Picking Up the Pieces (percico/pernico)

chapter 2:We All Have Nightmares, Jackson

Nico's POV:

There was a knock at the door and in walked Annabeth. Her eyes landed on me for a second and they kind of widened. Then they drifted to Percy. " Hey seaweed brain," she greeted. "Actually Nico just came up with sea-weird brain" Percy smiled over at me causing not butterflies but pterodactyls to erupt inside my stomach. She walked over to him, "well you'll always be my seaweed brain" She told him and pulled in for kiss.

" Mhfm- annabeth. I'm kind of in the middle of something."Percy broke off the kiss. She pulled away and slid me a glare. I'm sure deep down she's a good person. "Like what?" She asked innocently, cocking her head to the side. Something every straight man seems to fall for.

Percy grinned and pulled my head under his arm giving me a noogie, I bit down a smile."Nico here was telling a story." He said, I pushed his arm away from me and tried to tame my hair. "I was?" I asked and the three boys nodded vigorously. "Like where have you been for the last five months, and what brings you back?" Jason asked.

"Well, I've been at my father's realm, and for the coming back part? Well, dead people aren't the party you only live once. Kind of people like Leo." I told them. "Awe come on!" Percy whined. "We want details!" Leo said reminding me of a teenage girl asking for the latest gossip.

"It's not like I was doing anything interesting. Hung out with the dead, walked around. Stayed out of the way." I said, one of Annabeth's eyebrows rose. "I thought you loved your dead people. Why did you come back?" She snapped. Shortly after she seemed to notice how rude she sounded so she added "I'm just wondering." In a sickly sweet tone while twirling her hair.

Like I said, I'm sure deep, deep down, there's a sweet girl locked away...in the tiniest corner of her mind...probably screaming to be freed. But she's still there and that's what counts.

"Awe come on Annie, Neeks likes to hang out with the living too." Percy told her she ignored him and stared at my duffle bag. "That looks like all your belongings." She pointed out causing me to mentally cringe. "oh please, I'm the prince of hell. There is no way all my belongings fit into one measly bag." I scoffed lying.

She glared at me. "You want to hear what I think?" She asked. Before I could say no she went on. "I think you were kicked out of the only place you'll ever be excepted, because you a lonely pathetic fre-" "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY CABIN CHASE!!!!" Percy yelled pushing her away from him. "Admit it!" She hissed. I clenched and unclenched my jaw. "Admit it!!" She yelled. Percy was holding her back.

"ADMIT IT YOU COWARD!!!" "OKAY!" I yelled back and sprang off the bed. "Okay, whatever makes you get the fuck out of my face. You want me to say I was kicked out of my home?! Fine, doesn't mean that it's true" I told her venom dripping from my lips. I mentally scolded myself for taking that tone with a lady, I had been raised not to. She spit at me and stormed out. My hands were shaking out of anger causing the floor to crack. All I saw was red.

"Neeks, calm down." Jason said cautiously bringing me back to reality. Shadows were billowing from every possible entry into the cabin. Percy's cabin was shaking, things fell off of his dresser and as I looked around to the three boys in front of me their eyes shone with fear. I could only guess my irises were as cold and black as the darkness and we're oozing with pent up anger.

I backed up not knowing what to say, my mouth was open trying to come up with a coherent sentence. I eyed my bag and dove for it as soon as I held it in my hands I let the shadows swallow me whole and take me to my cabin.

As the shadows dissipated i threw the bag down. I let out a frustrated yell escape my lips before shouting "worthless!" My eyes landed on the deck of mythomagic cards. I glared at them before storming up and knocked them off the desk sending them flying in every direction. "Breaks everything he touches!"