PJO #4 : The Battle of the Labyrinth - MISSING SCENES

Take A Slice (Post-Book)

Nico took a peek through the window and into the other demigod's bedroom. "Is that..." he faltered as his eyes landed on something. He looked almost a bit hopeful, and it reminded Percy of just how young the boy really was. "Is that blue birthday cake?"

"Come inside for cake and ice cream" Percy told him gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. Nico's face seemed to light up a bit at that. "It sounds like we've got a lot to talk about"

"Wait, really?" Nico asked, cautious to not get his hopes too high as Percy crawled back into his room. "Yes, really" Percy replied, motioning for the other boy to come in so he could shut the exit. Nico still seemed a bit hesitant, but he entered the room and sat on Percy's bed.

"You just... Stay there" Percy told him. "I'll get you some food. My mom doesn't know you're here and she's usually cool about this sort of thing, but I don't want to stress her out, so just..." A sigh. "I'll be back"

"Okay"

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About 5 minutes later, Percy re-entered the room with a bowl of ice cream, then he placed it next to the plate of cake. "There" he said with a small smile, gesturing to the two items. "It's yours. Dig in. Oh, and tell me what you think of it. My mom made it, so I think it's amazing but I'd like to know what you think"

"Why didn't you just get another slice of cake?" Nico asked, looking nervously between the food and his cousin. "That is the last slice" Percy replied simply, pointing at the plate. "I already had a lot of it today. It's yours"

"Are you sure?"

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have offered it to you" Percy responded with a kind smile. Nico almost felt guilty. Not necessarily because he was getting the last piece of Percy's birthday cake (though, yes, that was a part of it), but because Percy was being so damn nice to him, even after he had been so violent towards him over the past year.

"Thank you" Nico said quietly as he shakily took the two items and began to eat. He got through the ice cream first, then ate the cake. He ate it slow enough to process what he was eating, but still quick as to not leave Percy waiting too long. He didn't want to get thrown out of the house because he took a damn century to finish the food.

"The cake was good" he finally said after quietly placing the dishes back on the window sill. "Really good" he continued, avoiding the other half-blood's gaze. "I'm sorry for intruding"

"It's fine"

"Is it?"

"Yes" Percy replied firmly. "It's fine. Now, you had something to tell me?"

"Right..."