Something Unexpected (Percy Jackson Fan Fiction)

Chapter 24

Nico

Percy and I's one month anniversary is tomorrow and I'm not completely prepared.

He's been kind of insistent that I "come out" to the school.

I want to, but it's harder than he thinks.

I get bullied as it is.

Do I want another reason?

It would mean a lot to Percy.

I think it'll make up for me being so distanced from him.

I have good reason though.

I've been looking for my father.

Trying to locate him.

Find out why he left us when he did.

When I was younger, all I wanted was to remember what he was like.

Bianca used to tell me stories, but my mother would always snap at her, telling her how wrong she was.

That my father was heartless and cared about no one but himself.

Bianca and I believed her.

We had no evidence to prove otherwise.

Its not like we could ask him.

So, here I am, in Percy's room, trying to find a trace of him.

He was surprisingly hard to find.

My mother and Bianca changed their last names back to my mother's maiden name after my father left, but his name was the only thing I had of him.

I wasn't about to let it go.
Di Angelo was a common thread, but I had patience.

Percy knocked on the door softly and poked his head in.

"Can I come in?"

I smiled and put my phone away.

"Its your room, Perce."

He sat down on the bed next to me.

"My nickname sounds like Purse. A woman's bag. I'm not really sure how I feel about that."

I laughed took his hand.

"I don't like Neeks, so suck it up."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Mom and Paul went out for dinner. You want some pasta?"

"Is it because I'm Italian?"

"No, its because that's the only thing I can actually make."

I laughed again and leaned on his shoulder.

"Percy?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Tell me about your dad."

Percy stiffened.

"My dad?"

"If you're okay with it."

Percy shifted slightly and started playing with my hair, staring at the picture frames on the walls of his room.

Some containing a man, who I assumed was his dad.

"He was... My hero. Whenever I was younger, we would visit the beach a lot. He loved the beach. He would always tell me, 'The cure to everything is saltwater. The ocean, sweat, or tears.' That saying has stuck to me. I miss him a lot. And whenever I do, my mom and I go visit the beach. That's the only time I feel connected with him."

Tears started collecting in his eyes, threatening to pour down.

"He died in a car accident. On his way to take me back to the beach. I had left something there. A drunk driver crashed into us. I was the only one who survived. It should've been him. My dad should still be alive right now. He died because I left my stupid phone there."

Percy stood up and started pacing.

"If I hadn't made such a big deal out of it... He would still be here."

Percy looked at me and kneeled in front of me, cupping my face with his hands and leaning his forehead on mine.

"He would've loved you. He would've loved to see how happy you make me. He would've loved to see just how hard I'm falling in love with you."

He started crying again and I slid off the bed in front of him.

He's normally the one to hold me whenever I cry.

Its time for me to be there for him.

We stayed there, wrapped in each other, our safe place.

After an hour or so, Percy wiped his eyes and gave me a soft smile.

"I'm sorry."

I touched him cheek with my fingertips and he closed his eyes, leaning into my touch.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

And the moment he opened his eyes and I felt myself getting lost in the infinite green, I realized that I was falling hard for him, too.

I had managed to break his protective seal around a big part of his life.

Its time for me to take a risk.

I was going to come out tomorrow.

For Percy.

For me.

For us.

A/N: Haii cx sorry I didn't update yesterday. I had to go to a thing and then I Skyped for a while until I passed out. I'll update more later c: ily bai