Pernico - Survivor

Ch.23 A few minutes of normal

Percy's P.O.V 

As I rose from my lying position, I watched Jason and Nico roll into the middle of the hammock at my absence. Jason had his eye wide open, but Nico was another story. His once closed eyes, were slowly being rubbed by his fists. He let out a soft yawn as he opened his eyes fully. As soon as he looked into my eyes, I was put into a trance. His dark eyes still held so much pain, but now there was some happiness in them. When I looked into his eyes, I could see love and hope. It was so nice to see! 

"Alright, if you two can't see just how much you're into each other, then you're both blind!" Jason yelled, smirking a bit at the end. 

"Actually, lately things haven't been so clear..." Nico mumbled. Things weren't clear? I know that I am 100% into Nico, but if he wasn't so sure about his feelings, I guess I won't push him into a relationship he isn't ready for...

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, curious.

"I mean, when I look in to the distance, things get fuzzy." Nico tried to explain. 

"So you're not sure about your future? I get it, I mean, most demigods will understand, with the whole "trying to survive another day" thing." Jason smiled.

"No. I mean, my eyesight really isn't very good." Nico explained. 

"Oh." I said, feeling relieved he wasn't talking about anything other than his vision. Suddenly, all of the shadows in the room began to pull towards us. I heard a faint "Close your eyes" before darkness overtook my vision. I felt like I was falling down a huge hole, bringing back unwanted memories of Tartarus. In my blind panic, I grabbed onto the nearest hand and held it like my life depended on it. The strange sensation continued for a few seconds before I was able to make out a bright light through my closed eyelids. I blinked a few times to adjust, before fully opening my eyes. The first thing I noticed was that I was holding onto Nico's hand. I quickly dropped my hand from his grasp. The next thing I noticed was the very prominent blush on his cheeks. Oh, and then I noticed that we were in Ney york. New york?

"Why are we in New york?" I asked.

"I dunno." Jason replied, as we both turned to Nico who was trying to decipher a small post it note.

"What's it say?" Jason asked.

"It's from my dad. He wants you two to take me to an optometrist to get my eyes checked." Nico explained, before holding up a wad of mortal money. 

"Sounds like fun to me." Jason said as he started down the street. I slipped my hand back into Nico's before following, practically dragging the smaller boy behind me. 

By the time we found an optometrist, Nico and I had recieved quite a few smiles from other people. A few even offered some nice comments saying things like "What a cute couple!" to "Aren't you two adorable?". I was so relieved that we hadn't run into any negative comments, fearing for Nico's reaction. He shouldn't have to be affraid of who he is, but it's much easier to accept yourself when everyone is being positive. 

"Hello?" Jason called as we stepped into a quaint little building. It had a small blue desk connected to the wall on one side, and wrapping around towards the hallway on the other. A short lady with long brown hair sad behind the desk. She had attempted to pull her hair into a low ponytail, but a few strands had come loose. Her eyes were hidden behind thick lenses tucked into a cozy looking frame. A smile was placed on her lips, and the lines around her eyes went along with her friendly exterior. 

"How may I help you fine gentlemen this afternoon?" She greeted, kindly. 

"My friend over here needs to get his eyes checked." I explained, wishing for the day I would be able to call him my boyfriend.