Since We Met (Percy Jackson Fanfiction) AU

Ch. 24- 9 Crimes

-Damien Rice

AN: I really hope you guys like this chapter. Please comment and share the story! :D 

May 4, 2012 (Nico)

It had started all over again as soon as Nico went back home. Percy stopped talking to him as much, and Nico ended up in his room night after night, playing video games, reading, playing guitar, or doing homework. Every time he came home from school, he went straight to his training floor and started punching the punching bag set up at the far corner. At first it hurt like hell because his cut was still healing, but he found a euphoric feeling in the shock the pain sent through him. It made him feel alive and angrier, and he hit the bag harder.

Each time he felt a little stronger.

Every time after school, he needed a way to release all the anger he stored. His anger had gotten worse. First Percy started casting him aside again, and Will still hadn't let up- he constantly nagged him every day about talking to him- and Leo was usually building something in his garage, and Papa was always at work. Even Hazel didn't really come around much anymore. Dahlia continued to do her work and talked to him, but the last few weeks, she'd been at her mother's. Ms. Winters had gotten sick, and Dahlia was watching after her. And the chauffeur his father had hired was rather reserved.

He felt so alone.

Everything about everyone pissed him off. Why were they stupid? Why were they gullible? Why were they naïve? Why were they confident? He wanted to push everyone off a cliff.

There were good days. Days Percy invited him over or went over, sometimes with Annabeth, sometimes without. He often got more work done with Annabeth than with Percy, and they loved to bore Percy by talking about different books.

But then it'd go back to loneliness and Nico would feel like kicking himself for not being mad or not saying no when Percy offered to be around. And if Nico told Percy he was starting to feel alone, like he promised he would, Percy would say he'd fix it. And then he would rain check. It was usually for Annabeth. Those days were the worst. He often exerted himself so much on his training floor; he would end up so exhausted, sitting in a bathtub, barely able to move.

Today was one of those days. Percy had sworn he'd go to his house later since it was a Friday. He even told Nico everything they'd do which varied from reading, to Youtube, to Netflix. And Nico, like an idiot, believed him.

"I swear I'll come by tomorrow," he'd said. "It's a Saturday, I'll be here all day." He'd looked at him with his wide baby seal green eyes.

"Just go," Nico said nonchalantly, slamming the door in his face and racing up the stairs to his punching bag.

Nico was now lean, muscular, and toned. He hid it of course, with his choice of wardrobe and an aviator jacket his father had given him for his birthday. Without it, he felt exposed. His back felt exposed. His secret would be exposed.

But when he was on that floor, he never had a shirt on. It was the one time he didn't have to hide.

The chauffeur watched him. Not in a creepy way. It was more of an I'll-be-here-in-case-you-pass-out kind of way. His name was Jules-Albert. He was also a lot like a butler. He was from France, and his father had brought him a week after the floor was finished.

"He'll drive you wherever, whenever. I know I'm not home much, and I don't want that to be a reason you don't go anywhere," Papa had said.

Jules-Albert didn't talk much. That emphasized his loneliness, but Nico appreciated it. He moved slowly, quietly through the house. But don't let that fool you. The man was a maniac driver. A good maniac driver. Nico had asked to be driven to the bookstore and while it was usually a twenty minute drive with his father, Jules-Albert had nearly raced them there in just over five minutes. Nico then assumed the man was a racecar driver in retirement.