Since We Met (Percy Jackson Fanfiction) AU

Ch. 52- Secret

~Angel Snow

sorry for the wait guys! Enjoy! Comment, please!! <3

December 26, 2013

It was a cold day, the streets were wet, and everyone was in the dining room munching on Papa's omelets. Today was the day. Papa was nervous, Nico could tell. He kept stuttering and his hands were fidgeting.

"So tell me again how you make these, because as much as I try I can never get my omelets to taste this good," Sally said.

"Add a bit of milk to the egg. Also but the salt before it's cooked not after," he answered in a rushed tone as he served himself. Nico wondered if he'd even be able to eat. He glanced over at Hazel and suppressed a smile. She looked down to hide her own. "Hazel, dear, put the phone down, it's breakfast."

"I'm not on my phone," she said. "It's barely like, four in the morning over there, Frank's not up yet."

"Oh, right." Hazel and Nico looked at each other and then away. He cleared his throat then and Nico watched as his fingers drummed rhythmically on the handle of his fork. "So, I was thinking we could go to the Ponte de sospiri today." Nico bit the inside of his cheeks to keep from smiling.

"Bridge of sighs?" Dahlia asked. She'd picked up on the language quickly. "What is that?"

"Well," Hazel began. "It's a bridge built in 1600. It provided convicts their last view before they got imprisoned. It's called the Bridge of Sighs because it's said the convicts would sigh as they admired their last view from there. But, it's also said that if lovers kiss in a gondola underneath the bridge at sunset as the bells toll, they will be granted eternal love and bliss." She smiled, proud of her memory.

"Ooh," Percy said. "That's a lot of conditions." He counted on his fingers. "Kiss on a gondola. At sunset. Under the bridge. Bells have to be tolling."

"Well, eternal love and bliss," Nico said. "It's a cheap price if you ask me."

"So we'll be going a bit before sunset?" Sally asked. "It'd be so romantic." She held Paul's hand over the table.

Before Papa could answer, Hazel huffed. "This isn't fair. All these romantic places and I'm the only one without my boyfriend here!" She glared at Nico, but Nico just shrugged.

"They're married," he said pointing to Sally and Paul. "They're dating," he said pointing at Dahlia and Papa. "And I just wanted to bring my best friend to see a new place. The fact that he's my boyfriend was just a bonus." He smiled cheekily and Hazel stuck her tongue out at him.

Later, after breakfast was done and everyone was getting ready to go out, Percy went into Nico's room. "Are we visiting Nonna today?" he asked. "I want more cookies."

As he checked his phone, he said, "You've eaten almost nothing but cookies, fatso."

"Fight me," Percy answered. Nico raised an eyebrow at him and Percy burst into laughter. "Come on, her cookies are fucking amazing, they're like little slices of heaven. She has a gift. Do you think she can make us a batch to take home?"

He returned to his phone's screen. "I can ask her. But I think we should stick to our parents today."

There was no response. Nico turned to back to face him and saw his eyebrows furrowed together suspiciously. "You know something I don't." Again, Nico raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that suggestive eyebrow. You and Hazel were practically bouncing in your seats at breakfast. What's going on?"

"I can't tell," he answered. "But you'll figure it out." Percy squinted his eyes at him and Nico smiled. "Come here, give me a kiss." This time Percy raised an eyebrow, but he obliged and walked over to him, took his face in his hands, and pressed their lips together softly.