When Worlds Collide

4) Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again

A/N: just realized that I never disclosed this, but the first few chapters have time moving by rapidly. I didn't want to linger on recovery too long but didn't want him to like be fixed over night
A/N2 (2 hours before posting this): just realized that I forgot to add pics to the previous chapters... I'll fix that later

Nico hit the ground for the third time in ten minutes, his cane clattering down next to him. Nico laid in the dirt for a long moment as he just stared at the sky.

Percy, who had volunteered to help him that day, smiled down at him as he offered the younger boy a hand. "Come on Neeks, you're doing great."

Nico begrudgingly took the hand as he was pulled to his feet. "You sound like Will."

"Thanks."

"Not a compliment."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Trouble in paradise?"

Nico rolled his eyes as his cousin handed him his cane back and he began trying to walk again with just the single support. "We're fine, it's just annoying sometimes to be dating a literal ray of sunshine."

"Wow, who could have seen that coming," Percy said with a laugh. "It's not like he's the son of the sun god or something— oh wait."

"Very funny, Sassy," Nico said as he took a few steps, stumbling slightly at the last one, but he steadied himself after a moment.

Percy rolled his eyes as he walked next to Nico in the arena. "I still don't get the nicknames. Are we supposed to be the seven dwarfs?"

Nico shrugged. "It just kinda happened. Kay is Bitchy and I'm Stumpy. It felt only fair that everybody else got a nickname too."

"What's Reyna?"

Nico chuckled, slowly getting more comfortable as he walked. "Leo picked hers: Scary."

Percy snorted. "I bet she loved that."

"She thinks it's funny," Nico said before glancing down at the leg. "I'm getting better."

Percy looked at Nico. "I sense a 'but' coming."

"I don't know how I'm supposed to fight with it," he said as he began practicing walking faster. "I have barely managed to jog in it for more than a minute without wiping out. A pebble puts me on my ass, so how am I supposed to ever take on an Empousa or something."

Nico began to trip, but Percy grabbed his arm, steadying him before they began to jog slightly once again. "Same way you learned to fight in the first place."

"In the Labyrinth with Minos," Nico sassed.

Percy rolled his eyes. "One step at a time. First we gotta get you steady on that leg. Then we can get into stationary fighting. And then we can start with the real combat."

Nico sighed. "That'll take forever."

Percy shrugged. "The other option is we set Thalia and Clarisse after you and see if survival instincts take over."

"Know what, I like the first option."

"That's what I thought." Percy paused their jogging when he felt his phone buzz. The older teen pulled out his phone. "Oh shoot, it's my mom. I gotta go Neeks. You sure you don't wanna come? My mom said you are more than welcome to stay with us for a few days."

Nico gave him a small smile. "I'm sure. Tell her thank you for the invitation though."

Percy looked at him for a moment, probably debating whether or not to push him on his decision, before he shook his head a little and smiled. "Merry Christmas Eve Nico. Make sure you call the Waynes tomorrow."