Work Text:
PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || The Heroic Adventures of the Ghost King || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO
Title: The Heroic Adventures of the Ghost King – Percico Positivity Project Day VII
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; superhero AU
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: shounen-ai, explicit intercourse, anal, rimming, fluff, superheroes/villains, superpowers, kidnapping, Percy is NOT a damsel in distress, oblivious!Nico
Main Pairing: Nico/Percy
Side Pairings: Jason/Reyna, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Grover/Juniper
Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Piper McLean, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Leo Valdez, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan, Thalia Grace, Grover Underwood, Juniper, Mrs. O'Leary, Kronos
Summary: For the Percico Positivity Project – so there's not just Percico but also some Nicercy in this. ;) This is for today's fill – Superhero.
Nico, as the Ghost King, is one of America's greatest heroes. He's part of a team of superheroes (name still pending; Leo's vote is for Supreme Super-Squad). They fight dictators, evil villains and natural disasters. And they fight their arch nemesis, a band of thieves that never truly harm anyone but always seem to escape. Among those, Nico's personal favorite is the so-called Sea Prince. A beautiful and powerful enhanced human with the powers to control all water.
Things only get really complicated after Nico one day saves the life of one Percy Jackson...
The Heroic Adventures of the Ghost King
Percico Positivity Project Day VII
Like every little boy, Nico had grown up admiring heroes. They were an ever-present force, after all. All media loved broadcasting the heroic deeds of the Olympian League – a group of heroes with code-names based on the ancient Olympian gods.
Nico however was not like other little boys. He was the son of a supervillain. His father had gone by the pseudonym Hades and he had opposed the Olympians, mainly so because he thought those 'heroes' were being irresponsible. They didn't care what they destroyed on their way to justice, they invaded other countries without said countries' agreement. They stood above the law, just because they had fancy, special powers. Yet no one should stand above the law.
The heroes of the old were long gone and so was Nico's father.
Nico's father, who had possessed special abilities due to some kind of experiment (apparently where all Olympians had come from too; a genetic experiment gone wrong). Those enhanced genes had been passed on to Nico and he realized as a young teenager that he shared his father's powers.
As the Olympians retired or died or disappeared (the fate of a hero was scarcely a happy one), a new generation of heroes had to rise. And Nico, who had been raised by a so-called villain, he understood where his father was coming from but he also wanted to be a true hero.
He found others like himself, other young people with powers who admired the heroes of old, and he founded his own team or superheroes. They weren't the Olympians, didn't try to be them. They were their own heroes. They were still young and not very experienced, but they were a good team.
Nico – the Ghost King – was their leader, the founder, after all. He and his father could create illusions, phantom-like creatures. He could also travel through darkness, use it as short-cuts and bent it to his will. And, a power he was still working on, he could control the dead, use them like puppets to do his bidding. Though that last one was a bit tricky.
The very first one to join his crusade was his sidekick – well, Jason didn't like the word sidekick, but Nico didn't care much. Jason could control lightning and electricity. He was the son of Zeus, which was how Nico had found him. Or rather, how Jason had found him. Jason wanted to be a hero, a greater hero than his father, and when Nico had started out as the Ghost King as a solo-gig, Jason had soon tracked him down and pleaded to join. Once Nico saw what the blonde could do, he was a bit more inclined to agree. It took a while for them to work things out as a duo.
Aside from the Olympians, there had always also been solo-heroes and other groups of heroes too. One of them was the Amazon – a female hero with the strength of a hundred men. No one quite knew what had happened to her, but apparently she had died and passed on the mantle to her successor, a girl named Hylla. When Hylla died, her younger sister Reyna took over. For the longest time, she defended the night on her own as the Amazon, but she regularly ran into the Ghost King and Sparky. It took many months for Reyna to be persuaded into joining Nico and Jason and Nico guessed that the main reason why she joined was because there was something developing between Jason and Reyna – something that would work better if the secret identity was known.
The next to join were Firebug and Siren – Leo Valdez and Piper McLean. Leo possessed the ability to control fire, he was also a brilliant genius inventor who thankfully enough took over technical upgrades for them. Piper could make anyone do whatever she wanted; her voice was magical, literally so. The two were good friends who also had tried to do the hero thing on their own, but they completely lacked guidance. Nico and Jason had learned from their fathers, Reyna had learned from her sister and their predecessor, but Leo and Piper were just winging it. Nico, Jason and Reyna offered to train them if they agreed to join the slowly forming team.
Nico used to have a big sister. She had been older than him and had joined their father when Nico was still busy admiring and being in awe. Bianca di Angelo didn't live long enough to see the team of heroes Nico had assembled. Her death – at the hands of Zeus; but Nico knew not to hold the deeds of his father against Jason – was the main reason why Nico had become the hero he was now. To save other sisters and to save other little brothers from grieving for their sisters. It was also the reason why Nico so adamantly refused his baby sister's pleas to join the team. Hazel was his half-sister and she too had powers – different powers than Nico and Bianca had. But he already had lost a sister and he knew he wouldn't be able to focus on saving strangers if he would be distracted by trying to save his sister. The thing about the children of Hades was that they were stubborn. Nico was stubborn, but Hazel was just as stubborn as he was.
She decided to go to college in New Orleans, away from Nico, where he wouldn't be able to notice that she was patrolling the night. But when New Orleans gained its very own hero-duo in the form of the Diamond Princess and the Changeling, Nico grew a bit suspicious. When he next visited his baby sister and Hazel introduced him to her boyfriend Frank Zhang, Nico grew very suspicious. He kept tabs on the Changeling and the Diamond Princess, until he had enough evidence to confront her. She had hugged the air out of him when Nico offered her to join his team, because as much as he had feared to be distracted by trying to keep her safe – at least he would have a chance to keep her safe when they were on the same team, compared to her and Frank doing this on their own.
The last member of Nico's team was one Rachel Elizabeth Dare, aka RED Oracle. And, honestly, absolutely no one knew where she came from. One day, when the team came back from a particularly hard mission, she was just there. Waiting for them with the first aid equipment they needed, even though they hadn't been in the possession of those particular items before. Apparently, she had the gift of sight – she herself didn't even know where it came from, she had always had visions and such. Her visions had led her to their lair and she plainly refused to leave again. She wasn't an active fighter, had no physical abilities to stand up against super-powered villains, but she was their headquarters, their coordinator, the little voice in their ears and the one waiting for them with cold drinks and band-aids. Exactly what their team had been missing.
So, Nico's team was good. They were good, strong and wonderful people who trusted each other. They didn't have a name just yet – Leo had the most input there, coming up with a ridiculous new name every other week, the most current one being Supreme Super-Squad – but that was okay. They didn't need a name, not if it would go according to Nico. The media mainly referred to them as 'the Ghost King's Court', which was ridiculous and maybe even worse than Supreme Super-Squad. But Nico didn't care about that, as long as they had each other and trusted each other.
They frequently battled supervillains. Where good people were bestowed with great power, there would always be those corrupted by that power. Most were batshit crazy and wanted world-domination. Others were just ridiculous, embarrassing and locked away within a day's work. Aside from supervillains, they also fought against dictators, regular dangerous criminals and when a natural disaster occurred, they would also be present to help. Then there were their arch nemesis.
While Nico's team rose to defend New York, there was one team in particular opposing them. They called themselves the Merry Mischief-Makers. They weren't exactly dangerous; made a point of never harming the innocent. They were a group of very cunning, super-powered thieves.
Their leader was Robbing Hood, which was the most painful pun Nico had ever heard. He was a tall blonde male and everyone on his team obeyed his very word. He had winged shoes, mechanical inventions according to Leo, most likely made by another member of the team.
That member was most likely Brainiac, a blonde female with a silvery-gray suit. She was, as the name implied, the mastermind. Brilliant, maybe even more of a genius than Leo. But she was also an active fighter and very well-trained in multiple martial arts.
Robbing Hood's second-in-command was the Huntress, a brilliant archer and tracker.
Another member was Wild PANic, a pun with the man's pan-flute that could control plants with its melody. He was definitely also an ecological activist, who occasionally went solo against big and dangerous companies that spilled chemicals into rivers and such. Those solo-gigs had been the first dead give-away that maybe those villains weren't as villainous as their thieving may suggest.
And then there was the last member of the Merry Mischief-Makers. The Sea Prince. The Sea Prince was... Nico didn't know where to begin. He was sleek, movements as fluid as a river. His suit was beautifully skin-tight, showing all his best traits – like his very long legs, his well-trained body and that perfectly shaped butt. He had wild, black hair, sticking up in every direction above the blue mask wrapped around his face to cover his secret identity. His special ability was that he could control all forms of water, could summon rain and communicate with sea-creatures (something they had learned during a very horrifying mission at a zoo, where suddenly penguins, otters and others had just attacked them at the Sea Prince's command). But the Sea Prince was also very cunning with a sword and in hand-to-hand combat. All in all, the Sea Prince was simply incredible. Nico was completely mesmerized by his fight, his powers, his beauty, his everything.
"Earth to Ghost King, you in there, or are you taking a quick nap?", asked a voice in his ear.
"But RED, do vampires even need sleep?", quipped Leo with a cheeky grin in his voice.
"Not a vampire, Firebug", chuckled Hazel, fondness dripping from her words.
"How about we all shut up now?", growled Nico annoyed. "We're in a middle of a mission."
"With the big boss spacing out", added Jason pointedly.
"He just got distracted by the Sea Prince's butt", snickered Piper knowingly.
"Will we focus now?", growled Nico, louder than before.
"Well, I am focusing. Not so sure what... the voices in your head are telling you", drawled a cheeky and beautifully velvety voice from nearby, gaining Nico's attention.
He tuned out the voices from his earpiece and instead focused on the gorgeous blue-dressed thief in front of him. The Sea Prince was amazing. He was cheeky – but not in an utterly annoying way as his comrades, rather in an endearing and entertaining way. He was gorgeous and witty and amusing. He could also move like no one Nico had ever seen. With a smirk and a wink did the Sea Prince perform a back-flip, with the movement calling forth the water from the fountain behind him and effectively drowsing Nico. Until the extreme water-forces slowed down again and Nico could see again, the Sea Prince was sadly enough gone. Cursing softly, Nico wrung his black cape out.
"I managed to track the Huntress and Wild PANic for a while, but I lost them in Central Park", reported Frank with an annoyed grunt. "How are things on your ends?"
"I had Brainiac pinned, until the Huntress intervened", replied Reyna pointedly.
"Sorry, Amazon", apologized Frank, sounding a bit sheepish.
"Robbing Hood and the painting are gone", sighed Piper annoyed. "Sparky and I patrolled the perimeters a couple times, but no trace left. Sea Prince, Huntress and Wild PANic were the perfect distraction for him and Brainiac to get away with the spoils."
"Confirmed", said Hazel. "They didn't fall for the copy we planted."
"Okay. Let's regroup on board, mission report", ordered Nico very frustrated and very wet.
/break\
It was an hour later, once Nico was freshly showered and in dry civil clothes, that the team met in the Great Hall. Their headquarters were always on the move; a flying ship that Leo had crafted and named Argo II. They all lived there together, it was more than just the center of their operations and their headquarters, it was their home. Jason and Reyna were sitting back to back – and there was a certain beauty in how they looked together, the bright-eyed blonde sunny-boy and the dark-haired, dark-eyed Latina. Even though their chairs were back to back, their hands were still linked. The two had grown incredibly close since the team had formed; best friends, lovers, partners on all accounts. They worked like a well-oiled machine when it came to fighting. He, on the distance – no one aside from the Huntress was a better shot than him, with his lightning working best on long distance – while she was more for close combat. Nico, he valued them both very dearly.
"You okay?", asked Nico, scanning them for injuries.
"Reyna got a bruised rib, but she'll be fine", assured Rachel from where she was kneeling next to Reyna and putting the last band-aid on Reyna's knee. "There, now all's better."
Reyna huffed and rolled her eyes when she saw that it was a Sparky band-aid. Their team was big, well-loved and thus, merchandise had been created. This particular band-air had a chibi-version of Jason, in his sky-blue-white uniform with the golden lightning-bolt on his chest.
"Hey, guys. Everyone feeling okay?", asked Piper curiously as she entered the room.
She was in the middle of wrapping a towel around his still wet hair. Apparently, she had run into one of Robbing Hood's trick-traps that had splattered her with various paints, leaving her to look like a Jackson Pollock painting. Practically collapsing into the chair next to Jason, Piper put her feet onto the table and leaned back, heaving a sigh. Rachel looked her up and down slowly.
"I'm fine, Red", huffed Piper amused. "Just a couple scratches, I swear."
Rachel nodded pleased and got back behind her screen. They had a giant flat-screen right behind her that served for their little meetings of show-and-tell after a mission (and for the weekly movie-night). Leo entered next, yawning wildly and ruffling his already messy curls before sitting down next to Piper. He used the native American girl as a pillow, resting his cheek against her shoulder.
"I'm hungry...", complained the Latino with a pout. "But I'm too tired to get up..."
"The thought of making food is awful", agreed Piper, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
"You're lucky I have extra-energy to burn after a mission and like to cook then."
All heads turned toward Frank with eager and relieved expressions. The Canadian hero with the ability to turn into any animal he could imagine was always high on animalistic adrenaline after a fight. He either spent it in bed with his lovers, or in the kitchen. The kitchen was wildly preferred by the team however. Leo perked up happily, reaching out for his two lovers. Hazel had a gentle smile on her lips as she helped Frank carrying everything inside, before she sat down next to Leo and pecked his cheek. That had been a development Nico had not exactly been fond of at first and it took him some adjusting to see his baby sister not just be lovey-dovey with one boyfriend, but with two. Yet Frank and Leo completely adored her and she loved them and Nico guessed that, in the end, it was all that mattered. Leo scrambled nearly over Hazel's lap to lean in and also kiss Frank.
"I think your cooking is what I love most about you", grinned Leo cheekily.
Frank snorted amused and ruffled his younger lover's hair before he took the seat on Hazel's other side. Nico smiled the smallest smile as he watched his team – his family. When this had started out, he never thought he would ever have a team he trusted, much less one that he loved so dearly.
/break\
It was about a week later, just as Nico was laying on his bed, eyes closed as his thoughts wandered to the beautiful Sea Prince in his perfectly tight costume while his hand was busy in his pants, that their alarm flared. He hated when it interrupted his private time.
"What's the problem?", grunted Nico displeased once his clothes were straightened.
"A fire", replied Rachel as Nico entered the Great Hall, her eyes misty-green as they always were when she had a vision. "It will start soon. If you head there now, you could avoid a lot of deaths. There are... so... so many people in the building, they're all going to die. All of them."
Nico grumbled as he turned to the rest of the team who were already gathered. They climbed into the Dingy – a high-tech jet, also developed by Leo. Leo took his rightful seat as the pilot while everyone else strapped in for a windy ride. Leo was a brilliant pilot, but his maneuvers sometimes made them lose their most recent meal. Nico looked at his team from where he stood.
"You gonna sit down?", inquired Piper with one raised eyebrow.
"I'm going to get a head-start. Shadow-travel there, get as many people out one by one as I can until you come. Rachel already called the fire department. I want you guys to help them as best as you can, you hear me?", ordered Nico seriously before he stepped through the shadows.
The next half an hour was a blur to Nico. Quite literally so. He went in and out of the shadows so often that the colors started to blur together to him. He noticed fire fighters and his team on the sidelines, but mainly he was focused on going in, getting the people, going out and repeating. His powers came in handy – on two accounts here. The shadow-traveling to avoid the flames on his way in and out, as well as his ability to sense life-force. His title as the Ghost King seemed to become truer the more time Nico spend honing his abilities. He could tell exactly where people were and how many were still left. One more apartment. Which was probably good, because shadow-traveling with other people was the most exhausting thing for him to do.
"H—Hello?", asked Nico before coughing violently. "Where are you?"
"Down here!", exclaimed a slightly frantic voice.
Nico made his way through the smoke to find a young man crouched together in front of the bed. Nico frowned confused as he also knelt down. The young man turned a bit and oh, he looked worse for wear. Very exhausted and short of just passing out.
"Come on, I'll get you out of here", whispered Nico softly.
"C—Can't... puppy...", coughed the boy weakly, pointing under the bed.
Nico frowned as he looked under the bed, just to stare dumbly. That gigantic beast was the largest dog Nico had ever seen in his entire life; it was not a puppy. Somehow, Nico managed to coax the dog out from beneath the bed. The mighty beast latched onto him right away.
"Okay. Good. Now you. Come here", ordered Nico, keeping his voice soft as he laid an arm around the young man's waist to pull him close. "Listen, you need to hold onto me tightly, you hear?"
And for a moment, Nico was stunned silent because he had never looked into eyes like those. Wild, green and blue at the same time, emotional, deep and captivating. Then the situation as a whole caught up to Nico because they were in the middle of a burning apartment. So he gathered dog and human in his arms and shadow-traveled them outside where paramedics were already waiting. Nico carefully put the stranger down onto a stretcher, only now noticing that his eyes weren't the only beautiful things about him. He was gorgeous, Nico couldn't remember the last time he saw a person that mesmerizingly beautiful. Following an impulse, he cautiously brushed the messy black hair out of the young man's face. The stranger blinked sluggishly up at him.
"Thanks...", whispered the green-eyed beauty.
"No problem. It's my job", grinned Nico with a wink.
"Guys? Everything taken care of?", asked Rachel through the ear-piece, breaking the moment.
/break\
Rachel Elizabeth Dare was very persuasive. She did not allow Nico to rest, instead she ordered him to go to the hospital and make sure that Nico didn't inhale too much smoke or anything. Obviously, he couldn't go in costume, so he went as a civilian, just claiming to be one of those who had been in the building. Of course, there were a lot of people waiting to be checked. The building hadn't been very small and the hospital only had so-and-so many doctors. What did surprise him however was the gorgeous young man with the impressive eyes, just sitting there, bored and waiting.
"Hello", said Nico, absolutely without thinking because the other had no idea who he was.
He looked as confused as Nico could have guessed if he had put thought into speaking. "Uhm. Yes, hello? If the next line is some lame pick-up line like 'What's a pretty thing like you doing at a place like this?', or 'So it did hurt when you fell from heaven', I will be forced to hurt you."
Nico blinked a couple of times before laughing loudly. "Though the second one would be good."
"Eh, maybe", grinned the stranger amused while Nico sat down next to him. "I'm Percy. And you? You must have hurt yourself while crawling out from hell, because you're devilish handsome?"
There was mischief dancing in those incredible sea-green eyes and Nico felt himself growing more interested by the minute."That's nice, but no. And I'm Nico, it's very nice to meet you."
Percy very slowly dragged his eyes over Nico's entire form. "Yes it is. Very nice indeed."
"You are indecent", snickered Nico amused and rolled his eyes.
"What can I say?", grinned Percy mischievously, shrugging his shoulders. "I can appreciate a good view when it just presents itself to me like that."
"That makes your little comment about bad pickup-lines really hypocritical", chided Nico playfully.
"I never claimed not to be one", pointed Percy out, grin growing.
"You are something else alright", chuckled Nico fondly, tilting his head.
"Something too much?", hummed Percy curiously.
"Something... intriguing", offered Nico after a moment. Percy smiled amused before yawning widely, causing Nico to raise an eyebrow. "But I'm apparently rather boring, yes?"
"No! Sorry. It's been a long night", sighed Percy and stretched some. "Tell you what, I'm going to get myself a coffee to keep me awake and I'll get you one too, mh?"
Who was Nico to say no to a free coffee, after all?
/break\
Hazel raised one curious eyebrow as she watched her brother. He had an incredibly happy smile on his lips – at least for his standards. And normally, after he had been forced to go to the hospital, he would be angry and grumpy all day long. But now he looked even pleased. He also kept playing with the plastic hospital coffee cup that he had brought with him, even though he had finished the coffee inside about fifteen minutes ago. Something was definitely wrong with her brother, she just wasn't sure if it was something good or bad. Shaking her head, she continued with dinner.
She was cutting some cheese and bologna for a salad, while Piper next to her was humming and preparing a green lush salad spiked with peppers and tomatoes. Tonight, they'd have a nice cold buffet with about half a dozen different salads and some cold cuts.
"Why's there a phone-number on your coffee cup?", asked Leo confused, sitting opposite Nico.
Everyone in the kitchen frowned and turned toward Nico, though the Italian man looked equally confused. Nico turned the cup around and leaned in, looking closely. His eyes widened comically when he spotted the black letters on dark-brown, cheap plastic. Suddenly, the small smile blossomed into an actual bright smile – one unlike anything Hazel had seen on his face since Bianca's death – and even his cheeks flushed a little bit.
"...What just happened to Nico? Did Leo break him?", asked Piper disturbed, stepping back.
"I think... I think he's happy", whispered Jason back, frowning worried. "I mean, I have never seen it, so I have nothing to compare it to, but... This does look like happiness. Huh."
"Stop teasing my brother", chided Hazel with a glare before she stepped up to her brother and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Nico? Did... something interesting happen in the hospital?"
"Uh, well, I mean, there was this... cutie. The last person I saved from the fire earlier. And we kinda... talked. And he offered me a coffee and we talked some more", answered Nico slowly.
"Wait. You're telling me Nico scored the number of 'a cutie'?", asked Jason stunned. "How?"
"I don't know?", offered Nico, borderline helpless. "I mean, maybe it's a mistake? Like, he got the number of a barista and accidentally handed me that cup...?"
"...You're aware that awful hospital brew is not actually made by a barista, right? It comes out of a machine", pointed Rachel out, looking very amused. "So Percy must have put the number there. For you. You just said that the two of you spend some time talking."
Nico narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. "I didn't say his name, Rachel."
The others blinked too and Hazel furrowed her brows. "That's true. Nico just said 'a cutie', Rach."
Rachel just smiled mischievously before shrugging and turning around. "Who knows, maybe there was... a special reason why Nico really had to go to the hospital today..."
Leo snickered amused. "Did our oracle just abuse her visions for match-making...?"
"Well, if anyone would need the help of the supernatural, it's Nico", countered Piper dryly.
Nico glared at them for a moment before turning his attention back to the cup of coffee.
/break\
"Hello?"
"..."
"Uh, someone there?", asked Percy a bit confused.
"Y—Yeah", confirmed a rough, accented voice awkwardly after a moment. "Hey, Percy."
"Hello", chuckled Percy amused. "Uhm, who is this?"
"Right. Sorry. It's Nico. Uh, the guy from the hospital? You put your number on-"
"A coffee cup, yes. I didn't actually chat up multiple guys at the hospital, Nico", laughed Percy fondly and a bit relieved. "I'm glad to hear from you, Nico. I was a bit worried that I misread the signs or something. But... you calling, that's... a positive sign, right?"
"Yes. Very. I'm sorry it took me so long. Was a bit... busy the last couple days", replied Nico.
"Yeah, I can relate. I would have had to delay any possible date too if you had called", agreed Percy before pausing and blushing a little. "That is, if a date would be the outcome of any conversation."
"It's supposed to be", stated Nico before taking a breath. "That's why I'm calling. To ask you if, uh, if you'd like to go on a date with me. You provided the last coffee, how about this one is on me?"
"Coffee?", asked Percy with the smallest, pleased smile possible. "I'd love to. When are you free?"
"Whenever you want me", blurted Nico out, before cursing softly in Italian. "I mean, Tuesday at four maybe, if that would be convenient for you too?"
"Convenient, eh?", teased Percy before giggling a little. "I like the whenever though. That's cute. But Tuesday at four would... yeah, that'd work. I got classes till three thirty though, so maybe a coffee near campus? Have you even been in the Nymph Garden?"
"That fancy little vegan fair trade shop?", asked Nico curiously.
"Yeah, a friend of mine works there", replied Percy with a small nod.
"Okay. Yeah. Tuesday at four then. I'm looking forward to it", said Nico, sounding happy.
"Wow. That was really very painful."
Percy frowned annoyed as he tapped his earpiece once to turn it from redirecting his phone over to their regular channel before turning toward the cheekily grinning blonde. Luke, his father slash big brother figure who was a mentor and leader to him. The grin on the blonde's face broadened, his dark-blue eyes sparkling mischievously. Probably because Percy's pointed glare was less impressive while Percy was hanging off the ceiling upside-down. Twirling once, he finally touched the ground with his toes before unclasping the rope attached to the ceiling window of the museum.
"Shut up, Luke", huffed Percy with the slightest pout.
"Then you shouldn't have private conversations while we're in the middle of a heist", hissed his best friend Annabeth through the earpiece. "Seriously. You were supposed to be out of the museum already by this time, yet instead you arrange dates with guys who flirted with you in the hospital."
"First of all", started Percy defensively while stretching. "I flirted first. Secondly, he's a handsome gorgeous piece of Italian hotness and I am not gonna press him away when he finally calls."
"Would you just move that pretty, Italian hotness attracting ass of yours on the other side of those lasers", sighed Luke and pointed over at the complicatedly arranged red lasers in front of them.
Blowing a kiss in Luke's direction, Percy made a back-flip over the first two lasers before performing what could only be described as an elegant cat-like acrobatic performance. Luke always said that if not as a thief, Percy could surely get far in the circus.
"So the Italian Stallion finally called?", asked a third voice, this one also from Percy's earpiece.
"Yes, Thalia. But don't call him that", mumbled Percy with a bright blush.
"Why in the world do we even have code-names if we never use them?!", complained another voice, this one Percy's male best friend Grover. "Seriously! What if anyone hears you guys?"
"If anyone hears us, we're doing something wrong", pointed Thalia out. "We made the plans specifically because no one is around right now. But if you insist, PANic..."
"Thank you, Huntress", huffed Grover, not sounding pacified at all.
Percy grinned amused as he reached the end of the hall, spreading his arms and bowing once. Luke clapped a few times, to entertain him. Percy continued his way with a lightness to his steps. Tonight's heist was one he had been looking forward to anyway, but the good news of Nico's call were just the whipped cream on top of the delicious strawberry-cake. He wasn't one to just go and hand out his number to strangers, but Nico was hot and amusing and he was also kind of very adorable, which was just such a weird combination. Most gay guys Percy had met were either those muscular hunks of hotness, or the adorable little dorks. Somehow, Nico managed to be both and Percy was totally hooked on that. But for days, Nico hadn't called and Percy started to feel like an utter fool about it. He shouldn't have given Nico his number, he shouldn't check his phone every five minutes like some pathetic little moron. But Nico finally called and he was so cutely flustered through the phone that Percy was pretty sure that Nico probably spent the last couple days contemplating if he should or should not call Percy and if he was going to make a fool of himself, so Percy was okay with the time he spent waiting. And now they finally had a date.
"Brainiac, the diamond is secured. I'm on my way back to Robbing", stated Percy firmly.
He pocketed the big diamond and turned around as Annabeth gave him her confirmation that she had heard him and that Thalia and Grover would be waiting with the getaway car once Percy and Luke would be back outside the museum. So far they were lucky; they hadn't triggered any security alarms so no one – including those pesty little heroes – knew they were even in here. Tonight was through and through perfect, decided Percy as he made his way back through the lasers.
/break\
"So, this guy, you don't trust him?"
Percy furrowed his brows as he turned to stare at Grover. The brunette was casually walking next to him, beanie on his messy brown curls and a Trees Are Our Friends shirt in leaf-green half-tugged into his baggy pants. On his face was a serious expression, his eyes searching Percy's face for something. Shrugging slightly, Percy shouldered his backpack on his other side.
"I don't know the guy", pointed Percy out. "Sure, he's hella cute, but I only talked like twenty minutes with him. No saying if he's actually a decent guy, or some Titan agent in disguise."
Grover nodded sharply. He had wondered why Percy picked the restaurant where Grover and his fiance were working for a first date. It wasn't exactly a guarantee for privacy. But in their line of business being safe was definitely good. The Titans were the most vicious organization in the US, a group of power-hungry lunatics that tried taking over the world, infiltrating the government and manipulating the public. They had been opposing the old-time heroes, the Olympians, already (hence their name, to show how much they stood against the Olympians). And normally, anyone opposing the oh-so wonderful heroes should be good for Percy's crew, but they've had their own beef with the Titans for years now too. Luke used to be a member of the Titans – the right-hand man of the leader himself – but then Luke had turned on the Titans, betrayed Kronos because he realized he was only being used and manipulated himself. Then Luke had started his very own team; the Merry Mischief-Makers and the rest, as they say, is history.
"But you want to trust him?", inquired Grover further as they approached the café. "You haven't been so forward with anyone in... years, I think. The last one outside this group that I remember was that... that doctor, right? Doctor Solarium, or what?"
"Will Solace", corrected Percy amused and ducked his head. "Yeah well, that crashed and burned fast. But I ran into him the other day when Luke sent me to pick up his truck from the mechanic and apparently Will is now dating a mechanic. That Mason-guy, you know?"
"Jake? He's great. Didn't know he was gay", grunted Grover surprised.
"Yeah, he is", agreed Percy with a frown. "Anyway, so seeing my ex showing off his engagement ring all proudly and smiley, I realized... if he can be happy, why shouldn't I? I've been trying to stay away from people ever since the break-up, but... I mean, I can try, right?"
"Course you can, Perce", huffed Grover and nudged Percy encouragingly.
Percy smiled gratefully as they entered the café. Nearly instantly did Grover's fiance attach herself to the brunette, pulling him down into a soft kiss and smiling brightly at them both. Juniper must have seen them through the window already. Percy grinned amused and rolled his eyes. The two of them had met in a flower-shop and had been smitten with each other ever since. They started dating soon after, Grover even told her the truth about what they did during their nights – and Juniper took it better than anticipated once they actually explained themselves. For two months now, they have also been engaged. Juniper was sweet and she often welcomed them back from a heist with cookies and hot chocolate; something the entire team could appreciate.
"Hello to you too, Juniper", said Percy as the kissing didn't stop.
The couple bolted apart, both flustered as they turned to look at Percy. Juniper smiled and brushed her caramel-curls behind her ear before nodding in acknowledgment.
"Hello, Percy. Table for two then?", asked Juniper.
"Yes and no", chuckled Grover mischievously. "Percy has a date, so he gets a table for two. I'll be at the bar so I'm closer to you, Junebug. And so I can watch them closely."
Juniper raised one suspicious eyebrow, but didn't comment any further. She too knew how pathetic Percy's love-life was, thanks to limited gossip in their little circle. Percy sighed and followed Juniper to a table at the window and with view on the door. He resigned himself to relentless teasing at the end of the day, knowing Juniper would gladly report back to Annabeth and Thalia. But he had long since learned that things were safer with backup around, especially when it concerned uncharted territory or an unknown variable like this handsome Italian stranger.
"Buongiorno, Percy."
The velvety smooth, dark, heavenly accented voice was more than pleasant to the ear and startled Percy a little. He turned to blink doe-eyed up at a smiling Nico. Oh yes, Nico really was good-looking. Percy smiled and motioned for Nico to sit down opposite him.
"Hello, Nico. I'm glad you could make it", grinned Percy.
"Me too", replied the Italian before pausing. "I mean, I'm glad you could make it."
"I figured", chuckled Percy amused, leaning forward a bit. "Say, are you always that scatterbrained or am I really making you that nervous, Nico?"
"It's all your fault", sighed Nico and shook his head. "Entirely your fault. I am normally a very smooth person. I have witnesses who can testify so!"
Percy giggled amused and shook his head. "You're really cute."
"And you're really cheeky", huffed Nico with a small smile. "It's also quite cute."
With that, Nico seemed to relax a bit and their conversation went more smooth from there on out. The coffee evolved into dinner as time ticked by and neither was willing to leave just yet. It was just too easy talking to the other, for both of them. Percy learned that Nico was a lawyer, head of a family business in the third generation now. Percy liked the idea of Nico in a fancy, well-cut suit, arguing in a courtroom. He really liked that idea a lot. In return, Nico learned that Percy was studying marine biology and was working part-time at the local zoo, taking care of the penguins among others. Nico liked the idea of Percy cuddling penguins, because the level of cuteness was downright ridiculous. Nico shared that he was living together with his sister and 'some friends' in what bordered a commune at this point, according to the Italian. It was a pain, but he also loved it, which was an adorable statement, in Percy's eyes. Percy in return explained to Nico how he was now rooming with Grover in the university dorms. Nico proceeded teasing him about bringing a chaperone to their date, which turned Percy's cheeks a pretty pink, as Nico phrased it.
All in all, they had a really good time just talking to each other. They made each other laugh and smile, neither was bored when the other was talking and both occasionally got lost in the other's eyes. Percy couldn't remember the last time he had been that comfortable with anyone outside of his little group of mischief-makers and he really hoped for a second date by the time Nico walked him back to the dorms. He fidgeted with his hands, feeling oddly nervous as they stood in front of Percy's door. Which was weird; Percy wasn't the nervous type.
"I want a second date", blurted Percy out to get rid of his annoying nervousness.
"That... didn't sound like a question", observed Nico a little bit amused.
"It wasn't a question", replied Percy with a frown. "Because I don't want you to say no. So, this is me, declaring that we are going to have a second date and that you're going to take me out for something fancy and not a sandwich at a little diner, you hear me?"
Nico laughed, reaching out to caress Percy's cheek. "There's this little place with authentic Louisianan cuisine where my brother-in-law cooks. How does Friday sound?"
Percy grinned pleased as he leaned into the caress. "Sounds absolutely perfect."
/break\
Their second date was perfect – made even more perfect by the fact that Nico was wearing a suit and Percy could just eat him up when he was wearing a well-cut suit like that. The food was as delicious as Nico had promised. For their third date, Percy took Nico to the zoo so he got to meet Percy's penguins personally. They shared ice-cream while walking hand in hand and watching animals. Just the way Percy loved it. The fourth date was spent at the beach; something very appreciated by both parties because it meant they got to see the other nearly naked. A supervillain interrupted their fifth date, causing Nico to make up a very flimsy excuse. The sixth date took place at a cinema, where a crazy villain tried to take over New York by hypnotizing the people through a movie, which meant Nico was forced to somehow call backup and play the scared bystander, because Percy was attached to him so sneaking out and changing into his uniform wasn't an option. Annoyingly enough, Percy forgot about a heist during their seventh date, meaning he had to sneak to the toilet, leave through the backdoor, head over to the jewelry store, steal the tiara and return with a forced smile and something about the chicken not having been cooked right. Percy invited Nico to a picnic for their eighth date, all romantic and beautiful at a lake.
And the ninth date was the charm. Nico invited Percy over to his apartment, to a self-cooked, original Italian meal. There was an unspoken agreement that Percy would spend the night.
"Your apartment is beautiful", noted Percy as they carried the dishes from the salad into the kitchen.
The table had already been set with candles, wine and salad when Nico led him out onto the spacious, the city overlooking balcony. So on the way in, Percy hadn't gotten to see much of the apartment (not that he had paid any attention; Nico had been walking in front of him, in a tight jeans. So, that ass was far more interesting than the apartment). It was a very modern apartment, not exactly the most personal one or anything, but it had style. There was a giant flat-screen in the living room and a very comfortable looking couch in front of it. The kitchen was spacious and beautiful and there was a very delicious smell in the air.
"Thank you. I try my best", smiled Nico politely.
"So, where are your seven roommates?", asked Percy curiously.
"W—What?", stuttered Nico as he came to a halt.
Percy frowned confused and tilted his head. "That lot of roommates that you told me about. Did they all clear out so you and me could... well... have some privacy?"
Nico cussed internally. He had forgotten that he had slipped and told Percy about living with the others – which he did, on the Argo II. Not in this 'for show'-apartment that they used when they needed privacy or a secret identity cover; all their mail was sent here too.
"We share the flat, but there's rarely more than two of us here", answered Nico smoothly. "Our schedules are practical like that; we barely run into each other here."
"Nice", hummed Percy and nodded. "So... movie after dinner?"
"Sounds lovely", smiled Nico.
Percy returned the smile as they carried the very delicious looking and smelling pasta with fresh tomatoes and spinach. The night-air was crisp and the moonlight set just the right mood as they continued with dinner. Conversation was pleasant and they mainly talked about work and their friends. Not that Nico had met Percy's friends – aside from Grover and Juniper – or that Percy knew more than just Leo, Hazel and Frank, whom they had met on their second date. But they talked so much about their friends, both felt like knowing the people already.
"This was delicious and it makes me wonder why we went to so many restaurants so far instead of just making you cook like all the time", grinned Percy teasingly as he put his fork down.
"Thank you... I think", chuckled Nico fondly. "Now, what movie do you suggest we watch?"
"Ocean's 11?", offered Percy with a grin.
"Fine by me. I've seen it a couple times already", shrugged Nico.
"I've seen it a couple dozen times already. That's the point. Neither of us will miss anything from the movie while we're busy heavily making out", stated Percy mischievously.
"Oh? So there will be making out?", inquired Nico amused as they headed to the living room.
"Heavy making out, Nico. Heavy", corrected Percy with a grin.
Nico chuckled fondly as he sat down on the couch, with Percy practically instantly sitting down on his lap without any question. Nico blushed just a little, because he was still adjusting to Percy's boldness. The green-eyed beauty knew what he wanted and he simply took it.
And he did a lot of taking during the movie. Honestly, Nico had no idea what was happening on the screen because all he saw was Percy, or the inside of his eyelids. There were hands basically everywhere, touching and lingering and squeezing. The most they had done so far was some innocent making out; above the clothes. But Nico was pretty sure that Percy was slowly inching his way closer to Nico's zipper. Every time Percy was close to it, he got distracted by Nico's abs though.
"So... you wanna show me the apartment? Because I think both of us haven't paid any attention to that movie", whispered Percy into Nico's ear, nibbling his jaw.
"What?", grunted Nico confused. "But... But I like what we're doing here..."
He looked up at Percy like a puppy whose favorite toy had been taken away, squeezing Percy's ass tightly as though he was making a point. Percy, straddling Nico's lap and leaning over him, grinned down at Nico and ran his hands slowly down Nico's chest.
"Idiot", huffed Percy amused, biting Nico's earlobe to tug a little. "I want you to show me the apartment. Specifically your room. More specifically your bed. Because the way things are going, we're going to lose clothes next and then there is... going to be more than just making out. And I'd like to have our first time in a proper bed and not on a couch, if you'd please."
"Oh. Uhm, so... we're going to have sex tonight?", asked Nico surprised.
Percy frowned and blinked a couple times. "I... thought we kind of agreed on that. Since I told you I don't have work tomorrow. And you said you didn't have plans either. And said that you make very delicious pancakes. I kinda took that as an invitation to stay over...?"
"Yeah, that... It was an invitation. But... I didn't expect sex", replied Nico slowly. "What I mean is, I want sex, I'd really love getting sex, but... I don't expect to get sex, Percy."
"Well, I was expecting it", declared Percy with a cheeky grin. "So... What do you say?"
The answer he got was Nico groping him even harder and slowly lifting him up. Percy laughed as he wrapped his legs tightly around Nico's waist, allowing the Italian to carry him upstairs. There were a lot of rooms, so Percy figured that they belonged to Nico's roommates. An apartment with two floors was pretty neat. Probably also really expensive, but then they were splitting the rent by eight. Percy hummed in appreciation as he chanced a look around the room. As fancy as the rest of the apartment, very dark and black, but at least with some personal touch. Percy guessed that the roommates couldn't really agree on the rest of the apartment, so they kept it sterile.
"Lube and condoms?", asked Percy as he tugged Nico's shirt off over his head.
"Nightstand", replied Nico as he slowly sat Percy down on his bed, also stealing Percy's shirt.
Their eyes ran over each other's bodies in appreciation before they managed to finish undressing. Percy turned around to reach for the nightstand, just to have Nico bite him in the ass.
"Ouch! You utter jerk", yelped Percy before laughing and throwing a pillow at Nico.
Nico dodged and grinned. "What can I say? That ass is simply delicious."
"Feel free to eat it if it's that delicious", snorted Percy and rolled his eyes.
He yelped high-pitched as Nico pinned him to the bed and sat down between his legs. "You sure about that? That you'd want me to eat you out, mh?"
Percy blinked doe-eyed as Nico parted his cheeks. "...You serious? Wow. Uhm... Okay. Yeah. I mean, no one's ever done that to me, but... Yeah."
Nico smirked wickedly as he eyed the pink, puckered hole. He pulled the cheeks apart more, opening the hole just a little. It twitched, as though it was urging him on. Nico was happy to oblige. He dove right in, licking along the soft, velvety rim. Percy gasped, stiffening a little. Nico ran his tongue around the ring another time, slowly. After a third round, Percy slowly relaxed, taking a deep breath. Nico slipped the tip of his tongue in, twirling it a little. The longer Nico continued, the more Percy relaxed, until he was basically a moaning pile of pleasured goo. Nico smirked pleased by that, thrusting his tongue in deeper. Percy ran one foot along Nico's side teasingly.
"This is all kinds of pleasurable, but do you think we can move on to the main event?", asked Percy.
"I'd love to", whispered Nico, placing a last kiss on Percy's now loosened hole.
"Best prep I ever got", grinned Percy and rolled over onto his back before handing Nico the lube and the condom. "Now I want more, Nico. I wanted more for like two weeks now."
"Me too", murmured Nico, slowly running his hands over Percy's thighs.
Percy willingly spread his legs wide while Nico lubed himself up. The Italian leaned in to kiss Percy deeply as he slowly eased his way into the tight, wonderful hole. Percy took a shaky breath as he was spread more and more by the thickness. His arms wound around Nico's neck to keep his lover very close and in kissable reach. Once Nico was fully seated inside, he took a moment to appreciate the feeling of Percy's tight ass hugging his dick like that.
"God, I love you", groaned Percy blissed-out as Nico finally started thrusting.
"This", corrected Nico amused. "You love this. Have I already fucked your brains out?"
"No. No, I meant you", hummed Percy, raising one eyebrow. "I love you. Well, this too."
"O—Oh", grunted Nico, staring down at Percy with the widest eyes possible.
Percy rolled his eyes. "You don't need to say it back, dork. Just keep fucking me, will you?"
Nico huffed at that, glaring at Percy though it was the most half-hearted glare Percy had ever seen. "I think... I fell in love with you too, moron. You drive me crazy in the best way."
Percy smiled brightly up at Nico, in a happy way that made Nico's heart speed up. Yes, he really had fallen in love with this amazing boy. Leaning down, Nico captured Percy's lips in a slow and loving kiss as he finally started moving. He pulled out just a little before thrusting back in. His pace was slow, torturously slow. Feeling the hot channels squeeze down on him, hearing the beautiful little sounds Percy made every time Nico pulled out and the pleased groan every time Nico thrust back in. Percy gave a throaty, dark sound every time Nico hit his prostate, which was only all the more encouraging to hit it as often as possible. Nico wrapped his fingers around Percy's cock once he felt as though Percy was short of melting. He jerked Percy of in quick movements, running his thumb over the head slowly in contrast. Percy whimpered as he came close to his climax, hands running over Nico's biceps and squeezing to feel them up. With a curse and Nico's name on his lips did Percy come all over their stomachs. Nico groaned darkly at the feeling of Percy cramping down on him, the tight sensation even tighter now, pulsing in an encouraging rhythm until Nico also came.
"Shit... That was... man, it's been way too long since I last had sex", muttered Percy softly.
Nico laughed as he pulled out and tied the condom up before carelessly throwing it away. He leaned down to kiss Percy softly before laying down next to him and pulling Percy close.
"Let's not wait that long until we have sex again then, mh?", suggested Nico amused.
"Totally seconded", sighed Percy as he snuggled up to Nico.
He ran his hand slowly over Nico's side, just to pause and frown. There was a large bruise, just beneath Nico's hipbone but spreading over a big part of his thigh. He hadn't noticed before because he was kind of distracted. It was weird though. The bruise was rather big and the place it was on was... strange. He remembered Annabeth landing a very major hit at exactly that place on the Ghost King during yesterday's heist. So Percy had found a nice, normal boyfriend and fallen in love with him, but he also still very much appreciated the Ghost King and he watched out that none of his team – especially not Annabeth – damaged the goods too much. Now, that his nice, normal boyfriend and his hero crush had an injury at the exact same place? ...Surely just a coincident.
"Where did you get that bruise, Nick?", asked Percy concerned, kissing it softly.
"Oh? That?", asked Nico, internally just a bit nervous and playing for time. "I do some kick-boxing sometimes. It's a good alternative to punching the judge or district attorney in the face."
Percy hummed, pacified by that answer. It could only be a coincident, really.
/break\
So that first bruise could have been a coincident, but Percy still grew suspicious and kept closer watch. It happened again. And again. The Ghost King taking hits from either Luke or Annabeth or Thalia, with Nico spotting the bruises the next time Percy would get to be with him.
The final clue was when Percy took a sharpie to a photo he had taken of Nico. He colored the skin and the face where the Ghost King's mask would be black. It fit. Percy wasn't an artist and this wasn't a masterpiece, but it fit. He had spent so many years watching the Ghost King closely – the way his body moved, the way the tight costume hugged his frame, the way he spoke (even though the Ghost King used a voice changer). The evidence had been glaring in his face ever since he had gotten to know Nico on a better, more personal level.
Percy was dating the Ghost King. Percy, one of the top wanted criminals, was dating the most celebrated hero of the US. This was a disaster. And what if... Nico knew who he was? What if that was why Nico had approached him to begin with? To infiltrate Percy's team? To arrest Percy?
No.
No, if Nico would have wanted to arrest Percy, he would have done so already. They had been going steady for three months now and Nico had never even subtly approached the subject of the Merry Mischief-Makers. Maybe Nico hadn't known at first either, just like Percy, and them getting together had been a coincident? Maybe that was why Nico so obviously steered clear of the topic of heroes and villains? Because Nico even changed the channel when the news were on about another 'heroic rescue' from the Supreme Super-Squad. So, maybe Nico hadn't known at first either and now he was trying to separate his two identities. That must be it. And, honestly, Percy appreciated it. Pretending not to know the other's identity and pretending to be a normal, regular couple.
/break\
Pretending to be a normal, regular couple only worked for a certain amount of time. Namely, until the real supervillains learned that the Ghost King had a lover. Percy never really considered himself and his crew supervillains. They were criminals by the law, but they didn't kidnap or kill or maim people. They weren't low-life. There were, however, many low-life supervillains after the Ghost King. It happened on a Tuesday, while Percy was feeding his beloved little penguins, that he got zapped. He hadn't seen it coming, who would expect it in a zoo, while in the backroom with the cute little suit-wearers? Something zapped him and everything went dark before he even had a chance to react to it or fight his attacker off. He didn't even get the chance to see his attacker.
Nico however got to see the attacker pretty well, about half an hour later, on national television.
Nico was sitting in the Great Hall on board of the Argo II, post mission meeting. There had been seemingly random attacks from the Titans all over the city today. The team had to split up and they were now all spread pretty thin, overly exhausted after a very hard day's work. They were too exhausted to go home immediately so they curled together on the couches while Piper was lazily flipping through the channels, not really in the mood to actively watch anything. At least until the TV flickered out for a second just to come back on with a very familiar and very hated face.
"Kronos", growled Nico as he sat up straighter.
"What's his ugly mug doing on our telly?", complained Leo and made a face.
"This is a private message to the almighty Ghost King", declared Kronos with a nasty look on his face. "But since you failed to give me your number, I am forced to drastic measurements." The nasty look on his face took a turn for the worst as he pulled an unconscious body into the view of the camera. "Dear Ghost King, I have your little plaything. If you don't want me to leave him to you in little pieces, you should come to his work-place and get him."
Kronos grabbed the unconscious person's mop of black hair and pulled it up, showing Percy's face. Nico felt his blood run cold, his heart stopping for multiple seconds. Percy. His Percy. His innocent, defenseless Percy, in the claws of this disgusting, cruel monster. Because of him. His Percy was in danger because of him. He had endangered Percy, just because he was selfish enough to want this beautiful, perfect person. He had – just received a slap in the face by Rachel.
"Ouch. What did you do that for?", growled Nico, rubbing his cheek.
"You're having 'It's all my fault'-thoughts", chided Rachel annoyed. "But those thoughts won't save Percy. You, getting into your super-suit and taking your team to wherever Percy works, that is going to save Percy. For that, you need to get your head straight, di Angelo."
"H—Head straight. Yeah. Saving Percy", muttered Nico and nodded numbly.
/break\
"I told Percy that dating a superhero is a crappy idea", growled Annabeth and balled a fist.
"That's why Percy never introduced Nico to you so you won't go and behead him in his sleep", snickered Grover amused as he got into his costume. "He really likes the guy a lot. He told us he doesn't care that Nico is on the opposite side of the law."
"Yeah, and see where it got him – abducted by a megalomanic sociopath!", hissed Annabeth.
"Annie, calm down", ordered Luke firmly and calmly. "Percy knew what he was getting himself into. And he got us. So we're going to save his sorry ass so you can lecture him all day long."
"That sounds like a good plan", sighed Annabeth as she put her mask on.
"I already feel bad for the brat. And it's not because of the kidnapping", smirked Thalia.
"How about we save him first, before we lecture him?", requested Grover tentatively.
Luke rolled his head once before straightening his costume and mentally preparing himself to save one of his team-members from a danger far greater than any danger they had ever faced before. They weren't heroes, they consciously chose not to be heroes. They just did what they wanted. Now, however, it was their turn to be heroic and save one of their own. Never before had they been to the zoo that fast, the only thought on their mind was to rescue Percy before something happened to him. Well, something more serious than being kidnapped by the loony party.
What they found when they actually reached the zoo was devastating. People were screaming and running like headless chickens, trying to get out of the place, while the Supreme Super-Squad was mindlessly battling Titan agents. Luke glared annoyed, because they were supposed to save Percy and not get distracted by the minions. Not far off from the big battle scene – even in clear view – was the bastard Kronos, holding Percy like a rag doll. His strongest minions were surrounding him, warding off the Ghost King and Sparky, who were admittedly adamantly trying to reach Percy.
"What are you people doing here? We're busy with other villains today", snapped the Amazon.
Annabeth straightened her back and glared at the Latina heroine. "We're here to help."
"Hard to believe", muttered the Amazon, not paying them much more mind.
After all, instead of attacking the heroes, Luke and his crew instead started fighting off the attacking Titan agents. They tried to inch their way closer to Kronos and the still knocked-out Percy, but it was a torturously slow process. The heroes seemed disturbed that their arch nemesis were helping them, but neither of them found it in themselves to question it or dare complain.
/break\
Percy's head was buzzing and his tongue tasted like cotton. Not the delicious cotton candy, mind you, but actual dull cotton. He was also tied-up and normally being tied up meant delicious and very exhausting sex with Nico. He was still clothed though and normally, he wasn't drugged before sex. It was kind of a basic requirement for his relationships, really.
"Ah, our guest of honor seems to wake up", announced a very unpleasant voice loudly.
"Guest of honor? Aw, did you throw me a party? You didn't have to", chimed Percy mockingly.
He blinked his eyes open slowly, waiting for his surroundings to come back into focus. He was still at the zoo, in the outside compound of the penguin section. And the guy holding him was no other but Kronos himself, the nastiest piece of garbage Percy had ever encountered since his mom got rid of his first stepfather. Percy wasn't really sure what was happening, but he could see both his team and Nico's team battling Titans left and right. Somehow, Percy had gotten into the middle of this.
"Now, now. Cheeky little thing", chuckled Kronos and shook him once. "Well, Ghost King. Now that he's awake, would you like me to tear off pieces of him? With what shall I start?"
"Uh, with like nothing?", suggested Percy and raised both eyebrows. "I'm pretty fond of all my limbs exactly where they are, you know. And it'd be so much safer for you to leave me intact."
"Oh, I don't think the mighty Ghost King will dare attack me while I have his precious." To make a point, Kronos twisted Percy's arm – he had both tied behind his back – in a way that nearly dislocated Percy's shoulder and made him wince. "Well, Ghost King, what's it going to be? Would you like to get pieces of your sweetheart or are you going to surrender?"
With wide eyes did Percy watch how Nico slowly lifted his hands and hung his head in surrender. The utter moron. At his signal, his teammates too stopped fighting, albeit a bit more reluctantly. Percy, still pretty out of it from whatever had knocked him out, watched in dazed wonder how Kronos walked up to Nico, tugging Percy along. Percy's brain was still very fuzzy.
"Kneel", growled Kronos, definitely gloating. "Kneel before me, oh great Ghost King."
Much to Percy's horror, Nico actually did it. Had Percy stepped into some kind of twilight zone when being kidnapped, or was he still hallucinating from the drugs in his system...? The dizziness and clouded feeling were literally kicked out of him – by Kronos kicking Nico in the ribs. There was an odd and sudden clarity as he watched his boyfriend just take the hit without fighting back.
"I didn't mean him", whispered Percy, slowly growing very, very angry.
"What was that?", asked Kronos mockingly as he kicked Nico again.
"I said", started Percy, voice very loud and clear. "I said I didn't mean him. I didn't mean you would be safer from him if you leave me unharmed. I meant you'd be safer from me. But... now you've done something a hundred times worse than hurting me. You hurt my boyfriend."
Percy balled two fists, tugging as much as the bounds allowed. But he didn't need the motion-range, because his anger was great enough to outweigh both that and his dizziness. The answer from the penguins' pool, the polar bear habitat next to it and even the creek running alongside the way close by answered to his call, the water-masses rising high. For a moment, Percy saw the surprise and fear in the eyes of the heroes and the Titans, before the water broke down on them and washed the bad guys away. Percy had a good enough grip on it to lift his own team and Nico's team up with hands formed of water, keeping them in the air and safe, while the bad guys got washed away. The only bad guy kept close was Kronos, a water-hand holding him in a vice grip. Percy slowly stood up on top of the water and ordered the water-hands to put his friends and Nico's friends down on the water. They all looked doubtful as the water supported them. Once Annabeth found her footing, she ran over to him and hugged him tightly before untying his hands.
"You're in a world of trouble, Seaweed Brain", chided Annabeth with a frown. "I was so worried."
Percy grinned as he shook his hands a couple of times to get the blood flowing again, before he turned toward the very shocked and displeased Kronos. Balling a fist, Percy punched him square in the face. He wasn't a fan of violence, but this guy had just kidnapped Percy and hurt Percy's Nico.
"No one hurts my boyfriend", growled Percy irritated.
Once that was said, he turned toward Nico and rushed over to where Nico was laying on the water. Percy cautiously pulled the Ghost King over until his head was resting in Percy's lap.
"What... just...", drawled Nico confused. "What just happened?"
"I saved your useless butt, idiot", huffed Percy with a glare, running his fingers over Nico's head. "What were you thinking? Surrendering to that psychopath like that! You should have fought him, not given in like that. Moron. Does... Does it hurt a lot, Nick?"
"What...?", asked Nico slowly, blinking a couple of times. "You just... said my... name...?"
Now it was Percy's turn to blink a couple times before frowning. "Oh. So you thought... I hadn't figured it out yet? And even if I hadn't, don't you think the part where Kronos kept calling me your boyfriend and sweetheart and whatever was kind of a dead giveaway...?"
Nico nodded numbly while the water slowly drained back to where it belonged. "But... you... the water... and the... triple-M... here to save you... You're... You're..."
"The Sea Prince", supplied Percy with one eyebrow raised. "So wait. You're telling me you not just thought I couldn't figure it out, but you seriously didn't figure it out...? I think I should be offended, Nick. How do you not recognize my 'masterpiece of an ass' as you put it, just because I put it into some skin-tight spandex? Like, seriously. If my costume would be like... a potato-sack or something, okay, but my costume leaves literally nothing to imagination."
While Percy watched with mild amusement how Nico's face showed exactly the process of putting together the pieces, Luke and Nico's team tied Kronos up and checked on the civilians.
"You're the Sea Prince", whispered Nico in realization. "I'm dating a wanted criminal..."
Percy frowned at that. "Okay. So... I'll be leaving you to your little melt-down then."
Clearly displeased, Percy pushed Nico off his lap and stood to walk over to his team. Before they left, Annabeth headed over to Nico to slap him in the face once with a vicious glare.
"If you endanger him again, I will personally tear you to shreds", hissed the blonde.
Nico was left holding his cheek and staring after the villains, at least until his own team decided to come a bit closer again. Leo grinned amused as he knelt down in front of Nico.
"Did Brainiac just bitch-slap you?", asked the Latino teasingly.
"I'm dating a supervillain", muttered Nico with a dumb look on his face.
"Uhm, yeah sure. What else is new?", asked Piper confused, raising one eyebrow.
"What?", grunted Nico with a frown. "What do you mean?"
"Well, we already met him a couple of times in the restaurant", replied Hazel as she joined Leo and started running her fingers through her boyfriend's hair. "And while Frank and I didn't spend too much time with Percy, Leo did. Because he's a nosy little Firebug."
"It's really not that hard to figure out once you get to know him", pointed Leo out. "I mean, he has the exact same statue, same height – easily found out by comparison with you since I always see the Sea Prince standing close to you – and the general way of his body-language."
"Leo told us", grunted Frank with a frown. "And we told the rest of the team. We thought it may not be your best idea ever. But we, as a team, came to the conclusion that if you manage to separate your two lives so well, then it was your decision and we wouldn't get involved."
"We observed for a couple days, how your and his behavior during their heists went and since nothing seemed to change and you didn't give an inch, we thought it was fine", added Reyna.
"We kind of didn't think that you had no idea what was going on", snorted Jason amused. "I mean, seriously. You're a good tracker. You're good at reading people. How were you not able to read Percy's body-language and everything, even though you know him far better than Leo does?"
Nico's frown deepened at that. Even his friends had figured it out. Percy had figured it out. And Percy surely hadn't taken advantage of his relationship with Nico. Great, now he felt like crap.
/break\
Percy was sitting on his bed, pouting as he glared at the wall. His friends had asked him if he wanted company, but right now Percy wasn't in the mood for company. His dumb, stupid idiot moron boyfriend hadn't figured out who Percy was and now he apparently had a problem with dating a criminal. Stupid, stupid, stupid superhero boyfriend.
"Can... I come in, Perce?", asked a soft and clearly guilty voice.
"No", replied Percy as he turned to glare pointedly at Nico.
"I bring... doughnuts and flowers?", offered Nico awkwardly.
Percy's glare grew more annoyed as he saw the blue-dyed roses and the blue-frosted doughnuts. "Why? So you can properly break up with me because you can't handle a supervillain?"
Nico winced as he approached and put the doughnuts on the bed next to Percy before sitting down on their other side. "I'm not here to break up. I'm here to apologize. On multiple accounts. First of all, for you getting kidnapped, which was my fault and I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Second of all, for being a dumb, ignorant idiot who was apparently trying very hard not to see what was in front of my own eyes. I should have realized it sooner, you're right. And thirdly, I want to apologize for how I handled the news. I didn't mean to. I'm... you're not really a supervillain, Percy. You're no way near the level of Kronos or Gaia. I love you. I don't want to miss you in my life again. I don't want to lose you, Percy. I've never been as happy as I am with you, Percy."
"Are... you sure you can handle dating a criminal?", asked Percy doubtfully.
In answer, he was pulled into a deep, slow kiss. The kiss lasted for minutes and by the time it broke, they had adjusted to lay curled together on the bed, with Nico holding Percy close and Percy resting his head against Nico's chest, listening to the Italian's heartbeat.
"I think I can handle it. I have been dating you for months now, without knowing who you are", drawled Nico slowly, caressing Percy's side. "But... maybe I could... understand you better, it better, if you'd... tell me why you're a criminal. Why are you using your powers for bad?"
"I'm not", huffed Percy amused. "See, I suppose that is why me and my friends do what we do. For you heroes, there's only bad criminals – black – and the good heroes – white. But... there's a wild array of colors between black and white. And we chose to live there. We do good. We steal things that have been stolen. Paintings that had been taken by the Nazis during WWII, jewelry taken from people. We steal it, bring it back, cash in a little fee, sometimes also steal something else – because who doesn't care if he owns a Nazi painting surely deserves to have their golden cufflinks stolen."
Nico frowned surprised. "But if you're doing good, why... why have you never confided in the heroes and joined our side? To work together. Clear your names and all."
"Not interested", shrugged Percy a bit bored. "Robbing Hood, he... he's the son of one of the original heroes. Hermes. Left him alone with a crazed mother, drove him into the arms of Kronos, until Robbing got his head straight again. Me too. I'm the son of Poseidon, but Poseidon wanted to 'protect' me by abandoning me. Left me and my mom to fend for ourselves. No interest in that."
"Well, those... were the old heroes", whispered Nico and cupped Percy's cheek. "We're different."
"That may be true, but... your fancy little heroics are just not ours", shrugged Percy amused, leaning up to peck Nico's lips. "That's something you have to learn to live with."
"For you, I can learn to live with anything", whispered Nico against Percy's lips.
~*~ The End ~*~