Hell And High Water 16

More drama and more percico

Nico was already wide awake, and had been for about an hour, when Percys eyes lulled open. He looked at the son of Hades for only a split second right when he focused his eyes, but turned away rather quickly, feeling odd about seeing the younger demigod right then. The feeling turned into a slight hatred for himself when a fact registered: he had gotten used to sharing a hotel room with another guy, a gay guy, and had even began to feel comforted by Nicos presence first thing in the morning. It had felt strange to him in the beginning, but he was now more than used to it and expected it, was even happy for it. That morning was no different: he was happy for and comforted by the son of Hades' presence just like every other morning. And that made Percy feel very awkward, considering what happened the night before...
Percy yawned, pushing the way he felt to the back of his mind, and took a deep breath, inhaling his surroundings. The motel room smelled like cleaning products and the vanilla air freshener in the corner. It was pleasant and calming, making the son of Poseidon close his eyes and inhale another wiff as he threw his blankets off of himself.
As soon as Percy tossed his blankets to the side and dropped his legs over the edge of the bed, he stood and made way for the bathroom. And that left Nico in the room alone to think about the plans for the day, and there were plenty of things to think about doing: more training in disarming opponents and concealing knives, maybe a few stealth exercises, possibly even a small course in hot wiring cars and how to get them to not start by just taking one simple item out from under the hood... But he wasn't sure if any of them were very wise, so he put them aside for the time being until he could really think straight and plan them a little further so they wouldn't be too dangerous. But he did, right then, want to find a few things out. He snatched his phone from the bed side table and quickly called Apollo.
'What?' The man sounded groggy and it was obvious he was not in the mood to be disturbed.
Despite all that, Nico answered quickly. "I need you to tell me everything you can about Typhon and the Manticore."
Nico heard Apollo sigh and grumble a bit. 'I've told you everything I can already.'
Nico swiped his palm across his face. "There's gotta be something more. I really need your help right now."
Apollo huffed. 'I've searched the databases and their criminal records more times than I can count and I've told you everything I've found.' Apollos words were on the verge of being harsh. 'What more do you want to know?'
Nico hadn't intended for the conversation to get heated but that didn't mean it wouldn't, especially with Apollos tone pushing him toward the edge. The son of Hades fought the urge to grind his teeth. 'I told you, Apollo. I wanna know everything. I wanna know they're favorite restaurants, where they get their coffee, what time they wake up every morning. I wanna know how many times a week they take a s**t. I need to know these things if I want to stay prepared for when they show up at my door. Do you understand me?"
Apollo shot back quickly, very aware that the two had started an argument within ten seconds of the start of their phone call. An argument that was actually pretty pointless. 'Those are things I can't tell you.'
Nico pursed his lips. He had always had a short fuse, which could be blamed on his father, and Apollo was begining to wear it down to the end. "You better figure out a way to tell me those things, Apollo. I'm not kidding. You don't understand how imperative that information is to me right now."
Apollo huffed again. 'You listen here, kid. I have done more for you than you know. I understand you want to keep your new boyfriend safe but I can not do what you are asking. Contrary to popular belief, there are some things I can't figure out.' With nothing more, Apollo hung up leaving Nico to listen to the repetitive beeping of a dead phone call. It was too early for all of this...
Percy finished up in the bathroom shortly and went back into the room where Nico was sitting on his bed. The son of Hades instantly looked up at the older male and felt something run through his body. Percy was totally dressed but his hair was still damp from a shower and he was ruffling it up with his hand. Nicos heart skipped a beat...
"What are we doing today?"
...He spoke. Even better for the son of Hades heart...
Nico coughed to clear his thoughts. He had to think for a second about what they were doing... He had an idea but it was pretty foolish. But it would let both get some air. But it could get them seen...
Whatever, he didn't feel like being cramped up any more. "We're going out."
Percy was quite shocked. Nico had pretty much kept him under house arrest and now the guy was suggesting they leave...
The son of Poseidons emotions ranged from scared witless to overly excited. He collected himself before speaking. "Where are we going?"
Nico shrugged."To get food. Maybe go shopping. I don't know. I just wanna see the surroundings and get a feel for them. Along with that, I wanna try to find some other street guys that used to call this area home."
Percy was a little afraid to ask but he did anyway, in a shakey tone. "Old friends?"
Nico shrugged again. "Some. Others are people who once tried to kill me or vice versa."
Percys head dropped down a little and his mouth opened a bit but his voice no longer shook when he spoke. "You really wanna find guys that once wanted you dead?"
Nico nodded and stood from his bed, almost as if it wasn't a big deal at all. "First, though, I want you to change."
Percy looked down at his clothes, wondering what was wrong with them. He wore a bright blue patterned shirt and blue jeans, clothes he had brought with him when he left the Argo II three years. "Why?"
Nico wasn't fond of having his orders, demands, and motives questioned, but he never raised his voice, spoke with anger, or even gritted his teeth. "Because colors like those stick out. I don't wanna stick out."
The son of Poseidon cocked his hip a little. Damn... Why was that so appealing? "What would you prefer I change into?"
Your birthday suit... 'Alright,' Nico told himself 'That's enough. Focus.' "Something darker. With no patterns. And wear a hoodie so you can at least try to hide yourself if need be. Going out is dangerous enough as it is. I don't need you sticking out like a sore thumb or being seen by anyone." With that, Nico grabbed his own clothes and headed into the bathroom, his heart beating as wildly as if he were running for his life.
Percy looked down at his clothes again and sighed as he dropped his hands onto his legs. Why in the world would it matter what he was wearing? Either way, he stripped his shirt off and tossed it back into his bag before undoing his belt and removing it from the loops. He slid his jeans to the floor before he rummaged back through his things for something he hoped Nico would approve of. He settled on a dark grey shirt and the jeans he had previously been wearing. He felt pretty stupid for taking them off already...
Nico left the bathroom to find Percy pulling on his jeans before belting them up and slipping a shirt down over his perfectly toned torso and back. He really hated the fact that he would probably never be able to have any of Percy for himself.
The son of Poseidon turned around as his shirt slipped to his hips. He saw that Nico was watching him and had a look in his eyes. A look that Percy wasn't sure rather he should fear, or cherish. It was dark, yes, but not frightening.
Percy gulped, suddenly feeling different than he had just a few minutes before when Nico had criticized his clothing choice. He was thinking of things that happened between the two of them. Those thoughts made him wonder something. Although he couldn't be positive he actually wanted to know, words began to slip from his lips in the form of a question he hadn't even fully processed. "What are you thinking?"
Nico shook his head, obviously not noticing how awkward that felt to Percy, and not bothering to allow the words to get to him. "Nothing."
Percy gathered his courage a little more. Maybe it was the fact that Nico had acted as if his question meant nothing that gave Percy a sense of drive. He did, however, have a feeling he knew where Nicos thoughts might have been currently centered, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. He spoke very slowly and quietly, feeling a little shy and still afraid to ask. He made himself think about the fact that Nico was just another person. Except, unlike everyone else Percy had ever flirted with before, Nico already wanted Percy... "Don't lie. I- I think I know already, anyway..."
The son of Hades raised an eyebrow. He knew he shouldn't say anything, especially after what Percy had just said, but he wasn't passing up the opportunity to tell the son of Poseidon just what he had on his mind. His tone was quiet as well but a tad darker than Percys. "You really wanna know?"
Percy hesitated a second before he nodded lighty. He knew there was no turning back now. But that was okay. He didn't really have an urge to turn back. There was something about Nico he found very interesting and a part of him, although quite small, wanted to do everything in its power to learn more about the son of Hades, no matter what that entailed. The boy had changed so much and Percy wanted to know exactly how.
"I was thinking... how much I like watching you get dressed..." Whether it just be slipping a shirt back on after swimming or pulling a pair of jeans up the son of Poseidons long legs, it was very true. Nico just kind of hoped saying what he did, although it wasn't all he would have liked to say, wouldn't make things too much more awkward than they already were.
Percy felt a heat spread to his cheeks and he knew they were turning beat red.
Nico tried not to smirk, gaining some sort of victorious feeling from the reaction. "C'mon."
Nico grabbed his bag and Percy followed hesitantly before they both left the motel room and got into the car. Percy was still running Nicos comment through his mind as they drove on for a few miles before stopping at a small restaurant. Percy looked over at Nico as the son of Hades turned off the car and opened the door. He placed his gun comfortably in the back of his jeans and covered it with his shirt. Percy carried a knife, closed within in his pocket, as well as Riptide. He palmed over his pocket to make sure both weapons were still there before he got out of the car and approached Nico.
"This place was a popular spot for a fella named Festus."
Percy furrowed his brow, an action Nico was growing to find incredibly annoying, and yet somehow borderline perfect on Percys face. "Like Leo's dragon?"
"Same name, yes."
"So nam3d aftee the god of fire?"
Nico stared at the building as he spoke. "Yup. And he's good with it, too. Not to mention unpredictable and slightly psychotic."
Percy nodded in understanding, although he was pretty freaked by that. He was able to kind of figure what the man was known for by his chosen name the explanation Nico gave. It made Percy wonder what kind of problems the man liked to cause. He hoped the man wouldn't be anything like any of the others Percy had had the 'pleasure' of meeting but, considering his 'slightly psychotic' tendencies Nico had spoke of, Percy couldn't imagine him being any better...
The two entered the restaurant and waited to be seated. The building was small and homey and Percy couldn't figure out what about it made it so appealing to the people Nico seemed to be associated with. The son of Poseidon looked over at Nico and saw him peering around the room. He was able to figure Nico was looking for the Festus guy he said the spot was popular to.
A waitress approached the two and led them to a table. A table Nico refused, as kindly as he could, to sit at. He demanded, again very kindly, a corner table. The waitress made the same face Nico got every time he asked that question but led the two toward the corner directly opposite the door. She took drink orders for the two before heading back into the kitchen to let them look at the menu.
Percy looked up at Nico right away with a clearly displeased face. "Why do we have to sit here?"
Nico was looking at the menu instead of Percy. "I like being able to see everything. Corners are helpful."
Percy looked around awkwardly. Nico could see everything, being on the inside, but all of that was to Percys back. He hated it. "Not for me." He tried not to sound whiney. "I feel exposed..."
"Get used to it."
...He could be really insensitive at times in Percys opinion.
Soon enough their drinks were brought out and they ordered breakfast. Nico continued to look around the room as he sipped on his coffee and Percy drank the milk he requested the waitress dye blue. But, the son of Poseidon watched the younger demigod a little, too. And, to Percy, Nicos actions were a little strange. He was just staring at things that Percy couldn't find any bit of importance, or intrigue, in.
Soon, though, the waitress brought their food and Nico became even more boring as Percy wrapped himself up in the decadent looking blueberry waffles stacked on the plate in front of him. He missed food like this...
It wasn't too long before Nico whispered something very softly to Percy. It was almost inaudible.
"Don't move. He's here."
The son of Poseidon knew very well what Nico was talking about but he didn't know why it was so important that he not move. He did, however, freeze while chewing but that was because he wanted so badly to turn around and look at the man that Nico seemed to want to hide from.
The son of Hades sat up a little and slipped his gun from the back of his jeans. He dropped a cloth napkin over it and cocked it slowly, staring directly into Percys eyes as he did so, before looking back up at the man who had just entered. He tried to be as inconspicuous as possible to hopefully lower his chances of being seen, but he felt like he had been caught off guard and it was a bit nerve racking. Percy, too, readied himself and pulled Riptide from his pocket, keepimg the pen tightly in his grasp.
Nico watched the man as he took a seat in the opposite corner and ordered something to eat. Nico leaned slightly forward to talk to Percy.
"Finish eating slowly. Then leave. Get in the car and lock the doors. I'll get the check and be out right after you. Do you understand?" He looked straight into the elder demigods eyes and spoke slowly and firmly.
But... there was no way Percy was leaving the restaurant without Nico. He may not have really known what was going on but he did know that being outside in a car like a sitting duck would put him in more danger than he felt like being in. Never the less, Percy finished eating and went straight out to the car. He pulled out a gun from the glove compartment and held it tightly in his shaking hand. He still wasn't fond of using a gun but he recalled what Nico had said about Riptide and decided it would be better if he didn't use his sword. But not using his favorite weapon caused fear to run through him as he waited for Nico to exit the restaurant.
Minutes upon minutes passed and Percy was starting to really panic. He expected Nico to be only a few seconds behind him but the son of Hades was still inside the building. And Percy didn't know what he was doing, which just made the whole situation worse.
Meanwhile, the son of Hades stood at the counter with his hood up acting as if he was just another teenager playing on his phone. He was waiting, very impatiently for someone to take his money. But it wasn't really all bad seeing as how he was able to watch Festus in the mirror in the kitchen, behind the counter: he caught the man's every move. And, right then, Festus was fidgeting with something underneath the table but Nico couldn't make out what. The waitress approached the counter and took Nicos payment before the son of Hades looked back at Festus again for a split second before leaving. That was when he finally realized what was in his hand. It was a detonator. For what, though, Nico had no clue. Very quickly, the son of Hades made the decision that he wasn't going to stick around long ejough to find out. Instead, he walked out of the restaurant casually but quickly and jumped into the car, pulling away before his door was even latched shut. He pulled his phone from his pocket and called Apollo.
Apollo picked up quickly and said 'Ya know, all these calls are starting to get really annoying here, kid.'
"Yeah, well, so is all the s**t I've been dealing with lately."
'Alright alright calm down.'
"Don't tell me to calm down, Paul!" There was silence between the two for a moment. "Now, I need you to tell me if there has been any treats to police about a bomb or mass poisoning or something like that."
Percy perked up fearfully.
Apollo paused for a moment. 'A bomb?'
"Something that would require a detonator."
Nico could tell that Apollo was shaking his head in confusion. 'What are you talking about?'
"Just tell me if you find anything." Nico snapped.
Apollo sighed and went to work on his trusty computer. He could find almost everything he was looking for with just a few key strokes and the proper programing to hack into all sorts of things. He even hacked into NASA once. Once... The San Francisco police department would be nothing compared to that. After a couple minutes of unbelievably uncomfortable silence, Apollo spoke.
'I've got nothing. No bomb threats, no threats on any establishments, no threat on any people, actually no threats in the past two weeks other than by stupid kids at school.'
Nicos jaw dropped. "This is San Francisco, California. You mean to tell me there have seriously been no threats for anything significantly dangerous recently?"
'That's exactly what I'm telling you, kid. I have nothing.'
Nico wiped his face with his palm, something he didn't realize he did so often until then. "Fine. Just keep me updated. Let me know if anything pops up or happens, alright?"
Apollo spoke with a heavy sigh. 'Alright, kid.'
"Thanks." Nico pressed the end call button. He seriously couldn't believe that Festus hadn't called the police or anything. The guy liked people knowing what was going to happen and knowing they couldn't prevent it. He should have told the cops.
Percy waited for the air in the car to thin out and the tension to diffuse itself before speaking. "Are we going back to the motel now?"
Nico shook his head, finally having calmed. "No. I told you we were gonna do stuff today, and I plan on it."
Percy didn't understand why Nico would want to be out in the open and be doing 'stuff' when so much was going on in their lives. Personally, Percy would have liked to go back to the motel and stay there. Go swimming, mabye, but stay at the motel. Especially since Nico said 'bomb': it had made Percy pretty leary on spending too much time outside.
From then on, much to the surprise of hoth demigods, the day seemed to go by pretty smoothly. The two went to all sorts of simple stores, including the videa game shop Nico felt he had to stop at, and a smile constantly played on Percys face. Nico was really begining to love seeing it there. He was growing pretty used to the laughter Percy would produce when he found something funny or enjoyable, like when he finally beat Nico at Mario Kart after about fifteen tries. Nico thought he would do anything to keep Percy like this. Well, almost anything.
Percy perked up quickly as Nico drove, making his way back to the motel. "Nico! Can we go there?"
The son of Poseidon was pointing out the window at a large building. An aquarium. Nico hated aquariums.
He shook his head.
"C'mon, please?" Percy stuck his bottom lip out and put on his puppy face.
Why did he have to beg? Nico really didn't want to take Percy into the aquarium, at all. He hated them almost as much as he hated pools and swimming. But, Percy was giving him those famous puppy eyes again. Those eyes would definitely be the death of him some day. He sighed and pulled the car into the parking lot as Percy jumped excitedly in the passanger seat.
The son of Poseidon practically ran through the aquarium pointing out all sorts of fish and saying how pretty they were and how cool he thought it would be to go swimming with them. He was insanely excited when the two found their way to the shark tanks, but Nico tried to steer the elder away from them. He should have figured he wouldn't be able to... Instead, the son of Hades stood and listened as Percy named off every single different species without even looking at any of the tags. Soon, Nico got over his agitation about being at the aquarium and even found himself smiling at the son of Poseidons excitement and even his knowledge. It was nice to know that all Percy needed to get his mind off things was a bunch of fish...
Before too long, Nico was ready to leave and he practically had to pull Percy out with him. The son of Poseidon whined a little and complained he didn't want to go yet and even tried the puppy eyes, but Nico was ready to leave. He fought them to the best of his ability and towed Percy to the car.
Percy sulked on the way back to the motel and even tried his puppy eyes now and again while asking the younger to turn around. But it dod no good because Nico refused to look at him. The son of Hades just kept shaking his head and doing his best to egnore the male in the passanger seat.
The motel came into view pretty quickly and Percy almost begged Nico to take him back out. Percy had never really been like that before and Nico had never really dealt with a person who was behaving like him so it was slightly aggravating. But, there was something about Percy begging that made Nico feel like a kid in a candy store.
That feeling was rather short lived becasue what happened next, neither of them expected. The area was quiet and a few people walked along the road as cars passed. Nico clicked his turn signal on and almost made the turn when a loud bang rang through the air. The motel errupted into flames and debris flew everywhere. Percy jumped and yelped in surprise but Nico knew very well what it was: Festus' explosions. Nico knew, then, why the man hadn't contacted the police...
The explosion itself was bright and loud and the fire that burned as a result was hot. Once Nico and Percy recoiled from the blast and were able to look at the small motel, they stared, awestruck, as it crumbled to the ground from the explosion and the flames.
The two stayed still for a few moments as others climbed from their cars and some even ran into the burning building to try to help, even though there was no way they would be able to; Nico knew quite well that anyone in the building was already dead and gone. The son of Hades looked around for any sign of someone he recognized or anyone who looked suspicious. Most of all, though, he was looking around for Festus. To his slight displeasure, everyone around looked truly surprised and distraught at what had just happened. No one looked questionable, no one looked pleased, and there was no sign of the man from the restaurant. Nico shook his head somberly and put the car back in drive before whipping down the street again, back toward the city.
When they were a fair distance away, Percy began to lose it. "What the hell is going on? Why was the motel just blown up? Do you have any idea who did it? Were they trying to get to us? Why do people want us dead so bad?" There was barely even time for a breath in between the son of Poseidons sentences.
Nico had been repeating Percys name, trying to get the slightly older boy to calm down. The son of Poseidon wouldn't have it, though, and his panic continued on well beyond what Nico felt like dealing with.
"Percy!"
Percy stopped, mid word, and stared at Nico with his mouth open in an 'O' shape. He closed his lips together slowly and his face returned to that of a puppy dog yet again. Nico sighed, trying to think. There was so much to process and it globbed all together. He was seeing connections where there weren't any, he was asking himself questions he knew the answers to.
Having everything they needed, the two made their way into the city a little further and stopped at a hotel. Nico turned the car off and waited for a moment. He slammed his fists into the steering wheel and Percy jumped in his seat. Nico looked over at him.
"Sorry." He mumbled. He couldn't even be sure Percy had heard him.
Percy looked out the window at the hotel for a few seconds before speaking. "What's gonna happen now?"
Nico shook his head. "I don't know."
That was a lot of help... Seriously, though, if Nico didn't know, who did? Certainly not Percy. He was completely clueless about this stuff, and that made him even more scared.
They were a little deeper into the city than they had been before when they found the hotel and both just hoped it would be enough to keep people off their trail for a little while. As soon as the two got a room, Nico flopped onto a bed, exhausted. Percy, on the other hand, seemed pretty awake. Never the less, hr plopped down onto the other bed and heaved a sigh.
Nico was begining to wonder if carting Percy all over was the best of ideas. It would take a while but he could get the son of Poseidon back to Camp Half Blood, where he would be safe. But that didn't seem like an option and he needed to tell the son of Poseidon such things.
Nico sat up on his bed. "Percy?"
The son of Poseidon hummed, almost as if he was asking 'What?'.
"I need you to tell me something." He paused, waiting for some sort of response. "Sit up and look at me."
Percy obeyed and he crossed his legs on top of one another and stared at Nico, waiting for the son of Hades to speak.
Nico had never been good at talking to people, almost everyone who knew him knew that, but he was trying. "H-how are you?"
Percy sighed heavily. "I'm not really sure yet."
Nico closed his eyes and turned away slightly. "This isn't going to make things any easier, and I'm sorry for that."
Percy stared at Nico expectently, not really catching the son of Hades' drift.
"We can't run any more. This is it."
Percy squinted his eyes and furrowed his brow. He thought he knew what Nico was talking about now but the son of Hades was pretty vague and unpredictable so Percy could never be sure.
"Are you saying-?"
Nico nodded, feeling like he and Percy were on the same page. Nico licked his lips. "If they find us, and I have the feeling they will, we can't run. We're known to way too many people on the streets. I have put you in so much danger and I am so sorry for that."
Percy was shaking his head after he let a seconds silence settle between himself and Nico. "No. I put me in danger when I left the Argo. I put you in danger then, too. If this is gonna be blamed on anyone, it's gonna be blamed on me." There was only a slight hint of self pity in the son of Poseidons voice.
Another silence, this one tense, filled the room. Percy was trying to relax within it but that seemed almost impossible. Nico, on the other hand, was the main cause of the tense feeling.
"Percy," the name still felt strange coming from Nico, for both boys. Percy looked at the son of Hades. "I told you I would keep you safe. I don't intend on making a liar out of myself. But," this was proving to be much more difficult than Nico expected, "if you want, I'll take you back to Camp. You'll be safe there. At least that way I know I've kept my promise." Nicos voice got a little quieter toward the end.
Both boys were silent for a short time, although it felt like an eternity to Nico. His intentions were for his question to be a hypothetical one, but now he was really wishing Percy would answer.
"Percy-"
"I don't want to leave." Percy was very quick to answer once Nico said his name.
Nico was honestly surprised. Pleastantly surprised, but surprised all the same. "So... you wanna stay?"
Percys voice came out soft and quiet, but he looked directly into Nicos eyes when he spoke. "Yes."
The son of Hades was taken aback by Percys respose. He coughed a little and thought for a moment. He decided it would be a good idea if he gave Percy at least a half of a warning.
"Percy, I can't be sure what's going to happen. With anything. I don't know if someone will find us. I have no clue if either one of us will ever see our families again. I don't know what tomorrow might bring. I don't know how long you'll really be safe. I don't know what could happen between us. I just don't."
The son of Poseidon nodded. He was in the same boat. He didn't know what was going on, so how should he know what might happen?
Percy resisuatied himself on the bed as he thought for a moment. The first part of Nicos 'warning' had been important, even meaningful, and Percy soaked it up. The last part, though... not so much. Percy was quiet for a few minutes and Nico was a little scared he had said something wrong. Just when the son of Hades was about to stand from his bed, Percy nervously spoke up.
"Between us?"
Nico nodded his head but said "Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have said anything."
"But you did say it." His voice shook slightly. "Tell me what you meant."
Nico stood, tense at how quickly things had escalated. He thought and found himself feeling nervous: he wasn't sure if he had ever had to tell someone he wanted them in such a way before. He usually just got what he wanted without saying anything. But, Percy was different. He already knew that.
"You remember what I said about you making it hard to control myself?"
Percy tensed, blushed, and nodded. Each action was noticed by Nico and taken into deep consideration before he said anything else.
"Do you understand what that means?"
Percy took a moment before he nodded.
"Does that scare you?"
Percy didn't speak or move. He just stared at the son of Hades, who stared back at him.
"Percy, I need you to be honest with me. Does it bother you? How I feel?"
The son of Poseidon took a second (typical Percy) before he shook his head. It probably should have bothered him but he already knew something had changed within him that made him feel differently toward Nico. That made him not be so scared and realize the son of Hades was just another demigod teenager. Sure, he was a guy and knowing a guy was attracted to you, being a guy, was hard to process at first. But, it could boost a guys self-esteem. And that's just what it did to Percy. But he felt shy around Nico. Percy had never felt shy around anyone before.
Percy swallowed hard. "Nico?"
Nico perked up and looked at him.
"Why am I still here?"
Nico shook his head a little. "Because, Percy, I want to keep you safe. It's dangerous out there."
Percy nodded as he spoke. "I know that. But, why didn't you take me back to Camp? I mean, if keeping me safe was the first thing on your mind, wouldn't that be the best place for me?"
Nico cursed himself. Percy was smart. Too smart for his own good at times. Times like now. He was able to read between lines but he would always make the person explain anyway.
"I don't know why I decided to keep you here." Nico threw his arms up a little.
Percy felt shy again, like a kid asking his parents for something. "There obviously had to be a reason..."
Damn it! Percy was being a serious tease. Even if he didn't mean to, he still was. He was testing Nico and tempting him more than the son of Hades thought was even possible with just a few innocent words. It had been almost two months that Nico had had to contain and control himself. He was damn near done now. If he could, he would...'Knock it off!!' Nico shouted to his thoughts.
That morning, when Percy had been getting dressed, he had asked Nico a question. At that very momet, he repeated it. "What are you thinking?"
Oh gods. Nico shook his head lightly and hung it a little. "Things." His answer was barely a whisper. "Not good things."
"About me?" Percy was losing his shyness, but the whole situation had gotten pretty awkward pretty fast.
"Yes, Percy, about you."
Nico began to pace again. Percy let him for a moment so he himself could think before speaking. "Do you want to kiss me?"
Nico stopped mid step and pivoted on his heel to face Percy.
"What?"
Percy swallowed hard. "I asked you if you wanted to kiss me."
Nicos eyes opened wide. "Percy-" Again, the younger demigod felt like he was being teased but Percy wasn't so innocent that time. And, he actually become guilty when he spoke again.
"Kiss me." Maybe this wasn't just for Nicos good but for Percys, too. Hearing Nico say what he had said made his stomach and head swirl.
Nico wasted no time in approaching Percy and grabbing the back of his head to tilt it up so he could attach their lips. Nico was almost hungry for it and he feared pushing a little too far for Percys comfort. But, that didn't seem like it was going to be a problem. Percy reached up and tangled a hand into Nicos dark hair. Nico no longer cared at all where this would end. He wanted Percy too badly. He pushed down on him slightly so Percy was laying on his back in between Nicos thighs.
Nico deepened the kiss and started biting on Percys lower lip harshly enough to get him to open them and let out a moan. Nico almost lost it.
The son of Hades was holding himself in almost a half push up above Percy and the son of Poseidon still had his hands tangled into Nicos hair. Nico traced his tongue along the roof Percys mouth and he felt Percy tighten the grip on his hair. Nico pushed harder, almost as if he wanted Percy to sink into the bed.
The son of Hades really didn't want to push things but he was practically living a dream. He would have been crazy not to take advantage of it. And he did just that. He slowly brought his knee up and dragged it across Percys groin, where a hard on was forming. The son of Poseidon moaned into Nicos mouth, making the boy on top repeat the action.
Nico was hating himself a little bit because he knew this was the first time Percy had done anything like this, with a guy anyway. But Percys slight whimpers and moans were oh so satisfying...
Nico rubbed his knee a little more fiercely between Percys thighs. Percy was continuing to moan and whine and grip into Nicos hair even tighter and his back arched. The son of Hades pulled away from Percys lips and moved his own to the son of Poseidons neck. He had tried to control himself and not go too far, but that ended right then and there. He licked across the skin as he moved his knee a little slower.
Percy had begun to enjoy the friction he had gained from the action and he let out a heavy sigh of displeasure when Nicos movements slowed and the feeling weakened. He even tried to push his lower half upward, into Nicos knee, to regain the feeling.
At that sound, Nico groweled into Percys neck and moved his knee even faster and harder than before. Percys moans became slight yells. Those became louder when the son of Hades latched his lips onto the skin of Percys neck and began sucking on it. Percys hands moved to Nicos sides, where he gripped the son of Hades' ribcage and held onto it tightly. That was a very sensitive spot for the son of Hades...
Nico continued to grind his knee into Percys hard on for a few more seconds before he yelled out loudly. Nico moaned at the sound Percy made when he came. It was... beautiful, even to Nico. The son of Hades had seriously just lived a dream...
Nico flopped down next to Percy and looked at the male who was panting next to him. Nico felt pretty accomplished, knowing he had been the first guy Percy had ever had a sexual experience with. But it also made him feel pretty bad about himself.
Nico swallowed and took a breath. "I'm sorry, Percy."
The son of Poseidon shook his head, still a little out of breath. "Do not apologize for that, Nico."
Nico was nothing less than surprised. "You were okay with that?"
Percy turned his head to look at Nico. "I wouldn't have let it get as far as it did if I wasn't."
Nico nodded lightly, even though he was celebrating heavily on the inside.
Percy spoke very quietly and shyly. "I'm gonna grab a shower."
Nico nodded, even though he wished he could so he could fix his own issue. He could do it in the room, though, as long as he didn't make a mess.
Percy felt like he should feel really gross about what just happened, but he didn't. He felt so good. He didn't think he had ever felt better, or if he ever could feel better.
The shower was relaxing and Percy felt refreshed. Nico washed himself up a little when Percy was done, cleaning the mess he had made of himself while Percy was in the shower.
The long day and the nights occurances made sleep come quick to both boys when they finally settled in for the night.

Within a few hours, Nico woke to a phone call. He put the phone to his ear and spoke a groggy "Hello".
'Have you seen the news?' The voice of Apollo asked.
"No. I've been sleeping." Nico said in a, very sleepy, matter-of-fact manner.
'Well, turn it on.' Apollo seemed extremely impatient.
"No."
'Nico, you need to see the this.'
"I don't want to wake him."
Apollo was quite for a second. 'Who? You're boyfriend?'
"He's not my boyfriend. But yes."
'Fine, whatever.' Apollo didn't find much importance in Nicos comment. 'I'll tell you. Police think they've located Typhon and The Manticore.'
Nico had a very hard time believing that. "Alright, so what?"
'They're preparing to use FBI and SWAT to make an arrest before sunrise tomorrow.'
Nico chuckled darkly. "Every single one of them will end up dead."
'Hey. Don't be such a pesimist, man.'
"Whatever. I'm going back to bed. Goodnight."
Nico hung up the phone and flopped his head back down. He didn't think too much on what Apollo said and was back asleep within minutes.

Author's Note

My typical A/N. Just tell me what you think, if you feel like it, and keep an eye out for more.