Sacrifices

Puzzle Pieces

Jealousy burned like a sizzling fire pooling inside his stomach, scratching the edges of his inner organs and setting aflame his entire being.

A girl with blonde curly hair was sitting side by side with Percy, who didn’t look troubled at all by her presence. She was laughing at something Percy had probably said, as seeing he often liked to make jokes and brighten the atmosphere around him, and her puffy pink lips were curled up so high that it scrunched up her steely gray eyes.

Percy was smiling like an idiot at her, his intense green eyes gleaming with a sense of softness as he stifled his own laugh, trying hard to keep the wide grin under control. His wild and untamed raven colored hair was highlighted by the sun’s rays, creating a shadow over his tan face.

They stayed like that for a moment, and Nico stood at the garden gates, watching the moment unfold before his own eyes. Red and yellow flowers decorated the green stems and leaves, covering tiny corners of the duo that sat on the stone bench, adding color and a relaxed aura to the scene.

And then Percy’s eyes travelled over to where Nico was standing, which was now an empty space. Nico had predicted he would eventually spot him, and had taken a step back in order to hide. It had become a habit of his for a very long time, to hide in the shadows when people were searching for him, and covering himself in them when they weren’t. 

Nico stayed in his spot, back against the brick wall that prevented visitors to walk openly into the garden, heart pounding wildly in his chest as he tried to slow down his breathing. He had been so focused on his simple task that he missed when Percy had walked up to the gate, searching for him through the slim metal bars.

“Nico? What are you doing here?” Percy asked, snapping Nico out of his trance. 

“Huh? Oh, um, I just came to stop by, see how you’re doing.” Nico lamely added, becoming fully aware of the presence that was creeping up behind Percy.

“Percy? Who is it?” The blonde girl asked, stopping a few feet away from said boy.

“Nico, come in. I want you to meet someone.” Percy offered, already moving to open the metal gates, causing a sudden wave of panic to flood through Nico’s veins. 

“What?” Nico asked, before being dragged into the gardens by his boyfriend, not given time to protest. Nico turned around when he had entered the garden grounds, watching as Percy latched the gates closed. “Percy-”

“Annabeth, I want you to meet Nico. Nico, Annabeth.” Percy cut Nico off, gesturing to Annabeth and Nico accordingly to his introductions. 

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard many things.” Annabeth started, her warm aura slowly fading away as he stared into her gray eyes, which held a more intense gaze than he had seen earlier. His gut dropped as he shook her awaiting hand. 

“What… What kind of things?” Nico gulped, shifting his weight to his right foot, and then the left, repeatedly doing the small action as he waited for her answer, feeling too open for comfort under her stare. 

“Only the good ones.” Annabeth replied after a few moments of silence, taking her time to study him up and down before answering his question. Nico huffed a breath of relief. 

“Anyways-” Percy began, but was promptly cut off by another voice invading their conversation. 

“Percy!” Someone yelled from afar, before coming out from behind a large bush of Morning Glory flowers, revealing a teenage boy with curly brown hair and large doe brown eyes. He had a green beanie covering half his head, and a small wispy beard starting to grow.

When Percy turned around and spotted him, his green eyes widened in disbelief before a large grin was spread across his face. Laughter filled the air as the duo ran toward each other, enveloping the other in a hug.