Alone Again (Percico/Pernico AU)

Chapter 26

{LITERALLY SMALLEST TRIGGER WARNING EVER: chapter contains one small mention of arson, if anyone cares? Oh, and language, but I really don't think that's a trigger for anyone reading at this point}

He just needed to get out.
*****

Nico walked out of the school without a second thought. His mind was going at a million miles per hour, his heart was racing, and he just couldn't seem to comprehend what he had heard. Nico just didn't know what to think about the whole situation. There was no way Percy had killed Bianca.

Nico trusted Percy; he told him things that most of his friends didn't know about. Like his father, for example. The rest of them thought that Nico's father had left before his birth. They all thought Bianca died in a car crash.

But they didn't.

They all knew this whole time.

And they never told him.

They had been lying to Nico's face for six years. He had begun to question which ones were actually his friends, and which ones only pretended to be because of Percy.

Percy.

That name was the only clear thought in Nico's brain as he rushed down the sidewalk. He knew Thalia would be home at this point, and he figured that she'd be the most reliable source to give Nico the answers he wanted.  The walk to the apartment was brutal. His legs were burning, his lungs felt like they were about to collapse, and his eyes stung with tears that Nico refused to let spill. Once the apartment building was finally in his sight, Nico sprinted to the front door and through the lobby to go upstairs.

Nico struggled to get his key out of his pocket with his shaky hands before he unlocked the door and forcefully shoved it open. Thalia, obviously quite startled, jumped and turned her eyes to the door.

"What the hell, Ni-," Thalia started harshly, but was interrupted by the younger boy.

"You knew," he stated, venom dripping from his words. "You knew about everything and you didn't fucking tell me?"

"Nico, what are you-"

"Don't pretend you're innocent right now. You all knew exactly what happened to Bianca. All I got was that shitty explanation from some police officer," Nico shouted, his voice getting weaker and weaker as he spoke.

Thalia's dagger-sharp eyes softened immensely. She patted the spot next to her on the couch and waited for Nico to sit down before opening her arms for him. He stared at her for a moment before collapsing into her arms and releasing a heart-wrenching sob that echoed through the apartment. Thalia gently rubbed circles on the boy's back, whispering to try and calm him down. His thin frame shook vigorously as he, with great difficulty, tried to calm himself down. After a few minutes of this, Thalia finally got Nico to relax enough so that he could actually talk to her.

"I never thought he'd do something like that," he whispered to her quietly, lifting his eyes to meet Thalia's before continuing, "How much did you know?"

"Only as much as Luke told me," she replied gently.

Nico nodded, slumping further into the couch. Some silent tears still managed to slide down his cheeks, but he'd been able to repress his emotions after his quick breakdown.

"Luke didn't really seem to care," Nico murmured, frowning as he thought back on it. "Like, I know he was trying to help, I guess, but he just didn't look like he was even worried over her death. Does that make any sense?"

After getting no reply, he continued rambling, which was something he did whenever he was upset, "Of course it doesn't. I probably make absolutely no sense right now and I should just go take a nap."

His yawn afterwards only further encouraged Nico to do so, and he got up and headed to his bed after giving Thalia a quick 'see you later.' He closed the door behind him, flopping onto his bed and staring at the ceiling. By then, he had already released all of the tears that he contained in his system and was quite exhausted. Deciding to just do what he had entered the room to do in the first place, he kicked his shoes off and closed his eyes after getting in a comfortable position. He blocked out all of his thoughts as he slowly fell asleep. Nico could really only hope that he could somehow forget that day.

*****

Have you ever had that moment when you realize that someone you had never imagined would be a person you'd go to  with your problems suddenly becomes one of the few things that causes you to keep holding on? Percy was beginning to experience that feeling. Chris had just seemed to be, to put it simply, more optimistic since their nighttime encounter. Although there hadn't been much time between the present and the incident, Percy could see the rather obvious changes in Chris's behavior. He began to see him in a different light. In Percy's mind, Chris had suddenly gone from the brooding guy in the corner to one of the most trustworthy people he knew, which was quite significant to Percy's similar newfound happiness.

But, of course, all good things must come to an end.

Chris would be gone after Wednesday; it was already a well-known fact. He had been charged with a seven year sentence for first degree arson. Long story short, Chris learned his lesson about how he shouldn't play with matches in a very tragic way. Anyways, seven years had gone by since his admittance. He was finally going to get to live a normal, teenage life. Percy was a bit worried, to say the least. Chris had almost no experience with kids his age besides all of the younger 'criminals.' That is, unless you count the ten seconds he saw Silena and Beckendorf every week as they walked through the door before he left, or the time with Nico and the prior times with Annabeth. Plus, Chris had struggled a bit with depression and slight insanity in the past. Naturally Percy would worry; who wouldn't?

If he left on Wednesday, that meant that Percy would really only have one more night of the newfound reassurance that someone was always there. Afterwards, all he'd have left is himself, and he was perfectly aware that he wasn't a very good support system.

He was perfectly aware that he'd be alone again.

Roll credits? BUT NOT REALLY BC THAT ISNT THE END.

I really couldn't help myself though. I had an inner debate before ending the chapter with the title and I don't know why but whatever.

This chapter kinda sucks. I promise things will start unfolding eventually😂

I actually have nothing to say???

Thanks for reading and goodbye!