Come Back To Me (Percico)

Chapter 1

"Nico tell him."

"No." I yelled at Jason. He knew my secret. Only because he was with me when Cupid made me say it. Bastard Cupid. I sighed and lowered my voice. "Sorry Jason. I know been short with you and I know that isn't fair, but I just can't tell him. He wouldn't feel the same. He has Annabeth."  I looked off down the hall of the Argo II thinking about Percy. "Plus I'm afraid of water. We wouldn't mix well." I chuckled quietly. "Percy already has enough issues without having to deal with me." I shrugged and moved to walk past Jason.

"I'm never to busy for you Nico." Percy's voice made me jump. "What do you need?"

I whirled around. He was smiling his wonderful smile. One that he reserved for friends only. One that showed his pretty pearly whites. I almost broke down and told him, but my brain was way ahead of my heart and made me push into the shadows and shrink down as small as I could go without bending.

"Nothing Percy. I don't want to distract you with anything. It's no big deal." Another shrug from me. "Its not important. I'm gonna go back to my cabin and see if I can iris message Mrs. O'Leary." I moved away.

"Oh good. Do you mind if I join you? I've been wanting to call her but I've been busy. But now I'm free and I should do it while I still can." Percy's face lit up at the mention of the Hell Hound.

"No." It came out harsher than I thought. His face fell. Jason looked shocked at me. "I-I-I mean no I don't mind. Sure. Come on." I slipped down the hall and into my room. Percy moved in after me and closed the door. Jason hadn't followed us. Bastard. He left me alone with Percy. I almost growled.

"Wow..." Percy breathed.

"Yeah sorry, my room's a mess I know." I kicked a path to my crystal ball hanging from the ceiling by my torch of Greek fire. The torch never went out and cast a glow on the crystal that sent a rainbow all around my room. The Greek fire and the rainbow were the only source of colour in my room. There was armour, clothes, posters, plates, and pomegranate seeds that littered my floor. I began rooting through my nightstand for a Drachma.

Percy was fingering the posters at my wall. "You like My Chemical Romance too?" I shrugged. "I love them. Annabeth can't stand them but I love them. I love their The Black Parade album. How about you?"

"Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge." Was all I said. I had sighted a flash of gold and was shoving aside papers chasing it. I looked over my shoulder at Percy. He made a face.

"Too metal sounding for me." I scoffed. Percy laughed. "I bet you just have the posters because they're cool." I knew he was enticing me to do something and that I shouldn't reply, but he was insulting my pride.

"Try me." That was the wrong thing to say. Percy smiled wickedly.

"Alright." He said slowly. "Sing something of theirs. From my favourite album."

I glared at him. "No." I didn't sing anymore. I used to sing with Bianca and my Mother before my Mother died. Then sometimes for Bianca if she was nice. But not anymore. Not after Talos.

"Fine." Percy said off-handedly. "I knew it. You don't know them."

I could practically feel the steam coming from my ears. Deep breaths Nico. Deep breaths. After a few seconds I turned back to my nightstand thinking of a song. I decided on The End, and began to sing quietly.

"Come on, come all. To this tragic affair.

Wipe of that makeup. What's in is despair.

So throw on the black dress mix in with the lot,

You might wake up and notice you're someone you're not."

"This is my favourite line."  I whispered before continuing.

"If you look in the mirror and don't like what you see,

You can find out first hand what it's like to be me.

So gather 'round piggies and kiss this good bye,

I'd encourage your smiles, I'd expect you won't cry!"

"Wow Nico. I had no idea you could sing like that." Percy's jaw was practically on the ground.

I turned from him quickly as tears fell silently down my face. "That's because I don't do it any more."

"Anymore?"  He was confused. "Why not?"

"I used to sing for my Mother and Sister." My voice broke as emotions raged through me. I gripped the sides of my night stand hard, until my knuckles turned white.

Percy put his hand on my back making me jump. I hadn't heard him make his way over. He pulled me to him. I stiffened at first for a couple minutes but the hand he had placed on my back was still there only now it was making small circles in a soothing, comforting way. I was slowly melting in his arms. And as I melted so did my wall that held back all of the emotions. It burst into tiny little pieces and I started sobbing hard. I missed my family horribly.

"Oh Percy. Why me? Why my family? I miss my mother and my sister. I miss them terribly. I think of them everyday. Little things remind me of them. Mother taught me and Bianca Italian as our first language. Anytime I hear someone speaking Italian or even Spanish I break down inside. When we were kids, every night Mother would tuck us in and kiss us goodnight. And right before she left the room she would turn around and say ' Buona notte miei dolci. Che tu possa svegliare circondati dal mio amore.'" Percy looked confused. I pulled away from him and sat on the edge of my bed. He settled down next to me. "It means 'Good night my sweets. May you wake up surrounded by my love.' After Mother died Bianca would say that before we fell asleep to make me happy. And in return I would sing her and old Italian lullaby that she loved. And after Bianca died I said it. I still do sometimes. But I never sing the lullaby." I buried my head in my hands. "I'm rambling I'm sorry." I shook my head once and grabbed the golden Drachma I had found while singing. The little rainbow dots around my room shook and zoomed together to make one big rainbow dot on my wall.

"O goddess, accept our offering." Percy took the drachma from my hand and threw it into the rainbow dot. "Mrs. O'Leary at Camp Half Blood please." I think Iris liked Percy a lot because we were instantly transferred. Sometimes she rejected calls or you were subjected to crappy waiting music. Or worse: Apollo's haikus. But she never did that to Percy. Probably because he said please. "MRS. O'LEARY!" Percy yelled. The giant Hell Hound whirled around and bounded toward us. "Oh no girl. Iris message!" Percy tried to stop her but it was no use. The big dog began licking the air.

I laughed and chatted with the dog and Percy for a while. Yes I chatted with a dog. No I could technically hear her like Percy did horses. But I could understand her body language. It wasn't words. It was more like pictures. I got flashes of what she was thinking. I could read her emotions like a saytr. After a while people were heading her out of the fighting arena, wanting to use it. We disconnected with a good bye.

"Look Percy." I started after Mrs. O'Leary was gone, ready to bare my soul.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone you cried. I would never do that. You can count on me." He smiled and ruffled my hair. My hair was sensitive. It was the key to my non-existent soul and he didn't know that. But I just melted lowering my eyelids.

"Thanks." I said quickly snapping out of it. "Sorry about crying all over you though. But glad we could like... I don't know... bond? Over MCR?"

Percy laughed. "It's fine. I'm water proof remember?" I smiled a small smile. "And yeah. Bond. But seriously Nico. You have  a great voice. Show it off."

I laughed and shook my head. "You wish."

I thought I heard him whisper "I do." But that must have been my imagination. Percy departed with a good bye. No sooner than he was out of my room and a ways down the hall did Jason's head peep into my room.

"Soooo? What happened?" His voice was giddy. I scowled at him and shadow travelled. I heard him yell "GODDAMN IT NICO!" Before I appeared somewhere in Italy. I laughed and walked off to buy some food.