Percy spent the whole day trying to abstain from doing anything concerning Nico.

Needless to say he failed miserably.

Because it was Nico di Angelo, and he was in love with him.

There wasn't anything he could do about it, and deep inside him, the green-eyed boy knew he wasn't going to give up on him so easily.

Was it the fact that he was just so stubborn? Was it the fact that Nico was just so goddamn attractive, and that he couldn't keep his eyes off him?

That morning when Percy bumped into him, it took every ounce of his self-control to act like he didn't have a care in the world, to shrug Nico's pleading eyes off, to pretend that he wasn't still so hopelessly into him.

Most of all, he didn't want to admit how worried he was when Nico didn't show up during the first ten minutes of Latin class.

He remembered perfectly how he was slowly losing control of his breath, how his heart thumped so loudly he feared even Mr. Brunner would hear it, how the only thing he was hoping for at that moment was that Nico was safe and sound.

When the pale brown-eyed boy showed up in a hurry a second before Percy was ready to go searching for him, relief washed all over him. He was tempted to smile at him, but he didn't want to be utterly destroyed by Nico's probably disgusted reaction.

A week later, Percy still hadn't said anything to the black-haired angel he desperately wanted to be his so much. He tried to ignore how each time he saw Nico glance at another person but him felt like a consecutive stab in the chest, because when his eyes met his, all his worries washed away, because he was just drinking in his beauty, how much he wanted Nico in his arms.

Percy groaned, holding his head in his hands.

"Do I really have to go?"  he asked, grumbling incoherently.

Annabeth gave him a lopsided smile. "Well, come on, it'll be fun. Plus it's only the first one. If you don't like watching today, we aren't going to ask you to come anymore."

The girl beside him blinked expectantly. "Come on, Perce! It'll be fun. Besides, it's just for today."

"Piper, Annabeth, as much as I love you guys, I don't want to watch people swim with a crowd shouting in my ears." Percy struggled to explain, trying to grasp the matter as politely as possible.

"But it's the first time school has hosted a swimming competition since ten years ago! I'm sick of watching soccer or basketball matches when I'm bored, I'm glad Goode High is finally making another competition of a different sport, personally!" Piper protested, stopping to finish her lunch. After a loud gulp and several people eyeing her with a strange look in their eyes, the brunette continued. "And plus, you gave up on us by disagreeing to participate in the actual thing. So, you kind owe us, right?"

Percy sighed, knowing he couldn't deny the truth in her words. "Please, Seaweed Brain, just today!" Annabeth pleaded, which wasn't like her at all. She must really want me to come to start begging, the green-eyed boy thought, not feeling so cantankerous anymore.

He sighed, knowing he was going to regret it. "Okay, fine..." The couple erupted into cheers and started giving each other high-fives to each other. "But just for today, then!" Percy added, not wanting to give his friends the full satisfaction of his agreement. 

The blonde grey-eyed girl simply smirked as she slithered an arm around her girlfriend's waist. 

But apparently, they weren't the only one excited about the upcoming swimming competition. As Percy scanned the cafeteria, people were huddled in small groups, talking to each other in hushed voices with anticipation, often looking around nervously.

He let out a loose sigh, his subconscious now scolding him for not joining the competition itself, but the thought wavered as Percy's vision tunnelled.

A few tables further, he noticed Nico fiddling with his fingers, apparently listening closely to what his sister Bianca was telling him.

The green-eyed boy couldn't bear the heartbroken look in his eyes. As a shudder passed through him, he stood up, finally taking his eyes off the beautiful black-haired boy, yet with some difficulty.

"Uh, I'm just going to clean my tray, guys." he said hastily, keeping eye contact with Annabeth.

The blonde teenager just nodded dismissively before going back to talking to her girlfriend, a loving flare sparking up her stormy grey eyes.

Percy stood up and walked over to the end of the cafeteria to clean off his lunch tray, passing Nico's table on purpose, desperately trying to catch a word or two from the heated conversation he was holding with his sister.

As he approached the di Angelo siblings, he could have sworn Bianca was giving him a dirty look, and he knew she meant business. If he was going to talk to Nico some other day, he should make sure his sister isn't in the vicinity.

Time seemed to slow down. He chose his footsteps carefully, as if he was handling a grenade in his shoes.

His heart was hammering against his sternum, and his brain was screaming internally, shouting "What are you doing?"

But his body seemed to act on it's own accord.

As soon as he got into earshot, streams of the conversation floated into his mind. "You should come, Neeks. It'll take your mind off... things." Bianca said, finishing her sentence with a hint of distaste.

Percy swallowed, holding his breath unconsciously. Nico is coming today?

A part of him prayed that he wouldn't, so he could stay in peace without embarrassing himself completely again, but he knew that he was feeding on the sight of the boy like his life depended on it.

His business done, Percy walked back to his table, where Piper and Annabeth still had no idea of the turmoil that was shattering their friend at every breath he took.

"I'm not sure I-I'm coming today, finally..." he breathed out, the lie rolling off his tongue mercilessly.

Piper looked taken aback at this. "Percy, you promised!"

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "What made you change your mind?"

Percy opened his eyes wide as panic filled his lungs. "I— uh..."

His eyes fluttered back to where Nico was sitting, and all the breath he had was snatched away.

He snapped back to meet his friends' eyes. "Just kidding—" he lied, forcing out a chuckle.

The couple laughed with him, but no mirth was present in Percy's spirits. He felt like he was on a rowboat, and it was threatening to throw him over the edge.

Why did every single one of his choice revolve around Nico? All he wanted to do is have some fun and forget about it all, but he knew deep inside that he had basically no resilience, and getting over Nico was something that he couldn't do. Because it wasn't some stupid crush.

*   *   *

"Come on, we have to get good seats!"

Piper held her blonde girlfriend's hand tightly as she dragged the both of them along to the front rows, even though most of them were taken.

Annabeth suddenly deadpanned, stopping her girlfriend as well. She pointed a few seats further.

"Isn't that your friend, Nico?"

A surge of panic flared through Percy's body as his mind was threatening to go berserk. His brain refused to concentrate as Percy's feet seemed glued to the floor. 

As his vision tunnelled, Nico's angelic face into view, his raven black bangs falling gracefully into his chocolate brown eyes. His lips were slightly parted, looking soft. He caught Percy's eye and suddenly a heartbroken look filled his empty gaze.

"You're blocking everyone, Percy!" Piper hissed, which brought Percy's focus back on the real world. He snapped his head back towards the girls.

"I— uh, yeah." he said, knowing lying wouldn't do him any good.

A broad smile lined Annabeth's pink lips. "Well, should we sit beside him?"

Panic took hold of the green-eyed boy once again. "Uh, no." he spluttered, blush rising to his cheeks.

"Why not?" the blonde teenager inquired, her frown increasing. "Is he not your friend anymore?"

He swallowed. Hard.

"Er— it's complicated."

Suspicion sparked into life in Annabeth's usually stormy grey eyes, but to Percy's gratitude, she didn't say anything else. The black-haired boy prayed internally that she wouldn't question him later.

In the end, the threesome chose seats in the stands a few rows behind Nico and Bianca di Angelo, which Percy was thankful for: he had a side view of the brown-eyed boy that he couldn't complain about. 

A quarter hour passed, and Percy was dismissively noticing some swimmers jumping into the water and working full speed, but the green-eyed boy simply couldn't take his eyes off Nico.

He simply wished he had answers. Nico said he loved someone else. But he couldn't think of any other boy he could have an interest in.

Unless it's a girl...

No, Percy scolded himself. Nico had a tendency to mouth along his words, and he had definitely read "him" on his lips.

Until...

The green-eyed boy was pulled back to reality as his concentration was brought back on Nico. The empty, lifeless, brooding look in his deep brown eyes wasn't there anymore. It was replaced by a gaze full of vivid admiration— a gaze that Percy had missed so much.

Nico could have as well stabbed him with a rusty dagger. The heartache throbbed in his chest and filled his entire body with intense jealousy, infecting his mind.

But another emotion sparked to life as well: helplessness. As Percy blinked back tears and tried to swallow back his pride, he realised that he couldn't do anything about it. His situation was hopeless, destined to love someone that would never reciprocate his feelings.

With difficulty, Percy focused back on Nico, his vision hazy with tears. And then he saw him: a tall guy with an athletic build, shaggy blonde hair that fell into his sapphire blue eyes with a sort of elegance Percy could only wish for. Constellation-like freckles dotted his cheeks and nose.

He nudged Annabeth. "What?" she asked, irritation flaming in her tempestuous pebble-coloured eyes. Forcing his body, Percy raised his arms as he pointed towards the boy Nico couldn't get enough of, a disdainful look filling his eyes. "Him. Who is that?"

"Oh, you mean, Will Solace? I have Science class with him." she said, her thoughts elsewhere.

Will Solace.

Percy looked down, not wanting to stay. He had the sudden urge to run, run far, far away, where nobody could find him, where nobody would ever see him—

He stood up abruptly. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Piper waved as her blonde girlfriend nodded away, but Percy didn't even notice. He didn't even wait for an answer. He just shouldered his bag and stormed out of the place, leaving as fast as he could.

As he stepped outside the gates, he let loose a shallow exhale he didn't even realise he was holding. Life seemed to be turning on him every passing second. He could blink an eye and a bucketload of maledictions could be pouring on him.

But unbeknownst to him, Nico was thinking exactly the same thing.

∆   ∆   ∆

hey! i feel like nobody reads these but here i am acting like a clown again lmao

also y'all, the lightning thief musical songs are all bangers tf i can't stop listening to them since october bruh

anyways, my updates are getting more and more inconsistent, but i try to update at least once per week! if that doesn't happen, i'm sorry, you're allowed to PM and DM me, or simply comment!

thanks for votes and comments as well, they mean a lot!

-drakonator