Hell And High Water (Percico boyxboy)

XIX

The five people in the small restaurant held each others stares for quite a while, although they looked back and forth from face to face. Hazel, Frank, and Leo had changed just as much as Nico had. They all looked older and both Frank and Leo had bulked up more. Frank could have stayed the same size and been intimidating in this world but it was clear to see he had added more muscle to his physique. Leo, the once scrawny kid who could have afforded a few more pound of muscle, looked like he had been doing plenty and had added more than just a few. Hazel, too, wasn't as weak looking and Nico had the feeling she had been involved in plenty of fights over the past three years.

A deafening silence had fallen on the small restaurant and the few waitresses that were working wore curious faces. Hazel tore her eyes from Nico and looked at Percy. She was amazed that he hadn't changed at all from the last time she had seen him, like the rest of them had, and wondered why. The possibilities flooded her mind and she thought of the Lotus, knowing full well that many demigods knew of it and a few had run away there in the past.

Hazel looked back at Frank and Leo before slowly approaching the table the other two males were sitting at. Nico stood from his seat and took a few steps back, grabbing onto Percy's arm and pulling him from his chair. He reached around his back and pulled his gun out. He held it by his side, where anyone who was paying attention would have seen it, and hid Percy behind him the best he could. The three people in the doorway resembled his half sister, her boyfriend, and the son of Hephestsus but Nico was aware of current technological and medical advancements that could have changed facial features.

Hazel took another step toward Nico and Percy and the son of Hades pulled the cock back on his hand gun, but stood his ground. Instead of looking intimidated, which was what Leo was trying to accomplish, the son of Hades looked like the one doing the intimidating.

Percy saw everything unravel and couldn't understand why Nico was acting like this toward his own sister. "Nico-"

"Shh."

The tension in the room was unmistakably there, and as heavy as a ton of bricks. The waitresses had already fled to the back room, not knowing what was going on and not really caring to, either. Percy looked back toward the other three people and noticed they now each held weapons of their own. Hazel had the biggest hand gun Percy had ever seen, Frank was grasping onto a large hunting blade, and Leo pulled something from his backpack and gripped tightly to it. It looked to be a large welding hammer. It didn't seem like much in a fight of guns but Nico and Percy both felt that Leo could do some damage with it.

Nico whispered lightly to Percy to ready Riptide and the son of Poseidon slowly pulled the pen from his pocket and held it tightly. Hazel caught the motion and stared intensely at the writing implement for a moment before whispering something to Leo. The son of Hephestsus walked toward Nico and Percy as he put his hammer into the almost empty bag on his back; even then, the bag stayed looking empty.

Tension raised even more as Leo stepped closer and Percy took a step toward the approaching male. Nico grabbed onto his arm tightly, trying to hold him back, but Percy was a demigod and there was no backing down at the moment. He felt threatened, and he felt like Nico was being threatened, too, and he would defend himself and the son of Hades to the death if he had to.

Leo's steps were careful and slow but consistent. Percy uncapped his pen and spun Riptide in his hand like he had done with the sword whenever he fought with it. Leo stayed on his course and continued to slowly approach the two boys. He swallowed hard, knowing he needed to speak and try to reason with the son of Poseidon.

"P-"

Percy was just barely close enough to spin his sword around in his hand before he held it to Leo's throat. Frank went to take a step toward the three but Hazel held him back, wanting to see how things would turn out and not wanting the son of Ares getting involved too soon. He groweled, sounding like a bear, but did what his girlfriend wished.