Drown

Chapter 2

I think this song fits the chapter, I think :) Enjoy reading!

-Nico's POV-

Woah. That was unexpected. He was just staring at me, thinking, and then all of a sudden, he kissed me. His warm, soft lips against mine felt like a dream. He smelled like ocean and sea, and tasted like everything I imagined him to taste like when I thought about kissing him before. It was amazing. I kissed him back, one of my hands in his neck, the other one against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. His hands rested on my waist and pulled me closer to him. Was this really happening?  Percy pulled back and smiled at me. I smiled back as he rested his forehead against mine.

Suddenly I heard someone gasp, and Percy and I both turned around to see Annabeth staring at us.

''Percy...?'' she asked. I could see that she was hurt, and I understood her completely. She must have felt what I felt every time I saw Percy with her, every time I saw them laughing and kissing. I knew what she felt, and I knew it hurt more than anyone could imagine. But I didn't feel sorry for her. I had seen Percy kissing her more times than she had seen us, which was only this time. Percy looked like he saw a ghost, and honestly, I couldn't blame him. He stuttered something that sounded a bit like ''Annbth wadaydoinhere'' (Translation: Annabeth, what are you doing here?) and stared at her in complete shock.

''Percy... What are YOU doing here? Why were you...'' She made a gesture between Percy and I, not wanting to say it out loud. I understood her completely, again. Saying it out loud would make it real, make it undeniable. Keeping it inside made it seem like an illusion, made it hurt less. Suddenly I did  feel bad for her. He was her boyfriend, after all.

Yes, my mind told me, he is her boyfriend, not yours. And what did you just do? You kissed him right in front of her.

No! I brought in, He was the one who kissed me, it's not my fault she decided to walk to this part of the forest, I mean, nobody ever comes here!

Yeah, you'd know that, you spend your days here, thinking about that Jackson boy. CRYING over him, how you would never get him. You are such a freak.

I hated my mind. Apparently, it hated me too.

Percy was recovering from his shock and tried to stutter an explanation.

''I- We- Nico- You- I mean, Nico wanted to tell me something and- The forest- here- he said- something- and- we- I- I- I don't know, I- I didn't think about it, but-'' He sighed. ''I kissed him.''

''But-'' Now Annabeth was the one who stuttered. ''You mean- You are- Percy! We- You can't- We were meant to be!''

Percy took a step forward, and for one second, I was afraid he would put his arm around her, that he would comfort her, and tell her it would be alright, that the kiss meant nothing. But then he said something that surprised me.

''Yes, Annabeth, we were meant to be. Were. Notice the past tense.'' She had tears in her eyes and Percy sighed and told Annabeth to sit down. He sat down with her. I didn't know what to do, so I just stayed invisible in the shadows. 

''Listen,'' he told her, ''I've been thinking a lot lately, sometimes about you, sometimes about us, but most of the time I thought about Ni- about someone else.'' My heartbeat sped up. Was he about to say my name before he changed it? ''I... I can't go on with you knowing I'd rather be with someone else. I'm sorry, Annabeth, but... This is it.'' Annabeth stayed calm. She just sighed.

''Can I know who it is? I mean, can I know who the reason is I lost you?'' Percy hesitated, but not too long.

''Well, you know him, actually, he is-''

''Hold on, HIM? HE?'' Annabeth asked, visibly shocked. Percy nodded. ''You mean I'm losing my BOYFRIEND to a GUY?'' 

''Yes, Annabeth.'' Percy sounded really annoyed now. ''Is there a problem with that?''

''YES THERE IS.'' she yelled, ''YOU LET ME THINK EVERYTHING WAS ALRIGHT FOR WEEKS, WHILE YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT SOME GUY?! WHY EVEN A GUY PERCY, SERIOUSLY,  ARE YOU GAY?!'' She screamed now, while Percy still seemed calm. He shrugged.

''Or bi. I haven't fully figured that out yet.'' That seemed to be too much for Annabeth. She threw her hands in the air in some irritated gesture, and began screaming at him. She called him things I was almost sure Chiron would expel her for if he was here. But he wasn't, and Annabeth kept screaming. Percy looked more tired after every insult. I stayed in my shadow and waited. Part of me knew the insults were not only for Percy, they were for me too. Because I was gay. And he was too. Then I realised that maybe, I had a chance with him. For the first time I actually had a chance with him. I smiled a little.

''Seriously Percy, why haven't you told me earlier?'' Annabeth said when she calmed down a little bit. Percy sighed.

''Because I wanted to be sure.'' He looked at the shadow I hid in. ''And now I am.'' He looked at Annabeth again. ''I was going to tell you as soon as I found you, but then you suddenly showed up here.'' He frowned. ''Why were you here anyway?'' I blushed in my shadow, still with the smile on my face. He looked at me while saying he was sure! 

''How could you NOT be sure if spent more time thinking about him than about me?!'' Annabeth started yelling again. ''And why would you want to know why I was here?!''

''Because,'' Percy said, ''I think it's a little too much of a coincidence for you to be there the only time I did something you wouldn't approve of, especially when it's a place like this, where nobody ever comes.'' Annabeth hesitated, but then yelled her answer.

''I FOLLOWED YOU, OKAY?!'' 

''YOU WHAT?!'' Percy was yelling too now.

''YEAH. I FOLLOWED YOU. FOR ONCE I FOLLOWED YOU AND LOOK WHAT I WALKED INTO! SEROUSLY PERCY,'' Her voice cracked halfway and she started to cry. ''how can I be sure this was the only time?''

''YOU DON'T, OKAY?!'' Percy yelled, but then he calmed down. ''If you don't trust me enough to believe me when I say this really was the only time, then you simply don't. Now why did you follow me?'' She sighed.

''You were acting all weird, I mean, you looked really annoyed when I woke you up this morning, and after breakfast you just walked away with him without saying anything. You practically ignored me all morning, so I wanted to know what was wrong with you.'' Her expression hardened. ''Now I know.''

''Go away.'' Percy stood up. ''Really, just go. You have nothing to do here.'' Annabeth stood up to and gave him a poisonous look.

''Yeah, but you have, don't you? Have fun kissing that creep.'' she said, with enough anger in her words to convince the Aphrodite cabin to fight. Then she stormed off. Once she was out of sight, Percy let go of his anger and just looked really tired again.

''Really, can you tell me how I managed to be around her for so long, because I don't get it.'' he said, as I stepped out of my shadow. I shook my head.

''I really don't know.'' He smiled at me and stood in front of me, letting his forehead rest against mine again.

''Now, where were we.'' he whispered, as he slowly brought his lips closer to mine.