Finding Home

Chapter 25 - A Week in Ferroc

It had been a month and a half since that night at the carnival with Loki, and I was beginning to work through my mental block. I was able to admit that I loved him, but I still couldn't bring myself to tell him. We went out two or three times a week now. I was currently in a session with Nico, rambling to him about my latest "date" as he called them.

"We were flying in the canyons, because he insisted that I try to fly with wings. It was so much fun, Neeks! And, he is finally getting comfortable enough to not treat me like a king!"

Nico smiled at my enthusiasm. "That's great, Perce. Have you given any thought to asking him out on an official date?"

My smile fell. "I tried yesterday, but I couldn't say it. I ended up just asking him to tell me more about the book series he has been reading lately. It actually sounds pretty interesting, but still!"

He tried to stifle a laugh, but ended up failing. "Oh, gods. I'm sorry, Percy. It's just, that is just so sad. Even I wasn't that bad with Will, and I was hopeless!"

I groaned. "I'm a disaster!"

He hummed. "Definitely. You should take him down to Ferroc for the week. Say you need to get out of the capital for a bit."

I gaped at him. "Ferroc? That's literally the nicest city on Valos! What if he gets overwhelmed? Or thinks I'm trying to show off?"

Nico face palmed. "Percy, he's lived in the royal palace for a year and a half now. I think Ferroc will be fine. Besides, you'll just claim that it's a good place to take your mind off of work."

"What if Jamie needs me?"

"He won't."

"What if-"

He cut me off. "Percy! Everything will be fine. Just go on your unofficial date and let Nolan handle the politics and me handle the team."

I nodded. He was right, as always. "Okay."

"Good. Now, hand me your communicator."

"What?"

"Perseus! Hand it over! This is to be a work-free trip. No communication other than with your not-boyfriend."

I handed it over. "Mind message me if anything goes wrong?"

"Nope. We'll handle it."

I sighed and left his room, making my way to Loki's. I knocked. "Hey, Lokes," I called.

He answered the door quickly and I could hear Bianca giggling inside. "What's up?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you were free this week? I want to get away from the capital for a bit."

He brightened up immediately and nodded. "Sure! When do you want to leave?"

"Whenever you want to. I've just gotta pack."

"How about in a couple hours?" he suggested.

I nodded. "Sure. I'll go pack and let Nolan know that he might have to work overtime for the weekend and Jack should work on teaching Kola her basic schoolwork."

Loki nodded and shut his door. A moment later, I heard Bianca squeal loudly. "A whole week?" she exclaimed. A pause, then, "That's great, Angel!"

I quickly left to pack, grinning like mad. I was so excited that he said yes, even if I was also nervous. I grabbed a duffle bag and started packing it. I didn't need to pack any hygiene products because being a primordial meant that our bodies literally could not be unhygienic. I know, strange, right?

After I finished packing, I still had an hour left, so I flopped down on my bed and waited for something to happen.

Sure enough, not fifteen minutes later, a knock sounded throughout the room. I hopped up and went to answer it. It was Bianca.

"Hey, B!" I greeted. "How can I help you?"

"Can I come in?" she asked.

I glanced around my sitting room and shrugged. I had a few pictures of me and Loki, but nothing incriminating. "Sure."

She pushed past me and sat on one of the lounge chairs. "Listen, Percy," she began. "I know you like Loki."

My eyes widened and I tried to say something, but my words got stuck in my throat.

"I, of course, ship you two, but I want you to know that if you don't make a move soon, you might miss your chance."

Tears welled up in my eyes and I put my head in my hands. "Bianca, I," I faltered, "I've tried."

"What do you mean, you tried?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Ask Nico, please Bianca. I literally can't talk about this."

Her gaze softened and she pulled me into a hug. "Okay, Perce. I'll go talk to Nico. If you ever need anything, come to me, yeah?"

"Yeah. Also, could you get a messenger to let Jack and Nolan know?"

She nodded and left to talk with her brother and get a messenger to deliver the news to Nolan and Jack. I sighed and grabbed my bag, walking out to the common room to find the trio of love sitting on the couches. After Nico talked to them, they stopped bugging me about it, though Silena was still a bit too eager for me to hurry up, as her domain was practically screaming at her about it. Piper became a pillar of support, having seen what Camp had done to me and knowing that I would have a difficult time trusting again. Luke also became a support for me. He understood what I was going through, in a way, as he had a similar problem with Thalia.

Piper saw me and smiled, walking over. "How's everything going, Blue?" she asked, referring to my situation with Loki.

"Good, I think," I responded. "We're going to Ferroc for the week, but I still can't tell him."

"Tell me what?" Loki's smooth voice asked from behind me.

I stiffened and spun around, my words getting caught in my throat. Piper responded for me, earning a glare from Silena. "Oh, just that he's thinking of inviting Thor here for a day."

Loki's expression brightened. "Really? That's great!"

I nodded. "Yeah, I thought about maybe asking Hades to invite Frigga as well."

He grinned brightly, making me blush. "Thank you!"

I smiled. "Are you ready to leave?"

He nodded and took my hand, his other holding a duffle bag. I flashed us to Ferroc, smiling at Loki's expression. "Wow," he mumbled. "I didn't expect this."

I smiled sheepishly. "Nico suggested it. Come on, let's get settled into our hotel."

He laughed and grabbed my hand, following me. He looked around as we walked and saw people with wings, tails, and other diverse traits. I smiled. Ferroc was easily the most diverse city on the planet. Here, Loki could have his wings out and no one would bat an eye.

We got to our hotel and checked in. Nico had reserved the room, apparently. We entered and unpacked our bags.

Then we decided to go out into the city. Loki let out his wings, grinning at the feeling. I knew he loved having them out. I also gained a pair of wings, mine black instead of white.

The rest of the day was spent exploring and shopping in a mall we found. When we got back to the hotel that night, we had several bags with us.

That night, we cuddled and watched a movie. I'm not going to lie; I loved cuddling with him.

That was how we spent the next week. We would explore the city or spend time together in the hotel room. One day, we spent flying above the nearby forest and watched the sunset from the sky.

I was disappointed when the week was over, but I knew I had also made a lot of progress over that week. When we got back to Demos, before I went to talk to Nico, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before practically running away.

I was so busy panicking that I didn't see the large smile that grew on his face.