Hell And High Water 22 (pt. 1)

A glitch in percico and something dangerous

Days turned into weeks and Percy had absolutely nothing to do with the son of Hades, nor had he even acknowledged the youngers' exsistance. The son of Poseidon had slept in his own bed for the first night but had since moved in the attempt to get away from Nico. The son of Hades knew that Percy had moved himself into the other room of the suite, but where he was sleeping was the curious thing. There was only one bed, which Hazel and Frank shared, and then the small couch bed Leo slept on. Nico didn't think too much on it, though, for fear of actually finding out the truth.
What Percy was doing away from Nico, on the other hand, was something that couldn't be missed. He had been spending pretty much all of his time with Leo. The son of Hephaestsus was the only one Percy was feeling even remotely comfortable around because, again, he seemed to have very little to do with Percy's tension. The son of Poseidon was growing very fond of spending time with Leo and hearing him crack jokes about various things that had become involved in Percys every day life; humor was the only way Leo knew to deal with things and his jokes were helping the son of Poseidon make sense of things, too, so Percy was grateful.
As the days continued on, Percy began to see Leo as his only real friend; another thing to be grateful for. But, the thing that Percy was happiest about was that Leo had leant the son of Poseidon his small couch bed. Percy was quick to jump at the offer so he didn't have to spend as much time around Nico. But he didn't like the fact that Leo had moved to the floor. Not thinking it was fair, Percy forced Leo to continue to sleep on his own bed and Percy would have the floor. Leo turned down the offer, an idea forming in his mind, and suggested them sharing the bed. Percy agreed easily; he didn't care what had to be done just as long as he didn't have to be around Nico so often.
A few more days passed on and Percy and Leo grew closer with each one. Percy would have a nightmare and Leo would wrap the son of Poseidon in his arms and comfort him until the dream was over. Leo would have trouble getting back to sleep after his own nightmares and Percy would stay awake with him until he finally did. It was the best thing Percy had at the moment and he was begining to remember why he enjoyed being with Annabeth so much. The conversations they shared and the time they spent with each other were the highlight of Percys days back then and things were no different now with Leo.
Percy may have enjoyed being around Leo all the time and just having the other demigod by his side whenever he needed him but that didn't mean, by any means, that Percy was interested in sparking up any kind of relationship, other than just being good friends, with him. It was very true that Percy enjoyed Leo's company and was even becoming quite fond of his voice, but he had no urge to hear the son of Hephaestsus say anything to him that could potentially further their 'relationship'.
Leo couldn't have agreed more, even if he didn't know that that was how Percy felt. The son of Hephaestsus was trying something, yes, but he was not trying to get Percy. He had other goals. But, no one needed to know that. Especially not Percy and Nico...
Through it all, Leo kept his goals to himself and kept Percy tight to his side. After that, it didn't really take too long for Leo to get feely with the son of Poseidon. At first it was just soft touches on the arm or back, but it was quick to escelate. He began hugging Percy and even holding onto his hand when the two went off alone to get food, which was happening quite often. Percy was made slightly uncomfortable by it at first but quickly grew used to it and even began to like the closeness. Nico caught pretty much everything and did his best not to show his anger. Nico was the one who saved him from the Lotus, he was the one that had taken care of Percy, and he was the one who had gone through the trouble of trying to explain the dangers of the world to the older demigod and now he was choosing Leo...
Hazel and Frank were well aware of Leo and Percys new found friendship and weren't too sure about it. They knew how Leo acted when it came to guys and they also knew how sensitive Percys psyche was at the time. Leo was the kind that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and even not knowing what Leo wanted, Hazel and Frank knew things would probably turn out poorly. But they stayed out of it.
Hazel had recieved plenty of phone calls from a few of her connections telling her plenty of things that led her to begin making new choices. She was leary about a few things at first, like actually meeting with Typhon and the Manticore, but she never let herself stop thinking of ways she could possibly make things work.
At first, Hazel had done all the thinking and planning on her own. After a few days, though, she began to feel overwhelmed and asked for her boyfriends help. He questioned the request but did agree.
Frank kept quiet for hours on end until Hazel yelled at him for it. She was angry, and an angry Hazel was scary. Over two weeks. That's how long she had been working through everything and she was tired. Her head hurt, she was starting to doubt herself, and she was really feeling like nothing would work. And Frank wasn't helping.
Finally though, after three weeks, Frank was starting to be of some use. He was coming up with ideas left and right and Hazel was able to flip things around and combine both their thoughts to come up with a solid plan. There was, however, a few things the boy brought up that his girlfriend didn't agree with.
"Were you planning on sending all of us in to talk to them?"
Hazel sighed. "I'm not sure. They want to meet with all of us but they don't know who, or even how many, are 'all of us'." She sighed. "There's only five of us, which isn't really alot when you think about it. I would like to have someone on the outside to help if necessary. But I don't think that's gonna happen."
Frank nodded. He agreed with Hazel's words and thought they should have someone that Typhon and Manti didn't really know about. "I think our best bet with that would be Percy, since he's not really into all this and we've already let him be seen."
And that's where Hazel kind of disagreed with the son of Ares. "It may be too dangerous for him to be around them, and not us. It could make things worse for us, too."
Frank cocked his head in question.
Hazel shook her own head and sighed. "I see where you're coming from, but it's not a good idea. It's like you said, Percy's not really into all this. Will he rabbit when no one's around? Can we actually trust him to do his job? Being on the outside is just as dangerous as being in the middle of it and I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it."
Frank sighed heavily. He was no good when it came to planning. He was the brute, not the brains. He did all the heavy lifting, all the dirty work, and Hazel did the thinking. But, he did have another idea.
"What if we send Percy in?"
"What?" Hazel recoiled. "You just got through telling me you didn't think that was a good idea. Why would suggest this now?"
The son of Ares sighed. "Humor me?"
"Always have..."
Frank nodded. "Okay. Typhon, Manti, and Eros know that he was 'working with a big guy' and they'll probably assume it's me if they see me, and, if that happens, I'm dead time and time again. But, if we can make them believe that Percy flipped, possibly killed his associate, and is now working with at least one other person maybe we can make it work. We'll put an ear piece in him, and send him in and hope for the best."
Hazel soaked all that up; she wasn't too thrilled with the 'hope for the best' part but that wasn't her biggest concern in all of it. "Alone?"
Frank shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I know it's risky to do that but anything's gonna be risky with them, so..."
Hazel opened her mouth to speak again but stopped as the door to their side of the suite opened and Leo and Percy entered carrying lunch. Basically every day had gone like that; Hazel and Frank would be talking and Leo and Percy would come in with food. It was becoming normal but they still weren't quite used to the hand holding.
Hazel ignored it, like always, and went to see if Nico wanted anything to eat. She walked into his side of the suite and stared at the room in confusion. It was empty. At first she thought he may be in the bathroom but the door was wide open and it, too, was free of inhabitants. The daughter of Hades roamed the room a little until she heard her half-brothers voice.
"Why didn't you just tell me before?"
Hazel squinted her eyes in confusion. She knew Nico must have been on the phone but she had no idea to whom he could be speaking or what their conversation might have been centered around. Instead of sticking around to find out, though, she closed the door again and left him alone.
Nico sighed. "You thought it would be by better for me? Really?" He would normally be angry at the time but he was too tired to be. He hadn't slept in days and felt like he was almost half dead.
"Apollo, do you have any idea what this is putting me through?"
Apollo took a second to answer. 'Is this really messing you up, man?'
"Yes! Gods, you're so dumb. This kid I worked for three years to find hates me right now cause I had to explain who Eros was after I finally thought I had him just because you didn't tell me he was around when you should have!"
Apollo silenced.
Nico shook his head before dropping it heavily into the wall behind him. A loud thud reverberated throughout both rooms of the suite but no one in the other bothered to check if the son of Hades was alright. Hazel and Frank sat silently as they ate and the other two spoke quietly to one another. Hazel kept an eye on them and was really getting annoyed of what she was seeing. Leo was being flirtatious, which was a little unusual for him, and Percy was playing hard to get. But Hazel knew there was a possibility the son of Poseidon didn't quite know he was getting hit on. Either way, Hazel wasn't liking seeing the two like that.
Being under the impression that Nicos phone call had ended, the daughter of Hades decided to check on him and see if he may want anything to eat. She placed her plate gently on the bed and entered the other side of the suite, her boyfriends eyes following her the whole way over. She opened the door slowly and closed it behind her.
"Nico?"
She could hear him ruffling around a little in the corner hidden by his bed.
"You hungry? There's some food in the other room you're welcomed to if you want it."
Nico shook his head gently. Honestly, he felt like he may never have the urge to eat again. His anger was so overwhelming at the time that all he thought he would be able to do was sleep. And he did feel truly exhausted. His head was near killing him and he felt nauseous.
Hazel nodded and swallowed hard. "Just remember you're not the only person involved." The daughter of Hades was trying to control her own anger. She had never really done well with people pitying themselves and she didn't have time to deal with Nicos mopeyness, no matter what it was that had put him in a bad mood. After another glare from her half-brother, Hazel left the room and returned to her meal.
Nico, left in silence, pondered possibilities. He knew Percy and Eros had already met but he wondered what would happen if the two were to see each other again. Eros had no idea who Percy was or even that he knew Nico so things might not be so bad from that end. But, Percy knew. Percy knew everything. How would he react if he were to meet up with the other? Would the son of Poseidon be able to let things go? Would he be holding a grudge on a man he had never even met? Gods, Nico wished he had never said anything.
The son of Hades stood from the floor and paced around. He stared at his own bed, messy and unkempt. He stared at Percys bed, neatly made and unused. He shook his head, at himself, at circumstances, at life, and allowed an idea to form. He was wondering what could happen if Percy and Eros were ever to meet up again, but he didn't have to wonder. If Nico could clear his mind enough and focus, he could come up with some sort of way to keep Percy out of things so there would be no chance of him seeing Eros again. And, after that, if he could, somehow, get the son of Poseidon to talk to him again, he might be able to put his plan into action.
Nico was burried so deep into his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he wasn't actually alone in the room any more. He jumped a little and his heart skipped a beat when he turned and saw his half sister and Frank on his side of the suite.
"Dear gods. You scared the s**t out of me! Damnit, Hazel!"
The daughter of Hades gave her half-brother a curious look as he proceeded to shake his head at her.
"What do you want?" The son of Hades' tone was slightly fierce but neither Hazel nor her large boyfriend took much notice to it.
Hazel took the liberty to speak. "We need you to fix whatever you messed up with Percy."
Nicos expression changed drastically from one of confusion and still slight fear to one of total anger. He thought it was quite audacious of his half-sister to say that HE needed to fix what HE messed up with the older male. In Nicos opinion, he had done nothing wrong to really make Percy so mad at him at the moment. It wasn't his fault Percy had overreacted and dealt with things like a child. Okay... maybe that was a little harsh but Nico was still pretty mad at Percy for being such a fool just a couple of weeks ago, when he ran out in the open and possibly risked his life.
"What's this 'you' s**t?"
Hazel groweled and Frank laughed dryly at the son of Hades' words. The son of Ares took a few steps backward and looked through the window of the door between the two rooms. He was actually rather disgusted by what he saw. He and his girlfriend had left Leo and Percy in the other room alone and now the two were awfully close to one another. Leo had Percy facing away from him with the son of Poseidons arms twisted around his back. That was alright, seeing as how Percy kind of needed to know a little about self defense if he were to ever be in such a position. The part that made Frank want to gag was that Leo was so close to Percy that his lips were brushing against the skin on the son of Poseidons neck. The son of Ares cringed a little and looked away.
"Listen," Hazel said, "there is a lot we have to do and we can't afford to have you and Percy hating one another."
Nico was shaking his head. "I don't hate Percy."
Hazel sighed. "I didn't necessarily mean hate, Nico."
He smirked a little, knowing he had rubbed his half-sister the wrong way.
"Anyway, there is an awful lot that I need to tell you and I feel like it would be best if you and Percy were on better terms when I did so."
Nico shrugged. "What would you like me to do about it, Hazel?"
She scoffed. "Be a big boy, grow some balls, and talk to him. As long as the two of you can sit in a room with one another for longer than ten minutes, without making everyone else feel like they're about to explode, and work together I don't care what you have to do. But we're gonna need both of you to make sure things work out right when it comes to Typhon and Manti." She sighed lightly. "I am on the verge of begging you, Nico." The daughter of Hades sighed yet again. "Along with that, both of us" She was gesturing to herself and her boyfriend "need Leo and Percy to just stop." She shook her head but Frank was nodded his. "It's gross."
Nico squinted his eyes, wondering what exactly the two were doing that was so gross. He considered a number of possibilities, all of which he wish he hadn't. He had seen the two hugging and holding hands and tried to figure what could have really been going on between the two. He pictured kissing and cuddling and the two talking dirty to one another and Nico had to question what he had started.
The son of Hades shook his head. "I don't know what to tell ya, Hazel."
The boys half-sister had to think for a moment. She understood full well why Nico had said that. She knew that Percy probably didn't hate anyone more than Nico at the moment and she couldn't imagine the confrontation that could come of a conversation between the two. But something really needed to be done. Leo was distracted, Nico was secluded, and no one was focused.
"Nico," her tone was gentle, "I'm not asking you to do it now, but just know it needs to be done."
Nico managed a gentle nod and Hazel and Frank took that as their cue to leave. They spoke a few quiet words to one another as they left but Nico couldn't hear them. He didn't care to, though. He paced a few more steps after the door closed again but stopped in his tracks when he heard Hazel yell.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Percy and Leo sat in silence. The son of Hephaestsus had a look of light shame on his face while Percy bore an expression of complete and utter confusion.
Frank was glad that Hazel had found her voice because the son of Ares definitely could not. He was honestly surprised he hadn't thrown up. The two had walked in on Leo and Percy laying on the couch. Well, Percy was laying on the couch and Leo was hovering over him. The son of Hephaestsus had stripped Percy of his shirt and was well on his way to unzipping the son of Poseidons jeans. Hazel had plenty of ideas as to what was going on and very few of them were pleasant.
Leo spoke in an innocent tone but his face screamed that he was up to something. "Teaching Percy how to stay calm in stressful situations."
"Oh dear gods!" Frank threw his arms in the air and turned away from the two demigods on the couch.
"Get up!"
Leo was quick to follow Hazel's order and he stood just in front of the couch. The daughter of Hades looked at Percy with sympathy and shook her head.
"Get up and put your shirt back on." She shook her head and turned away.
Percy was quick to slip his shirt back on. Leo tossed him a smile and the son of Poseidon felt even more confused than before. He didn't see anything wrong with having Leo teach him and give him a few pointers when it came to staying calm and didn't see why Hazel and Frank had. Percy felt as though it would be really good for him, especially when it came to Nico.
Hazel turned to Frank. "Do me a favor?"
The large son of Ares nodded.
"Get Percy the hell out of here for a while so I can talk to Leo."
Frank nodded again and gestured the son of Poseidon to follow him.
"Where are we going?" Everyone in the room was shocked at the amount of fear that sounded in Percys tone.
No one responded to the son of Poseidons question but Frank motioned, with less patience than before, for Percy to follow. Not wanting to agitate the situation further, the son of Poseidon followed the larger son of Ares and the two left the suite.
As soon as they were gone, Hazel lost it. "What the hell do you think you're doing, huh?"
Leo shrugged. "I told you. I'm giving him some pointers."
"On what?" The daughter of Hades snapped. "Getting seduced, or raped?"
Leo scoffed. "No. On how to deal with situations like that."
Hazel was very near to ripping her own hair out. "So, what, you force him onto the couch, strip him down, and run your hands all over his body? Where do you think he's ever gonna encounter a situation like that? Other than right here, in this room, on that couch?"
Hazel was tense and her words showed it but Leo was remaining perfectly calm. "Who knows. You heard about his interaction with Herc. What happens if, next time, it's Typhon?"
Hazel laughed through her teeth and anger. "I don't think it'll be anybody but you 'next time', Leo."
The son of Hephaestsus shrugged yet again. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"Gods, I wish we hadn't brought you along. Damnit, Leo, you are way more trouble than you're worth!"
The room filled with silence. Hazel paced as she hung and shook her head. Everything was a little much for her at the time and Leo not being able to control himself had kind of just become her top priority. "I'm gonna take a shower. Try not to do anything stupid."
The son of Hephaestsus looked offended but his expression meant nothing to Hazel. She gathered together a set of clothes and made her way to the bathroom.
Frank and Percy had yet to return and Leo was kind of in the mood to cause problems. He considered messing with Hazel or the water for her shower but he knew, if he did that, he'd pretty much be signing his own death warrant. Another option was leaving the room and causing a ruckus in the hotel but he rid himself of that idea quickly, too. That only really left him with one option: Nico. He smiled broadly at having the son of Hades and swaggered his way to the other room of the suite.
Nico was sitting on his bed, breathing deeply, and staring at the wall opposite him. He didn't notice the son of Hephaestsus in the room until Leo cleared his throat to announce his presence.
Nico turned quickly to face the other demigod. "What do you want, Valdez?"
Leo shrugged. "Just to talk."
"Find someone else to listen, then."
Leo smirked. He liked that side of the son of Hades. "Do you really hate me that much?"
Nico gritted his teeth. Why Leo thought it was okay to be talking to him at the moment the son of Hades didn't know. But he was not in the mood for Leo's mind games or jokes. Nico swallowed hard. "No," The son of Hades' voice was low and his tone was harsh. "I hate you even more. If it weren't for Hazel, you'd probably be dead by now."
Leo chuckled. "Nico, Nico, Nico. We always got along at camp. What's wrong with me now?"
Nico shot him a look. An 'if looks could kill' look. And the son of Hades was seriously wishing they could... "What's wrong with you is that you're a pain in the a*s. You think you're so clever and that you have such a way with words just 'cause you can crack a few jokes. You think you're so cool cause you're a Pyro by lineage. You get into people's heads when they're at their weakest and you drive everyone else around you crazy."
Leo recoiled but chuckled. "Why do I have a feeling this is all about Percy?"
Nico didn't answer. It was, and was not, all about the son of Poseidon. All this was coming up because of the fact that Hazel and Frank had spoken to him earlier.
"It is, isn't it?" Leo's tone changed from something Nico didn't quite get to anger and frustration.
Nico turned away from him.
"Gods, Nico! What is it? What is it about Percy that has you so hooked? What is so special about the god damned son of Poseidon? Huh? What about him is so much better than me?"
Nico really couldn't help it anymore. He wasn't sure where any of this was coming from but he didn't care to know. All he wanted was for Leo to just leave him alone. "Well, for starters, he's not you."
"What do I have to do?"
Nico hesitated, not being quite sure what Leo was talking about. A small part of the son of Hades considered asking him but he decided against it. He shook his head. "There's nothing you can do."
Leo groweled. He didn't even know what had him so angry. He had never been the one to beg for a guy but, here he was, damn near to getting on his hands and knees. He wanted Nico. He had since the beginning. The son of Hades was Leos ulterior motive in getting close to Percy, hoping to make Nico jealous, but he seemed to have failed. "C'mon, Nico, there has to be something!"
"Just give it up!" Nico snapped. "Leo, I don't want you!"
Leo froze. To him, those words felt like a sucker punch. He thought he could manage something. He thought he could make Nico mad enough to let Percy go and move onto him. He figured if the son of Hades realized he really couldn't have Percy, that he would move onto the next best thing. And, in Leo's opinion, he was the next best thing. But, apparently, he couldn't have been more wrong.
Leo let his anger boil for a few seconds as he watched the son of Hades mindlessly pace around his room. There had to be something more he could do but, Nico was stubborn as all get out and the son of Hephaestsus knew he would be hard to crack. But, he was determined to have Nico. He didn't know why but he was. There must have been something about his darkness that Leo was drawn to. There had to be something beautiful in all his awkward mystery. There must have been something, maybe his dark eyes, that had drawn the son of Hephaestsus in and kept him there. Whatever it was, Leo promised himself he wouldn't give up until he had Nico in his bed.
The son of Hephaestsus watched for a few more seconds as Nico paced. Nico would occasionally shake his head or run his fingers through his dark hair in frustration. His head hurt and the only thing he wanted to do was sleep. But, instead, he was being harassed by the last person he wanted to deal with.
Leo waited for Nico to say something. To come up with some clever retort and leave Leo at a loss for words. He was very familiar with how Hazel spoke and was expecting something very similar from her half-brother. But, the son of the god of the Underworld said nothing. He remained totally silent.
Leo couldn't handle the silence and decided to force Nico to say something. Or, at least try.
When the son of Hephaestsus spoke, his voice was loud and Nico was nothing less that taken aback by the other boys tone. Leo let out a growl before speaking. "I really don't see what it is about Percy that's got you so hooked." He paused for a second. "Why do you want him so bad? What's so much better about him than me? Huh?" Leo looked at Nico and saw that the son of Hades had his mouth hanging agape. The son of Hephaestsus continued his rant. "What is it that makes you want him so bad?"
Nico took a lifetime of seconds to process what had just happened. Things seemed to have escalated so quickly and the son of Hades wasn't sure how to handle it. Leo's words were shocking and Nico had no reply to them. He couldn't even really think straight about them. All he was thinking was why it would even matter why he wanted Percy so badly. He didn't understand why that was the first thing that Leo wanted to know in all this.
"Why does that even matter?" The son of Hades shook his head as he spoke.
"Because, Nico," Leo shouted, "He doesn't deserve you! You did everything for him and this is how he repays you!"
Nicos eyes shot open. He couldn't breathe. That was almost exactly what he had been thinking not too long before all of this and here the son of Hephaestsus was saying it out loud, for him to hear from someone else's voice.
Nico shook his head. He had to rationalize with his own thoughts to find something to say to Leo that could possibly make a difference. "You don't understand what happens to people after the Lotus. They're scared, angry, confused. The littlest things can make a big difference. They act out. They do whatever they can to forget and cling to whoever is paying them the most attention. At this point, that's you. The only reason Percy is 'repaying' me in such a way is because I haven't done a good enough job of explanation things to him. You say I did everything for him. That's not true. I did a lot, yes. I explained things, I taught him things, I patched him up when he got shot, I even spent more time at hotel pools than I did in the rooms." Nico scoffed. "But that's not enough. Percy needs someone to be close to and now seeing him with you, I understand that. What I'll do about it, I don't know but I do understand."
A silence filtered through the room. Enough of one to finally notice it was raining outside. Nico began to pace again and Leo groweled. He thought Nicos argument was pretty pathetic, truthfully. He definitely could have done better. But that wasn't the point. The point was that everything here was pointless. He shook his head and took his thoughts back to the beginning of the argument to process through all of it.
Nico was annoyed by the awkward silence but the fact that Leo was in his room made it worse. The fact that he didn't know where Percy was made him want to break something. The son of Hades turned to look at Leo and tell him to leave and saw the boy making a face that Nico had to fight not to wipe off with his fist.
Leo pursed his lips in anger but laughed through his gritted teeth. He wasn't laughing because he found something funny in his displeasure. He wasn't laughing because he thought the son of Hades was joking, either. He was laughing because he had thought of something. Through his anger, he thought of something. Something brilliant. A way to get Nico thinking. The son of Hephaestsus smiled as he spoke.
"Ya know, I bet I'll get with Percy before you."
Nico shifted his gaze fiercely from the floor to Leo's face. The change in the son of Hephaestsus' speech and even his demeanor was so quick and unexpected that Nico was left silent in awe.
Leo noticed Nicos reaction and thrived on it. He smirked yet again and continued speaking. He was facing away from Nico but directed his words right at the son of Hades. "He seems to hate you right now and I'm pretty close to him. What do you think?" That's when he looked back, large smirk plastered across his face. "Do you think I could manage to get him? Before you really do? I think so."
The son of Hades' head began to pound. At first, Leo seemed to be trying to get Nico. Now, he was talking about trying to get Percy. Nico wished he could have asked what the son of Hephaestsus was talking about but he knew, if he opened his mouth, he would just make things so much more confusing. He tried to work through it on his own but it didn't make sense.
Leo didn't say anything more before he smirked again and left Nicos side of the suite. Hazel was sitting on her bed with a book in her hands. She looked up at the son of Hephaestsus.
"You're lucky he was confused."
Leo shook his head. "What are you talking about?"
The daughter of Hades dropped the book in her lap. "If he would have had the slightest clue of what exactly you were saying, he would have beat the living daylights out of you."
Leo chuckled.
"Don't doubt him, Valdez." She picked her book back up. "Stay away from both of them. If you don't, I can't be sure what may happen to you."

Frank waited until he could no longer see the hotel behind them to indulge in Percys questions. The son of Poseidon had been going through life, over the last four months anyway, not really being told too awful much and he hated it. He was persistent in asking why Frank had taken him from the hotel.
There was a few moment silence that Frank took the opportunity to fill with his own voice.
"What's going on between you and Leo?"
The son of Poseidon was taken aback by the question. There was nothing going on between he and the son of Hephaestsus and he had no clue why Frank would think there was. "What do you mean?"
Frank sighed in annoyance. "You two are pretty close and neither myself or Hazel are liking it too much."
"Why does it matter if you like it?"
Frank was not expecting Percy to respond so quickly or with such a bite in his tone. Right in that moment, he was sure he had found exactly why both Annabeth and Nico were attracted to him. "It's not even as simple as that, Percy."
Percy shook his head before turning to face out his window. He wasn't in the mood to deal with people and here Frank was, questioning him about his friendships.
"Look, there's things we need to focus on and we need Leo to focus, too. I hate to say this, but, in my opinion, you're a distraction to him. And the fact you're not talking to Nico has him pretty frazzled. Meaning he's not too focused, either."
Percy scoffed. "Are you saying I'm a distraction to both of them?"
Frank shrugged. "In a way."
"Then why don't you just take me back to the Lotus or something and get me out of everyone's way?"
Frank smiled and chuckled a little. "Trust me, if that would work, I would have done it a long time ago."
Percy tried not to be too offended. He just shook his head and thought on other things. "What do you want me to do?"
"Well," Frank sighed, "for starters, get away from Leo. Stay away from Leo. He will mess you all up, Percy. And you don't need that. Along with that, we really need his head in things. We're gonna need more explosives and fire and... him... than we ever have before. There's a lot that's needs to be planned, put together, and done and Leo needs to have a part in it. After that, fix whatever the hell is going on with Nico."
Percy sighed heavily and dropped his head into the window.
"I know you don't want to but you have to. You may hate him right now but I don't really care. Just talk to him. Make him think you DON'T hate him. At least, that way, he might be able to think straight. Once we're done, you can go back to hating him. But, for the love of the gods, just don't ignore him. At least for the next month or two. I think you can do that. Right?"

The next few days were harder than Percy could have ever imagined. Hazel and Frank had him doing so many things that were keeping him away from Leo. On top of that, they had the son of Hephaestsus running errand after errand to keep him at least out of the hotel room. Hazel and Frank seemed like they were trying to get Percy and Nico to interact but they were failing miserably. Nico had convinced himself he needed to talk to Percy and try to get him to understand how much trouble he could be in with Leo. Percy was well aware of how important it was for the group that he and Nico make things right. But, none of that seemed to matter. Neither boy could bring themselves to speak to the other.
Hazel and Frank were both growing very angry. Hazel considered strapping the both of them to chairs and making them talk but Frank told her it was a stupid idea and wouldn't make things any better between the two. She put the idea to the back of her mind but vowed she would use it if she needed to.
Hazel, Frank, and Leo had plenty of talks over the days. They were trying to put together a plan that could get them in and out without being harmed and, hopefully, noticed. They had managed to come to the conclusion that is was, indeed, Percy who had to go in and talk to Typhon and the Manticore only because he was the only one who wasn't well known. They hated the idea of sending him to them alone but figured nothing else would work. If they even had someone sticking around and keeping an eye on him, and Typhon and Manti noticed, who knew what would happen.
Nico and Percy had been left on their own side of the suite in the hopes of the two sharing words. None of the others were really paying attention but they didn't need to. They figured things would sort out somehow.
Percy laid on his bed, the bed he hadn't slept in in weeks, with his ear buds in while Nico sat with a notebook in his hands on his own bed. The son of Poseidon would periodically look over at the younger trying to find the right words to say to him to do what Hazel and Frank had asked of him.
The minutes ticked away and Nico was growing impatient. Being locked in a room with Percy was not what he had wanted for the day. But, he knew why it was happening. He needed to talk to the son of Poseidon and this was the only way it would get done. Nico sat up quickly and looked at Percy. He groweled at himself and shook his head.
"Percy."
There was no response. Of course, the son of Poseidon hadn't heard him. Typical stuff for Nico to try to deal with. He finally decides to fix a problem he started and it doesn't go anything like what he could have hoped for. The younger demigod stood from his bed and stepped closer to Percy's. He sighed and turned away. Gods this was turning out to be much harder than he had expected.
Nico noticed that Percy had begun to flip through songs and hoped that no music playing meant that the son of Poseidon would be able to hear him. He wasn't going to be able to talk to him just like that so he grabbed the olders attention by slamming a drawer in the night table.
Percy jumped and pulled his ear buds out all in one go. "Dear gods, Nico you scared me."
The younger shrugged. "Sorry."
Percy shook his head and went to put his ear buds back in.
"Wait!"
The son of Poseidon froze. He lowered his buds back to his bed and rested them gently beside him.
"Can we... talk?"
Talking to Nico was the last thing Percy wanted to do but he remembered what Frank had told him about not ignoring the son of Hades. Not ignoring someone kind of means you need to talk to them.
"About what?"
Nicos heart raced. He didn't think Percy would agree to talk to him and was beyond shocked. But, now, he didn't know what to say. Since he wasn't expecting the conversation to even start, he hadn't thought about what to say.
"Why do you seem so mad at me?"
"Are you serious?"
"Yes!" Nico dropped his head backwards and sighed heavily. "Gods, Percy, I told you that because I thought you deserved to know. I didn't mean it to offend you. Yes, it's true that I used him to forget about you because I knew the chances of finding you were slim and the chances of having you were even worse. But you need to understand that everything I did and said to you the other day was real. I didn't do it because I didn't have him anymore. I didn't do it just to do it, either." The son of Hades remained silent for a short time. "Are you really that mad at me?"
Percy shot the younger a look of annoyance. "Put yourself in my position and tell me you wouldn't be angry."
Nico sighed and thought about what Percy said. He would be angry. He would be pissed, and he knew it. "Alright. Let me have it?"
Percy squinted his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"You're mad at me? Prove it. Anything you wanna say, say it. Get it out. I don't care. Say it but, when you're done, I'll have a request to make."
The son of Poseidon cocked his head. "A request?"
"Talk first. Then hear the request."
Percy didn't waste any time in that. He liked the idea and hoped that he might be able to make Nico see how angry he was by the time he was done.
Percy gathered his thoughts and spoke. "If only you knew. If only words could express. If only I could tell you. But I can't. I want nothing more than to get away from you but I cant. I was perfectly content being in the Lotus, not having any idea what was happening in the world. And you 'saved' me. And I'm sitting here in the worst position I could imagine. And it's all because of you. I'm afraid, I'm confused, and it's entirely your fault, whether you want to admit or not. Despite the fact that you think you saved me, I feel like saving was the last thing you did for me."
Nico dropped his head. The patterns on the carpeted floor had suddenly become very intriguing, although he really wasn't paying that much attention to them. He was never one to let people make him feel guilty but he felt guilty. Percy's problems at the moment were his fault. He couldn't push this one off on someone else or laugh at it. This was, possibly, the worst thing to happen to the son of Hades for a very long time. And that was saying something since he had been almost killed multiple times.
Percy broke the silence Nico hadn't even noticed. "I don't expect you to care; you're too heartless for that in my opinion. But you should at least know that you have torn me apart and broken me down and what you did that night shattered what I had left of my self-respect. I've been through a lot. Every demigod has. That means demigods shouldn't be toyed with. They shouldn't be used. And they definitely shouldn't be lied to, especially by one of their own. One that they're supposed to trust and rely on." The son of Poseidon snorted a laugh. "I trusted you. You did so much for me and I trusted you because of it. And this is what is I get for that trust."
Nico had avoided looking at the older male while he spoke but as soon as the final word left Percys lips, the son of Hades fixed his eyes on him. He noticed that, once again, the older demigod wore his hurt expression. Nico dropped his head back and sighed. Percy was driving him crazy. In so many ways and for so many reasons. But, the only thing he was sure of was that Percy was making him regret half of the decisions he had made over the last four months.
Percy sighed and looked at the walls around him. "What was it?"
"What was what?" Nico sounded much less than pleased to hear Percy's question and he wasn't sure what the son of Poseidon was talking about.
"The request you wanted to make." There was a slight tinge of sarcasm in the son of Poseidons tone.
Nico closed his eyes and sighed. He felt stupid for forgetting that he had said he had something he wanted to ask of the elder. He was happy, though, that Percy had brought it up. He nodded. "I want you to start sleeping in here again?"
The elders jaw dropped. "What?"
"Are you deaf? I said I want you to start sleeping in your own bed again."
Percy was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that this was what Nico had wanted to ask. This was his request. This was what he wanted. "Why?"
"Gods, you are such a child. Do you really need a reason for everything?"
Percys face faded into a pout. He hadn't intended his inquiry to cause Nico trouble but, for some reason, it apparently had.
"Sorry." Percy mumbled.
"Stop apologizing." Nico snapped back.
That night, Percy did what Nico had asked and slept on the side of the suite the two had shared in the beginning. Just being in the room made Percy uncomfortable, mainly because he was seemingly forced to recall everything that had happened between the two within the four walls. The son of Hades said very little to the older demigod and made Percy feel like he wasn't even noticed. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Nico was ecstatic to have Percy around him again. To have the son of Poseidon talking to him was the best thing that had happened in a while. And, even if Percy hadn't forgiven him, he was pleased that they had at least shared words. After all, Hazel had been right when she said Nico needed to be focused.

It wasn't too long before the five were able to talk to each other and, by the first of the next month, they had gotten something put together pretty well. But there were still plenty of loop holes that needed sorting out and gaps that needed filling. The biggest problem they seemed to be facing was manpower. They had five, which was nothing to scoff at, but they knew Typhon and the Manticore would have many more. Granted, they might not be at the meeting, but the five needed to be prepared for anything.
It was getting late and the only ones still up were Hazel and Nico. They were trying to sort out the last of things. The only things they had yet to decided was who would be going in and whether they would going in alone or not. They both thought it would better if they decided alone so there wasn't too much of an argument from anyone involved.
Nico was tired and he had a headache but he had so many ideas running through his mind. Most of them weren't very clever but there was one that seemed to want to stick around. And Hazel noticed her half-brother had something on his mind.
Hazel looked at Nico intently. "What?"
He looked back at her questioningly.
"You're thinking about something. What is it?"
Nico shook his head. "It's stupid."
"Is it relevent?"
He shrugged.
"Then spill it."
The son of Hades sighed before licking his lips and clearing his throat. "You're worried about not having enough people for any of this?"
She nodded. "But just remember that was your concern, as well."
He scoffed. "Of course." He cleared his throat again and the wait was starting to make his half-sister a little nervous. "What would you say to bringing in someone from the outside? He would just be an extra set of hands and feet and, at the least, he could help us plan a little better. At the most, he would pose as protection or a guard or something."
Hazel bit her lip in thought. It was true they could use someone else's help. But trusting others was something she had never been too good at. "Who?"
"An old friend."
"Call him. I wanna talk to him."
Nico nodded and pulled out his phone. He was quick to dial Charons number and click the phone onto speaker.
The dial tone sounded a few times before a man picked up and spoke. 'Hades. What can I do for you?'
"Did you take my advice and get out of Mexico City?"
The man chuckled 'As a matter of fact, I did.'
"Please tell me I know you well enough to know that you would have come after the danger?"
Another chuckle. 'Indeed you do. Why?'
"How would you like to help me out with all of it?"
Nico was sure Charon was smiling. 'What can I do for ya, kid?'
"Tell me everything you know." Nico placed the phone down and motioned for Hazel to grab a notebook, which weren't hard objects to find for street runners.
Charon was a pretty smart guy and he knew a lot. Actually, he knew too much for his own good and was lucky he hadn't been killed for such. He had been on the streets for a number of years and, despite the fact that he owned a restaurant now, he was still used plenty in the planning process for many jobs and hits. The man used his prior knowledge to help Nico and his half-sister put something solid together and Hazel was pleased that Nico knew someone who could be of so much help.
The plan included everything from what, and what not, to say to the two men to the best ways to get away from them if necessary. Charon told them the best places to meet and where to position the men on the outside. He gave them plenty of locations, and figured Typhon and the Manticore would agree to at least one of them, and told them how many video cameras were in the areas, as well as where they were all positioned. He told Nico and Hazel everything he knew and just hoped it would be enough.
Nico was pleased. He felt like things were put together well enough to accomplish at least something. After all, the only thing they wanted from Typhon and Manti was their plan for the five demigods. With what Charon had told them, they believed they would be fine. They hoped they would be, anyway. But there was still something Nico wanted to ask of Charon.
"You know a lot about the two of them and their crew, don't you?"
'I know enough.'
Nico sighed and clicked the phone back off speaker before heading into the bathroom, locking the door, and turning the ceiling ventilation fan on. He knew well that would be enough noise to keep himself from being heard and that's what he wanted.
"I feel like we're gonna need your help with this."
Nico heard Charon sigh. 'Why me?'
"I know you have other ideas in that head of yours you can't tell me over the phone. I also know you're getting bored with your restaurant business, and that would explain why you came after the danger. You want to and I need your help."
Charon was silent for a few seconds. 'What do you want me to do?'
"Well, you said we should have the one talking to them, someone hiding on the inside, someone on the door, someone on a roof top, and at least a couple doing rounds. Most places these guys would agree to meet have two doors and our door man isn't quite big enough to cover both. If we put someone on both doors, we won't have anyone on the outside other than the sniper."
Another sigh came from the man on the phone. 'Are you asking me to guard a door?'
"I am. We'd put you in the front so we can have our big guy on the back if they rabbit."
There was a short silence. 'I don't know, Nico.'
"C'mon man, you deserve to get your mind off that restaurant for a while and experience the best parts of the world again."
Charon snorted a chuckle. 'I'll tell ya what; let me think about it. You make sure everything's perfect and call me back. Tell me the plan and I'll tell you if I think you need my help or not.'
Nico nodded. "I can agree with that, I guess."

Another couple of days went by and Hazel and Nico told the others what they had planned. Percy wasn't fond of the fact he was going to be basically on his own and fought the idea. He begged them to pick someone else for it. He didn't know anything about the men he would be dealing with other than the fact that they were crazy and wanted Nico dead. He wasn't understanding why he had to be the one. He was freaked enough and now he was going to have to deal with them face to face... again.
"Percy," Hazel stood from the bed. "I want to talk to you."
Percy stood and followed the daughter of Hades out of the room. Everyone's eyes followed the two as they left.
Hazel took a deep breath in through her nose. "It smells good out here, doesn't it?"
Percy smelled the air and nodded. The smell was pleasant: fresh and clean. But the way the hotel hallway smelled was the least of Percys concerns.
Hazel and Percy made their down the hall a little further before she told the son of Poseidon to sit, after which she joined him. A silence filled the hallway with only a few quite noises coming from the rooms around them. The scene would have been peaceful, sitting in the quiet with a friend, if it weren't for the reason the two were actually there.
Hazel took a deep breath. "You're scared?"
Percy nodded.
"With good reason."
Alright, that didn't help...
"Percy, listen. The reason you're doing this is because we need information. We're really hoping they'll tell you what they have planned for Nico. That way we can do whatever we can to keep anything from happening to him. I don't want to put pressure on you or anything, but Nicos life is kind of resting in your hands."
Percy sighed and dropped his head into the wall behind him. It was a lot to take in at the time. The son of Poseidon allowed thoughts of anything and everything that could possibly go wrong to fill his mind: there were plenty of them. Typhon and the Manticore could figure him out and kill him because he was with Nico. They could find the son of Hades through Percy and something could happen to him. They could ask Percy to work with them and, if that happened, he would be afraid to say no. But, if he said yes, things could go even worse for him. This just was not what Percy wanted to deal with. Percy tried to calm his raging thoughts by focusing on the things that had happened over the last few days.
"Wait," once Percy relaxed a little, something came to his mind. "I thought they wanted to meet with all of us?"
"They do," Hazel nodded, "but this needs to come first."
Percy shook his head. "It seems like you guys like to make things more difficult than they need to be."
Hazel chuckled. "If they meet with all of us, there is no doubt they'll try to kill Nico on the spot. If you go in first and find out what they plan for Nico, we can make up something so the five of us can meet with them about everything and hopefully Nico can walk away alive. But that's only if this first meeting goes well."
Percy was shaking his head. He did see reason, but he did not see why he had to be involved. "Why me?"
"It's complicated, Percy, but trust me when I say that you're the only one who can do this."
Percy stood from the floor, not wanting to hear any more, and made his way back to the room.

Author's Note

Since I wrote this prior to editing it and posting it, I can assure you there are only three more parts after this. However, they are quite long and I'm asking for you all to bear with me if there are multiple parts of the same chapter. I'll be sure to mark for each which ones are which.