Visions of Eternity

Chapter Two

Percy's POV

"But why?" I pouted at Jason, head of the Archangels. Also my dick of a best friend.

"Because it's not your job to go down to earth, Perseus." He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Your job is to keep everything in order. Is that clear?"

I huffed and crossed my arms. "I wanna see earth, Jason! I wanna feel and smell and hear and touch, I wanna sleep and I wanna eat and I wanna experience what a human would-"

"Why?" Jason interrupted. "You can do all of that here, Heaven, where you're safe."

"I can't do any of those things here, Jason." I deadpanned.

Jason sighed exasperatedly. "Perseus, bad things can get you on earth. If I send you down there, you may not make it back," he dropped his voice to a low whisper. "a demon could get you."

I sobered up immediately. How was I supposed to tell him that I'd gone and made besties with a demon already? "Uh, so?"

Jason looked taken aback. "So?"

"So." I repeated.

"So, that's all you have to say when I mention that a demon could take you if I send you to earth?" Jason spluttered.

"Yeah, pretty much." I said in a bored tone. Foolery is key.

"Forget it, Perseus. You're not going to earth and that's final."

I got mad. What did he know about demons? Had he ever met one? "But Jase, demons aren't bad."

Jason's eyes widened as grabbed my hand and began leading me away to somewhere more secluded, smiling apologetically at the other Angels that gave us strange looks.

"What did you just say?" He hissed as he drew his hand back.

"Demons aren't bad." I felt my argument going out the window. "One, uh, saved me the other day. He was an incubus, I could tell. He was taller than most."

Technically, as Angels we only knew the names of the types of demons. We didn't know what they meant, or what they did primarily.

"Just because he saved you didn't mean he's good, Perseus." Jason said softly.

"How do you know that?" I said back.

"They're manipulative. Evil, out to get us and take us down. He was probably tricking you, trying to get you to trust him and when the time was right, he would've speared you right through the chest. It obviously wouldn't kill you, but it would kill your vessel and I bet it would hurt quite a lot."

"Jason, he was different." I thought back to how he had smiled when I asked him about his name.

"I don't care, Perseus. It was all an act. All demons are bad and you're not going to earth anytime soon. Case closed."

-

I waited for Nico on the same beach he'd rescued me from the hound yesterday. I wrung my hands as I waited. Why was I so nervous?

"Percy." A deep yet boyish voice rang out from behind me.

I span around, meeting the eyes - well, throat - of Nico di Angelo, in all of his demonic glory. I was positive I was shaking like a wet dog.

"Nico." I said back simply, not wanting to give him any satisfaction that could gift a smile to his beautifully carved face.

"How's your ankle?" Nico asked gently, his eyes raking down my body.

"Healed." I whispered as Nico took a few steps closer to me. My instincts told me to run. But I couldn't.

"Good." He said back softly, holding out his hand.

I looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"I want you to trust me." He tilted his head to the side. "I want us to be friends."

"Why?" I said suspiciously.

Nico straightened, dropped his hand and backed away. I looked at him curiously as he smiled slightly and shook his head. "I'm not bad, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I stood my ground.

"Those stories you were told. That wasn't me. It couldn't be." He looked at me pleadingly. "We're around the same age, right? Around two hundred and forty thousand?"

I nodded slowly. "What does that have anything to do with it?"

"You said you were told those stories when you were young. If we're around the same age, I would've been young too." He stepped closer again. I stepped away.

"How do I know you're not lying?" I looked him up and down. I couldn't make eye contact yet.

He held his hand out again. "Just trust me, Percy."

It took me a while to deliberate, but eventually, I slipped my hand into his. It was warm, and the touch tingled again; I kind of liked it. It made me feel more alive, more human.

Nico walked closer, slowly, so as to not scare me. I appreciated the gesture.

"I know holding hands won't do anything," He smiled to the floor as I watched him intently, "but, y'know, if you've got my hand then I can't really hurt you, can I? I want you to know you're not talking to some monster."

Okay, I really appreciated that. It sounded genuine. "Thank you."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

"So, uh, the stories are fake?" I asked. I needed to know more before I trusted him.

"Completely." He said earnestly. "I doubt my five thousand year old self could have bitten off an Angel's head."

I smiled, genuinely. "So you're not the prince of hell."

"Oh, no, that part is true." His tone turned soft, as if he knew that I'd get freaked. Which I was, but, well, I had his hand; If he tried anything I could just crush it. "My father is Hades. Or Lucifer, as you probably know him."

I nodded slowly. "So...Lucifer had kids. With who?"

"Maria." Nico's Italian accent shone. I knew his vessel wasn't just American. "Maria di Angelo."

"Is it just you?" I asked curiously.

Nico's smile brightened. "I have a three other siblings. Thanatos and Bianca are older than me, but Hazel is younger."

I smiled softly. "I see. It sounds like you love them a lot."

Nico's smile stayed put, but he looked confused now, too. "Of course I love them, they're my family."

"Yeah." I nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Nico slipped his hand from mine. I was surprised by how sad I felt to feel my hand go cold again.

"I better be getting back. Thank you for meeting me again." He stepped away graciously, and I smiled at him.

"You're welcome. Same time tomorrow?"

That apparently caught him off guard. He grinned, "absolutely."