Hell And High Water (Percico boyxboy)

XVIII

(Hey readers!! I want to apologize for my mopeyness during the past couple of updates. I promise you won't see any more of it from here on out. So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to the newest part of Hell And High Water.)

Despite the fact that Percy had said he knew and understood what was going on, there were still many aspects about the situation that hadn't quite sunk in yet. Mostly, it was exactly what all this meant for he and Nico. He knew, well enough anyway, that they had been in danger since the very beginning and that things had gotten worse with all these people working together. But as to what that set them up for in the future, Percy was clueless. He wished he knew, but he was as naive about this world as an infant is about everyone else's.
He spoke very little about such things; actually he spoke very little period. There was nothing that needed saying so he kept quiet. His silence was borderline nerve racking to Nico. The son of Hades tried to pretend he didn't care much about it, since he shouldn't at the time. He had so many other things he had to think about so Percy was pushed to the back of his mind. But it was still bothersome. He knew Percy was probably more confused than he had been a couple of months before but, as long as the son of Poseidon was still showing no signs of insanity, which Nico didn't think was going to happen any time soon, he figured Percy was fine.

As the days passed on, Nico totally trashed Percys escape plan, knowing there was no way the son of Poseidon was getting away from any of this. That really only left one option: Nico had to protect Percy with his life. Maybe there still was a slight hope for Nico to be the prince that saves the captive...
The entire time Nico was fighting with reality on the outside, he was fighting with false hopes inside his mind. He couldn't help but think that, if he saved Percy's life and kept him safe, the son of Poseidon would feel indebted to him and repay him any way Nico wanted... It was a terrible thing to think, but Nico could live with being a terrible person.
Percy had been thinking about plenty in the days that passed as well. Although, his thoughts weren't exactly on the same page as Nicos were. They could have been, though. Same page, different book...
Percy couldn't figure why he had one thought that just kept popping up over and over again. As far as he knew, it really wasn't important to him and the whole thing had happened so long ago anyway. He just figured it was probably a way to help himself stop thinking of Nico so much. But that didn't mean he didn't want to know.
After day on end with the same thought invading his mind, Percy had finally had enough of it. In all honesty, he really didn't care about the answer, but it was still bugging him half to death.
"Nico." The word was more of a demand, like 'talk to me now', than a request to be responded to...
The force in Percys voice was slightly startling to Nico. He wasn't sure if it was anger, demand, fear, hatred. He wasn't particularly fond of any of those being reasons.
The son of Hades wanted to respond to Percy in a likewise manner but something inside of him kept that from happening. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't know where any of this was going, and he was truly curious to find out. "What's up?"
Percy cleared his throat. "I know this was a while ago, but there's something I really want to know." The son of Poseidons tone was a little softer than before.
Nico allowed himself to relax a little with the change in Percys tone but he prepared himself for a question about Camp, or the Argo II, or the interaction between the two the few days earlier. It literally could have been any of those... He was ready with plenty of 'I don't know's and 'I'm sorry's and his typical answers to Percys typical questions.
"Where was that phone call traced to?"
Nico felt like he was choking on air. That was not what he expected. He was happy it was a simple question, sure, but still... He didn't want to answer it. But, maybe that made it not so simple.
Nico chuckled a little, hiding his anxiety, and shook his head. He knew he couldn't lie to the son of Poseidon. He may have been confused about everything that was going on but his demigod intuition allowed him to know when he was being lied to, and Nico knew that quite well. He tried to find the right words to use to make the whole thing make sense without going too far into detail.
"I used to live there with an old friend." ...So much for the right words. The last four probably weren't the ones he should have used. They would probably lead to more questions.
"Who?"
...They did.
Nico felt like he had dug himself into a hole. He also felt like he kind of deserved it, though. His 'old friend' and he had traveled around quite a bit. Actually, that 'friend' was the same person that Nico had gone to see at the park all that time ago. The person Nico had gotten waisted because of. The person that had caused him so many problems in the past, and seemed to be causing new ones now. A small part of Nico had thought that going back to all these places that were familiar to the two was a good idea because they were comfortable and he knew them well. Now, he wasn't so sure.
Nico pulled himself from his thoughts and recalled the question at hand. "Just an old friend. I trusted him for quite a while." Nico scoffed and shook his head. "But that was a long time ago."
Percy was silent for a moment. He gave the situation a little time to cool, sensing the tension, before he spoke again. "What's his name?"
Nico tried not to snap at him. Bringing all this back up was not the son of Hades' idea of casual chit-chat. "Don't worry about it."
Another couple of silent seconds passed before Percy spoke up again. "But, what if-"
"Stop!" Nico gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed tightly. "There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Understand? Don't worry about it." Nico hadn't realized how much of a touchy subject this was for himself. Well, now he did... It shouldn't have been, though, and he knew that quite well. It shouldn't have mattered one bit to him at all. It was in the past. But, sometimes the past never really goes away... Or randomly pops up at kind of the worst of times. Thats what it did in this case, anyway.
Percy let things go after that. He was learning, slowly but surely, that Nico was... sensitive?... Maybe that wasn't the best word but it seemed to fit. He knew he had to be very careful talking about things. He just hoped Nico wouldn't hold it against him.
The next few hours of the day were basically a blur to Percy. He had gotten an answer to his question, for the most part, but it was still running through his mind. He wondered who the person was. He wondered why he and Nico were no longer friends. But, most of all, he wondered why Nico had gotten so defensive over the whole thing.
Nico had a feeling he had upset the, now, delicate internal balance of the son of Poseidon. Percy went back to being overly quiet and reclusive within his own little world of thought and games on his phone. He looked occupied enough but he would peridically place his phone in his lap or on the bed beside him and look off into space blankly. It was clear he was thinking, very deeply, about something. Nico would watch him for a few seconds each time the son of Poseidon 'zoned out', trying to figure what the older boy was thinking. He never managed. He had never been very good at reading people and Percys expressions, or lack there of, were confusing to look at.
Never the less, Nico continued to watch him. He took in every feature on the son of Poseidons face, studying his every move, no matter how slight they were, watching his breathing, focusing on his slight twitches when his thoughts became a little deeper. He longed to know everything about the son of the sea god. He was desperate to know his dreams and his fantasies. He would do anything to learn of Percys fears and his hopes. He wanted nothing more than to know everything about the son of Poseidon. His every thought. His every move. His every feature. His everything. He wanted to learn what made Percy smile. What made him cry. What pushed him away. And what would bring him closer. Nico had never felt so desperate for something in his life.
Nico stood from his bed and made his way toward the bathroom. He feared that if he stared at Percy for too much longer his thoughts would start to darken and carry him to a place he didn't really want to go. Well, he did want to go there, but there was someone else who had to agree to go to that place with him and he couldn't see that happening any time soon.
Nico used the toilet before he stood, until his feet hurt, staring at himself in the mirror. He was really begining to hate the reflective glass objects that hung on the bathroom walls. He wasn't Narcissus, or anything like him, and he loathed the way he saw hinself. His reflection showed him who he really was and he could have gone the rest of his life without looking at it even once more. From his shaggy, dark brown hair, to his oh so visible jawline, to the prominent collar bones that showed through the neck of his shirt, he hated his reflection and how weak it made him look and feel.
After ridding himself of the temptation to break the glass, he returned to the room and saw Percy sitting up on the bed. He still looked as though he was thinking deeply but there was an aspect of his demeanor that practically screamed discontent with a whisper of animosity. No doubt both were how he was currently feeling.
In an attempt to get both himself and Percy to stop thinking so much, Nico asked the son of Poseidon if he was hungry. It was well passed midday and neither had eaten since lunch the day before.
Percy shrugged and mumbled a "Sure". Nico tossed him a, surprisingly, bright smile and took the order menu off the desk. Percys heart skipped a beat when he saw the son of Hades looking at him in such a way. He had never seen Nico smile so... brilliantly. He hoped to see it more often.
The two sat on Percys bed for some time, trying to order. Everything Nico suggested, Percy shot down within seconds. Everything Percy suggested, was meant as a joke. Nico snickered frequently and did everything in his power to keep himself a decent distance from the son of Poseidon while keeping the air light enough to breathe.
The two finally reached an agreement and called for room service. The food arrived rather quickly and Percy decided to finally stop being a hermit. He spoke very little at first. He talked mostly about the food and compared it to Camp's. He didn't think any food would ever measure up to that which he had at his previous home. But, this wasn't bad.
Nico found it very amusing. Percy would take a bite of something and say how it tasted. He would nitpick the texture or the feeling it left in his mouth once he swallowed it. Nico watched him as he lifted his fork to his lips time and time again. He watched how his Adams Apple would bob each time he swallowed. The best part, as well as the worst, was watching Percy close his lips around his fork. If using turn ons as torture was actually a thing, Nico was one hundred percent positive that he was being practically water boarded.
Nico was so focused on Percy, his lips, his neck, his jawline, that he didn't notice the son of Poseidon staring at him awkwardly.
"Nico?"
Nico snapped out of it, realizing Percy had picked up on being watched.
"Sorry. Just keep eating."
Percy didn't think too much about it before he continued to feed himself.
Once the two finished their meal, Nico went to the bathroom and Percy turned the t.v. on. He flipped through the channels for a while, unhappy with everything that was on. All he was getting were crime shows and news and the things he didn't want to watch. He flipped to the guide channel and searched through it. He stopped when he found a movie he was definitely in the mood to watch. His most favorite of all time. He smiled and jumped a little on the bed before pressing enter on the remote and smiling widely when the begining of the show played before him.
Nico left the bathroom a few minutes later. He was scratching his head as he entered the room but stopped abruptly and dropped his arm to his side. Percy had turned the television on. That itself didn't bother the son of Hades. What bothered him was the show he was watching. Finding Nemo. Nico hated that movie.
"Really?" He pointed at the t.v. but looked at Percy with disgust playing on his features.
"What?"
"This movie."
Percy shrugged. "It's Finding Nemo."
Nico scoffed. "I know quite well what it is, thank you." His tone was not a very pleasant one. It made Percy almost ashamed about liking the movie. Almost. No matter what anyone else said, though, Finding Nemo was, and would forever be, his favorite movie.
Nico managed to live with the cartoon until it was over and then stole the remote back from the son of Poseidon. Percy pouted again and Nico knew that he had to grow a thicker skin to the older males puppy eyes. He would start giving in soon if he wasn't careful.
Nico let the t.v. play very quietly for the remainder of the day, not caring much what was on it. He had things to think about and, like before, the slight sound of the t.v. was relaxing. It kept his mind focused on the task at hand instead of the unimportant things, like Percy.
Nicos main concern was what would happen if anyone unfriendly were to show up. He was almost positive that his enemies were slowly becoming aware of what was going on, meaning who Percy was and where the two were, and things like that. Basically, they were learning the last things Nico wanted them to know. Nico knew he was more than capable of protecting himself, and hoped he was capable of protecting Percy, as well. But Percy was going to have to learn to do it himself. The son of Poseidon knew how to use a dagger, a sword, and a gun. But knowing wasn't the problem. Doing was the problem. Nico couldn't be sure Percy would be able to step up and take on whatever he was being faced with. A part of Nico figured Percy would be fine. But, another part of him questioned it. Percy had done a lot of evil things in his life, which should mean that he would jump into a fight with fists ready and not a care in the world about the outcome. But that could also make him run. He could fear such situations and try to avoid them at all costs. Avoiding something was a good thing, yes, but would Percy try to avoid it once he was already facing it? Nico sure hoped not, because that could turn out very badly.
Percy was staring up at the ceiling in complete and utter boredom. Nico knew it was as good a time as ever to run Percy through some questions and hypothetical situations.
Nico grabbed Percy's attention by tossing a pillow at him. He tensed but came to his senses rather quickly.
"What?"
Nico never made his intentions clear before asking Percy a random question. "What's your name?"
Percy furrowed his brow. Nico told Percy what he was doing, sounding rather annoyed, before repeating the question. Percy nodded once, silently preparing himself.
"My name is Pan."
Nico shook his head lightly. "I wouldn't use that name again. You used it when you introduced yourself to Horme, right?"
Percy nodded.
"Yeah, don't use it again. People will figure things out and, sooner or later, know you by it. And don't use Don either. Since you used it with Herc, he knows it. There's no doubt he told someone by now."
Percy nodded firmly, making a note in the back of his mind to find a new Greek or Roman gods name to use as an alias, as Nico began to ask more questions. The first few followed suit in normalcy as the one regarding Percy's name. After that, though, they seemed to get a little weird. Nico asked what Percy would do if someone came at him with a blunt object, or a knife, or a gun. Percy did everything he could to remember what he had gone through with Nico; all the 'training' the son of Hades had thought necessary. Nico asked what he would do if someone was trying to sell him something, like weapons, or drugs, or themselves.
"Tell them I'm not interested...?"
Nico cocked his head to the side. "You don't sound so sure."
"Because I'm not." Percy paused. "Nico, I have no clue about any of this. This stuff isn't me."
Nico shook his head. "You're right. It's not you. But what is you, is demigod logic. Use it. It comes in handy, trust me."
From that point on, Percy ran each and every question through his thoughts, analyzing it until he hoped he had a reasonable response, and then giving an answer. Nico was pleased enough with most and those he wasn't he asked until he got a sufficient answer.
There was only one thing that Nico didn't like much. No matter how many times he asked the same question, Percy wouldn't budge from his answer.
"If you have to kill someone, how will you do it?"
Percy's answer came quickly and he spoke shortly. "I won't."
"Percy, listen-"
"No, you listen. I've already done it once. I won't do it again."
Nico shook his head. "I don't understand that, Percy. I have seen you do some pretty brutal things. You never back down, you never give up, why is this any different?"
"Because these are human beings we're dealing with." Percys voice was almost a yell. "This is so different."
Nico sighed. He did see Percys point.
"Can I go to bed now? I'm tired."
Nico shook his head. "Not yet. There's one more thing."
"What?" Percy grumbled.
"What do you do if someone comes onto you? "
Percy shrugged. "I don't know."
"You need to know Percy." Nico sighed. "It's kind of important."
"Why? Who's gonna come onto me?" Percy was feeling pretty uncomfortable because of the direction the conversation was going.
Nico shrugged. "I don't know. A lot of players out there these days are gay guys. They get into the business by hooking up with a gang banger and they get stuck in it. If anything is to ever happen, and you come upon one, you could get hit on. Pretty hard core. I mean, look at what happened with Herc. You think he's the only guy that has a thing for guys?"
Percy took a second. "Are they all gay?"
Nico shook his head. "Not all. Some are straight, some are bi, some are pan, some just fuck anything that walks. You can never know. But one thing you can know is that it takes a lot to get them to back down."
Percy nodded. He didn't like the sound of what he had just heard. It meant that he was in store for more than just what had happened with Herc. He just hoped he was ready for it. And so did Nico.
"How would you react to it?"
Percy still had no clue. He had been given a little time to think but that wasn't what he had actually been thinking about. He had been thinking about Nico. He recalled how he acted when Nico had him pinned to the bed and was rubbing his knee into Percy's groin. He had enjoyed that much more than he ever thought he could and he was enjoying thinking about it now.
"Percy?"
"Hmmm?"
"How would you react?"
He shrugged again, a slight blush spreading to his cheeks. "I really don't know."
Nico sighed, not noticing Percy's face. "I hate to make this seem so important, but it could literally mean the difference between life and death for you. If you react even the slightest bit off, they'll find it suspicious and you'll end up dead. So, I will ask you again. How would you react?"
Nico was growing impatient and Percy was tired. The two had been at this for hours and Percy had had enough. He just wanted to go to bed. He said, once again, that he didn't know and Nico felt like hitting something. How it was so hard for someone to answer a question, he would never know. Nico asked again and Percy complained like a child. Nico dropped his face, shaking his head in utter disappointment. It was an easy question and figuring the answer was as logical as logic could get, and still Percy couldn't come up with it.
But, Nico was as determined to get an answer as Percy was to stop being asked. The son of Hades would have been satisfied with even a crap answer, if it made sense. But Percy had nothing. Nico wasn't going to let it go until Percy answered him. But, obviously, just asking him the question wasn't enough.
"Stand up."
Percy whined. "Nico, I'm tired. It's late. Please just let me go to bed."
"You can go to bed when we're done. Stand up."
Percy put on his puppy face and played it for a minute, hoping to accomplish something with it. Nico shook his head and repeated his previous order.
The son of Hades wasn't too thrilled about the situation himself. The idea he had in his mind would either work out really well, or fall apart very quickly. But he had to know. The only problem was there was a possibility Percy could react differently to Nico than he would to someone else. Nico hoped he was both wrong, and right.
Percy stood from his bed, finally, and looked at the son of Hades.
"Why am I st-"
"Shhh." Nico was being very forceful even with that one small sound he made. His tone sent shivers down Percys spine. His whisper was intoxicating. It made Percy forget that they weren't the only two people in the world. And, because of those things, it made him feel stupid...
"Let me ask you a question, Percy." Nico whispered before falling silent for a short moment. "If someone is coming onto you, what do you do?" Nico was talking very slow steps toward the son of Poseidon, eyes glued tightly to Percys.
Just having Nico staring at him like he was, seeming as if he was trying to see into Percy's soul, made the son of Poseidons head spin. "T-" Percy's voice cracked. He coughed slightly and continued. "Tell them I'm not interested."
Nico smirked at the fact that Percy couldn't speak. He no longer cared if the idea didn't seem too bright. He was going to carry this as far as he could. He stepped a little closer to the son of Poseidon, who was standing at the edge of his bed. Percy managed to take one step back before he fell on his butt on the mattress. His breath caught when he felt the soft material beneath him. Nico continued to step closer until he was only about a foot from the son of Poseidon. Percy was looking down at the floor, trying to compose himself.
"Look at me." Nicos voice was still a whisper.
After a second, Percy looked up at Nico. The son of Hades tilted his head to the side and smirked widely. It was a truly devilish look. "You're not interested?" His voice was low and gravely. Percy could have sworn Nico was being momentarily possessed by an incubus. He couldn't decide whether he hated it or not... No. He hated it. There was no question in his mind. Nico was a guy. He couldn't like this. ...Then why did he? Why was his heart pounding? Why was the blood racing through his body?
Nico lifted a hand to Percy face and caressed his cheek ever so softly. He could feel Percys breath hitch and his body tremor ever so slightly. He did more than everything in his power to hold himself back. "Are you sure you're not interested?" He lowered his hand a little and brushed one finger softly across Percy's jaw line.
While Nico tried his hardest to keep control, Percy lost it. A quiet whimper escaped his lips as he recalled how he had felt the last time things had gotten heated between Nico and himself. He didn't know where this going, but that was perfectly okay. He would find out sooner or later.
Nico pulled his hand away upon hearing the whimper, knowing what would happen if he didn't, and left Percy on the bed. He had intended all of that to be a teaching experience, not something to get off on. But that changed once things started playing out. Ten minutes was all it took for Percy to, seemingly, give in. Under any other circumstances, Nico would have pushed Percy onto the matress, climbed on top of him, and made his own day. But, that wasn't the point. The point was to find out if Percy could fight a guy coming onto him. Apparently, he couldn't.
Nico made his way into the bathroom to try to calm himself down. He had made a situation that he couldn't handle. He had done it himself and regret was slowly creeping in. He was fighting harshly against the images that were threatening his sanity and self-control.
Nico shook everything off the best he could and left the bathroom. He must have been locked inside the small room longer than he thought because Percy was already sleeping when he came back out. Nico sighed. It wasn't that the son of Poseidon being asleep was a bad thing or anything, but a part of him had been wondering if Percy was as messed up by the interaction as he himself was. Clearly, he wasn't.
Nico shook that off, too, and got himself ready for bed. He climbed under the blankets, trying to forget everything so he could sleep.