From Now On (Percico)

Chapter 6

i didnt even realize how long its been since ive updated. wow. oh. sorry about that... i do three sports and then honors classes in school... its just all really hard to balance. /: sowwy. well heres a chapter haha

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Percy's POV

Nico stepped back from me, his eyes wide. "Oh gods..." he mumbled, and I pushed a hand back through my hair, sighing. Did I just screw everything up?

"I'm sor-"

He cut me off. "No. Don't apologize. I've already gathered that you probably didn't mean it, that it wasn't worth getting my hopes up for." He shook his head and turned around, quickly walking away from me.

"Wait, that's not-"

"Percy, it's true. I know it's true. With your loyalty and your wish to keep everyone happy, you probably just tried to keep me from getting upset about your insincerity."

"It's not true," I said, my tone hard. "There's something else. What is your problem? Am I really that unreadable that you can't tell that I meant it? What is the problem here?"

"The problem here is you and all your unfailing courage," Nico began. "The problem is you and this habit you have of helping people, even when they don't want to be helped. The problem is you and these eyes of yours, that are exactly the color of the sea, and that someone could spend hours just staring at. The problem is that you're so unique and so fascinating that I can't stay near you. I can't look at you every single day and feel okay with myself. Because you make me hate what I am and this is too much, even for a son of Hades. That's why I'm running away. I'm running away from you and the undeniably amazing person that you are. To think that you could ever feel the way that I feel about you is a cockamamy thought that should never have crossed my mind."

He lengthened his stride, quickly moving away from me. I stood frozen in my tracks, words forming on my lips but I couldn't figure out how to put them together and spit them out. Eventually I watched him melt into the shadows, traveling somewhere else as all I did was stand helplessly and watch.

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Nico's POV

Shadow traveling to Camp Jupiter, I collapsed to the ground in the shadows then got up and walked to Hazel's cabin. I knocked on the door wearily, my words replaying like a tape in my head.

She pulled open the door, and her eyes widened and she threw her arms around me, pulling me into a hug. "Where have you been? I was worried sick!"

"Traveling," I lied, not wanting to worry her.

She ushered me inside, and I sat down on a bed, tired from shadow traveling. "Why'd you come here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, I'm just curious."

"I, uhm, just wanted to say hi..." In all honesty, I needed an escape from Percy and this was the first place that I thought of. I didn't want to tell her the real reason I was here because she, like me, was from a time when being... like me... wasn't okay. In her mind, she'd probably be led to despise me.

"You're an awful liar, you know."

I blinked slowly and looked over at her. "I don't think I can tell you. You probably wouldn't want me around anymore."

"You're my brother, I'm not going to kick you out." That struck a cord. Yeah, I was her brother. But Bianca was my real sister. I couldn't tell her that, though, could I? That she wouldn't accept me like Bianca would've? Just because she wasn't my full sister? Maybe I was just making false assumptions out of nervousness.

"I-Percy-I like him, and I needed to get away."

She was quiet for a moment before walking over to sit beside me. "You like... Percy?" she asked slowly for clarification.

I gave a barely perceptible nod of my head. "Yes," I whispered.

"And what happened that made you come here?"

"He... he kissed me... and I concluded that he didn't mean it, and that it was only to make me feel better."

"So you ran away after the boy you liked kissed you..."

I groaned. "I know it doesn't make sense, but... but can we please just avoid this topic for the moment? I don't want to talk about it. The only time I want it to even cross my mind is when I'm trying to figure out whether or not I'm going back, and what I would say if I did. Because as of now, I said some things that I might regret hearing repeated by him."

She nodded slightly. "Okay... Let's drop the subject. Maybe you should get some sleep, Nico."

I yawned in agreement, and she put her hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me back until I was laying down. She got up and grabbed a blanket, placing it over me and tucking it in. "Thanks..." I mumbled gratefully, my eyes already getting heavy.

"You're welcome..." was her soft response, and everything slowly faded out of focus as I drifted to sleep.

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A/N

sorry that was really short /: but short is better than nothing, right? probably not haha but oh well. comment and tell me what you think :)