Death by Sea (Pernico fanfic)

Chapter 3: Movie... Night...? (Percy's POV)

I sat down on the steps to my cabin. Annabeth and I were going out for dinner tonight, per my request to Chiron. Funny, it was like asking my Dad if I could ask a girl out to go to dinner. Not that I couldn't have a perfectly fine date with Annabeth here in Camp Half-Blood, but it's a matter of principle. We should go out on our anniversary.
"Percy...?" Annabeth asks, standing in front of me. I smile and look up. I have on jeans and instead of my usual orange camp shirt, I have on a blue button up.
"Annabeth," I smile. "You look nice." Her long blonde hair curls down her shoulders which are bare under a tan tank top with turtles on it. Her long legs are shown with short shorts and simply put, she and I both look casual, but I think she's... beautiful.

Annabeth and I walk hand in hand down summery Manhattan. She and I walk silently for a while, she must be lost in her own thoughts. We are moving to California soon for Camp Jupiter. I hope we'll be close together.
"Why the impromtu date, Percy?" She asks.
"Why not?"
"Besides the fact that it's our anniversary and your birthday," Annabeth points out.
"Can't a guy take out his beautiful girlfriend to a restaurant on their anniversary?" I ask with a smile.
"You're avoiding Nico," Annabeth accused me. She smirked at my slumped shoulders. "You are! Wow, Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon scared of little ol' Nico?" She laughs at this.
"Need I remind you he's one of the only known Son of Hades. Hades Annabeth!"
"Oh Percy Jackson!"

****

Annabeth pushes back her plate with a wide expression. I smile at her and sip my coke.
"That was too much," she laughs.
"I guess," I sigh and look out the window. I wonder if Nico wants to avoid me. He and I must still be mad at each other, but I can't help but think that Nico deserved someone who made him feel... loved. Like Annabeth and me. He needed someone...
"Percy...?" Annabeth waves her hand.
"Oh, tell me about something you're working on," I reply.
"Alright, well there's this really cool phone that Leo and I have been working on. I mean, we have the iPod that can use the wifi at Camp Half-Blood, but phones are still... a rather sore subject. It's a tender topic. We'd probably need you, Jason, maybe Nico to be on guard for monsters..." Annabeth is off and rolling with her ideas so I'm allowed to think for another moment. Now, who would Nico be a good match with.. Clairese? Nah, she's too much of a jerk. Plus she has Chris, so she's out. Reyna? It's perfect! The two are both brooding, they love war, fighting, and they just simply have to be-

Oh. There's that topic. A while ago, Nico had come out. I had forgotten, and wasn't sure what the whole fiasco had meant. Nico and Will had been a thing for a couple months and had a falling out a while ago. Nico tried to forget it because he had really loved Will. Will didn't break his heart per se, but he found out he was bi instead of gay and wanted to date a girl from the Hermes cabin. I remember how destroyed Nico was when they broke up. I remember feeling slightly smug about it, I had to be Nico's type and that's why they had broken up. When I had learned the actual reason, of course I felt terrible.
"So if we were to test it, we'd need you guys at the borders... you'd have other teams of demigods with you, probably Romans too if you needed so that you all could make sure none of the monsters break through or something," Annabeth continued. "You following me?"
"Of course."
"Good. Okay, bill's here," Annabeth replied. I took out the drachma and placed it on the table. Annabeth and I stood and she smiled at the waiter. "Keep the change." We walked out and Annabeth sighed, leaning her head on my shoulder.
"I can't believe we're going to start our life together," she smiled. "I'm so happy Percy."
"I am too, Annabeth. I'm happy."
"Good. Happy birthday Seaweed Brain," She squeezed my hand and we walked to Camp Half- Blood in time for camp fire.

****

I sat by the fire, it flickered and danced across demigods' faces and I enjoyed hearing everyone chant songs, couples had their arms around each other, young love everywhere and people were happy. This was the camp I had grown to love, this is how I wanted it to stay. I saw a black figure slipping in between the cracks of this and it almost made me apprehensive, but I knew it was Nico.
"Neeks!" I smiled, taking my arm away from Annabeth who told me she wanted to sit with her siblings for a minute, she wanted to pass something through Malcum. I nodded and Nico gave me a death glare.
"How many damn times have I told you that, Jackson?" he demanded.
"Well if I counted, I'm sure I'd have forgotten by now," I shrug. People still singing, I ask him to come to the side with me. Under the light of a cabin, I look at him. He looks terrible, like shit terrible. Not your average terrible, but really truly terrible.
"Can I help you?" Nico asks me, his eyes looking up at me like he's bored and skeptical of whatever I have to say.
"Yeah... look, I'm sorry I gave you a hard time in the arena," I apologize with a sheepish smile. "My pride was-"
"Wounded, yes," Nico finishes impatiently. "Get on with it, Jackson." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously as Nico bit his lip. He was nervous too, he may not let on that much how nervous he was, but it seemed as if he was... vulnerable around me
"Nico... I want you to come over to my cabin sometime. I want to hang out, become better friends. Become closer friends. Annabeth is going to scout out New Rome for ideas and originally wanted me to come, but I'd be happy to stay. I have some other loose ends to tie up so we can stay here? Watch some movies?" I offered. Nico's eyes flash. Rage, confusion, hurt. Worst of all, disappointment. 
"I don't like movies."
"Come on, we can do something else. I want to know more about you, Neeks. You're... I owe you."
"Owe me what? From where?" Nico asked, innocently. He wanted me to say it.
"You know."
"No I genuinely don't. Tell me, Jackson. For what do you owe me?" Nico sneered.
"Look man, I thought we had gone over this. I thought you forgave me-"
"You're talking about Bianca," Nico says simply. I flinch. I didn't want him to say it.
"Yeah."
"Like you said. We've covered this. I forgave you. No, Jackson, I'm pissed about something entirely different. Totally. I'll come to your stupid little 'movie' thing, but you better have some good movies. I'll be at yours Friday. I expect food and movies to last the weekend," Nico smirked.
"Oh, oh of course," I stammered.
"Good. Later." Nico turned and I wanted to say something. Tell him to stop. Tell him to look at me with another expression that wasn't hate. I wanted something other than hate, anything. Even disappointment was better. Well, no maybe not that. That hurt. Happiness, fullness, anything. Anything. But Nico had left and I, yet again, had to go and over think things.