Percy

It's been two days since I got home, and I was so happy to be home. I spent all of yesterday with my parents and I was ecstatic to have a day to do literally nothing.

Around 10 in the morning, Jason called me.

"Hey, Jason!" I said as I answered the phone, a little surprised that he actually called me and didn't just wait until winter break to say hi. "what's up?"

"Hey, Percy!" The son of Jupiter returned. "You're home, right?"

"Yeah! Why?"

"Well, uh..." He sounded worried, and I didn't like that shit at all. "Leo called me earlier today asking if I had heard about anything because apparently Nico just disappeared after dinner last night and his bag is gone. He asked around camp, nobody knew anything, he's not answering his phone. I tried calling, and so did Leo."

I sighed.

He told me he was going to stay. Nico specifically told me that he was going to stick around Camp for a while.

Two days is not a while. And I don't want to worry, but I will. And I'll freak the fuck out.

It's what I do.

"Uh, no," I told Jason, now slightly on edge and also kind of annoyed that he would do that. "I haven't heard anything from him. He doesn't talk to me, though. Or, at least... Well, you know what I mean. He doesn't like to talk to me. I can try calling, but I doubt I'll get anything. He just... Let him do it, Jason. He'll go back."

"I'm sure, but Leo was... Leo said he seemed kind of off."

"Off how?"

"I don't know. Just off, not good."

Once again, I sighed.

"I'll call. If I get an answer, I'll call back, if I don't, I won't."

"Sounds good. Thanks man."

"Mhm."

I hung up from Jason and paused my show, scrolling down to find Nico's number.

If he doesn't answer, I won't be happy.

After a few rings, though, Nico did pick up.

"Hello?" Nico answered, sounding a bit confused. "Since when do you call?"

"Ever since Jason called me asking if I've heard about you," I told him. "Where did you go?"

It was silent for a second, I'm sure he was looking for a sign or something of the like. That or somebody said something to him and he was responding. One of those.

"Well... Right now I'm like, a few blocks over from Central Park." He told me, not sounding too worried or on edge. "I'm just kind of walking around. I had breakfast and ate in Central Park. Jason hasn't called me, and if he tried, he has the wrong number, so... If he called because Leo called him, I'm fine. Chiron knows I'm gone, I told him I'd be back in a few days, I just need a few days."

"Oh, okay," I wasn't about to make a big deal out of it if he told Chiron. Especially since Chiron didn't call me to look out for him. He's almost 16, he can handle himself. "Well they said you weren't answering, so I figured I'd try. You can stop by here, if you want. Mom made a bunch of sweets when I got back and I have nothing to do for the next like, three days. Today I actually planned on doing nothing, it's kind of nice."

"I might do that if I get a bit closer," Nico figured. "Uh, yeah. I might. Today or tomorrow or something. Just uh, please don't give Jason my correct number. If he cares enough he can message me over Kik like he always does. I don't need him up my ass, or Leo for that matter."

I paused, trying to dissect what he said.

"Did... Something happen?"

"No, just..." Nico started off. "I'll explain later, I'll be over in a bit."

"Alright," I responded. "How soon is a bit?"

"Does this afternoon work?"

•••

Nico

Look, I was feeling kind of bad, alright? I didn't appreciate that Leo would act out so fast, either. I left last night, and it's not even noon.

So I made my way over Percy's. Stopped for lunch on the way, and got there around 1:30. He was just sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"Hey, you're here!" Percy exclaimed, seeming happy to see me and I let off a half smile. I like coming here. I love Sally and Paul seems pretty cool. But I never have a good reason to be here because it's not like Percy's my best friend.

Well, he sort of is, but he doesn't know that because I'm bad at talking about emotions.

"I made it," I agreed, taking my shoes off and motioning at the living room. "How's nothing going?"

"Fucking great, man," the son of Poseidon assured me, moving over and patting to the spot next to him. "Come sit down and relax a little. Central park to here is a long walk."

"Yeah, but it's nice," I agreed, taking the spot by him. He respected the whole personal space thing, at least. It was a whole couch with him on one end and me on the other end. "I also stopped to eat so it wasn't that long. Sorry if Jason made you panic, though."

Percy shrugged. He looked cute today, wearing just a shirt and sweats.

One day I'll have the confidence to tell him that.

Eventually.

"It's fine, I didn't," he assured me. "I kind of figured that if Chiron didn't call, it wasn't that serious and it could've been a job. Jason said that Leo said you were kind of off so he was worried but... Yeah. You doing alright?"

I shrugged.

"Fine, I guess," I told him, because I really didn't know. "Leo just got on some weird topics when we talked yesterday that I don't really like to talk about, which is probably why I seemed off. Because it was sort of off topics and whatever else. He's just in his own head a lot. He asked me why I acted like I hate everyone, so that made me feel kind of weird, but not anything to worry over."

Percy could see it, though, and I hated it because he wasn't just going to push and ask like Leo did. He knows I don't like that and that I'll just leave if he does or I'll ignore it.

Leo asked that yesterday and it... Made me feel kind of shitty about himself. I figured a day or two in the city might help.

I'd like to have friends. I just don't... I'm bad at it. Making friends. Talking to people. Even like..  trusting people isn't very easy, either.

"That'd make anyone feel weird," Percy remarked and recalled the sweets he referenced to earlier. "Oh, yeah! There's cookies in the kitchen, too! You can have some, if you want. We have milk in the fridge, too."

So we moved over to the kitchen where we both took a few cookies and a glass of milk.

For a moment, it was silent as both of us thought. I don't know what was on his mind, but it was kind of bothering me that like... All I do is push him away and every time I'm feeling down or even just in the area Percy always opens his arms to me to just give me a place to hang out or to make me feel better. When I've done almost nothing for him.

I helped him with the whole Achilles Heel thing and then getting the others to the doors, but that basically it.

He's always there for me.

But I don't do shit for him.

I want to be his friend and talk to him and help him with stuff. I don't know what, but stuff. Help him feel better when he's sick or having a bad day. I've liked him for years.

But because I like him, I feel like I can't...

Like I should stay away and just let him be.

I want to tell him, but I don't want it to come across as me trying to break him and Annabeth up because I don't want to do that.

Sure, I don't like Annabeth. But it Percy's relationship, not mine. They have a different bond than we do.

So emotionally, I'm sort of tired.

I didn't realize that he could see that something wasn't right. But it's Percy, so of course he noticed.

"Hey, what's going on?" Percy asked me, snapping me back to reality and I look over at the son of Poseidon for a moment before looking down.

"Nothing," I tried to assure him. "just thinking."

So he came over and gave me a hug.

I felt really shitty pulling away from it, but I also didn't know how else to respond.

It's kind of scary.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that you don't—"

"It's fine," I insisted, knowing exactly what he would say and I just couldn't seem to relax. I was so tense and I couldn't relax. Couldn't just take a breath. I closed my eyes. "I just... am bad at this."

"At what?" Percy questioned. "Because whatever it is, I'm sure you're better than you think you are."

At first I couldn't think of any fucking words for it, of course, so I just motioned between the two of us. Unsure as to what could be said.

"This," I tried to tell him, getting more frustrated by the second. "like... Talking. Expressing feelings, that whole thing. You know, talking to people and trusting them and... Yeah."

I crossed my arms because I didn't know what to do with them.

Life would be so much easier if Bianca was still here.

I miss her.

"Nico?"

"Hm?"

"What happened?"