Hell And High Water 17

A little more depth.

Nico was sure to turn the news on first thing in the morning, wondering if he could catch what had Apollo in such a tizzy when he called. He couldn't imagine it, whatever it was, being too much of a big deal but he still felt the need to know. The son of Hades clicked the television on and looked to the elder demigod in the bed next to his own.
Percy was still sleeping so Nico was sure to keep the volume down as to not wake him, seeing as how he didn't really want the son of Poseidon to know too awful much. Nico watched the television as the many stories played before him. Some were things he was glad to know, like the downfall in petty crime from March until April. Others, he really couldn't have cared less about.
He watched on still, though, and was glad he did. There were some very interesting things being said about the explosion at the motel the day before, but no one had any leads into who might have been behind it. They were thinking domestic terrorists or something. Nico had to chuckle, even though he knew the title would probably infuriate the actual culprits.
Nico thought it was interesting, though, and honestly slightly funny, that no one was yet able to make a connection between Typhon and the Manticore and the explosions. After all, in between every story, something about the police hunting for the two was brought up, but there was nothing about their involvement with the occurrences at the motel.
The news anchor spoke about both topics, the two men and the explosion, so freely and all Nico could do was shake his head and shame the woman for not keeping her mouth shut. Or at least exercising caution. After all, Nico knew talking about them, their work, and the fact they were the targets of a man hunt would just make them angry. More angry. There was no doubt they knew they were being searched for and that alone would cause a big problem for the police. Nico added, on top of that, the fact there was no way they would let themselves be arrested and came to the conclusion that a lot of people were going to die on that very day. ...And he was right.
There was quite a long special about the whole ordeal a little later on, still before Percy woke up. During it, Nico learned that about thirty men (a combination of police, FBI, and SWAT) had gone after the two men and whoever they currently had on their side shorty before sunrise. Those men had accomplished nothing. Eighteen of them were dead, seven were critically wounded and in ICU, two had bolted and were still MIA, and the remaining three were being held captive by Typhon and the Manticore in the hopes of the police learning their lesson. What people failed to understand was that the two men were very resourceful, feared nothing, had others working with them, and did almost anything they wanted. No police or swat or military man would ever be able to stop them. That was the lesson that needed learning, and no one was learning it.
While Nico worried well into the day that no one was learning their lesson, Percy was seemingly home schooling himself. His lesson: if you play with fire, you're gonna get burned. And he had played with fire. Fire meaning Nico. He had brought the son of Hades onto him and now, he felt, he was paying a price for it. The thoughts, the dreams, the awkward staring from one to the other, and the uncomfortable conversations, or lack-there-of was making him crazy. But, he had brought that upon himself, and he knew it. And the consequences wore on for days.

Nico spent most of the next few days watching the news, being completely wrapped up in each and every story about Typhon, the Manticore, and all their dirty business. And it was truly dirty, causing him not to be surprised when there was story after story about the police being held captive and the fingers, hands, and tongues that were being sent to their families. Nor was he surprised that each body part came with a message; it usually had to do with the media and their big mouths. And, of course, the media would pop up again and talk about it, making Typhon and the Manticore, as well as their followers, even more infuriated.
Nico, who was not so angry, did his very best to keep the stories out of Percys ears. He would usually watch them when Percy was showering or ask that the son of Poseidon use his phone and ear buds. Or, rather, demand. But there was no way he was going to let Percy hear any of the chaotic nonsense and he didn't care how mean he sounded. After all, it was for Percys own protection: the son of Poseidon was already scared enough as it was. Even if he had never admitted to it, Nico knew uncontrollable fear when he saw it. And Nico wasn't about to, knowingly, add more to it with something as stupid as some news stories.

The first few days in the new hotel passed easily and without problem from anywhere. Nico didn't receive or make any phone calls during the time, no one in the hotel was getting suspicious of he and Percys strange behavior within, and occasionally outside, their room, and there wasn't a single mention of him (in any way) in any of the news stories. There was one part of that that had the son of Hades wondering, though. And that was the phone calls. Nico couldn't figure why no one was even attempting to contact him. He considered getting ahold of Apollo and seeing if anything was going on but he feared, even just a small bit, that the call might be tracked if he did. So he forced himself to admit something that made his blood boil and his stomach churn. He forced himself to admit that he neither knew nor cared why he hadn't received any phone calls. He convinced himself that all that mattered was that he and the son of Poseidon were being left alone.
Percy was thinking of a lot, too, during that time but nothing like what was on Nicos mind; the son of Poseidon had his own things to deal with. He was given plenty of time to think, since Nico barely ever spoke to him, and he did think. A lot. And it was mostly about Nico. He wished that he could forget about everything and pretend none of it had even happened but, whenever he looked at the son of Hades, he would feel funny and awkward. He knew Nico was watching him occasionally, but it seemed as though he hadn't noticed Percys slight awkwardness. Percy kept telling himself that the awkward feelings were his punishment for 'playing with fire'. It was his burn.
Despite Percys hopes and prayers to keep Nico naive about his obvious strange feeling, the son of Hades had noticed. But he had been trying to distract himself from it by keeping an eye on the news, wondering what kind of damage Typhon, the Manticore, and their crew had been causing. There were a few simple crimes that could have been blamed on just about anyone; gas station robberies, fires, destruction of property, and small cherry bombs. The police didn't even consider Typhon and Manti as possibilities but the work bore a certain flare that anyone, who knew them anyway, could point out as theirs. All they were trying to do was throw people off their tracks, and it was working.
The son of Hades kept a tight eye on the elder demigod and made sure Percy didn't pay too much attention to what was on the t.v., since he'd probably lose it if he saw or heard anything about all the current chaos. And, he managed to, thankfully, keep Percy in the dark about most everything. But, the fact he had to be so cautious pushed Nico to the thought that it would be a good idea if he tried to re-do the son of Poseidons 'escape plan', since things were so hectic. Nico wanted to be sure it was beyond flawless, so it could be beyond flawlessly executed.
Things on the news had died down a little so Nico figured it would be alright if he kept the t.v. on. Most all the stories centered around topics Nico couldn't have cared less about but, to be honest, having the background noise going was relaxing. Especially when it didn't concern him much. Or, even better, at all.

It was about mid day, a few days after the explosion at the motel, when Percy decided to finally be loquacious. Nico was sitting on his bed, eating lunch and reading a book, while Percy sat on his own eating and playing on his phone. The television played very quietly on a news channel, making a little bit of background noise but not enough to be overwhelming. Percy had actually gotten used to the channel, grown to egnore it, and Nico only listened to the important parts.
Percy dropped his phone on his bed and looked over at the son of Hades. Like always, the younger demigod sat watching the television, over the edge of his book, and only looked at the pages every few seconds. It drove Percy crazy.
"Nico?" His voice was low with a tint of tension and even fear.
Nico, ignoring the sound of his name leaving the elder demigods mouth, hummed a 'what'.
Percy cleared his throat. "Can we talk?"
Nico felt himself physically tense as he closed his book carefully, slightly concerned, and ignored both it and the television. He definitely enjoyed hearing Percys voice but he couldn't figure what the son of Poseidon might want to talk about. Nico humored Percy, though, and agreed to 'talk'.
"Tell me things." Percy said with a shrug, no longer seeming too nervous.
Nico looked at him, confused. "What kind of things?"
Percy smiled lightly, feeling like he might have been getting somewhere. "Anything. I'm bored and just want to talk."
Nico wasn't in a mood not to talk so a conversation with the son of Poseidon couldn't hurt... But Nico wasn't a conversation starter.
"What do you want to know?"
Percy shrugged again. "I don't know. I don't really care, either. I'm just bored out of my mind. I want something to talk about."
Nico took a deep breath. "Percy, I am a terrible conversationalist."
Percy chuckled cutely. "You think I don't know that?"
Nico wanted to take slight offense to that but, having it come from Percy made that very difficult. Not to mention his giggle. That alone would have made Nico do just about anything, almost like the puppy eyes. Knowing he couldn't say no, Nico figured he did have something he could do... He knew his fair share of Latin lullabies and multicultural folk tales. A small song or story couldn't be too bad, right?
So, Nico cleared his throat and Percy sat up on his bed, facing Nico, and the son of Hades told him a story.
The story was the Latin version of the fairy tale Rapunzel and was called Parsley. Percy thought it was much more interesting than Rapunzel, since it contained an ogress, and listened as a child would. Nico hadn't told the story very often and only knew it because Bianca had repeated it to him over and over when he was young. A small part of the son of Hades figured he chose to tell Percy that particular story because it ended with the girl who was held captive by the ogress being saved by a prince and the two running off together. It made Nico feel a little better about himself and what he was doing and even, for the slightest of seconds, made him feel like a prince himself... But that was foolish. He was a demigod, the son of Hades. If he was a prince of anything, it would be the dead and ghosts. And that wasn't really anything to boast about.
Nico finished the story not long after he started it and the silence returened, making the day, like many before it, wear on slowly. The t.v. never got turned off and the channel never got changed so the news was really the only noise in the whole room. And yet, Percy paid very little attention to it; Nico was pretty happy about that. Currently, Percy seemed prone to panic and fear. Nico didn't need to deal with that at the time: he had too much to think about.
Within a few hours, Nico thought of something that he figured may help he and Percy both. And, despite the fact that it was completely against his better judgment, the son of Hades decided to leave the hotel and travel the short distance to the fast food restaurant down the street when lunch time came. He could easily admit that a fast food burger sounded more appetizing than the hotel food at the moment. He thought for a second about leaving Percy alone so the two could have a short time away from one another. He felt pretty stupid for the thought, though, because he knew that would make Percy panic more and put both of them at a very large risk.
Percy wasn't thinking about food but he had spent the whole day thinking of everything else. 'Everything' was a lot to think about, he knew, but he couldn't clear his mind. That was why he asked Nico to just to talk to him. He was thinking about Typhon and the Manticore, the guy at the restaurant, the explosion at the other motel, and much much more. Now and again throughout the day, he would even think of Nico. He couldn't help the color that would spread to his face when he did. Nico, on the other hand, acted as if he wasn't thinking about Percy and their interactions at all. He was, though. Every time he looked at Percy, he could feel the older demigod underneath him. He could hear his moans and whimpers. He could taste his lips. ...He really needed to stop before his thoughts really took over. And his 'stop' came when he dragged the son of Poseidon out to lunch.
After getting lunch, which consisted of a burger for Nico and almost a buffet for Percy, the two headed back to the motel. Nico was quite aware that Percy was going to be eating a lot still, from his stay in the Lotus, but his double bacon cheeseburger, crispy chicken sandwich, fish sticks, large fries, and large milkshake was more than Nico thought he himself could ever eat in one sitting. He didn't care, though. He was actually kind of happy Percy didn't do what he himself did and not eat barely anything after the Lotus.
While they ate, Nico made the suggestion, or rather the demand, that Percy put headphones in so he himself could watch the news again. But Percy, being his usual stubborn self, said no. He wasn't afraid to see anything that might pop up on the stories now and told the son of Hades just that. It wasn't actually fear that should have kept him from wanting to watch the stories, though and Nico wished he could correct Percy on how he worded his statement... Nevertheless, knowing he couldn't get Percy to do anything Percy didn't want to do, Nico settled for allowing the son of Poseidon to watch the news.
At first, things were pretty light. There were a couple of funny stories about animals and one or two loving ones of life and family that made Nicos heart hurt a little. He did really miss Hazel, a lot, and don't even get him started on Bianca... He put the thought of his family out of his mind, though, and focused on the news story that came up as he was finishing his lunch. It was about another explosion. Nico froze just hearing it mentioned. He looked over at Percy, who seemed to know what was coming next.
The news anchor stated the bomb was identical to the one from the motel; both were built the same, had the same detonation system, and both bore a small symbol. A symbol that was made up of a knot of snakes, a mechanical-ish looking scorpion tail, and a set of expertly detailed, eagle-like wings. The anchor also stated that police and investigators didn't have any idea what any of that meant or who could have possibly been behind the two bomb attacks. Nico, knowing quite well what such a symbol meant, figured that was both a good and a bad thing that no one was able to figure it out.
As much as even the son of Hades didn't want to hear more news after that of the other bomb, the television stayed tuned into the same channel all day. Percy soon grew bored yet again and thought back to the story of Parsley. He did see a beauty in it. He actually enjoyed it more than he enjoyed the Greek and Roman folk tales he was so used to. As time passed on, Percy occupied himself with thoughts of fake stories of princesses and heros, but even that couldn't help him kick his boredom. He had already asked, over and over again, if he could go to the pool but Nico kept telling him "no" because it was 'too dangerous'. Percy felt like he was being a mix of babied and held captive, neither of which he really liked the idea of.
While Percys thoughts were centered around water, as per usual for the son of Poseidon, and folklore, Nico was thinking about something a little more important. He had grabbed his notebook from his bag and was writing down all the thoughts flowing through his mind, trying to find out if there was any real connection in any of it. He was half tempted to call Apollo and ask for his help yet again but he decided against it, since the man was getting pretty agitated by all the calls. 'Fine', Nico thought to himself, 'I'll just do it the hard way'.
The son of Hades lowered his pen to the paper and began to write. All of his thoughts flowed from his brain, down his arm, and then appeared in ink on the paper before him. His hand writing got progressively more sloppy and, were he really paying attention, he probably would have feared not being able to read it later on. But that was far from a concern. Nicos thoughts consisted of Typhon and Manti, their current crew and who exactly could be in it, Festus and his connection to the whole thing, Ares, Herc, ...his thoughts stopped there abruptly. They cleared for a split second before starting to fall in place and sticking like puzzle pieces. He ran the names of all the people he knew through his head. He forced himself to remember, or at least try, all of their past associations. He recalled all of his, as well, wondering if there might have been someone who could have flipped and changed sides. He didn't think there was. His 'friends' hadn't been like him: they wouldn't kill, or betray, someone they used to trust...
But, that was the thing. The fact that Typhon and Manti seemed to show up around him no matter where he went made him think there was someone slipping them information. He didn't think it was Apollo; he was too organized to work with the two fools Nico was being hunted by. Horme could have been a possibility, but he was already dead and it wasn't likely he was giving them assistance from the underworld. So,Nico thought on. He hadn't worked with many others before he had gone 'solo' so he didn't know who else to think of. In all honesty, he didn't even really know many others.
The son of Hades shook his head, knowing there was something he was missing. Nico didn't think he had ever felt more stupid in his life... Connections used to be so easy for him, when he was alone. But, now that he felt he had someone else depending on him, he couldn't figure anything out. So much for being the prince that gets to rescue the captive...
Nico dropped his notebook on the bed next to him and snuck a peek at Percy. The son of Poseidon was lying, awake but motionless, on his own bed, headphones wedged into his ears. He looked so peaceful, so perfect. Nico had to protect him. He had to figure all this out so he could keep Percy safe. His fatal flaw was holding grudges, and he was good at it. Especially when he was holding them against himself. And he knew quite well that he would never be able to forgive himself if anything were to happen to Percy.
Nico cursed himself lightly and shook his head. He couldn't believe his own greed and lust had put himself, as well as another person, into such a situation. He felt so stupid for everything. He dropped his notebook onto the floor and sat in silence as time slipped by.
Meanwhile, Percy still sat motionless, but that didn't mean his brain was still. No, that was going a million miles a minute and there was no break in his thoughts. It wasn't too awful odd for him, though, being a demigod with ADHD, but it wasn't what he needed at the moment.
After another few minutes, the son of Poseidon forced himself to get out of his own head for a moment and take in his surroundings. It was kind of the first time in days he realized what the hotel room looked liked. It was simple but something about it made Percy uncomfortable. It seemed too cozy, too right. Percy had never thought before that something could feel too right but this did. It made him think something very bad was going to happen very soon. He didn't like that feeling. And there he was, back in his head again. He felt desperate to clear to his thoughts.
Percy looked over at Nico, who was sitting on his bed. The son of Hades didn't have his notebook out, like he usually did, or even his phone. Other than himself, the bed was empty. It was clear he was thinking,very deeply, about something. Percy didn't particularly care exactly what it was, nor did he care to find out, but he needed something else to think about than what he had currently overwhelming his mind.
The son of Poseidon cleared his throat. "What are you thinking?" Percy hadn't expected it but the question was a difficult one to ask. Actually, any question would have been difficult for Percy to ask. He was still thinking about everything that had gone on between the two of them, so talking to Nico period was difficult.
Nico hummed, indicating that he hadn't really heard the question. Percy repeated his words quietly, even though a part of him wanted to just say forget it, and Nico shook his head.
That was something the son of Hades didn't feel like sharing with Percy. He didn't really think the older demigod would care to know that he was wondering how long the two were going to be able to hide. "Don't worry about it."
That wasn't really what Percy wanted to hear at the moment: it didn't help clear his thoughts at all. Actually, it made things worse. Nico obviously had something on his mind and Percy felt he had the right to know. Nico had dragged him into all this, and Percy wanted to know exactly what 'all this' really was.
"C'mon Nico, tell me." He was trying not to be too pushy but he was eager to hear whatever it was that had Nico so quiet. He felt it was possibly about him and that he had the right to know everything.
And Nico knew that. He knew Percy was just being curious. The son of Poseidon was scared and wanted to know everything. But Nico didn't really feel like talking about it. "Percy, I am trying to think. Please stop."
The son of Poseidon paused for a second. He did feel strange talking to Nico, and having Nico talking to him. But he knew there were more important things to worry about so he got over it and just talked to him. "Well, if you tell me what you're thinking about, maybe-"
"Maybe what?" The younger demigod snapped. "You'll be able to help me? I seriously doubt that, Percy. The best thing for the both of us is to just let the other think. So just go away for a bit. Listen to your music, watch t.v., I don't care. Just go away for a little while, all right?" Nicos tone had started nice enough, although a little harsh, and had slipped into something a much less patient.
Percy pondered the words. 'Go away?' What was that supposed to mean? Did Nico really want him to go away? Was he that much of a burden to the son of Hades? Normally, comments like those would not have bothered Percy at all. But, considering the circumstances and the fact that it had been Nico that said it, Percy felt pretty offended by it. He just hoped he wasn't overthinking it. He sat back on his bed a little further and decided it was probably better to ignore the son of Hades, since he wanted Percy to 'go away for a little while' anyway...
Nico looked over at Percy and saw that the son of Poseidon stayed looking at him with those puppy dog eyes that would be enough to guilt trip Hades himself, even though he was only looking through the corners of them. Nico groweled out of anger because of them and threw his legs over the side of his bed. He knew Percy was getting bored and could have done with... anything and he, himself, wasn't any better. The only time he ever left was... never. From the moment they checked in until now, a few days later, Nico had stayed in the hotel, other than the one visit to McDonald's. Other than that, though, he had kept himself confined in the four walls of the hotel room. The only place he could really go to get away from everything (Percy, the news, his own thoughts) was the bathroom. ...He could definitely use a shower right now.
Percy was laying back on his bed, looking bored out of his mind but now staring at the ceiling with his full eyes. Nico decided it was probably as good a time as any to leave the son of Poseidon to his thoughts.
Nico grabbed a clean pair of clothes and headed into the bathroom for his needed shower, not paying attention to anything else but his clothes and the bathroom door. He could tell Percy was looking at him curiously, though, from the way he felt the son of Poseidons eyes following him through the room. He didn't really blame the elder demigod, though: it was early evening and Nico was heading in for a shower. It was odd even for the son of Hades. But, Nico had already told Percy to go away and yet there he sat, watching. It drove Nico crazy enough to want to ask what the heck was wrong but he wasn't about to make a hypocrite out of himself that willingly, making it seem like he wanted to talk.
Percy shook his head from Nicos glare but he didn't say anything or make to move at all. He just watched the son of Hades leave and wonder why. He thought, maybe, it was because he hadn't gone anywhere. But he didn't want to go anywhere. Nor did he want Nico to leave somewhere. As awkward as he still felt about everything that had happened between them, he did enjoy the son of Hades' company. And now that was gone and Percy was left to the silence of his own thoughts and the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
Nico took longer in the shower than he thought he ever had before, and that he ever would again. The shower istelf was pretty quick but the time he spent just letting the water run over him was a different story. He had never found so much solace in a shower before but he was glad to have found it now. All thought left his mind. The only thing that remained was the sound of water hitting the tub bottom and the tile wall. It sounded somewhat like rain on a widow. He and Bianca had always found that sound very relaxing...
Nico finally turned the water off, after more than a half an hour, and climbed out of the tub. He wrapped a towel around his waste and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was half tempted to break the glass from anger from what he saw in it... Nico peeled his eyes away from his reflection, though, remembering the story of Parsley yet again. He knew he was no prince. He knew he was no hero. He knew he would never be. He shook his head and plopped down on the toilet seat, wishing he could do something worth while for once in his life.
Nico sat, half dressed, on the toilet seat for quite a while. Every fifteen minutes or so, he would slip another piece of clothing on. He had managed both socks, his boxers, and jeans... He was thinking about taking Percy back to Camp Half Blood and how he could get him there since-. A thought popped up. A very important thought. One Nico felt stupid for not thinking of before.
The two hits. The two bombs. The phone calls. Being searched for constantly. The people. How Typhon and Manti seemed to know where he was. All the small crime. All the people Typhon and the Manticore had on their side.
...Nico pondered all those thoughts and formed one single idea. But, it couldn't be possible. They had nothing in common. And yet they did: they all wanted the same thing. But why did they want it? And what exactly was 'it'?
Nico processed it all, from top to bottom and every detail in the middle. Typhon and Manti had plenty of people working with them, but what was the motivation for it all? Motivation? These guys didn't need motivation. There was no doubt in Nicos mind about that. Nor was there a doubt that all his thoughts were connected, all these details led to the same conclusion: Festus was working with Typhon and the Manticore. That would explain the two explosions, as well as all the small crime. The bombs were up to Festus, even though they bore the mark of Typhon and Manti, and everything else was up to the other two. But Nico felt like there was still more to it. He allowed his thoughts to run wild and did his best to organize them within his mind.
He relaxed himself a little in order to think straighter.
Nico thought back to all the news stories about the small cherry bombs, the robberies, and the fires. It wasn't until that very moment that he realized there was no way it was just Festus, Typhon and the Manticore doing it all. He focused on the 'mark' they had been leaving on their work. It wasn't a physical mark, like what was on the bombs, but it was something that anyone who knew anything knew. They would know it belonged to the two, or at least one of them or who they worked with. Then Nico thought back to the hit he had been hired for. It was Ares who had hired him. Nothing really clicked in until he pushed his memories back to the old bar he and Percy had dragged Herc to. He remembered Herc saying something about 'back up' and remembered the voices outside. Then he remembered back to the other hotel when Typhon and the Manticore had showed up. There was that voice... Something was familiar about that voice. He had heard it plenty of times before over the phone and even in person but he recalled hearing it angry. Yelling and swearing about opening a door and calling Hercs name. Nico had never noticed before, it had never clicked, but now he knew. The backup Herc had was Typhon and the Manticore. That meant...
Nico was already feeling slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people he knew were after him but something told him there was more than just what his mind was able to come up with. And worse than that thought was the fact that he couldn't understand what it was about all of them that truly fit together; that made them want to work together if they truly were.
Nico shook his head, forcing himself to focus and think more about these connections and how they all led back to him and Percy. The first thing he thought of was Herc. The man had known that Nico was coming. But how? How was it possible that a target knew he was a target when the only ones who knew about the hit were the hire and the hitter? Things like that never happened. Other hitters knew about hits before the targets did. And, as far as Nico knew, no one knew about it until after the hit failed. Not even the smartest of Nicos old associates. The only one who knew about the whole thing was Ares. That must have meant he had a part in it, as well. As unbelievable as that sounded, there was quite a chance it was a possibility.
Nico scoffed and shook his head, thinking through all the people he had to look out for. And there was a lot. There was Typhon and Manti, whoever was on their current crew, Ares, Herc, and Festus. Nico forced a snort of laughter.
The son of Hades thought a little deeper into things after that, feeling like he needed to. He was quite aware of the fact that, if all these people were working together, they were ALL after him. Percy was now in even more danger seeing as how Ares knew what he looked like and, if Herc hadn't been totally knocked out (which was a possibility) then they knew his name, too. His real name. Not just his aliases of Poseidon and Pan. Things had, pretty quickly, turned very chaotic. But, Nico forced himself to see the good side in all the nonsense, the chaos. Anyone else would have thought him beyond totally crazy for thinking there was even a good side at all, but he knew there was one. Even if he was the son of Hades, the god of dead and the underworld, he knew that had to be a plus in all of it. And there was. Nico now knew who, and what, he was running from. He would now be able to protect Percy a little better, hopefully anyway.
Nico, feeling pretty accomplished and with finally calmed thoughts, finished getting dressed and left the bathroom hastily to tell the son of Poseidon everything he was able to think through. He started to talk right as he left the bathroom, not caring much if he frightened or overwhelmed Percy one bit. But, before he got very far into what he was saying, he fell silent. Nico had thought about the fact he may bother the elder demigod with his spoken thoughts but that didn't seem like a possibility. At all. And that was because he was speaking to an empty room. A totally empty room. Percy was gone.
Nico immediately slipped into an angry panic, clenching his jaw and his two fists in sync. How was this even possible? Percy had been in the room an hour ago. Where had he gone? Where could he have gone? All the possibilities started flowing into Nicos mind. He had spent so much time wrapped up in his thoughts in the bathroom that there was a chance someone could have come into the room and taken him. Nico had known they weren't going to be able to run and hide for long. And this must have been it. The feeling he had had just an hour before of the Prince that saves the princess, the hero that saved Parsley, was now gone. Now he was feeling like the ogre. He couldn't help but blame it on himself.
Nico overflowed with even more anger than his thoughts had caused. Anger toward himself for being so careless. Anger toward Percy for not being aware enough to hide when he heard something at the door. But that was only if someone had actually taken him. Percy was the kind of person that would have put up a fight, though, if someone was trying to hurt him, a fight that would have made a heck of a lot of noise. And Nico hadn't heard anything. But then there was the possibility of him being drugged, or there being more than one person. Percy could be in serious trouble.
Nico looked around the room, hoping Percy had just gone somewhere, for a walk or to get something to eat, and left a note on the table or something. But there was nothing. There was no note or anything of the sort. The son of Hades went through the many possibilities of where Percy could be and what could have happened to him. He tied not to think of the fact that Percy could be in trouble or hurting or something. He preferred to think that he had left on his own accord. But, if that was true, where would he have actually gone?
Nico frantically thought for a few seconds. ...Duh. Son of Poseidon: THE POOL!!!
The son of Hades ran out of the hotel room while he slipped his gun into the back of his jeans and bolted down the stairs. He had no idea where the hotel pool was so he got to waste time asking. Great. He stopped at the front desk, out of breath, and the woman pointed him in the proper direction, and that just happened to be outside the hotel and around the freaking corner. Fantastic. He ran out as fast as he could, hoping and praying to all the gods that Percy would be there. The woman was shouting something at him but he didn't care enough to listen.
Nico left the hotel and ran around the back of the building to the pool house. He sprinted with a sudden burst of adrenaline when he saw the large 'pool' sign in front of him. He tried to push the heavy piece of metal that was the door open when he reached it but it wouldn't budge.
Nico cursed himself over and over, realizing the door was locked. That was probably what the woman at the desk had been trying to tell him. He turned around and bolted back into the hotel.
"I need a key to the pool house."
The clerk handed the key over rather quickly, since she already had it in hand expecting his return, and Nico turned and bolted back out. He sprinted back to the pool building and unlocked the door with much less steady fingers than he would have liked, desperately hoping Percy really was in the pool. But, of course, the pool was empty. The whole pool house was empty. Nico let a steady stream of violent and angry curses cross his lips as he looked around the large, empty room. But there was nothing save for a few beach chairs and complementary towels. But he wasn't dont looking yet. He had noticed a shower room and changing room for each gender when he first entered and he figured Percy could be there... Nico bolted towards the men's rooms and ripped the door open. But, of course, the shower room, too, was empty. The changing room, as well, was void of inhabitants.
"Son of a b***h, Percy!" The son of Hades shouted into the empty room. "Where the hell are you, you crazy b*****d?!" Nico wasn't sure if he had ever cursed the son of Poseidon so many times in one sentence before... But he was very angry at the time being. And he swore when he was angry.
Nico ran back into the hotel and tossed the key on the clerk's desk, not waiting to hear if she had anything to say or not. Instead, he went straight for the stairs and took them three at a time to his floor. He really hated how he never got a ground floor hotel room...
Nico was pretty out of breath by the time he had reached the room again. He took a second to gather himself before he unlocked the door and walked in slowly, behind his gun. But the gun wasn't necessary since the room was empty. Nico really started to get nervous then. Where the hell could Percy be?
The toilet flushed and Nico raised his gun in slight shock, pulling back the c**k and readying his trigger finger. He literally didn't think he had panicked so much at one time in his entire life before. But this is what Percy did to him. Percy drove him crazy in more ways than one. Seconds after the toilet flushed, Percy left the bathroom. He froze when he saw Nico holding a gun up. Nico, on the other hand, relaxed. He dropped his arms down and released the gun c**k. He took a breath before he placed the gun on the dresser and looked back toward Percy.
Nico didn't bother to even try and sound kind. "Where the hell were you?"
Percy spoke very shyly and yet somehow assertively. "I went to the pool."
Nico had figured as much, considering Percys hair was wet, so the words were pretty much ignored. As was the shy yet firm tone the son of Poseidon spoke them in. Nicos tone, too, was firm yet there was no shyness in it. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? Why didn't you ask?"
Percy got even more shy, and a little afraid of what Nico might do in his rage. So, when the son of Poseidon spoke, there was nothing but fear and tension clinging to the words. No longer was there any assertion. "I know you would have told me no."
Nico, on the other hand, wasn't shy or afraid. He was very tense and very angry. "You're damn right I would have told you no, Percy! Gods, what the hell is your problem!? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there!? What would have happened if someone found you, huh!?"
Percy shrunk back a little from Nicos tone but tried to defend himself from Nicos onslaught with a few words of his own, still very shy and softly spoken. "The door was locked..."
"You think a locked door would be able to stop these guys? Just because it stopped me doesn't mean they wouldn't have done whatever they could to get through that door if they would've known you were there!"
Percy clenched his jaw tightly. He hadn't originally intended to fight back but he felt Nico had insulted him and called him stupid. And it was all Nicos fault in the first place.
"You told me to go away! What else was I gonna do?"
Nico opened his mouth but had nothing to say. He didn't even know what to say. He tightened his jaw and fists at the fact that Percy was blaming him for putting himself at risk... But it didn't take long for him to realize that it was kind of his fault. He had told Percy to go away. What else was he supposed to expect?
And that was exactly why Nico dropped the issue then and there and walked away: because he knew he was at fault. But Percy was still seething, not quite ready for the fight to be over. He gritted his teeth and forced back the flinch that followed from the crowns of them scraping against one another. After all, he had other things to think about. Like the fact that Nico had walked away. The son of Hades had never walked away from an argument, why would he now?
Percy didn't even try to bite his tongue. "Nico, I'm not do-"
"Drop it, Percy." The son of Hades' tone was now quieter but still just as harsh.
Percy stopped mid word, pretty shocked by Nicos reaction. He did drop it, though. If Nico had said to, there was obviously a good reason. On top of that, he had been finding it hard to fight with Nico and be mad at him ever since...
The son of Poseidon flopped onto his bed as Nico paced the room slowly. He had planned on telling Percy everything but the day had been eventful enough as it was. So he was fighting with himself about whether he should or not. Instead, he stayed quiet and hoped everything would just sort itself out with time. But that didn't happen
The rest of the day passed quickly enough, which both boys were pleased about, but nothing was really seeming to 'sort itself out'. The worst part, however, was the uncomfortably awkward silence in the hotel room that neither boy really wanted to break. And neither did.
When the son of Hades first left the bathroom that morning, he had intended on telling Percy about the connection he had made. But he changed his mind rather quickly. There was never really a dull moment in the life of a demigod and, in Nicos opinion, the day had been long enough already. He knew bringing up Typhon, the Manticore, and everything else would just make things harder: it would make the dullest of stressful moments disastrously messy. Along with that, it was bound to widen the rift between the two. So, Nico thought it better to keep his mouth shut. Knowing the whole deal with 'dull moments' being hard to find in the life of a demigod, Nico thought, if he could find one, he was going to savor it for as long as he could. He could wait until tomorrow to tell Percy everything....

Nico had a hell of a time sleeping when night fell. Meaning that he didn't, at all. He didn't really expect to be able to but he still needed it. And wanted it.
About an hour after sunrise, the son of Hades finally pulled his desperately sleep deprived body out of bed and left Percy, sleeping, in the hotel room and went to the lobby to get breakfast for the two. He hoped telling the son of Poseidon everything over a tasty meal would make things a little easier to handle.
Percy was still sleeping when he came back so Nico placed the bowl of fruit and granola on the dresser and tried to calm himself before the elder demigod even woke. He couldn't figure why this whole thing was making him so nervous, so flustered. But he was sure he didn't like it.
Nico was still pretty mad at Percy for his foolishness from the day before so he wanted to make sure he was totally calm by the time the son of Poseidon woke. He was bound and determined to have an argument free day, from start to finish. And if that meant that he would have to be the one to keep his mouth shut or walk away, then so be it.
Once he was calmed, Nico sat, silently staring at the sleeping son of Poseidon, for almost half an hour before Percy actually woke up. Nico turned his eyes away when Percy began stirring under his blankets. He planned on letting the son of Poseidon wake up and go through his morning ritual before he began filling him in and he knew he wouldn't be able to watch it while staying in his right mind. Along with that, he figured it would give them both a little time to calm down and figure out how they felt toward each other before a new day started.
Right away, Percy made his way to the bathroom with an armful of clean clothes.
Nico couldn't help but listen as he heard Percy ready himself, and the bathroom, for a shower. He tried to keep his thoughts caged but they wandered anyway when he thought of the fact that Percy was totally nude with only a door between the two of them.
The son of Hades listened as the water ran for less time than it usually did when Percy showered, and he was surprised when the elder demigod was done rather quickly. As soon as the water turned back off, Nico began preparing himself for whatever was coming next...
Percy was out of the bathroom shortly and finally took in the room around him. He noticed the two bowls of fruit sitting on the dresser and looked at them questioningly for a moment before Nico stood from his bed and handed a bowl to him. Percy looked at the other male for a second before taking the food and allowing himself to be ushered to his own bed, very slowly and calmly, by the son of Hades. He couldn't understand how the day before could transition into this...
Nico sat next down to him, which made Percy slightly uncomfortable, and the two began to eat in silence. A silence that was more relaxed than the one from the day prior. Yet, Nico was desperate. He was desperate to find a way to tell Percy everything.
He figured it wouldn't be too bad of an idea if he started with Typhon and Manti. And thats just what he did. He first asked if Percy had heard anything on the news. The son of Poseidon was slightly taken aback by the suddenness of the question but he answered it all the same, saying that he had, which was good. It was going to make all this a little easier for the son of Hades. And so, right away, Nico told him everything he figured the day before about the two men. He also spoke of the people he now thought might be in league with them. He frequently stopped speaking to ask if Percy was following along well enough. The son of Poseidon would just nod lightly and Nico would continue, after telling the older male to eat. Each and every pause went exactly like that.
Nico finally got to telling Percy what he thought about the connections all these men had to one another. He even mentioned all the names that he had thought of the day be prior. He told Percy everything before giving the elder demigod time to think.
After a few minutes, that were unbearable but not nearly enough for the son of Poseidon, Nico spoke again. "Do you understand what all that means?"
Percy jumped, not enough to be seen, before relaxing and giving the younger demigod a barely there nod. "I-I think so."
Nico spoke very quietly, having a request, a demand, for the son of Poseidon. "Tell me."
Percy took a deep breath, his voice mimicking Nicos. "They're all working together. They're all after us."
Nico nodded lightly, a stressed, angry, and slightly fearful frown playing on his still somewhat childish features.
Percy shook his head as his mind went manic with thought. The explosions, the argument and now this was making life pretty difficult for him at the moment...

Author's Note

Ignore any and all typos I may have missed in editing please and thank you, enjoy, and keep an eye out for more updates.