Pernico - Survivor

Ch.24 Everything is so beautiful

Hi guys! I am supposed to be packing up all of my stuff for storage, but I'm updating for you instead. :P Enjoy!

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Nico's P.O.V

The second the plates touched the table, Jason and Percy started digging in. I let out a silent chuckle at their behaviour. Although, I do know where they're coming from, food from the underworld is rather bland and altogether unpleasant. The dish that was placed in front of me looked totally opposite. It was a small bowl of gooey macaroni beside a small piece of garlic bread. Deciding to start with the good stuff, I lifted my fork towards the bowl of noodles. After managing to stab a few macaroni noodles, I raised the fork to my mouth. It tasted like Olympus! There was the perfect mixture of noodle to sauce and the flavours blended perfectly together. I was brought out of my reverie by Jason.

"Tastes good?"

"Mhmm." I mumbled, embarrassed that he had to witness that. Even Jason thinks you shouldn't be enjoying that. You shouldn't make him watch you indulge yourself. You should have just ordered a salad or something. The voices were back, and they wouldn't go away. I put down my fork, ignoring the pangs of hunger in my stomach. The voices were right. I don't need something else to let my father down. I should have just ordered a side salad or something...

"Nico? You feeling okay?" Percy asked, putting down the last half of his burger. I simply nodded, not trusting myself to speak. What if Percy had seen me indulging myself? I would never forgive myself... I took small sips of water, watching the other two finish their meals. Jason ended up ordering himself a slice of apple pie for dessert.

"Do you want the rest packed up?" The waitress asked me.

"No thanks." I replied before placing a fake smile on my lips. Percy gave me a strange look as the waitress walked away with our plates.

"I was thinking... You two could go get Nico's glasses, while I enjoy this delicious piece of pie." Jason suggested.

"I guess so." I replied, passing him some bills to pay for our diner.

"Enjoy yourselves!" Jason called after us. Was that a comment about what happened at diner? Oh gods, Jason must hate me now. He must have sent me with Percy to get my glasses because he doesn't want to be seen with me. I'm such a screw up!

"Nico? You gonna go in?" Percy asked me. I looked up from the ground to realize that I had been standing in front of the open door. I'm such an idiot.

"Sorry..." I replied as I shuffled inside. The A/C was still going full blast, making me shiver a little bit at the change in temperature.

"Oh good, you came at the perfect time. I just finished your glasses." The receptionist smiled, as she raised up the finished product. Instead of replying, I simply approached her.

"Now, I need you to try them on and tell me if they fit comfortably on your face." The lady said, handing me the brown glasses. I slowly slipped them on, eyes widening at the difference. They fit fine, but right now I was too busy marvelling at how crisp and clear everything was. I turned to Percy and almost immediately started blushing. Being able to see him clearly made me realize the true extent of his beauty! All of his features were so perfect, I was starting to wonder if these glasses were enchanted or something.

"How do they feel?"

"Everything is so beautiful!" I exclaimed, not taking my eyes off Percy.

"Lovely! Now, how shall you be paying?" She asked.

"By cash." Percy replied for me, as I was still too distracted by everything that was Percy Jackson. I was vaguely aware of Percy slipping the wad of cash out of my pocket and handing the lady a few bills. My eyes continued to trail Percy as he conversed with the lady behind the desk. My day dream came to an end when Jason nudged my shoulder.

"Hey, sorry about the wait, I couldn't help myself from having another slice. How's the glasses?" He asked me. Does this mean he isn't disgusted with me?

"Hello? Nico? Anybody in there?" He asked me, causing Percy to turn towards us.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. The glasses are great." I replied, my mind still going over whether or not Jason actually liked me or not.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright nico? You didn't eat much at diner, and now you're spacing out." Percy asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, ignoring his gaze. Maybe Jason wasn't making a comment about me at diner... Maybe it was all just something the voices in my head made up.

"Nico?" Percy asked, looking really worried.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"I just asked how you liked your new glasses. Seriously, what's wrong?" Percy demanded, pulling me away from Jason and out of the shop.

"Just not having the best afternoon." I replied, finally realizing that the voices in my head had made me go from having one of the best days of my life, to having an awful day.

"That's not good. How can I help?" He asked.

"I... Nevermind." I decided, wanting to be held in his arms, but not wanting to be awkward.

"No, not nevermind. What is it? What can I do?" Percy asked. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him, felling him do the same shortly after. I breathed in his scent, letting all of the negative thoughts clear from my mind. After a few seconds, I forced myself to pull away, not wanting him to feel awkward. Apparently, I had good timing, because the second I pulled away, Jason emerged from the store with a smile on his face.

"The lady told me about a bus that takes us to the edge of town. Maybe we could call tempest and blackjack from there, you know, so there'll be less mortals around." Jason explained.

"Okay." Percy replied as we began walking towards the bus stop at the end of the street. This area of town was actually really cozy, with tons of small shops and restaurants scattered about. It kind of reminded me of Italy with all of the crowded buildings competing for attention. I smiled wistfully at the thought of happy memories. I didn't have too many of those, so when they came along I treasured them.

"Well here we are. Looks like the bus doesn't come for another five minutes, so I call the bench!" Jason yelled before plopping down. I simply shrugged. Standing for five minutes wasn't going to kill me. Turns out Percy had other ideas. He shoved Jason over, causing him to fall on the ground before slipping his hands around my waist and pulling me onto his lap.

"Hey! I was sitting there!" Jason yelled, but started smirking once he caught sight of our position.

"Well now we're sitting here." Percy replied sassily.

"Are you enjoying that spot, Percy?" Jason asked, his smirk growing. What was he talking about? I'm the one with the crush, not Percy!

"It's not unenjoyable..." Percy replied quietly.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you?" Jason teased.

"I said that I enjoy being in this position with Nico!" Percy yelled, before realizing what he was saying. Jason burst into laughing, as I felt a huge blush rise to my cheeks. Is this real life? Percy isn't uncomfortable with this?

"I didn't mean to say that. Sorry if that made you uncomfortable." Percy whispered in my ear, trying to be heard over the sound of Jason's loud cackling. Once I was sure my blush had disappeared, I turned towards him and whispered my reply.

"Actually, I'm enjoying it too." I was sure the blush had returned now, but this time I wasn't sure that I wanted to hide it from him anymore.

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There you go! Hopefully that ending wasn't too fluffy... Anyways, thanks for getting this story to 14k reads, it really does bring a smile to my face. Voting and commenting are greatly appreciated! :) -T

Question: Which do you prefer: pjo series or the HoO series?

Answer: HoO, simply because we get to really learn about Nico and his feelings.