A Black and White Rainbow (Percico) [Soulmates AU]

Chapter 1

'If we'd never met, I think I would have known my life wasn't complete. And I would have wandered the world in search of you, even if I didn't know who I was looking for.'
― Nicholas Sparks

Nico di Angelo POV

I was late for work, as usual. Running through the black and grey streets of Manhattan, pushing past people aged young and old, I was almost there. Skipping around a tree, I stumbled into a young male.

His eyes were a soft green and his hair was a deep shade of black, swept into an undercut. The light bounced off his deeply tanned skin, the beige of his cheeks painted over with a pinch of red.

I dusted myself off, throwing an apology over my shoulder before sliding into the cafe - 25 minutes late. Sneaking past my co-workers and reaching the lockers, I released a relaxed sigh. A couple of minutes later, sporting a red shirt that read, 'Order here' and black jeans, I jogged around taking orders.

It took me a whole hour to realise that I was seeing the world in colour. It wasn't even me, it was the little girl who couldn't even reach the door handle and was jumping up and down until I went out to help.

"Love your pink dress," I said to the young child and she shot me a small smile.

"Thank you!" She giggled, "What's having a soulmate like? Is it a dream come true? What does blue look like?"

She continued asking me questions before her parents caught up to her, apologizing to me as they lead her away. But I was stuck in a daze... I met my soulmate and I could see colours. How did I not register this before? I sat down and pondered over when I could have met them. Then, it came to me.

That green-eyed boy!

I grinned, wide. Then frowned upon realisation, it had been almost 2 hours since then. I ripped the main door open and escaped, attempting to make it to the tree in the next few minutes. My fingers collided with the trunk and I doubled over, huffing out breaths as I looked around. There he was. On the bench with his head up to the sky, one leg crossed over the other and his hands clasped atop a knee. I could not be happier. I had been looking forward to this day since I was 8 years old and 12 years later, it happened. I approached him softly and asked him if I could sit down with him.

"Out of all the benches in this park, why here with me?" His question startled me.

"You seemed like you needed a nudge from your cloud watching," I shrugged, not knowing what else to say. I got up and started leaving, "Sorry, if I bothered you."

I stopped when I felt a hand grasp my own and I spun around, eyes wide. Watching his lips move, I craned my neck to hear what he was saying, "Please, stay."

I smiled and settled beside him, "Say, have you met your soulmate?"

His head turned around along with his upper body to face me, "I did 10 years ago."

In an attempt to hide the frown emerging on my face, I faced away from him and toward the sky instead.

"Why do you ask?" I heard his deep voice caress the air next to my ear. When I faced him again, he had leaned in closer and was a mere couple inches from me.

I felt my face light up and I averted my gaze, "I met mine this morning, at least I think I did. Now I'm not so sure. Is it possible to have more than one soulmate?"

He smiled softly, crows feet forming on the sides of his eyes, "I was just asking myself the same thing but I think I know the answer now."

"What?" With a confused gaze, I followed as he tilted his head back up to face the sky.

"10 years ago, I met her. It was unlike anything 14-year-old me had ever experienced. You see, my dad was out of the picture and my step-father was abusive. I had lost hope and I didn't have any destination for my life. I was merely existing, not living."

I leaned in, "What happened?"

"She got married."

That day, we spent until nightfall on the playground swings as he told me his story.

"At last, I mustered up all the courage in me and I asked her parents for her hand in marriage -- I thought it was the right thing to do. With smiles, they blessed me and sent me off. Ring in hand and heart on my sleeve I went but... When I proposed, she said she was already getting married. I was confused and asked what she meant, told her that I'd asked her parents and everything too. She said they just wanted me to suffer and that they'd never liked me in the first place. I collapsed and she spent the rest of the night crying into my shoulder, apologizing as she cradled me in her arms. I never saw her again. All those years... 7 years... I spent chasing after someone I could not have."

I reached out my hand to grab his, squeezing it tightly and intertwined our fingers, "Do you still see colours?"

He nodded his head, squeezing my hand back before standing up and skirting around his swing to stand in front of me. Bending down to my level, he grabbed both my hands and brought them up to his chest.

"But I think, my world got just a little brighter today."

I smiled, red dusting over my pale cheeks and ears when I suddenly realised something and let out a small laugh, "I never introduced myself. I'm Nico di Angelo, a pleasure to meet you."

"I think we've done more than just meeting. I'm Perseus Jackson," He let go of my hands and sat back down on his swing, sending a glance up at the night sky before looking back at me. "You've heard my story, now what's yours?"