To Hold Up the Sky (Percico/Pernico)

Chapter 1: Nightmare Galore

A thin streak of moonlight shone into the cabin, stark white against the overpowering darkness of the room. The wooden walls were painted pure black, the rich carvings giving it the feel of a room in an ancient mansion. Elaborately decorated black furniture added to the feel of fanciness. A queen sized bed sat proudly next to a black nightstand. A fireplace made with black iron burned a ghostly green, the only source of light in the cabin. The moonlight came in from the black doors that stood ajar, the new light casting strange dark shapes all over the walls and furniture. Even though the cabin seemed haunted with its dark and ancient looks, not a single soul was in that cabin. Dust clung to the furniture, a musky and earthy smell inhabited the place. The door creaked and groaned, the wind inching it forwards and backwards.

The darkest corner of the cabin rippled as a figure stepped out of the shadows. The teen sagged with exhaustion, eyes drooping from fatigue. He stumbled towards the bed and sank his head into the earthy-smelling pillows. Not bothering to kick off his grimy shoes, the guy closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

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Sometimes the nightmares constantly rattling him were unbearable. You would think some were as simple as him forgetting to do his homework or being late for class, right? Not. Every dream the guy had were always ten times worse than that. The least terrifying nightmare he'd ever had was the zombie apocalypse happening and watching his family be eaten. By far.The most terrifying he didn't even want to even think about. Why? Because it actually happened.

That's the worst part about his nightmares. Being a demi-god sometimes mean that the nightmares you're having aren't just something your conscience is making up. It sometimes means it is either happening now or later, for demi-god consciences like to keep things real.

So, sure enough, his subconscious brought him into... have you guessed it yet ...you guessed it: Tartarus.

He was in the very heart, which of course, was the worst part of the place. But his subconscious clearly thought that the poor teen wasn't scared enough, so it threw in the doors of death being chained there. Again. When the doors of death were chained, Tartarus controlled what monsters went in and out of his domain, and where they are dropped off.

Since he was naturally evil, Tartarus didn't exactly use the doors for anything good. More like the opposite: for really really bad stuff.

'This is not going to be a good dream,' the teen thought to himself. Preparing for the worst, he looked around.

He wasn't very thankful about being right that this dream wasn't going be a good one. When an evil, creepy laugh echoed through the gloom, the guy wanted to scream with frustration.

"Did you really think you could evade me, Nico?"

"Nope." Nico replied, putting all his annoyance into that answer. A warning bell went off in his head, for he knew that that was not a smart thing to say. But he wanted to make it clear that he was not happy with this dream, for he was exhausted and tired.

The ground shook beneath the teens feet, lava pouring from the cracks. The tired teen could feel the heat of the voice's anger, rolling off him in waves. "Don't make me angry, son of Hades, I will kill you."

Even though he was scared to Hades and back, Nico was not in a good mood, which made him roll his eyes. "I'm not afraid of death."

The evil, cold voice chuckled. "No, no you're not."

Then the source of the voice appeared in front of the son of Hades, making goosebumps raise from his arms: Tartarus himself.

The void that Tartarus has for his head was bringing back memories Nico had tried so hard to forget. His robe was similar to Pluto's, a robe filled with wailing souls. But these weren't humans. They were Tartarus's monsters.

What the god of the pit said next made the poor guy's heart race.

"But you are afraid for him."

Panic flared through him, making him want to slay the pit right there for using his biggest weakness against him. But he stood there, trying not to do anything stupid. "I don't know what you're talking about." he retorted.

"Oh, but you do." the god said, his tone so scary that anyone lesser than the teen would be crying for his mama. "You know exactly who I'm talking about." Not waiting for the son of Hades to reply, Tartarus continued. "The hero of Olympus that everyone adores, who's so selfless and sacrifices himself constantly for the good of everyone else. Your hero." Cruelty shone in Tartarus's voice as he watched the teen wince at every word he said.

"What do you want from me?" the demigod asked, using a death glare that usually had campers backing away.

"I know what you desire, Nico di Angelo. I know you want to be with the son of Poseidon." Tartarus said, enjoying Nico's painful expression at his words. "I can give you that. All you need to do is help me."

Nico grimaced, a little tempted by his words. But when he thought of Percy's expression if he had helped Tartarus in order to have him, Nico knew that it wouldn't work. "Never," he hissed at the god, glaring at him.

"Very well." Tartarus said. "You should've taken my offer when you had the chance. Let me ease your mind that you will bring upon the destruction of your loved ones." Then the scene changed.

He was on top of Mount Tam, with Atlas holding up the sky. He watched as Tartarus himself appeared to the titan. "Give it to me." he said, the void slowly sucking up Atlas' presence. Atlas gladly gave it over to the ancient god, collapsing onto the ground. Tartarus, unlike Atlas, seemed to hold the sky like it was a bookshelf: not too difficult, but still a little draining. He held the sky with one hand and grabbed weak Atlas with his other.

"Wha-" Atlas said, a confused look on his face as Tartarus sucked up his essence.

"Goodbye, Atlas." he said, chuckling as the titan disappeared into his face. Then he turned to Nico, who was in shock from seeing Atlas being consumed. "This is your doing, demigod." Tartarus said.

Then with a last heave, the pit god let go of the sky, letting it crash the world around him. And thats when Nico di Angelo woke up.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone, this is my first Percico fanfiction ever, so if it sucks, I'm sorry. But if you liked it, PLEASE COMMENT AND LIKE! Even if nobody likes it though, I'm going to keep writing.

Btw, the youtube song I posted up is my inspiration for Percico, so feel free to listen to it while reading this first-time fanfiction! :D

QUESTION: What Youtube videos inspired you all to love Percico/Pernico? If you post up a link, I will put it on one of the chapters. So please, if there's a youtube video about Percy and Nico that you want people to see, POST IT IN THE COMMENTS!:D