Chasing the Dark{Nico Di Angelo}

Voicemail

There was no massive rush to get home the following morning. Percy treated you to breakfast at a nearby cafe, although the entire time he seemed distracted and was continuously checking his phone. After breakfast, you finished the rest of the drive home and made it back in time to have dinner with your parents. Your parents had both agreed to let you go 'check out' Percy's old camp, but they didnt know it was because of Nico that you made the trip. You guessed that they assumed your were just spending more time with Percy before the summer was over.

 Dinner that night was like playing Twenty Questions, only that you didnt get to ask anything and your parents had twenty questions each. They both wanted to know what the camp looked like and what kind of sports they played there; they asked if you stopped by any tourist sites or if Percy saw any old friends there. Talk about curiosity, although you knew they were only trying to make conversation. The fact that the questions were all centered around you and your trip with Percy, you had guessed that either you appeared sad and they were trying to cheer you up or that nothing had happened while you were gone and this was the most interesting thing all week.

 Once dinner and what felt like a miniture interrogation was over, you went to bed. You felt absolutely drained of all energy, allowing you to fall asleep almost instantly.

***

It's been one month since you went to see Nico. The entire month you did your best to ignore any thoughts of him, while also helping your sister plan your shared birthday. Annabeth wanted the party to be at a country club your family belonged to while you wanted a small party. Not in a mood to have a back-and-forth argument with Annabeth, you agreed to having a bigger party as long as you could pick out the cake. Annabeth grudgingly agreed to allowing you to pick the cake, leaving you to order a three-tiered ( favorite cake flavor) cake. 

" I'm just saying that you should have ordered a blue cake instead of white." Percy said while he untangled a string of clear lights. Percy was helping you and Annabeth set up the last few preparations for tomorrow's party. 

" But blue doesnt match the theme." you explained. You and Annabeth were setting up the table clothes. Percy rolled his eyes and you're 99.99% positive you heard him say 'fuck theme.' You chuckled to yourself before feeling your phone vibrate in your back pocket for the tenth time. Pulling your phone out of your pocket, you noticed the same person had tried to call you. 

'Blocked Caller - 10n Missed Calls'

" You gonna answer that?" Annabeth asked as the phone started ringing again. You shook your head before turning your phone off and shoving it back in your pocket. You rolled your eyes nd noticed Percy and Ann exchange a confused look. " Uh okay... um lets clean up. I think we are done once Percy finished with those lights." You nodded and helped Annabeth pick up all the empty wrappers and bags that were strewn around the country club party room.

Once he had finished, Percy gave you and Annabeth a ride home. You noticed on the drive home how they both acted strangely, but chose to dismiss it. 

" See you tomorrow." you waved to Percy as he pulled out of your driveway. You followed Annabeth inside, both of you trying to be quiet. You didnt want to wake up your parents, seeing as how late it got without you noticing. " Night Ann." you whispered down the hall. " Happy early birthday"

You heard Annabeth chuckle, " Happy early birthday, Y/n."

***

The following morning was chaotic. Percy wasnt asnwering his phone, which worried you. But Annabeth reassured you that he was fine. Speaking of your twin sister, she had changed her outfit at least six times, asking you which looked better. Regardless of your opinion on any of the outfits, in the end,  Annabeth still changed clothes. 

Unable to look at any more clothes, you left Annabeth on her own to decide on what to wear while you went downstairs to the kitchen. You checked the clock which read '8:16.' With almost a hour till the party, you sat down on a bar stool and played your phone. You checked any social media you had before playing mindless games. This idea died quickly when your phone started ringing. Startled, you fell off the chair, landing on your back. You propped yourself up on your elbows before rubbing what was now probably a bruised shoulder. The phone continued to ring while you sat on the floor until finally the caller left a voice mail. Checking your shoulder, you noticed a purple mark forming. You stood up, reaching for your phone. After reading the caller ID you immediately played the voice mail. But the voice of the caller ID didnt match the voice in the message.

"Y/n? Hey...um it's Nico...we need to...no...um can we talk?"

' One Missed Call - Percy'