Once the clock striked 4:30PM, the crowd dispersed, most leaving the stands and heading for the exit, but the rest gathered around the four winners, who would lead the quarter-finals next week.

Nico gazed intently at Will Solace, who was leading the competition by far. The modest teenager was accepting the compliments that were thrown at him with reluctance, but the glint in his eyes was telling him the opposite: Nico had never met such a selfless person before.

He smiled at the thought— but when he turned around where Percy supposedly was, he was gone.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one surprised. Annabeth and Piper were frantically looking around: the brunette asking people around, the blonde fumbling with her phone, desperately trying to get in contact with her friend.

"Well, we should go, Nico. Dad just texted."

Nico brusquely turned around, and a warm pain shot in his neck. Gritting his teeth, the black-haired boy nodded, grimacing.

Where was Percy? It was the only thought present in Nico's usually over-crowded mind. He was shrouded in darkness, reaching out blindly, hopelessly trying to grasp for an answer that wasn't there.

As Bianca led him out of school, Nico closed his fist tightly, panic flaring through his body. Percy was missing.

And it was probably because of him.

Blinking back frustated tears, Nico replayed past events in his brain. Percy had left midway, but he hadn't heard the muffled whispers that were adressed to Annabeth and Piper.

But suddenly, the brown-eyed boy caught a glimpse a crouched figure hiding in the shade, sitting on the bench outside the school gates. The boy was looking down, so he couldn't see his face. Tousled black hair covered the small bits of tanned skin Nico glimpsed.

With a jolt, Nico realised it was Percy. Newfound relief flooding through him, Nico cracked a smile. He ran to him, leaving a befuddled Bianca behind him.

When he reached him, blush filled his face. Percy looked up, alerted by the oncoming footsteps. Are you okay? Nico signed frantically. Nobody knew where you were!

Percy's helpless expression quickly turned into one of anger. He stood up so suddenly, Nico was taken aback, taking a few steps behind.

Scared, he raised his eyes to meet his, but they weren't the same sea green eyes he fell in love with. They were blazing with bitter resentment, the flames licking upwards. There was something else, but Nico just couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Why do you care?" Percy snapped. "I can do whatever I want, I don't care!"

A red shade tinted his face, but Nico didn't know if it was from anger... or something else.

But anyway, the green-eyed boy was seething. 

And Nico wasn't sure if he wanted to know why. Because staring into those turquoise whirlwinds full of intense emotion, all his senses screamed "run!"

He had never seen Percy like this. He had never thought of him as dangerous. But right now, his whole world was flipped over, and Nico stepped back more, afraid of this new Percy.

I—, Nico began, struggling to find the right words as his hands failed him. But it was useless anyways— Percy gave him one last blazing look before breaking into a run, his feet hitting the ground with full force.

The brown-eyed boy wanted to follow him, but it would be useless— his speed was no match compared to Percy's,

He slumped his head: he had failed, once again. Cold bitter shame flooded through him as he sensed Bianca coming closer to him. "What happened, Nico?" she asked anxiously, placing a comforting hand on Nico's stiff shoulder.

It's nothing, he signed, the warm bittersweet sensation in his chest spreading throughout his entire body. He made an O hand shape under his chin before throwing it forward and changing it into a loose 5 hand shape, the gesture for nothing.

Why was love so hard? Percy was acting as though he had done something wrong, when it was him who had snapped at their hangout for no particular reason. He clearly recalled Percy saying he knew, but until then he had shown no sign that he acknowledged Nico's more-than-just-friends feelings.

He was acting like Nico had done something horribly wrong— a terrible mistake, an unforgivable betrayal.

It felt like his own reflection wasn't acting the same anymore.

Bianca didn't look convinced, and the lack of warmth towards his body reminded Nico that he was standing right outside the school gates, unmoving.

He finally looked up and saw that his dark-haired sister had started her way home without him. He quickly caught up as both of them made their return home without another word.

*   *   *

"The way he moved— it was like he was the water!" she exclaimed, her freckles standing out against her pale skin.

Hazel chuckled, a warm, comforting sound. "I'm sure you loved him, Bianca." 

Their cousin was over for dinner, and Bianca was sharing her views of the swimming competition, gushing everything out to the golden-haired girl, ignoring a light-hearted Nico sitting beside her. She looked slightly breathless— Bianca had left right after she had brought Nico safely into the house.

The black-eyed girl blushed, camouflaging the faint brown dots on her face. "I don't like Will like that. Besides, I don't think I like anyone like that." she said quickly, fanning her face, stealing a glance from her brother.

Nico dropped his fork. Suddenly, he didn't feel so hungry anymore. He remembered perfectly how he had bumped into Will Solace, and how his heart felt healed for a second... before Percy had to ruin it all over again with his unfairly attractive features.

Hazel smiled at her cousins. "Well, you'll probably find someone one day." Her startling gold eyes fluttered towards Nico. "I have."

Bianca looked taken aback, but Nico wasn't interested in anything to do with love anymore. He didn't know if it was because of Percy's excessively aggressive behaviour towards him, or if it was because he had already seen Hazel hanging out with a sort of buff cuddly Asian-Canadian guy who looked too tough to be so nice.

"Frank? You're dating Frank?"

From the corner of his vision, Nico saw Hazel become flustered despite her having mentioned it in the first place.

"I—" she spluttered, unable to find words in front of Bianca's smug look and grin.

The corner of the black-haired boy's lip twitched in amusement, but he didn't feel like smiling at all.

He wondered what he had done wrong. Replaying past events in his mind on repeat, Nico couldn't find any answers about his loved one's most peculiar behaviour.

Staring out of the window, he saw the full moon, and sighed in defeat. He recalled the myths of werewolves his mother used to tell him about, and his spirits got even lower. The idea of Percy being so beastly because of the moon cycle almost made him laugh, but at the moment, he could settle with any answer that would explain his unexplainable rejection.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even realise Bianca was calling him until she raised her voice. "Nico. Nico!"

Startled, Nico looked up and saw worry lines increasing in Bianca's youthful features. I'm tired, I'm going to sleep, he lied, looking for any reason to go.

He perceived a flash of anxious understanding in Bianca's obsidian eyes, but she nodded like it was a usual matter.

Nico grimaced. He was drowning again, but this time, the water wasn't letting him out.

∆   ∆   ∆

hey, sorry for the late update!

for a hot minute, i thought i had lost this story forever, so thank you DarkRosalia and nico_da_man_jello for the support when i was feeling the worst, i love you guys <3

and uh i guess y'all too :/ Ssilverv even though i told you not to read (if you like rosius you should follow my friend lunaXnightshade lol)

thank you so much for over 1100 reads!

i hope you have an absolutely awesome day or night, wherever you are!

-drakonator