Shattered

Percy

Percy regrettably sat upright in his and Nico's bed and looked at the small digital clock on their nightstand. In the dark of the night the glowing red '5:00' sent a shiver down his spine not unlike those he got when he thought of his time in Tartarus, though a part of him argued this was probably worse. Five in the morning was possibly the worst time to be abruptly awoke. It was too late to go back to sleep, but early enough that he would be dragging his ass all day. This was especially bad considering he and Nico had volunteered to carry in bags of potting soil, mulch, and woodchips for Persephone, and they only weighed like fifty pounds each.

"Today is going to suck," he groaned to himself, covering his face with his hands. He took a deep breath before removing his hands and looking down at the sleeping son of Hades, who had his slender, pale arms wrapped around his waist. That was enough to improve his mood, be it ever so slightly.

Nico had had a rough night; tossing and turning while calling out the names of the dead. It always pained him to watch his younger boyfriend hurt, but he couldn't protect him from his dreams, only offering him support and comfort when he inevitably woke up.

And Nico would do the same for him.

For despite killing the monster who murdered his family, there was still a lot of pain to process. He didn't regret dehydrating his former stepfather, he actually felt better knowing that the man would never be allowed to hurt another person. But immediately after his death, he had been barraged with news of the Underworld going bottom's up, Revelation Day, and a gravely injured son of Hades.

I thought I lost him. I thought I was going to be left alone again. A tear welled up in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away with his arm. All because I let my anger get the better of me. But that won't happen again. I'm not leaving his side.

Percy sat there for a time, just watching the younger boy sleep, his no-longer-quite-so-pale chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm, perfectly in sync with the laughably cute snores of Nico's. His mind raced between thoughts of college, when his next shift was, ways to sneak a nap in the afternoon, of Nico, and of course Annabeth.

The blonde was never far from his heart and thoughts, as he mourned her loss every day. But just when he was getting a grip on it, Piper had appeared out of nowhere on the back of Mrs. O'Leary and delivered yet another blow to his psyche. She had written about her time in the Underworld, how a member of Avalon had stolen her tongue and charm speak to force the souls to bathe in the Lethe, of the soul devouring monsters that had emerged from Tartarus, and of Leo. And while the daughter of Aphrodite never specifically mentioned Annabeth, he could read between the lines. He also knew his wise girl, he knew her better than he knew himself, and if she had been still around she would have been there with Leo, trying to figure out a plan that didn't involve Hades to escape.

Percy shook his head to clear his thoughts. Fuck, I'm going to lose my mind if I continue down that path. I just have to remember to keep her alive in my heart and hold Nico close. I'm not going to lose him. He bent down and kissed the sleeping boy, and smiled when he saw Nico's lips twitch up in his sleep. I was blessed twice, and I know this is my last blessing.

With that, the son of Poseidon carefully freed himself of the son of Hades' grip and climbed out of bed. He bent over and placed his right hand under his right foot and pulled up, stretching out the tight and sore muscles in his leg. Then he stood back up and as fast as he could, tapped each of his fingertips against his thumbs. These were some of the simple stretches and exercises he did every day to help with the lasting damage George had inflicted on him.

"Must be gonna rain today," Percy whispered to himself. "The leg feels extra stiff this morning."

After he finished stretching, he slipped back into a pair of red gym short and a plain, black T-shirt he had worn the day before that didn't smell too bad. He neglected putting on socks though, as the Illinois summer was a completely different beast than the summer he was accustomed too. I don't think I've worn socks outside of work or helping Persephone since I graduated. Is this adulting? Probably not since Nico made me buy Odor Eaters...