him into it, no longer having any control. Percy felt so confused that he couldn't help the whimper that escaped his lips and faded into the air around him, but not before it reached Nicos ears. When he heard it, he slammed his lips into Percys without care of whether Percy wanted this or not.

Instantly, Percy dropped the gun and his eyes shot open as his hands sped to Nicos sholders in an attempt to push the son of Hades away. That urge only lasted a few seconds before Percy relaxed under Nicos kiss. He had no idea what was going on, or why he was letting it, but he wasn't stopping it.

Nico was gentle with Percy for a few moments before he deepened the kiss, pushed the son of Poseidon harder into the wall behind him, and started nibbling on his bottom lip, trying to get the elder to open them. After a few of the soft bites, Percy separate his lips enough for Nico to slide his tongue over them. That's when he pulled back.

He was instantly apologizing. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

Percys voice was ghostly quiet. "Stop talking."

"What?"

Percy didn't know where the words were coming from but that didn't stop them from forming. "Kiss me."

Nico only looked at Percy with a confused expression for a second or two before he closed the space between them again and attacked Percy lips for a second time. Percy was already opening his mouth to Nico, to the shock of both boys, allowing him to have access. Nico didn't argue, though, and shoved his tongue into the open space and licked across the crowns of Percys teeth, almost as if he was counting each and every one with the wet muscle. Soon, his own tongue found Percys and the son of Hades slammed them together, eliciting a sound he did not expect from Percy. He pulled back to look at the male who had just moaned because of him and smirked when he saw how red Percys lips had already become.

Nico resealed the kiss quickly and, right away, the two boys let their tongues battle for dominance. It was only a short set of minutes before Nico bit onto Percys tongue to let the son of Poseidon know who was in charge. Percy moaned out but let Nico have the dominance he was demanding.

It didn't seem to matter to Percy that the set of lips he was allowing to caress his own were those of a male. The kiss was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Yes, he had been kissed like this before, but this was different. There was something in the way that Nicos lips connected with Percys that made him feel a whole new sensation in his being.

As that processed, Percy could feel Nicos fingers begin to glide gently over his sides. He could feel them tickling him through his shirt and he sighed into Nicos mouth at the feeling. It seemed as though all self respect and care for what he had been told about how 'wrong it was for two guys to be together' had been washed down the drain.

Nico smiled against the son of Poseidons lips at the sound of Percy sighing into his mouth. He felt as if he no longer had to feel awkward for the way he felt about Percy. Without really thinking, Nico moved his hands a little lower on Percys body and groped the back of his thighs firmly. Percy let another moan slip passed his lips and fall on Nicos before the son of Hades used his grip to lift Percy up. Instantly, Percy yelped but wrapped his legs tightly around Nicos hips. Through their jeans, Percy could feel the hard-on that Nico was developing. His cheeks redened significantly and his heart began to beat faster than it already was as his breath hitched once again. Nico was grinding into him and he was starting to feel a warm butterfly sensation in his stomach.

Nico moved to Percys neck and began to leave small kisses on the skin that covered it, eliciting a few more soft whines and moans, before a set of thoughts, that he wished hadn't, entered his mind. This was the first time Percy had ever really made out with Nico, and probably any guy for that matter; he had been locked up for three years without knowing that much time had passed; and Nico was already getting hard. He knew he had to stop it before it went too far.

Nico detached their lips and dropped Percy back to the floor once his legs loosened their grip. The demigods looked at one another for a few minutes before Nico hung his head slightly.

"We should go."

Percy nodded and licked across his bottom lip. Nico watched the motion and swallowed hard, finding himself being tested by the action. He turned before he thought too much about it.

As the two walked toward the door, Nico found himself speaking again.

"I'm sorry, Percy."

Percy shook his head. "Why do you keep apologizing?"

"Because I feel bad."

"Don't." He quickly replied.

The drive back to the hotel was pretty quiet until Nico pulled his phone from his pocket. He had told Percy that he couldn't help him beyond planning and he wasn't about to go back on his word. But, he could try to find someone that would help him.

Nico dialed Apollos number and told Percy to hang on when the son of Poseidon looked at him questioningly.

As the dial tone sounded, Nico put the phone on speaker and handed it to Percy. The look on the son of Poseidons face was still on view as the tone filled the inside of the car. It only sounded a few times before a familiar voice could be heard greeting Nico with a hello.

"Apollo, man, I got a favor to ask of you."

'Is that all I'm good for?'

Nico chuckled lightly. "Kind of."

Percy could hear Apollo return the light laugh before asking 'What can I do for ya, kid?'

"You no doubt heard that I screwed up the Hercules hit, right?"

'Who hasn't?'

Nico huffed somewhat angrily and began to tell Apollo what happened with the hit and what was going on now. He asked a  fair amount of questions, which wasn't surprising, as Nico explained everything to him. He made a few noises that sounded as if he was hurting or in some sort of distress which made Percy even more afraid than he was to begin with. When Nico got to the point where he told Apollo who Percy had been sent after, the line went silent for a moment.

Finally, Apollo spoke again. 'Where is this kid?'

Nico looked over at Percy and nodded.

"Here."

Apollo cleared his throat. 'Do you have any idea what you're doing?'

Percy had to be honest... "No."

'Do you have a plan?'

"Sort of."

Apollo was silent again but Percy could hear a clicking in the background that sounded like computer keys.

'Alright. Since you're driving right now, I would prefer not to tell you anything. I'll find as much as I can tonight and, if you call me in the morning, I'll tell you what I have. And," his voice quieted and softened "even though he didn't say it, I know Nico is asking me to walk you through this so he doesn't have to. I am more than happy to do that. I owe Nico a lot anyway.'

Percy looked over at the son of Hades who was blankly staring at the road in front of him as they drove. The younger demigod had heard Apollo but he tried to pretend he hadn't, that way he wouldn't have to say anything.

Apollo cleared his throat and spoke directly to the son of Hades. 'Nico, if you can, get him a Bluetooth or something so I can talk him through it as it goes down.'

Nico heard but said nothing. He looked pretty somber and Percy knew he was struggling with something.

'There's not much I can say now so I'll say goodbye and get to work.'

"Thank you." The son of Hades spoke very quietly but his words were laced with tension.

Apollo hesitated a little and cleared his throat again. 'No problem, kid.'

That's where the line went dead.

The two demigods made it back to the hotel at a decent time, yt it already dark, and Percy instantly hopped into the shower. As per usual, the water made every care, worry, and thought seem to fade away, as long as Percy stayed under it. As soon as his shower was finished and the water was turned off, everything hit him like a ton of bricks.

Percy left the bathroom to find Nico already curled up in his blankets, fast asleep. It didn't take long for Percy to do the same.


A couple hours passed and Nico was woken up by the sound of his phone vibrating madly on the table next to his head. He groped around for it until he was able to grab the device and put it to his ear.

'Nico.'

"Apollo," he said in a groggy and angry tone, "I thought I told you never to call me this late."

'I know but you gotta know this.'

"What?" Nico sat up slowly and glanced at Percy to make sure he was still asleep.

There were a few clicking sounds and some shuffling of papers to accompany them. 'I've been keeping an eye out for potential problems for you since you brought your friend around and were asking questions.'

"Okay. Than." Nico was speaking quite sarcastically. "If that's what this is about, couldn't it  have waited til morning?"

Apollo groweled lightly and stopped shuffling and typing. 'That's not what this is about. I just spotted Typhon, Manti, and a s**t ton of their cronies on a security camera of a gas station not far from the hotel you're at.'

Nico practically jumped out of the bed, wide awake. "Please tell me you're kidding.

'Nope. They're after that kid, I know it. Man you got a s**t storm on your head.'

Nico didn't say anything but he sat in silence for a few seconds before he heard Apollo cough awkwardly.  He  hung  up and dropped his phone on the bed, looking back at the sleeping Percy in the bed next to his own. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated...

Author's Note

My typical authors note: just ignore spelling and grammar mistakes. Oh, and I apologize if the beginning is a little confusing. I hope all of you are able to figure out what's going on if it is... Hope you enjoy!!!