Pernico :)

#4 We Eat Blue Pancakes, Go to the Park, and Awkwardness Ensues

"Boys! Time to get up!", my mom yelled at us.
Groaning, I turned over and tried to maneuver out of my bed.
Then, someone's arm whacked against me.
I shot out of bed and looked for the cause, which is Nico.
His arm laid gently on the sheets, fingers twitching at the slightest sound.
I watched for several moments, wondering if he'd wake up.
He didn't, just continues sleeping with his arm stretched out.
"Time to get up", I told him, slowly pulling the blankets down.
A vice grip grabbed the blankets and pulled them back up.
"No", he mumbled.
"Five more minutes..."
I sighed.
Alright Nico Di Angelo, if that's how it's gonna be then so be it.
I'd just have to use some water-action.
And so, I conjured up a fairly good sized wave and threw it at him.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!", he screamed running around the room, dripping water onto the floor.
"What was that for?"
I grinned.
"To get you up"
He rolled his eyes.
"Whatever"

We sat at the table and ate our breakfast of blue pancakes.
He was telling me about how in the Underworld, it was nearly impossible to get even pancakes because, of the extreme cold there.
I laughed, shoving a forkful of soppy blue squares into my mouth.
"What do you eat then?"
He didn't reply, just stared suddenly at the wall.
I decide the matter was best clearly dropped.
"What do ya wanna do today?"
He shrugged.
"Um, what do you usually do?"
"Go to the beach with mom", I said, gesturing at my mom who was in the kitchen.
She smiled at us and continued doing whatever it was she was doing.
He nodded.
"Uh, where's your dad?"
My body stiffened.
I hated my stepfather.
He was the worst person I knew by far and I know a lot of people...
"Stepdad", I told him, adding extra emphasis to 'step'.
He backed up at my tone and I was afraid he might run away again.
"Sorry"
"It's okay, it's not your fault I hate him. Anyway, maybe my mom knows of something we could do..."
I was in a hurry to change the subject.
Talk of my stepdad, made me nervous and angry all at once.
As we approached her, my mom was busy making breakfast in bed for Gabe and when she saw us, she smiled.
"Hi boys, how was breakfast?"
We told her it was great and she seemed to bright more.
Than, we asked her about what we should do today and she said: "You could go down to the park or something? Maybe go see a movie? I'd love to go with you but, I'm kinda busy..."
We nodded.
"I know mom"
She smiled and hugged me.
"Thank you, Percy."
After that, Gabe yelled and she went back to preparing his breakfast.
I grabbed Nico's hand and we ran outside into the sunshine.
He squinted up at the blue sky.
"It's so bright here!"
I gave him a confused expression.
"Is it not sunny where you live?"
He shook his head.
"No, there's just fire. Nothing really that special."
My mind tried to come up with an image of a cold yet fiery place where he lived and somehow survived, it couldn't.
We started walking, still holding hands and headed for the park.
On the way, people stopped and stared at us.
I couldn't have guessed why, maybe they just thought we looked strange together.
Which was true, we did.
I was the happy boy who was the son of Poseidon and he was the shy boy who was the son of Hades.
Who wouldn't have stared?
When we reached the park, I saw it was deserted.
A swing was still moving back and forth, garbage was being blown across a park bench, and there were footprints in the sandbox, where someone had only recently been.
I stared at the sand, trying to figure out why people always ran from me. Sure, I was different, but I was still half (if only half) human. It wasn't like I'd send a tsunami on the first kid who tried to talk to me, but it sure seemed that way...
"Percy? Is something wrong?", I felt Nico still holding my hand, only now he was looking at me worriedly.
I sighed.
Everything was wrong.
I felt like an outcast.
I was an outcast.
"No, everything's fine", I lied, going to sit on the swing.
He sat down in the swing next to me and nodded.
"Okay"
We sat there, not speaking, just trying to think of what the other was thinking.
He grabbed my hand.
"Percy, look at me"
I couldn't.
The tears were ready to fall.
I couldn't let him see me cry.
What would he think of me?
Holding the tears back, my eyes flicked over to where a girl about my age was playing in the sand box, she had blonde hair that was slightly wavy, grey eyes, and appeared to be building some sort of house or something.
I watched, as she picked up some sand in her shovel and began to dig with it.
Nico noticed and smiled slightly.
"That's Annabeth Chase, she's Athena's daughter. I met her at one of my father's parties."
I nodded, but didn't look at him.
I was still staring at the girl.
She looked content, just building by herself.
So, I gave up on any sort of thought of talking to her and made my way over to the slide.
The girl didn't notice us and I was glad.
For the rest of the day, we talked and played in the park.
Finally, we headed back and just sat on my bed, waiting for dinner.
Nico was busy folding up his pjs and I was on my bed, staring at the blankets.
"Percy? You sure you're okay?", he asked.
I nodded.
He didn't look convinced, he dropped his partially folded pjs and sat at the end of the bed, watching me.
"It's okay, you know...", he said, looking at me.
"To be different. People don't hate you. They just don't understand you. It's okay, though..."
He moved a little closer and grabbed my hand.
"Someday, it won't matter. You will be happy and no one will be able to take that away from you. But, until then you still and always will have me. You're my best friend, Percy Jackson. You make me actually smile and not just my fake ones. Anyone who runs away from you is stupid and doesn't deserve to be your friend..."
He moved even closer and looked up at me with those big dark eyes of his.
I could feel my heart beat faster and my face getting hot.
Nico didn't seem to notice, he placed his other hand on my cheek and began to move his finger around in a swirling motion.
"You're the son of Poseidon, Percy. You're better than all of them. Even better than me..."
My heart slammed against my ribcage, as he said the words.
I couldn't speak.
I felt like an idiot.
He trailed his fingers down my neck and I gasped.
"Nico, what are you-"
"Boys! Dinner!", my mom Sally, yelled.
He shot his hand back so fast, I didn't even see it.
Than, he got up awkwardly and said: "Uh, we better go have dinner."
I nodded.
"Yes, I guess we should"
I waited for him to pull me up off the bed and walk with me to the table.
He didn't.
Instead, he darted out of my room, before I could say anything.
What was up with him?
He was fine earlier.
Oh well, typical Nico.
I thought and ran out after him.

When I got to the dinner table, he was sitting in a chair near my mom and biting furiously at his nails. My mother was in her night robe, drinking tea, and her eyes were heavy.
"Hi honey, want some dinner?", she asked, gesturing to the plate on the table.
I nodded and sat down across from her.
She waited a few moments, than started to talk to me and Nico.
"You know, I think Nico being here has really helped you, Percy. I mean, you're happier. I can see it in your eyes...you have this sort of aura you give off. It's nice."
I stared nervously at her.
What the heck was she getting at?
Of course I was happy, he was the only one who would talk to me, and notice me.
My heart started to pound again.
My cousin nodded.
He was looking at my mother as if they both had a mutual agreement.
Which they probably did...
She sipped her tea again and spoke.
"Percy, someday you're gonna meet a pretty girl. You're gonna fall in love, get married, and live your own life. As are you, Nico.", she told us, with a smile.
I stared at him, he was shifting slightly in the chair and refusing to look at me or her.
Typical Nico.
I decided.
"I know, mom. You've told me before."
She nodded, but there was an uneasiness to her.
I could sense it.
We sat there for a long while, than finally Nico got up and I followed him back to my room.
Quietly, we got ready for bed.
He didn't talk to me once while we did so, but when I went into my bathroom to brush my teeth, he came in also and grabbed me in a hug.
"I really like you, Percy.", he said, his breath tickling my ear.
I nodded and hugged him back.
"I really like you too, Nico."
He smiled.
A real genuine smile, definitely not fake and left me standing there.
As I watched him leave, I realized I'd never really taken into account how nice he looked.
His dark hair was messy, his eyes expressive and dark, skin paler than humanly possible like a vampire's, and his dark reddish lips the only thing that really stood out about his looks.
That night, I came to a decision.
My cousin, the son of Hades, the shyest and strangest, person I knew, was beautiful.
Not like a girl per say, but like something that wasn't actually real.
An image, a mirage, a unknown exploration...
Whoa, what was I thinking?
My cousin is NOT beautiful!
He's a boy!
Boys aren't beautiful, they're not!
What was wrong with me?
I guess, I'd better lay off some of the blue food.
It must be getting to me...