Bewitched || P. Jackson

𝔹reak-in

Whatever happened in the Big House when Nicki left Percy and Thalia, no one would ever really know. The daughter of Hecate refused to speak of it. All anyone got out of her was a sad faraway look and a mumble about Apollo.

Percy was the only one who knew the reason that Nicki was so shaken up was that Chiron knew her real name. Something only her dad, grandmother and the gods were meant to know.

Sure, Nicki would tell Thalia the second the opportunity presented itself, but in her daze after leaving the Big House, Percy was a lot easier to locate.

"Hey!" The child of Aphrodite that Nicki had yelled at, looked up in confusion. They pointed to their chest with a strange look written across their face. "Yeah, you." Nicki jogged over, tightening her aviator jacket in the snow. "I'm looking for the Poseidon cabin."

"You're not a child of Poseidon though?"

Nicki sighed, crossing her arms. "Yes thank you, I'm well aware. I just need to find someone and he's more than likely there."

"What would you want Percy for?"

"What is this? 20 questions?" Nicki scowled at the teenager. "I really don't fancy having to knock on 10 cabins' doors and ask if he's in there. So please just point me in the right direction." The teenager didn't move to show her, defiance shining in their eyes. "Either you show me Perseus' cabin, or you help me find Thalia. Up to you."

This seemed to startle the teenager into pointing in the direction of a rough grey looking cabin in the near distance.

Nicki called out a fleeting 'thanks', tearing across the grass toward the cabin. She slammed her fists against the door before her body had even caught up.

A loud 'thump' and a pained cry slipped underneath the cabin door. Nicki grimaced as Percy slowly pulled the door open, a large red mark covering his forehead.

"I do not appreciate being harassed into falling off my bed." Nicki didn't seem to register his words as she pushed past him into his cabin. "Hey woah!"

Nicki scanned the room, it had six bunk beds, with one looking like a hurricane had hit it, and the walls glow like an abalone.  Unknown underwater plants and corals sat on the window sill.

Finally, a fountain made out of grey sea rock with a fish that spouts the water from its mouth and coral decoration. The bottom was filled with golden drachmas, for what purpose Nicki didn't know.

"Chiron knew my real name." Nicki blurted out, flopping onto Percy's messy bed.

"You can't be in here y'know, I—" Percy cut himself off, spinning to face her. "He knew what?"

"My real name. He shouldn't only Apollo and my parents know. He can't know, Perseus."

Sensing the urgency in Nicki's voice, Percy perched himself on the edge of the bed opposite Nicki, not wanting to intrude on her personal space. "Why is it bad if he knows?"

"Because I know the Prophecy of The Night, which I shouldn't know. So people knowing my name makes me extremely vulnerable cause no one is meant to know it. Expect..." Nicki trailed off, shaking her head.

"Except who?" Percy almost fell off the bed he was sitting on.

"Except the owner of the Great Prophecy."

Percy flung himself across the room, landing next to Nicki in a buzz of excitement. "What's that?"

"Uh, something else I can't I can't tell you."

Percy instantly deflated. "Well, what's the point in having you if you can't give me the insider news?"

"You value my friendship?"

Percy made no move to confirm Nicki's statement, instead shrugging and smirking at her. The girl slapped his shoulder, a light scowl flicking across her face.

"Okay so... say I knew these prophecies," Percy trailed off waiting for Nicki to reply. The girl nodded softly, her eyes trained up at the bed above her as she lay onto her back. "What would that mean?"

"You're in for a whole lotta shit according to Chiron." Nicki signed, spinning her ring on her finger dejectedly.

"But you know them?"

Nicki glanced at Percy with furrowed brows. "No? I know one. I just know of the other. The one I know is more dangerous for me to know than the other."

Percy hummed, leaning back so he was resting on one elbow. "So what happens if someone... not necessarily good knows them?"

"You can kiss my ass goodbye."

"You're optimistic." Percy shoved Nicki's arm lightly as he spoke. "Gods I'm so glad you're here to cheer me up."

"Are you worried about that Annabeth girl?" Nicki's voice softened as she spoke, a change from her on edge joking tone from earlier.

Percy nodded, his eyes focusing on something in the distance. "I guess you could say she's like my best friend... after Grover, of course."

"Ah Grover, don't worry I won't be capable of forgetting him." Nicki paused, looking up at Percy's jawline. "I'm sure she's okay... I think I would know if she wasn't."

"How could you know? She's gone."

Nicki spun her ring nervously. "Let's say minimal amounts of Necromancy are something I'm good at. Nothing like Hades or whatever, but Hecate is good with what she teaches you to master. I'm pretty sure I'd be able to sense if she died."

Percy let out a quiet ah, allowing the duo to fall into a loud silence. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but Nicki's words helped loosen the knot in his stomach just a tiny amount.

Nicki turned her head away from Percy, allowing her mind to wander.

"Thalia went to the climbing wall, I think. If you wanna go find her?" The boy looked down at Nicki.

Nicki peeled an eye open, her dark green eyes flickering. "Oh yeah, sorry for barging in like that. I'll go find her and get my cabin or something..."

Percy waved awkwardly at the daughter of Hecate, allowing her to make her own way out of the cabin.

"Nicki?" The girl faltered in the doorway, twisting back to look at Percy. "They allow magic items during capture the flag... I'm sure Thalia or I wouldn't mind helping you practice?"

"I think I'm slightly more than a magic item, Perseus." Nicki laughed, winking back at him. "Don't worry, I'll rope Thalia into helping me."

Percy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before opening and shutting his mouth. Nicki hovered in the doorway, waiting for whatever it was he wanted to say.

Percy just shook his head and lay back down on his bed exasperated. "If you ever need to talk, I'm pretty good at it," Nicki said softly, finding the ceiling to be exceptionally interesting. "Plus, I'm even better at it when I owe that person my life."

Nicki waved, disappearing through the door before Percy even had a chance to utter his goodbye.