Some Percico One Shots

Years Later

Percy walked down the barrack's stairs quickly, noting how late it had gotten. A plate of cake in his hand, he scanned the area before deciding to walk around the corner, trying to make his footsteps louder so that hopefully Nico would hear him if he was nearby.

Their small celebration for Hazel's birthday had almost ended. Leo, Piper, and Jason were still inside with Hazel and Frank, making conversation while they finished eating. Nico and he had also come to pay Hazel and Frank a visit, it was her birthday after all, so it was strange when Nico disappeared after they cut the cake.

"Nico? Nico! Are you there?" He called out, not wanting to shout and create a scene but wanting Nico to hear him. He looked again at the setting sun. It wasn't too dark to make an Iris message. He didn't know if he felt worried, Nico wouldn't disappear if it weren't for a good reason, so maybe Percy shouldn't pry further. But he seemed enthusiastic for his sister's birthday that same morning, what had changed?

He walked around the building until he found Nico sitting against the wall, looking blankly at his hands playing with the grass. He raised his head, taking in Percy's approaching figure, and maybe Percy imagined it, but he seemed to smile.

"Percy," he said. His voice sounded tired. Percy wondered if he should've called Blackjack when Jason had called for Tempest, to bring them back to camp and get sleep.

"Nico," he responded as he sat down next to him, shoulders touching, placing the plate of desert in the other's hands. "For you."

"Thanks." Nico laid his head on Percy's shoulder, mindlessly poking at the chocolate cake before eating a bit off his fork. It struck him that Nico wasn't feeling all too excited, and often, when Nico was upset, Percy felt helpless as he didn't know what to do.

"Is it good?" he asked. Percy already tasted it and found it surprisingly light, he never knew Piper could bake so well, but he wanted to know what Nico thought.

"Yeah, it's sweet." He thought Nico would talk more, but he only watched from the corner of his eye as he brought another spoonful to his mouth.

"How come I find you outside?" Hazel didn't look bothered when Percy told her he'd go outside to look for Nico, Nico had confessed to both of them that he felt awkward in social situations. Percy could relate to that, but Nico looked a little more than awkward, something was bothering him.

"Nothing, I just felt a little... alone?." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Percy turned to him, his cheek brushing against Nico's hair. "Alone?" he repeated.

"Yeah, Bianca..." he started, signaling with his hands like he couldn't find the right words. "Bianca's anniversary is tomorrow."

It hit him so suddenly. December 18th, a day after his third quest began. The day Bianca had sacrificed herself to destroy Talos. Holy shit, a day after Hazel's birthday.

"Bianca," Percy didn't know what to say, finding himself at a loss for words. Gods, the Fates made it so that Nico celebrated his sister's birthday one day, to then mourn the death of his other sister the next. And Percy didn't know until then. He felt like a shit boyfriend. With so much going on, he hadn't realized the dates fell after another. How was Nico feeling?

"Yeah, it's been years, but I guess it doesn't go away." Nico's voice was steady, it didn't crack and no tears built in his eyes. But Percy looked at him and he was frowning, staring at Percy's hands. Percy reached out to grab his hand and Nico moved the plate aside to hold Percy.

He caressed the smooth back of Nico's hand before bringing their hands to rest on his lap. His palm was slightly sweaty, and he worried Nico would mind, but he didn't comment.

"Does Hazel know?"

"No. I've never told her." Nico sounded a bit guilty, he suspected.

"Does she ask about her?" Somehow, Percy didn't want to say Bianca's name. Years had passed and Percy and Nico made peace with her death, still, her name felt too... important for him to say.

"Hazel? Sometimes, but I think she keeps her distance with that subject. Not that I wouldn't talk, but if she doesn't ask, I haven't talked about her on my own."

Percy understood. Grief was weird that way. He had told himself that the people who passed wouldn't want him to dwell on their deaths. But talking about their lives unprompted was rare for him, a vulnerability that he wasn't ready to share with everyone.

"And her death.. I don't know, I wouldn't want to ruin a special day for her." Nico said.

"Yeah, Hazel was excited to have everyone here." Percy said, smiling at the thought of the girl he saw as family.

"Yeah, she's told me it's her second chance at life. December 17th means a new beginning for her," Nico added. There was fondness in his voice, an obvious care for his sister present.

Bianca loved Nico and would've loved Hazel, Percy was sure. He almost said that, but thought better of it. Nico came out to mourn quietly, and it was likely his presence was a distraction. Bianca's meaning in Nico's life was always big, a sister and brotherly bond incredibly strong. He didn't know if he could ever get over Tyson or Estelle's death if they, he hated thinking about it, were to pass.

Percy lifted his head. "Would you like to be left alone? No pressure to join the celebration. I'll call Blackjack if you want to go."

"I thought we'd spend the night here." Nico said.

Percy smiled, he hoped for that too. Frank was eager to show them around San Francisco the next morning and he was curious to see what the city had to offer.

"We can if you want. I'd like to."

"Then let's stay the night. Um, I'll join in a moment. You can go if you'd like." he said. Percy understood this as Nico's way to ask him to stay. He looked into his dark eyes and saw that they were glistening. If tears were building or if it was the light, he honestly couldn't tell.

He thought Nico's look was of subtle relief when he shook his head and smiled, deciding to stay and sit in the grass at his side.

"I think, knowing she died around this time, I feel worse about it. Death is strange. I'm older than her and I don't know what to make of that." Nico's voice was scared, and Percy feared he'd break the moment between them.

Percy knew Nico still thought about her, that her death still weighed heavily on his heart. In his own thoughts, sometimes, Percy thought about her too. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. Percy wanted nothing but to remove the expression of sadness from Nico's face, to kiss away any suffering he experienced. But it didn't work like that, and it was likely Nico would carry the loss with him for years. All Percy could do was support him.

Nico buried his head in Percy's chest, and Percy wrapped his arms around him.

There was still too much light, Zoe's constellation wasn't visible. He always wondered how Bianca was. She chose rebirth, possibly aiming for the Isles of the Blessed, so she would be a toddler at this point. Nico had told Percy that he was genuinely happy for her, wherever she was.

He kissed the top of Nico's head, and sighed. His hair smelt like leather. Nico's chest rose with each breath, their breathing fell into a steady pattern. The calmness of it all made his eyes droopy. He was surprised to see he was tired, so he leaned against Nico and let his eyes close.

"Wake me up when you want to go inside," he said softly.

"Of course." Nico said, although Percy wondered if he would fall asleep too. 

A/N I saw a post saying that on the wiki, Bianca died the 18th of December, right after Hazel's birthday. That's pure evil on Rick's part, because hasn't Nico suffered enough? :/ Although, the timelines are weird, I'm honestly a little rusty on them so I don't know. Thanks for reading!