From Now On (Percico)

Chapter 2

*Percy's POV*

I caught snippets of the conversation...

"He needs to die!"

"No, please." The second voice sounded considerably younger than the first.

"After all the pain that he's caused you, you wish to spare his life?!" the first voice demanded.

"I don't care, " the second voice whimpered.

"Eros... he told me quite a strange story that I'm beginning to believe is true."

I glanced over at Jason, who's eyes were widening. He looked wildly at me as if something might be said that wouldn't be meant for me to hear.

"Well, dammit, maybe it is! " the second voice shouted.

A serpentine hiss came from the direction of the voices, then a yelp.

"Don't. Raise. Your. Voice. At. Me, " the first voice growled.

"We need to do something, " I murmured to Jason.

He nodded in agreement and began to move around the corner, dropping to his hands and knees and crawling. I followed him, replaying the voices in my head, eventually concluding that it must be Nico and Hades on the other side of the wall. The thought made me shiver... was Hades abusive? I didn't have trouble believing it.

Jason and I peered around the corner, and I froze. Nico was standing shirtless in a pit of writhing green and orange snakes. Hades sat in the corner perched on a chair, his dark eyes glinting. Nico met my gaze for a second and his eyes widened. He seemed to be pleading with me to leave. I shook my head slowly. "I'm not going anywhere, " I mouthed. He averted his gaze, turning to look back at his father.

Jason looked around the corner and quickly pulled his head back. "One of us has to lure Hades away," he whispered in my ear.

"How?" I asked.

"I have a few ideas," he replied. "I'll do it. As soon as he leaves, you need to get Nico and run. I'll be right behind you."

I nodded hesitantly. "Okay." I turned to look at him, but he was already gone. I tried to push down the rising panic and looked back in the room. Hades was arguing with a guard, motioning towards another exit. He stormed off, and said something I couldn't understand to the snakes. They hissed, slithering around Nico, and he hunched over in pain.

I ran over and he looked at me grimacing. "Why the hell are you here," he asked, gritting his teeth.

"To help you." I hooked my arms under his and pulled him out of the snakes, setting him down. He collapsed, his black sweatpants in tatters and snakebites covering his legs. I picked him up, ignoring his squirming, and ran towards the stairs. I looked around, frantically trying to find Jason. I started up the stairs, staying by the wall.

"Put. Me. Down," Nico growled, trying to get out of my arms.

"You're in no condition to walk, and it would be easier if you weren't moving around."

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. I ignored him and concentrated on not falling.

Halfway to the opening, I heard Hades bellow at his guards from below. Jason was sprinting up the stairs, guards clattering up behind him. Nico closed his eyes, determined, and I watched as the guards slowly fell back and turned around. When he opened his eyes again, his eyelids drooped in exhaustion.

"Stay awake, Nico," I pleaded. His head lolled against my chest, but he stayed awake.

I ran up the stairs and lifted him out of the hole. I climbed out after him and reached down to offer Jason a hand. He grasped my forearm and I pulled him up.

Nico was curling up in a ball on the ground, and I picked him up. "Don't bring me to camp," he murmured.

"Then where do we take you?"

"No where. Leave me here. I'm not going back to camp."

"And why not?"

"I don't want to... face people. My cabin is also just... very lonely..." he lied.

"You can stay in my cabin," I offered. "Unless you hate me too much to do that."

He looked up at me, a pained look on his face, and said, "I don't hate you. It's complicated."

"Then will you stay in my cabin?"

He shared a look with Jason, who shrugged.

"I guess..."

I nodded, unable to piece together what was going on between them. Maybe something went on when Annabeth and I were in Tartarus. I would never really know.

I started walking towards camp, and Nico's eyes started to close.

"Nico, try to stay awake until we get you to the infirmary. You might never wake up... and I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. Those bites are definitely poisonous..." I said, inspecting the gashes.

He nodded slowly, his eyes opening and his gaze locking with mine. A blush spread across his face and he glanced away. I looked at him for a moment before averting my eyes. Had I done something? I knew there was something Nico and Jason weren't telling me, and they wouldn't because I was directly related to the topic.

I took a moment to study the boy in my arms. His black hair hung over a pale face, his dark eyes hooded. His abdomen was specked with snakebites, his sweat pants torn. He's saved me so many times, yet this was all I could do for him.

Once we made it to the border, I asked him if he was okay with being walked straight through camp. He shook his head drowsily.

I looked back for Jason but he was gone. "I'll bring you around the back of the cabins, then. Along the shore. Just stay awake."

He nodded and glanced at me, quickly looking away. I started towards the sound, taking off my shoes and walking with my feet in the water. I immediately felt stronger, and that gave me an idea. I set him down on the sand.

~~~~~~

A/N

so the next chapter will be in Nico's POV, if anyone'll end up reading that far. that's why I cut it off at this point. also, I'm so sorry that my chapters are short. like, they're extremely short. but if you like the story so far, maybe comment and tell me? idrc about votes. the amount of votes I get doesn't concern me. I just want to know if people like my story :3 so ya. BAI.

~caroline•~•