Chapter Text
A breath was gasped in and seven pairs of blood red eyes turned to the pale body in the middle of the room. "See?" Annabeth said smugly. "I told you he was special." Percy scoffed. "Don't be smug Wise Girl."
A heartbeat and a sigh. Percy could hardly contain himself. He could hear his consort's blood becoming more like his. He shivered when he felt the warmth spread through his body as his consort's body became the same temperature as his. He walked quietly to the bedside and gently poked the side of his consort's ribs. He leaned in and whispered gently. "Hey. It's time to wake up. I've waited long enough."
Then he sat back and watched in fascination as 2 blood red eyes flashed open to look at him.
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About 3 Months Earlier
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Nico di Angelo sighed as the wind blew in his face. This was the life. He took in a deep breath and let the smell of the turf grass permeate his nose. He shifted his weight and let his mind go clear. Which was easier said than done considering the amount of cheers he could hear from the sidelines. "Let's go Nico!" His sister yelled enthusiastically as she hopped up and down like a rabbit. Nico would've been angry. But Hazel was a good sister even if she did have a bad habit of being overly excited about things. Nico gave her a rare small smile and leaned forward to take the shot. A penalty kick. Easy. He watched as the goalie fidgeted while he waited for the whistle to blow. This kid was obviously new. He'd played this team before and the goalie had been different last time so this one must've been a substitute. Which meant he was nervous about failing. Nico knew the feeling. He almost decided to go easy on the poor guy. Then he saw the score. 13 to 13. A tie. Well he couldn't just let that stay that way could he? This game had to have a winner and Nico didn't feel like going into overtime like last game. No. It was better to end it now and get it over with.
He nodded at the referee and waited for the shrill cry of the whistle. When it sounded, he brought his foot forward letting it crash into the ball and watching it sail to the goal. He watched as the ball made contact with the net and watched as the goalie looked crestfallen. And he listened as the whistle blew again signaling that not only was the goal good but that the game was over. He sighed, letting the tension of the day sag his holders as relief washed over him. He'd done it. They'd won. Any other day and he would've felt terrible despite the victory. After all he had just stolen the other team's chance of making it to the finals. But today he was elated. Not because he'd made the winning goal no. He was happy because all his hard work would finally pay off. With luck his father would hear about this and be proud instead of brushing him off like cake crumbs. Nico shook his hair out of its ponytail just as the rest of the team got to him. Then came the group hug. He was squished between a bunch of sweaty bodies and his eardrums could've busted from all the loud cheering they were subjected to. Any other day Nico would've told them to back the hell up and give him some room to breathe. But today he allowed it. After all it wasn't everyday he got this lucky.
The next hug he was wrapped in was from Hazel. She'd run all the way from the bleachers and had nearly tackled him to the ground. Nico smiled as she laughed and breathed in her scent. She smelt like cinnamon and a bunch of other things that shouldn't have gone together but did. Then the hug got a little tight. "Hazel." Nico groaned. "Sis. I have ribs you know. And you're crushing them a little." His sister flinched back and released him, her eyes still a little wild when she smiles at him. "Sorry." She said meekly. Nico shrugged and grabbed his water bottle off the ground. "Ready to go?" Hazel asked as she rifled through her purse for her car keys. Nico nodded and rolled his shoulder as he walked off the field. "Geez. You have quite the grip." He mock complained as he rubbed his sore muscle. Hazel clicked her tongue. "That's not even where I hugged you. That injury is from when you slide tackled that kid for the ball." "I got it didn't I?"
The drive home was hectic to say the least. Westmore High School was located in the middle of the city which made traffic a bitch. Good thing his sister drove like a mad man. To anyone else the weaving in and out of traffic would seem nerve wracking and terrifying. But to Nico it was comforting. He liked speed. If it went fast he loved it. That love had gotten him in a lot of trouble over the years though. From the time in 7th grade when he tried to charm a guy for his Ferrari to just 2 weeks ago when he had almost agreed to go out with the school's biggest jerk just because he had a motorcycle. (It was a nice one though.) Hazel saw Nico's love of speed as a nuisance. (Since she was usually the one helping him get out of the trouble it caused.) Nico saw that love as making mistakes and learning from them.
His sister's voice brought his head out of the clouds and he blinked. "What?" Hazel smiled fondly. "You didn't hear a word I said did you?" "Nope." Hazel sighed and shook her head before she cut off a guy in a white sedan, earning herself a lot of cuss words and a finger.
"I said, I can't pick you up tomorrow because I have band practice. So be extra careful on your way home okay?" "Why?" Hazel frowned. "Didn't you hear it on the news last night? 3 more dead bodies were found in Dead man's Creek on Tuesday. But apparently the bodies were so mutilated and covered in bite marks that they didn't know who the kids were. All the police knew was that all the bodies were male. And your age." Nico frowned as well. "It is called Dead man's Creek for a reason. And who would want the blood of a few mouthy 16 year olds on their hands? That's just weird." "I know which is why I'm telling you to be careful. The last 2 they found they knew. Hunter and Gregory Thomas. They went to your school." Nico tried to remember a Hunter and Gregory. Faintly, the image of 2 fair looking blonde boys (one with blue eyes the other with green) being in some of his classes. The blue eyed one- Gregory. He had art with him. And the green eyed one- Hunter. He had math, language arts and science with him. Nico had thought that their sudden vacancy of school was due to illness. Now that the real cause had been revealed it made Nico's stomach twist like a pretzel. Someone was murdering boys at his school. What if he was next?
The thought left his head as fast as it came. He was safe. There was no reason to worry. Besides. Who would want to kidnap him? He hadn't done anything to hurt anybody and he was pretty much normal. He would be okay. He reassured his sister and rod the rest of the way home in silence.
Nico didn't get out when Hazel pulled into their driveway. Hazel grabbed his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked. Hazel's stare intensified. "When we get inside, don't start anything." Nico would have frowned. But he knew what his sister was talking about. He and his father had a bad habit of arguing. A lot. About any and everything. If it could be argued about they argued about it. Usually Nico started it. But on rare occasions his father instigated a fight, it usually ended bad. Nico furrowed his eyebrows. "I can't make any promises. You know how he is." Hazel made a skeptical face. "Fine." Nico huffed. "I'll try alright?" Hazel nodded and they walked to the front door.
Everything went smoothly until dinner. Nico stayed in his room pretending to do his homework whenever his father walked past his room. He refused to socialize with anyone until dinner. He even tried to get out of dinner. Anything to avoid another argument. Of course it didn't work. The minute he sat down his stepmother Persephone started the conversation. "So." She said as she handed him a bowl of mashed potatoes. "I heard around the grapevine that you scored the winning goal at today's big game." Nico nodded. "I did." He said around the piece of chicken in his mouth, earning a little kick in the shin from Hazel for the bad manners. "Penalty kick at the last second. It's nothing to brag about though. The opposing team's goalie was new so it wasn't all that fair." "But you're in the finals now right?" Nico nodded again. "Yep. Just us and Eastern Bay High." Persephone beamed as if she didn't have enough words to describe how proud she was. She glanced up at Nico's father and faked a cough. "Hades." She said pointedly. "Don't you have something to say?" Hades glanced up from his meal, eyes flickering to Nico for a second before he spoke. "I am proud of you scoring the winning goal son. Good job." The words sounded so cliché coming from his mouth. As if he had to rehearse them just to say it. But nonetheless Nico was happy. And he would've stayed that way had his father stopped talking after that first sentence. Of course, as Nico's luck would have it, Hades would keep talking. "What I am not proud of is your grades. To be frank I'm surprised they let you play today since you have a D- in English." Nico almost choked on his potatoes. He did vaguely remember getting his report card back and hiding it once he saw his English grade. He didn't think that would come back to bite him in the ass though. Not this soon. "How is it that you have such a low grade in a class for the language you speak?" Hades asked. "If I speak the language, why do I need the class in the first place?" "Because your generation is so caught up in technology that you've become illiterate beyond comprehension." Nico scoffed completely ignoring his sister's warning glare. "Our generation? Well at least our generation is willing to compromise. All yours does is criticize and gripe about everything."
Nico flinched when he felt a sharp pain in his shin signaling that Hazel had kicked him hard under the table. But he wasn't backing down. He'd said he would do his best not to start trouble. And he had. This fight hadn't been started by him. All his dad had to do was say he was proud and move on. He didn't start this fight but he would finish it if he had to.
"I criticize you because I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did growing up." Hades said. Nico frowned. "Mistakes? What mistakes? The way I hear from everyone you were perfect. The poster child of America almost. Or is that my mistake? Not being a perfect child. Not living up to my last name and being a sweet little angel."
He knew he was blowing this way out of proportion. All he had to do was let it go. Be the bigger man. But that was just it. He wasn't a man. He was 16. He was supposed to blow thing out of proportion. To make a big deal out of everything. He was sick of being level headed like his dad.
"I don't want you to be perfect I just want you to be-" "Like you?" Nico said and he could see the restraint his father was using to not say yes. Hades sighed. "I just want you to grow up and be responsible for once."
Nico could have sworn his eye twitched. He didn't know what happened. What snapped. But suddenly he was holding back laughter. "Responsible? For once? All I've ever been is responsible Dad. When you had to work and Hazel hurt herself on the stairs when we were little, who patched up the wound and gave her a kiss on the forehead cause you weren't there to do it? Me. When you almost completely forgot how to cook because you'd been working all the time, who showed you how to not screw up macaroni? Me. Even your marriage. If it wasn't for me acting sweet and innocent to buy time for you to get ready because you'd gotten home from work late, you might be never gone on that date with Persephone and she probably wouldn't be here. I've been nothing but responsible and level headed all my life. For once I want to be and irresponsible, irrational, idiotic teenager. For once I want to not have all this weight on my shoulders trying to make you happy. For once I want to do stupid things for no reason. I want to make mistakes without you breathing down my neck all day. I'll grow up later but for now I'm done." He stood up and threw Hazel a 'I'm sorry' glance before he excused himself and walked to the door.
He had his jacket and shoes on before he heard Hades behind him. "And where do you think you're going?" Nico caught Hazel's golden eyes as she came around the corner. She nodded and her golden eyes conveyed a message that only Nico could put together. 'Be safe.' He sent her an almost nonexistent nod before he flung the door open and growled at his father. "Out! To be irrational and stupid for a while! And maybe cool off. Did that alright with you father?" He didn't wait for an answer before he slammed the door behind him as he stomped out.