Hell And High Water (Percico boyxboy)

XXII

{Sorry it took so long to update.}

Days turned into weeks and Percy had absolutely nothing to do with the son of Hades, nor had he even acknowledged the youngers' exsistance. The son of Poseidon had slept in his own bed for the first night but had since moved in the attempt to get away from Nico. The son of Hades knew that Percy had moved himself into the other room of the suite, but where he was sleeping was the curious thing. There was only one bed, which Hazel and Frank shared, and then the small couch bed Leo slept on. Nico didn't think too much on it, though, for fear of actually finding out the truth.
Percy had been spending pretty much all of his time with Leo. The son of Hephaestsus was the only one Percy was feeling even remotely comfortable around because, again, he seemed to have very little to do with Percy's tension. The son of Poseidon was growing very fond of spending time with Leo and hearing him crack jokes about various things that had become involved in Percys every day life; humor was the only way Leo knew to deal with things and his jokes were helping the son of Poseidon make sense of things, too, so Percy was grateful.
As the days continued on, Percy began to see Leo as his only real friend; another thing to be grateful for. But, the thing that Percy was happiest about was that Leo had leant the son of Poseidon his small couch bed. Percy was quick to jump at the offer so he didn't have to spend as much time around Nico. But he didn't like the fact that Leo had moved to the floor. Not thinking it was fair, Percy forced Leo to continue to sleep on his own bed and Percy would have the floor. Leo turned down the offer, an idea forming in his mind, and suggested them sharing the bed. Percy agreed easily; he didn't care what had to be done just as long as he didn't have to be around Nico so often.
A few more days passed on and Percy and Leo grew closer with each one. Percy would have a nightmare and Leo would wrap the son of Poseidon in his arms and comfort him until the dream was over. Leo would have trouble getting back to sleep after his own nightmares and Percy would stay awake with him until he finally did. It was the best thing Percy had at the moment and he was begining to remember why he enjoyed being with Annabeth so much. The conversations they shared and the time they spent with each other were the highlight of Percys days back then and things were no different now with Leo.
Percy may have enjoyed being around Leo all the time and just having the other demigod by his side whenever he needed him but that didn't mean, by any means, that Percy was interested in sparking up any kind of relationship, other than just being good friends, with him. It was very true that Percy enjoyed Leo's company and was even becoming quite fond of his voice, but he had no urge to hear the son of Hephaestsus say anything to him that could potentially further their 'relationship'.
Leo couldn't have agreed more, even if he didn't know that that was how Percy felt. The son of Hephaestsus was trying something, yes, but he was not trying to get Percy. He had other goals. But, no one needed to know that. Especially not Percy and Nico...
Through it all, Leo kept his goals to himself and kept Percy tight to his side. After that, it didn't really take too long for Leo to get feely with the son of Poseidon. At first it was just soft touches on the arm or back, but it was quick to escelate. He began hugging Percy and even holding onto his hand when the two went off alone to get food, which was happening quite often. Percy was made slightly uncomfortable by it at first but quickly grew used to it and even began to like the closeness. Nico caught pretty much everything and did his best not to show his anger. Nico was the one who saved him from the Lotus, he was the one that had taken care of Percy, and he was the one who had gone through the trouble of trying to explain the dangers of the world to the older demigod and now he was choosing Leo...
Hazel and Frank were well aware of Leo and Percys new found friendship and weren't too sure about it. They knew how Leo acted when it came to guys and they also knew how sensitive Percys psyche was at the time. Leo was the kind that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and even not knowing what Leo wanted, Hazel and Frank knew things would probably turn out poorly. But they stayed out of it.
Hazel had recieved plenty of phone calls from a few of her connections telling her plenty of things that led her to begin making new choices. She was leary about a few things at first, like actually meeting with Typhon and the Manticore, but she never let herself stop thinking of ways she could possibly make things work.
At first, Hazel had done all the thinking and planning on her own. After a few days, though, she began to feel overwhelmed and asked for her boyfriends help. He questioned the request but did agree.
Frank kept quiet for hours on end until Hazel yelled at him for it. She was angry, and an angry Hazel was scary. Over two weeks. That's how long she had been working through everything and she was tired. Her head hurt, she was starting to doubt herself, and she was really feeling like nothing would work. And Frank wasn't helping.
Finally though, after three weeks, Frank was starting to be of some use. He was coming up with ideas left and right and Hazel was able to flip things around and combine both their thoughts to come up with a solid plan. There was, however, a few things the boy brought up that his girlfriend didn't agree with.
"Were you planning on sending all of us in to talk to them?"
Hazel sighed. "I'm not sure. They want to meet with all of us but they don't know who, or even how many, are 'all of us'." She sighed. "There's only five of us, which isn't really alot when you think about it. I would like to have someone on the outside to help if necessary. But I don't think that's gonna happen."
Frank nodded. He agreed with Hazel's words and thought they should have someone that Typhon and Manti didn't really know about. "I think our best bet with that would be Percy, since he's not really into all this and we've already let him be seen."
And that's where Hazel kind of disagreed with the son of Ares. "It may be too dangerous for him to be around them, and not us. It could make things worse for us, too."
Frank cocked his head in question.
Hazel shook her own head and sighed. "I see where you're coming from, but it's not a good idea. It's like you said, Percy's not really into all this. Will he rabbit when no one's around? Can we actually trust him to do his job? Being on the outside is just as dangerous as being in the middle of it and I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it."
Frank sighed heavily. He was no good when it came to planning. He was the brute, not the brains. He did all the heavy lifting, all the dirty work, and Hazel did the thinking. But, he did have another idea.
"What if we send Percy in?"
"What?" Hazel recoiled. "You just got through telling me you didn't think that was a good idea. Why would suggest this now?"
The son of Ares sighed. "Humor me?"
"Always have..."
Frank nodded. "Okay. Typhon, Manti, and Eros know that he was 'working with a big guy' and they'll probably assume it's me if they see me, and, if that happens, I'm dead time and time again. But, if we can make them believe that Percy flipped, possibly killed his associate, and is now working with at least one other person maybe we can make it work. We'll put an ear piece in him, and send him in and hope for the best."
Hazel soaked all that up; she wasn't too thrilled with the 'hope for the best' part but that wasn't her biggest concern in all of it. "Alone?"
Frank shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I know it's risky to do that but anything's gonna be risky with them, so..."
Hazel opened her mouth to speak again but stopped as the door to their side of the suite opened and Leo and Percy entered carrying lunch. Basically every day had gone like that; Hazel and Frank would be talking and Leo and Percy would come in with food. It was becoming normal but they still weren't quite used to the hand holding.
Hazel ignored it, like always, and went to see if Nico wanted anything to eat. She walked into his side of the suite and stared at the room in confusion. It was empty. At first she thought he may be in the bathroom but the door was wide open and it, too, was free of inhabitants. The daughter of Hades roamed the room a little until she heard her half-brothers voice.
"Why didn't you just tell me before?"
Hazel squinted her eyes in confusion. She knew Nico must have been on the phone but she had no idea to whom he could be speaking or what their conversation might have been centered around. Instead of sticking around to find out, though, she closed the door again and left him alone.
Nico sighed. "You thought it would be by better for me? Really?" He would normally be angry at the time but he was too tired to be. He hadn't slept in days and felt like he was almost half dead.
"Apollo, do you have any idea what this is putting me through?"
Apollo took a second to answer. 'Is this really messing you up, man?'
"Yes! Gods, you're so dumb. This kid I worked for three years to find hates me right now cause I had to explain who Eros was after I finally thought I had him just because you didn't tell me he was around when you should have!"
Apollo silenced.
Nico shook his head before dropping it heavily into the wall behind him. A loud thud reverberated throughout both rooms of the suite but no one in the other bothered to check if the son of Hades was alright. Hazel and Frank sat silently as they ate and the other two spoke quietly to one another. Hazel kept an eye on them and was really getting annoyed of what she was seeing. Leo was being flirtatious, which was a little unusual for him, and Percy was playing hard to get. But Hazel knew there was a possibility the son of Poseidon didn't quite know he was getting hit on. Either way, Hazel wasn't liking seeing the two like that.
Being under the impression that Nicos phone call had ended, the daughter of Hades decided to check on him and see if he may want anything to eat. She placed her plate gently on the bed and entered the other side of the suite, her boyfriends eyes following her the whole way over. She opened the door slowly and closed it behind her.
"Nico?"
She could hear him ruffling around a little in the corner hidden by his bed.
"You hungry? There's some food in the other room you're welcomed to if you want it."
Nico shook his head gently. Honestly, he felt like he may never have the urge to eat again. His anger was so overwhelming at the time that all he thought he would be able to do was sleep. And he did feel truly exhausted. His head was near killing him and he felt nauseous.
Hazel nodded and swallowed hard. "Just remember you're not the only person involved." The daughter of Hades was trying to control her own anger. She had never really done well with people pitying themselves and she didn't have time to deal with Nicos mopeyness, no matter what it was that had put him in a bad mood. After another glare from her half-brother, Hazel left the room and returned to her meal.
Nico, left in silence, pondered possibilities. He knew Percy and Eros had already met but he wondered what would happen if the two were to see each other again. Eros had no idea who Percy was or even that he knew Nico so things might not be so bad from that end. But, Percy knew. Percy knew everything. How would he react if he were to meet up with the other? Would the son of Poseidon be able to let things go? Would he be holding a grudge on a man he had never even met? Gods, Nico wished he had never said anything.
The son of Hades stood from the floor and paced around. He stared at his own bed, messy and unkempt. He stared at Percys bed, neatly made and unused. He shook his head, at himself, at circumstances, at life, and allowed an idea to form. He was wondering what could happen if Percy and Eros were ever to meet up again, but he didn't have to wonder. If Nico could clear his mind enough and focus, he could come up with some sort of way to keep Percy out of things so there would be no chance of him seeing Eros again. And, after that, if he could, somehow, get the son of Poseidon to talk to him again, he might be able to put his plan into action.
Nico was burried so deep into his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he wasn't actually alone in the room any more. He jumped a little and his heart skipped a beat when he turned and saw his half sister and Frank on his side of the suite.
"Dear gods. You scared the shit out of me! Damnit, Hazel!"
The daughter of Hades gave her half-brother a curious look as he proceeded to shake his head at her.
"What do you want?" The son of Hades' tone was slightly fierce but neither Hazel nor her large boyfriend took much notice to it.
Hazel took the liberty to speak. "We need you to fix whatever you messed up with Percy."
Nicos expression changed drastically from one of confusion and still slight fear to one of total anger. He thought it was quite audacious of his half-sister to say that HE needed to fix what HE messed up with the older male. In Nicos opinion, he had done nothing wrong to really make Percy so mad at him at the moment. It wasn't his fault Percy had overreacted and dealt with things like a child. Okay... maybe that was a little harsh but Nico was still pretty mad at Percy for being such a fool just a couple of weeks ago, when he ran out in the open and possibly risked his life.
"What's this 'you' shit?"
Hazel groweled and Frank laughed dryly at the son of Hades' words. The son of Ares took a few steps backward and looked through the window of the door between the two rooms. He was actually rather disgusted by what he saw. He and his girlfriend had left Leo and Percy in the other room alone and now the two were awfully close to one another. Leo had Percy facing away from him with the son of Poseidons arms twisted around his back. That was alright, seeing as how Percy kind of needed to know a little about self defense if he were to ever be in such a position. The part that made Frank want to gag was that Leo was so close to Percy that his lips were brushing against the skin on the son of Poseidons neck. The son of Ares cringed a little and looked away.
"Listen," Hazel said, "there is a lot we have to do and we can't afford to have you and Percy hating one another."
Nico was shaking his head. "I don't hate Percy."
Hazel sighed. "I didn't necessarily mean hate, Nico."
He smirked a little, knowing he had rubbed his half-sister the wrong way.
"Anyway, there is an awful lot that I need to tell you and I feel like it would be best if you and Percy were on better terms when I did so."
Nico shrugged. "What would you like me to do about it, Hazel?"
She scoffed. "Be a big boy, grow some balls, and talk to him. As long as the two of you can sit in a room with one another for longer than ten minutes, without making everyone else feel like they're about to explode, and work together I don't care what you have to do. But we're gonna need both of you to make sure things work out right when it comes to Typhon and Manti." She sighed lightly. "I am on the verge of begging you, Nico." The daughter of Hades sighed yet again. "Along with that, both of us" She was gesturing to herself and her boyfriend "need Leo and Percy to just stop." She shook her head but Frank was nodded his. "It's gross."
Nico squinted his eyes, wondering what exactly the two were doing that was so gross. He considered a number of possibilities, all of which he wish he hadn't. He had seen the two hugging and holding hands and tried to figure what could have really been going on between the two. He pictured kissing and cuddling and the two talking dirty to one another and Nico had to question what he had started.
The son of Hades shook his head. "I don't know what to tell ya, Hazel."
The boys half-sister had to think for a moment. She understood full well why Nico had said that. She knew that Percy probably didn't hate anyone more than Nico at the moment and she couldn't imagine the confrontation that could come of a conversation between the two. But something really needed to be done. Leo was distracted, Nico was secluded, and no one was focused.
"Nico," her tone was gentle, "I'm not asking you to do it now, but just know it needs to be done."
Nico managed a gentle nod and Hazel and Frank took that as their cue to leave. They spoke a few quiet words to one another as they left but Nico couldn't hear them. He didn't care to, though. He paced a few more steps after the door closed again but stopped in his tracks when he heard Hazel yell.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Percy and Leo sat in silence. The son of Hephaestsus had a look of light shame on his face while Percy bore an expression of complete and utter confusion.
Frank was glad that Hazel had found her voice because the son of Ares definitely could not. He was honestly surprised he hadn't thrown up. The two had walked in on Leo and Percy laying on the couch. Well, Percy was laying on the couch and Leo was hovering over him. The son of Hephaestsus had stripped Percy of his shirt and was well on his way to unzipping the son of Poseidons jeans. Hazel had plenty of ideas as to what was going on and very few of them were pleasant.
Leo spoke in an innocent tone but his face screamed that he was up to something. "Teaching Percy how to stay calm in stressful situations."
"Oh dear gods!" Frank threw his arms in the air and turned away from the two demigods on the couch.
"Get up!"
Leo was quick to follow Hazel's order and he stood just in front of the couch. The daughter of Hades looked at Percy with sympathy and shook her head.
"Get up and put your shirt back on." She shook her head and turned away.
Percy was quick to slip his shirt back on. Leo tossed him a smile and the son of Poseidon felt even more confused than before. He didn't see anything wrong with having Leo teach him and give him a few pointers when it came to staying calm and didn't see why Hazel and Frank had. Percy felt as though it would be really good for him, especially when it came to Nico.
Hazel turned to Frank. "Do me a favor?"
The large son of Ares nodded.
"Get Percy the hell out of here for a while so I can talk to Leo."
Frank nodded again and gestured the son of Poseidon to follow him.
"Where are we going?" Everyone in the room was shocked at the amount of fear that sounded in Percys tone.
No one responded to the son of Poseidons question but Frank motioned, with less patience than before, for Percy to follow. Not wanting to agitate the situation further, the son of Poseidon followed the larger son of Ares and the two left the suite.
As soon as they were gone, Hazel lost it. "What the hell do you think you're doing, huh?"
Leo shrugged. "I told you. I'm giving him some pointers."
"On what?" The daughter of Hades snapped. "Getting seduced, or raped?"
Leo scoffed. "No. On how to deal with situations like that."
Hazel was very near to ripping her own hair out. "So, what, you force him onto the couch, strip him down, and run your hands all over his body? Where do you think he's ever gonna encounter a situation like that? Other than right here, in this room, on that couch?"
Hazel was tense and her words showed it but Leo was remaining perfectly calm. "Who knows. You heard about his interaction with Herc. What happens if, next time, it's Typhon?"
Hazel laughed through her teeth and anger. "I don't think it'll be anybody but you 'next time', Leo."
The son of Hephaestsus shrugged yet again. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"Gods, I wish we hadn't brought you along. Damnit, Leo, you are way more trouble than you're worth!"
The room filled with silence. Hazel paced as she hung and shook her head. Everything was a little much for her at the time and Leo not being able to control himself had kind of just become her top priority. "I'm gonna take a shower. Try not to do anything stupid."
The son of Hephaestsus looked offended but his expression meant nothing to Hazel. She gathered together a set of clothes and made her way to the bathroom.
Frank and Percy had yet to return and Leo was kind of in the mood to cause problems. He considered messing with Hazel or the water for her shower but he knew, if he did that, he'd pretty much be signing his own death warrant. Another option was leaving the room and causing a ruckus in the hotel but he rid himself of that idea quickly, too. That only really left him with one option: Nico. He smiled broadly at having the son of Hades and swaggered his way to the other room of the suite.
Nico was sitting on his bed, breathing deeply, and staring at the wall opposite him. He didn't notice the son of Hephaestsus in the room until Leo cleared his throat to announce his presence.
Nico turned quickly to face the other demigod. "What do you want, Valdez?"
Leo shrugged. "Just to talk."
"Find someone else to listen, then."
Leo smirked. He liked that side of the son of Hades. "Do you really hate me that much?"
Nico gritted his teeth. Why Leo thought it was okay to be talking to him at the moment the son of Hades didn't know. But he was not in the mood for Leo's mind games or jokes. Nico swallowed hard. "No," The son of Hades' voice was low and his tone was harsh. "I hate you even more. If it weren't for Hazel, you'd probably be dead by now."
Leo chuckled. "Nico, Nico, Nico. We always got along at camp. What's wrong with me now?"
Nico shot him a look. An 'if looks could kill' look. And the son of Hades was seriously wishing they could... "What's wrong with you is that you're a pain in the ass. You think you're so clever and that you have such a way with words just 'cause you can crack a few jokes. You think you're so cool cause you're a Pyro by lineage. You get into people's heads when they're at their weakest and you drive everyone else around you crazy."
Leo recoiled but chuckled. "Why do I have a feeling this is all about Percy?"
Nico didn't answer. It was, and was not, all about the son of Poseidon. All this was coming up because of the fact that Hazel and Frank had spoken to him earlier.
"It is, isn't it?" Leo's tone changed from something Nico didn't quite get to anger and frustration.
Nico turned away from him.
"Gods, Nico! What is it? What is it about Percy that has you so hooked? What is so special about the god damned son of Poseidon? Huh? What about him is so much better than me?"
Nico really couldn't help it anymore. He wasn't sure where any of this was coming from but he didn't care to know. All he wanted was for Leo to just leave him alone. "Well, for starters, he's not you."
"What do I have to do?"
Nico hesitated, not being quite sure what Leo was talking about. A small part of the son of Hades considered asking him but he decided against it. He shook his head. "There's nothing you can do."
Leo groweled. He didn't even know what had him so angry. He had never been the one to beg for a guy but, here he was, damn near to getting on his hands and knees. He wanted Nico. He had since the beginning. The son of Hades was Leos ulterior motive in getting close to Percy, hoping to make Nico jealous, but he seemed to have failed. "C'mon, Nico, there has to be something!"
"Just give it up!" Nico snapped. "Leo, I don't want you!"
Leo froze. To him, those words felt like a sucker punch. He thought he could manage something. He thought he could make Nico mad enough to let Percy go and move onto him. He figured if the son of Hades realized he really couldn't have Percy, that he would move onto the next best thing. And, in Leo's opinion, he was the next best thing. But, apparently, he couldn't have been more wrong.
Leo let his anger boil for a few seconds as he watched the son of Hades mindlessly pace around his room. There had to be something more he could do but, Nico was stubborn as all get out and the son of Hephaestsus knew he would be hard to crack. But, he was determined to have Nico. He didn't know why but he was. There must have been something about his darkness that Leo was drawn to. There had to be something beautiful in all his awkward mystery. There must have been something, maybe his dark eyes, that had drawn the son of Hephaestsus in and kept him there. Whatever it was, Leo promised himself he wouldn't give up until he had Nico in his bed.
The son of Hephaestsus watched for a few more seconds as Nico paced. Nico would occasionally shake his head or run his fingers through his dark hair in frustration. His head hurt and the only thing he wanted to do was sleep. But, instead, he was being harassed by the last person he wanted to deal with.
Leo waited for Nico to say something. To come up with some clever retort and leave Leo at a loss for words. He was very familiar with how Hazel spoke and was expecting something very similar from her half-brother. But, the son of the god of the Underworld said nothing. He remained totally silent.
Leo couldn't handle the silence and decided to force Nico to say something. Or, at least try.
When the son of Hephaestsus spoke, his voice was loud and Nico was nothing less that taken aback by the other boys tone. Leo let out a growl before speaking. "I really don't see what it is about Percy that's got you so hooked." He paused for a second. "Why do you want him so bad? What's so much better about him than me? Huh?" Leo looked at Nico and saw that the son of Hades had his mouth hanging agape. The son of Hephaestsus continued his rant. "What is it that makes you want him so bad?"
Nico took a lifetime of seconds to process what had just happened. Things seemed to have escalated so quickly and the son of Hades wasn't sure how to handle it. Leo's words were shocking and Nico had no reply to them. He couldn't even really think straight about them. All he was thinking was why it would even matter why he wanted Percy so badly. He didn't understand why that was the first thing that Leo wanted to know in all this.
"Why does that even matter?" The son of Hades shook his head as he spoke.
"Because, Nico," Leo shouted, "He doesn't deserve you! You did everything for him and this is how he repays you!"
Nicos eyes shot open. He couldn't breathe. That was almost exactly what he had been thinking not too long before all of this and here the son of Hephaestsus was saying it out loud, for him to hear from someone else's voice.
Nico shook his head. He had to rationalize with his own thoughts to find something to say to Leo that could possibly make a difference. "You don't understand what happens to people after the Lotus. They're scared, angry, confused. The littlest things can make a big difference. They act out. They do whatever they can to forget and cling to whoever is paying them the most attention. At this point, that's you. The only reason Percy is 'repaying' me in such a way is because I haven't done a good enough job of explanation things to him. You say I did everything for him. That's not true. I did a lot, yes. I explained things, I taught him things, I patched him up when he got shot, I even spent more time at hotel pools than I did in the rooms." Nico scoffed. "But that's not enough. Percy needs someone to be close to and now seeing him with you, I understand that. What I'll do about it, I don't know but I do understand."
A silence filtered through the room. Enough of one to finally notice it was raining outside. Nico began to pace again and Leo groweled. He thought Nicos argument was pretty pathetic, truthfully. He definitely could have done better. But that wasn't the point. The point was that everything here was pointless. He shook his head and took his thoughts back to the beginning of the argument to process through all of it.
Nico was annoyed by the awkward silence but the fact that Leo was in his room made it worse. The fact that he didn't know where Percy was made him want to break something. The son of Hades turned to look at Leo and tell him to leave and saw the boy making a face that Nico had to fight not to wipe off with his fist.
Leo pursed his lips in anger but laughed through his gritted teeth. He wasn't laughing because he found something funny in his displeasure. He wasn't laughing because he thought the son of Hades was joking, either. He was laughing because he had thought of something. Through his anger, he thought of something. Something brilliant. A way to get Nico thinking. The son of Hephaestsus smiled as he spoke.
"Ya know, I bet I'll get with Percy before you."
Nico shifted his gaze fiercely from the floor to Leo's face. The change in the son of Hephaestsus' speech and even his demeanor was so quick and unexpected that Nico was left silent in awe.
Leo noticed Nicos reaction and thrived on it. He smirked yet again and continued speaking. He was facing away from Nico but directed his words right at the son of Hades. "He seems to hate you right now and I'm pretty close to him. What do you think?" That's when he looked back, large smirk plastered across his face. "Do you think I could manage to get him? Before you really do? I think so."
The son of Hades' head began to pound. At first, Leo seemed to be trying to get Nico. Now, he was talking about trying to get Percy. Nico wished he could have asked what the son of Hephaestsus was talking about but he knew, if he opened his mouth, he would just make things so much more confusing. He tried to work through it on his own but it didn't make sense.
Leo didn't say anything more before he smirked again and left Nicos side of the suite. Hazel was sitting on her bed with a book in her hands. She looked up at the son of Hephaestsus.
"You're lucky he was confused."
Leo shook his head. "What are you talking about?"
The daughter of Hades dropped the book in her lap. "If he would have had the slightest clue of what exactly you were saying, he would have beat the living daylights out of you."
Leo chuckled.
"Don't doubt him, Valdez." She picked her book back up. "Stay away from both of them. If you don't, I can't be sure what may happen to you."