Some Percico One Shots

I Don't Leave Anyone Behind

He knew Annabeth meant well, but now he questioned if waiting until the morning to alert the others was a good idea. The weight of his dream finally settled down. The giants and Gaea rising, Nico kidnapped in a suffocating jar...

He ran his fingers through his hair, trailing behind Annabeth and Frank, who were running toward the mess hall. He shook his arm for better circulation. Last night, he'd been too tired to realize Annabeth was laying on it in an uncomfortable position.

They settled down with their breakfast (donuts) as Percy described his most recent dream. He felt his voice grow thick with emotion, especially when he spoke about Nico trapped in a jar, slowly dying with pomegranate seeds. He felt Annabeth's eyes on him but Percy kept his focus on Hazel and watched as she choked back a sob. Both knew they needed to save Nico as soon as possible.

"Nico... Oh, gods. The seeds," she muttered.

He vividly remembered the glistening objects at Nico's feet. Three were eaten, and five were at the side, untouched. But, what were their purpose?

Annabeth voiced his questions, and Hazel explained they were a last resort food. All the silverware started to move toward her as she grew anxious, but Percy gently nodded in her direction, signaling her to continue.

"Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

Percy froze midway biting into his donut, his eyebrows furrowed with confusion. Had she implied they would not rescue him?"

"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence crumbling. "Won't we?" Percy almost rose from his seat to reassure her that yes, they would go save him but Coach Hedge beat him to it.

"Yes!" Coach Hedge. "It'll involve fighting, right?" Percy pursed his lips with a hint of annoyance. He usually appreciated Coach's antics when it came to violence and his jokes, but he could see Hazel panicking for her brother's safety.

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said, moving his chair closer to her. "But how long do we have before... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."

"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."

Percy thought back to the brief moment he had actually been in the jar with Nico. Even in his dream, he panicked from the lack of oxygen. He wasn't claustrophobic, but the space was so small, he was shocked at how anyone could survive in such conditions.

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. It was planned that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome—"

"That's not much time," Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel.'"

"Oh, gods," Hazel muttered.

Percy stared at the donut in his hand. He'd taken the responsibility of the last prophecy, to spare Nico from the war. With losing his sister, getting manipulated by Minos, and dealing with demigod issues, he didn't deserve the burden of being the hero in the prophecy. Now, the Fates were laughing at him, Nico was, without dispute, a major part of this one. And Percy knew, more than most, how much suffering that could bring. They fought against Titans, but Percy still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that they were literally going to fight Mother Earth.