DEMIGODS. (Percico/Pernico)

˚‧º·Chapter Twelve‧º·˚

At last, it was the weekend. It was Friday night, and we were preparing for our first gig as a new band.

Hylla's van was a light brown one with a dark stripe on its sides. I expected something a little more modern or, well, appealing than that considering her occupation, but it was big enough to carry our band and our equipment, so it was good enough. We climbed in the back after we finished loading and awaited what was to come: a gig at the restaurant Hylla worked at before.

We had plenty of practice for the songs we were going to preform, which were the Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones, and Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. The last one was more dependent on the keyboard rather than the guitar, but Thalia still got to play. I just thought Nico wanted to be heard a bit more, as he was really, really talented and I wanted to give him his time to shine.

Nico sat next to me in the bus-like van, anxiously tapping on his lap. It was going to be a while until we got to the restaurant—about an hour—so we brought pillows and blankets in case we wanted to sleep.

I took a gulp out of my water bottle as the van started and pulled out of the driveway.

"Hey, Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think it's a little weird?"

"What?"

"That I'm sitting next to you, and you know my..."

I shook my head. "No, you're my friend. I could care less who you like. It doesn't matter to me. You know Thalia? She's bisexual, and I don't care."

Nico nodded, almost as if my answer did not completely satisfy him.

We did not really talk that much for awhile. His gaze was trained out the window at all the tall buildings flying past. The sky was darkening as we drove on. My anticipation was built up far too much for me to even consider falling asleep.

I was jolted out of my thoughts as I felt a sudden weight on my shoulder. I turned my head to see a familiar mop of dark hair resting on me. I smiled at the sleeping boy, the thought of resting his head on a pillow not even occurring to me.

The rest of the world seemed to vanish around us as I reached over to brush some of his hair out of his face and behind his ear. He looked so peaceful asleep; all signs of shyness and anxiety disappeared from his features. As his face nuzzled into my shoulder as if it were a pillow, an intimate feeling crept into my stomach. I resisted the urge to hold him closer and protect this innocent creature from the impurities of the world. I didn't know what came over me. It was infectious, like a virus. I wanted him to never feel upset or hurt. I unconsciously stroked his silky hair as he slept on my shoulder and dwelled in this moment, if just for a little while. He stirred a little, and I ceased my actions, trying not to wake him.

His movements halted, and I sighed in relief. I tried not to move as much as possible so he could remain asleep. I cursed the potholes, as few as they were, wishing that the government would use taxes to fill them so they would not wake the boy next to me. Soon, the van pulled to a stop at a light.

"Enjoying yourself there, Perce?" Thalia said teasingly as she leaned on the back of my seat.

"Shh," I whispered to her, pointing at Nico's warm, slumbering body.

She rolled her eyes and, with a joking tone, asked, "What? Is he your boyfriend now?"

I ignored her as the car began to move again. I knew he wasn't, but something stirred in me. What if he was? I smiled at the idea of holding him in my arms, or laughing with him as we played video games. I didn't want to get too excited, but the thought appealed to me. I looked down at his sleeping figure and thought, "Maybe."

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"Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on. So tell me when you're gonna let me in. I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin," I sang softly.

I looked over at Nico as I sang, his skin golden in the restaurant's light as he pounded on the keyboard, producing beautiful chords.

"Is this the place we used to love? Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?"

I began the chorus again, my eyes back on the people sitting in booths and watching us preform our last song of the night. We all were so absorbed in our parts that I had forgotten we had a crowd.

"And if you have a minute why don't we go talk about it somewhere only we know? This could be the end of everything so why don't we go somewhere only know?"

His head swayed as he got lost in his music, his chocolate eyes passionate. I smiled as I watched him, his eyes meeting mine as I sang the last of the song. The applause of the crowd drowned out in my mind as we shared eye contact, lost to the rest of the world. It soon was broken by Thalia practically jumping on me and laughing victoriously. Nico blushed and turned his gaze away from me.

I turned to Thalia, celebrating with her and the rest of the guys as Hylla and Reyna helped pack up our equipment. We thanked the owner for the opportunity, then we loaded up our instruments, amps, and speakers in the modest van. I wanted to hold Nico's hand on the ride home, but he sat with Reyna. Instead, Leo sat with me. We joked all the way home, my gaze sometimes floating back to the boy in the backseat, conversing with Reyna something I couldn't hear. I waved back at him, and he demurely returned it before resuming their conversation.

Hylla dropped us off at my house after we unloaded everything that belonged to us in the garage. Leo called his mom, a beautiful Latina whose hair was tied back and her clothes covered in grease stains. She and her son loaded his drum set in the back of her light blue truck that looked like it was from the sixties before climbing inside and closing the doors behind them. He waved goodbye to us before the two of them left.

Thalia drove Jason and their stuff home in their own car, while Reyna left with Hylla, leaving me and Nico alone in my driveway.

"So, do you want a ride home? Or, well, you can always stay here with me for the night."

A slight blush appeared on Nico's cheeks. "S-sure. That sounds fun."

I smiled at him before I turned, approaching my house. I heard Nico behind me as I reached for my keys in my pocket. He laughed at my Ramones keychain as I unlocked the door. He followed me inside as we navigated through the hallways we had walked through many times before to my bedroom. I called to Mom and Paul to let them know Nico was with me. Nico, in turn, texted his dad and told him he was going to stay at a friend's house. He did not say which one, but I knew the reason why.

Never in my adolescent life have I had a better sleepover. We played Mortal Kombat and took turns playing other games on my PlayStation. We ate snacks and joked until we put on a movie and fell asleep. Then, the next morning, Mom made us breakfast. She loved Nico, probably even more than Thalia, and that was saying something, since I had a hunch that she would trade Thalia for me in a heartbeat.

As we laughed over our pancakes, I decided that my new favorite thing in the world was Nico's smile.