The One That Got Away (Percico)

Chapter 1

-Nico-

After a few weeks in California and the di Angelo's new house was unpacked and decorated, Nico came out to his parents officially. He was still fourteen at the time, and he was still scared of his father and terrified of his mother's opinion.

"Okay, so you're gay. The sky is blue, the grass is green, the world goes on. You get an 'A' in maths then I'll be surprised." Hades shrugged, flipping the newspaper he was reading to the next page.

Maria hit her husband's arm playfully before turning to Nico. "Nico, baby, don't listen to your father, your maths is fine. Gosh, I'm so proud of you." Maria pulled Nico to her chest, engulfing him in a warm embrace and kissing his forehead.

Bianca was another story. His big sister pulled him to her chest for a moment, a very small moment, but then she shoved him away and flicked his head.

"You could have told me sooner, dweeb. But something tells me I don't have a shopping buddy, huh?" Bianca smiled slightly.

Nico smiled back and rubbed his head. "Nope."

Bianca laughed and ruffled Nico's hair, earning an irritated glare from the boy.

Nico didn't want to call himself  vain because he knew there was more to a person than their looks, but he couldn't deny that he had a morning facial routine and spent at least an hour in front of the mirror and picking out his outfit.

But now at seventeen, his hair had gone from small waves to untameable curls and it was darker and thicker than ever; he struggled to keep it under control. His face has slimmed and his eyes were clear and sharp, although they held years worth of pain and secrets.

School was okay. His grades were doing fine, since Nico was quite smart because of Bianca's intelligent physcobabble. The best part, though, was definitely his new friends. Best friends, rather. He'd made 4 in total, and they were all outcasts, like Nico.

First, there was Rachel Elizabeth Dare. At first meeting, Nico knew he wanted to hate her. She was going to inherit millions from her rich grandfather, she had the looks that would make any guy melt on the spot, with her curly red hair, evergreen eyes, Ivory skin, small nose and Cupid's bow lips.

She had an ultimately perfect life, compared to Nico's. But when he got to know the girl, he learned she was an outcast too, because everybody thought she was the snobby rich girl that nobody should bother to get to know.

But Nico learned she was smart, funny, brave, fierce, loyal, outgoing, and a downright amazing girl once you get to know her. Nico loved her and was glad she was one of his best friends.

Second, there was Frank Zhang. Nico absolutely adored the guy. He was sweet, caring, and loyal to his friends. Frank was built like a handsome football player and he had a strong jawline with buzz cut dark hair.

But, he had soft, caring deep brown eyes. Although he was large in size and could probably break Nico like a twig, he gave the best hugs in the entire history of the universe. It was like being enveloped in a fuzzy feeling, warming you to your core.

Nico still didn't understand why Frank was an outcast, but he guessed it was because he was half Chinese and half Canadian, which didn't seem fair because Nico was half Italian and half American. But overall, he loved Frank and he was one of the greatest friends Nico could ask for.

Thirdly, there was Hazel Levesque. Hazel was like a little sister to Nico, and Nico loved her so, so much. Nico nicknamed her his 'baby girl' because she was the youngest in the group. Hazel was sweet, caring and was always there for her friends. She had dark skin, which contrasted beautifully with her bright golden coloured eyes.