Chapter Text
He remembered the darkness opening up to reveal a reddish light. He remembered falling. And he remembered hitting the water, fighting to stay afloat but ultimately being too tired to fight on and sinking...
What irony, Nico thought. That he'd die like this. That he survived a similar fall, into Tartarus, but that he'd ultimately die by such a rookie mistake. That was the last thought he could recall until it all went dark again.
But then he broke the surface again, coughing violently. Two strong arms were wrapped around his torso. Nico was only halfway conscious, slumped against the other boy's chest as he swam the two of them through the water. Nico attributed the salty smell to the water of the ocean he was in, for in every other circumstance, this smell belonged to one person and one person alone. He briefly passed out again.
Nico awoke as they approached a shore.
"Can you try to walk? Your feet are dragging on the ground."
Nico didn't even have to look at him to recognise Percy. He took a few tentative steps and attempted to shake Percy's guiding arm around his waist off, but almost fell in doing so, which is why Percy continued to support his weight.
Nico was too tired to further protest and let Percy carry half his weight.
"How did you even end up here?"
"Shadow-travel gone wrong. Must've landed a kilometer or so off-shore. I guess I was too tired to keep swimming. It was a long jump."
It took Nico embarrassingly long to say all that, his throat sore and his tongue heavy from all the water and all the coughing.
"But what are you doing here? In Cyprus?"
Nico cringed as he remembered.
"Quest", was all he said. They reached the beach now and, in no further danger of immediately drowning, Nico collapsed into the sand, lying on his back to rest. Percy sat down next to him, facing the sea. He always did that, Nico thought. Perhaps it was subconcious, but Nico, having spent far too much energy on thinking about Percy, had noticed.
"A quest for your father?", Percy asked.
What a brilliant excuse. Nico didn't deny it and raised his eyebrows in lieu of confirmation. His eyes were closed so he couldn't see Percy's sea green eyes watching him. But Nico knew exactly where which speck of colour in them laid anyways.
It had been futile. Convincing himself - or Jason for that matter - that he wasn't still in love with Percy.
Nico had almost stayed at Camp, almost.
He could have lived in the cabin, trained with the others and maybe befriended that Apollo kid. But who was he kidding, Will probably hated him anyways, after what happened with Octavian. The thing that really made the decision for him though, was walking out his cabin with Jason the morning after the big battle, to see Percy kiss Annabeth.
"I'm not going to stay", he'd said.
Jason followed his gaze and looked at him, smiling sympathetically, but also sadly.
Jason wordlessly pulled him into a hug and Nico, for once, allowed it.
"What does Hades want on Cyprus? A tiff with Aphrodite?"
At the mention of her name, Nico was pulled back into reality. His eyes shot open.
"Something to do with her, then?"
Nico could feel all his hairs rise up and avoided Percy's eyes.
"Thank you for saving me and all, but I can do this myself."
Nico stood up, legs still shaking, and tried to walk away.
"I could help you!", Percy offered.
"No, thank you."
Nico didn't look back but he could hear Percy jump up to follow him.
"At least let me stay the night. You're obviously minutes away from passing out and you'll need someone to protect you from the monsters when you're asleep."
Nico hated that it was reasonable. After a prolonged silence, he sighed.
"Fine. But we'll take turns sleeping."
"Sure thing!", Percy said happily, steps very bouncy all of a sudden. He jumped next to Nico, who felt an arm brush against his own and his insides immediately lit on fire. How the fuck was he going to make it through the night without giving away his mission?
Nico could hardly protest at the prospect of sleep and allowed Percy to pick a spot. They settled in an abandoned shack, the floor laid out with hay. Must've been part of a farm.
Nico collapsed on the ground, this time wilfully, and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't know what to do with his hands and crossed them over his stomach.
Percy sat down next to him, far too close for Nico's taste. He didn't allow himself to want Percy closer to him than strictly necessary and sitting down right next to him was decidedly not necessary.
They sat - or in Nico's case, laid - next to each other in companionable silence. Nico was just about to fall asleep, but Percy cleared his throat. Nico looked at him and Percy pointed at the window. Sat on the window sill was a white dove, cooing lightly.
"It's watching us. Or you, I suppose."
Nico's eye twitched.
"Hardly a symbol for Hades. Are you really here on behalf of your father or..."
Nico wanted to retort that it was just a stupid bird, but noticed the blood-shot, pink eyes of the dove. That was suspicious.
Shit.
"I'm not here for me or my father, no."
"Aphrodite?"
Nico nodded slowly, sitting up again.
"I'm on a quest for love", Nico said sarcastically.
Percy nodded, unsurprised.
"So like... there's a girl you like?"
Nico turned away. Too close to his comfort zone. Percy could probably read it off his face, so he laid back on his side.
"Are you trying to win her over? Ask Cupid to send an arrow her way?"
At that, Nico looked over his shoulder, clearly taking offense. Percy's smile faltered.
"I'm not here voluntarily. And I'd never do that."
This time he returned to his position forcefully.
"Right, sorry."
"What's our plan then?", Percy asked, far too motivated.
Nico looked at him incredulously.
"Our? Percy, you're not going on this quest with me."
"Why not?"
"Why would you even want to?"
"I'm bored. And - shocker, I know - I kinda like this. Spending time with you I mean. Won't lie and say I haven't missed you."
Nico's heart was doing somersaults.
"Percy, as much as that admission warms my heart", Nico started, in a voice that spoke truth but implied lie, "I don't need you here."
Percy swallowed, pretending not to be hurt by this.
"You're leaving in the morning."
Nico's voice left no room for discussion.
Percy sighed but stopped protesting, instead settling back against the wall. Nico laid back down, facing away from him.
The truth was, he wasn't quite sure why Aphrodite had summoned him. He had just been utterly terrified and answered the call immediately.
Nico had been sitting on the roof of a beach house in southern Australia, choosing a nice view for his dinner. Nico pretended there was no particular reason why being close to the ocean relaxed him so much and dug into his meal. He had been out and about all day, tracking down a suspicious soul for his dad, so he thought he deserved some peace and quiet.
But then, the message appeared.
A rose-scented, pink piece of parchment floated in front of him and a hallowing voice read the written message aloud.
"Nico Di Angelo."
Spooked, Nico dropped his burger back into the wrapper on his lap.
"As a warrior for love-"
He scrunched his nose in disgust at the phrase.
"I summon you to Cyprus in my hour of need.
Aid me - lest your secret be revealed.
XoXo, Aphrodite"
The parchment evaporated and Nico sat in shock for about three seconds before running across the roof and jumping down the side not facing the sunrise, disappearing in the shadows.
In his hurry, the half-eaten hamburger and fries were left on the roof. The owners of the house would wonder why the next rainstorm washed down a half-eaten McDonalds feast.
And as it turned out, shadow-traveling while trying to overcome a mental breakdown wasn't a very exact science, so Nico soon found himself in the strong arms of one Percy Jackson, being dragged back ashore.
Nico snook a peak at Percy, diligently looking around, taking the first shift. Nico had this terrible, sinking feeling: that his sudden appearance wasn't as accidental as they believed.
Nico turned back around and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep might give him some answers.
Spoiler alert: It did not.
He would have dream-walked, found an Aphrodite kid to ask about their mum but he figured that the ones he was on speaking terms with were on a completely different continent and very much not asleep right now.
So, Nico involuntarily relived some memories. Being around Percy would naturally do that.
This time, it was the time Percy had taken his hand, to shadow-travel out of Epirus. When he had tried to save Nico, in the Labyrinth. When he had hugged Nico, after the war against Kronos was won. It had been short, almost accidental, but had served as a source of serotonin for weeks.
Of course, a few less pleasant memories snuck in. Percy turning down immortality and grinning straight at Annabeth. Seeing them holding hands while on a stroll in Camp. Percy looking at him in the Underworld, realising Nico had betrayed him. Percy falling into Tartarus...
Nico woke up, sweating and breathing too hard. He shot up into a sitting position, thoughts running a mile a minute. A warm hand settled on his shoulder. The ringing in his ears stopped.
"Nico?"
It was Percy's voice. Concerned and soft and alive.
"Fine", Nico croaked out.
"Nightmare?"
He didn't answer.
"I get them too. From Tartarus. If you want to talk about it.... I mean, I'm one of the only people who... y'know.... gets it."
"I'm fine", Nico repeated, voice hard as steel.
Percy nodded, the disappointment in his expression evident. He smiled like he had expected the answer.
And now Nico felt bad. Fuck Percy Jackson and his inherent ability to make Nico feel things.
"Thanks for offering, though. I'd rather not right now... But maybe some other time."
He attempted to make it sound casual but the splitting grin on Percy's face proved that it was anything but.
Nico sat up.
"Get your rest. I know I'm not getting any mode sleep tonight."
"To be honest", Percy said, "I'm still on American time. Not very tired at all."
Nico sighed.
"Well, still get some sleep, I'm not doing this watch for that shitbird."
He gestured over to the dove, who had just shat on the ground. Percy shrugged and laid down.
"G'night", he mumbled.
"Night", Nico grunted in return. Being around Jackson would slowly drive him mad.
It was clear that Percy wouldn't fall asleep for a while so Nico, damning himself, asked:
"How did you even find me? If you were on American time, I mean."
Percy looked at him and Nico tentatively held his gaze.
"I dunno. One minute, I was slightly offshore at Camp and the next, I was here. I've never seen fish so efficiently relay a message to me. They must've recognised you and informed me you were in trouble. And so I came."
"But how is that possible? To get from Camp to Cyprus in time to save me from drowning?"
Percy shrugged and turned to look at the ceiling. Nico's eyes, however, fell on the dove, puckering its feathers and rearranging its wings.
They both knew exactly how it was possible. Divine intervention.
The next morning, Nico and Percy tried their best to get Percy a boat off the island. Nico pointedly ignored the dove picking at Percy's shirt, as if trying to pull him back, but they had no luck anyways. No ships were leaving the island and Percy vehemently refused to get on a plane. Nico suggested they try another town, but Percy rightfully said what they were both thinking.
"I think this constitutes as a sign that I should stay."
Shit.
Nico could only clench his jaw and nod reluctantly.
"Sorry", Percy said. "I know you're not too keen on my being here."
Nico's features twisted into a painful smile. He wanted to tell Percy that it wasn't like he minded the company, Percy's company especially, but that this, this summon by Aphrodite turned into his very worst nightmare thanks to Percy's presence.
But he didn't know how to put any of that into words without giving himself away or making Percy think even worse of him, so he just kept his mouth shut.
"I could stay behind, wait for you. Not go with you."
Nico couldn't bear to look at him right now.
"But I'm pretty sure that would only make things worse. Let me tag along? I promise not to make it more embarrassing for you, or laugh at you, if that's what you're worried about."
Nico closed his eyes. He wanted to scream.
Instead, he took a deep breath in and out. In and out.
"Not like I have a choice. Aphrodite seems to have business with you as well."
Percy smiled at him sympathetically and Nico wanted to punch the smile off his face. Actually, he wanted to kiss the smile off his face, but he didn't let his mind go there.
"Let's find the goddess of love, then."
She wasn't very hard to find. The dove led them into the sea town they had crashed at and they found a beautiful woman sitting at a café. Percy couldn't tear his eyes away from her and while Nico could admit that Yes, she was pretty good-looking, he was far more concerned with what would happen when she opened her mouth.
"Nico Di Angelo", she beamed.
"How nice of you to answer my call."
His eyes narrowed. The only upside to her presence was that Percy looked like he was hardly listening or comprehending anything she had to say. As if Nico needed any more confirmation that it was hopeless.
"And you brought along your friend, Percy Jackson."
She smiled at Nico like they had an inside joke. Percy nodded dumbly. Nico suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.
"Lady Aphrodite", Nico commenced.
"May I ask why you have summoned me?"
She giggled sweetly.
"I need you to do something for me. In the name of love, one could say."
Nico's eye twitched and Aphrodite giggled once more.
"I like you", she said. "So expressive!"
Nico's carefully calculated expression turned sour.
"Awh Nico, now don't be cross with me. I only need you to fetch something."
She winked.
"It appears my girdle has been lost. Stolen, perhaps."
"Girdle?", Percy asked breathlessly.
Now Nico couldn't help but roll his eyes. Aphrodite winked at him when he next looked at her.
"Yes, Percy. My girdle. I need you and Nico here to fetch it for me. Alright?"
Percy nodded.
"The girdle draws and controls attraction. And in the hands of mortals... Well, you know what last happened when Cupid lost one of his arrows."
Nico froze at hearing the name.
"You remember meeting Cupid, don't you?"
Nico's face was pale now. And of course, this was the moment Percy could finally tear his eyes away from the love goddess to look at him instead, confused.
"When-", Percy started.
"How could I forget?", Nico forced out.
"That's what I love so much about you Nico", Aphrodite drawled.
Nico's face hardened.
"Not afraid to express your emotions"
Nico held his breath and tried to reign in his anger.
"Well", she laughed. "some of them at least."
Then she must've taken pity on him, because she laid off him the tiniest bit.
"The last time Cupid lost track of one of his arrows, it landed in a field in India, giving all the flowers special properties. I believe the story stayed in human consciousness due to the plays of a certain English playwright."
For a moment, Nico was distracted from his precarious situation.
"Do you mean Shakespeare? The love-in-idleness flower?"
"A Midsummernight's Dream", she sighed. "Such a lovely presentation of love's best qualities."
"Confusion, heartbreak and deceit?"
"Dedication. Going on a quest for the sake of love. Believing, hoping for true love to prevail."
"No matter how hopeless it might seem, Hermia risked it all in the name of love. A feeling you, Nico di Angelo might be familiar with."
Nico paled. Aphrodite laughed sweetly once more.
"Oh, don't look at me like that, Nico. Your secret is safe with me!"
She winked. Percy looked at him in confusion. Secret? was written on his face. Nico pointedly ignored him.
"Your girdle", Nico let out, teeth clenching.
"Where shall I look for it?"
"The two of you have to find it. What would I do if a mortal woman were to get her hands on it? Seem more desirable than me? We don't want a repeat of Psyche, after all."
Nico nodded sharply. Anything to get this conversation over with.
"Well, do you know where you last saw it?", Percy asked. Under different circumstances, Nico would have laughed at the casual air with which he said it.
"Eros' companion, the West Wind, shall take you th-"
"Or I could shadow-travel."
"Of course", she smiled, batting her eyelashes.
She procured a rose out of nowhere and handed it to Nico.
"Hold this while shadow-traveling. You'll land where you need to go."
He accepted the rose and looked at Aphrodite once more. Nico didn't see Percy stare at the rose in his hand.
"Have fun, you two!"
Nico's fist tightened around the rose and he turned to Percy.
"Take his hand, don't be shy!", Aphrodite gleefully commented.
Instead of letting his anger get the better of him in front of a literal goddess, Nico sighed and held out his hand for Percy to take. Nico looked like he had to choose between cancer and Percy's hand and like it had been a tough choice.
Percy looked back and forth between the goddess of love and the annoyed son of Hades. Then, he took his hand and the two disappeared.