Percy's P.O.V
"My dad? I thought he only owned shorts!" I glanced up towards the hill. "At least Leo's not there with him this time..."
Nico shot me a questioning look. "Leo?"
"It's nothing..." I waved off his question as we started towards my father. It was another warm day, the sun wavering between gracing us with its presence and hiding behind the clouds. At the moment it was out, but who knew how long that would last...
As we got closer I noticed the tie my dad was wearing. Normally I avoid thinking about my dad's fashion choices, but upon seeing the little figures on it, I decided that maybe I could pay attention just for today. His tie was grey with small white ghosts scattered across it. It contrasted nicely with his dark black suit and white shirt underneath. I knew he'd only worn the tie to show his support, causing a pang of happiness to shoot through me.
"What's with the suit?" I asked, still holding Nico's hand tightly.
Poseidon's eyes found their way to our joined hands and smiled. "Well, I couldn't let you two loose in New York without a proper driver, now could I?"
"Uh, you know we're not just going to my mom's house, right?" I bit my lip.
"I already know all about your crazy plans, but I figured you'd want to see your mother before you get a metal ring attached to your lip." Poseidon chuckled.
"He's got a point, I doubt your mom would like to meet your new boyfriend after he just got pink streaks in his hair." Nico looked down.
Poseidon was quick to speak up. "Oh no, I'm sure Sally already loves you, I'm just concerned how she'll react to Percy getting a piercing without her permission."
"Yeah, don't worry Neeks, my mom already loves you." I smiled at him.
Poseidon shifted his weight. "Great, now that that's settled, let's get you two to your first destination."
"That sounds great." I followed him down the other side of the hill, tugging Nico behind me. It wasn't his fault that his legs were shorter than mine.
"Percy?" Nico said quietly to me, making sure my dad couldn't hear.
"Yeah, what's up?" I asked, a little worried.
Nico used his free hand to run his fingers through his hair, careful not to knock his glasses. "What if your mom doesn't like us together? What if-"
"Nico!" I yelled to grab his attention. "My mom let me go off to fight monsters and risk my life on multiple occasions, if she sees that you make me happy, I'm one hundred percent sure she'll be okay with the idea of us being a couple."
Nico's eyes had literal hearts in them. "Thanks, it's just, I'm not used to worrying about what my mom would think because she's been out of the picture for so long..." A hint of sadness crept into his voice as he brought up his dead mother.
"What was she like?" I asked, half trying to get him to think of the positives, and half because I was curious.
"My mom? She was an Italian woman with a lot of passion in her small body. She could get passionately angry when we got in trouble, but then she would be passionately gentle when we were confused. She always knew when we were hiding anything and she never let us forget how much she loved us." Nico answered, as we approached the sleek black limo my dad had whipped up for us.
I opened the door for him to get in before sliding in after him. "Right, so if she loved you that much, she would have wanted you to be happy. She would have accepted you for who you are and you who love, because that's what love is."
"Not to me." Nico replied, looking just off to my left.
I froze, my hand clutching the seatbelt that had previously been on its way to being clicked in. "What do you mean?"
Nico shifted his gaze to look me in the eye. "I don't think that's what love is. To me, love is being with you."
I nearly melted on the spot. "Nico..."
"Yeah, that was a bit too cheesy..." Nico dropped his gaze and clicked his seatbelt in.
"No! That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me." I replied, giving him a quick peck on the cheek to which he blushed intensely.
We pulled up outside my mom's apartment and stepped out into the warm air. The sun had chosen this moment to hide behind another cloud and I couldn't help but smile. Why did I need the sun if I had my own, the only difference was that mine would never hide who he was anymore. He didn't need his clouds of doubt and insecurity to keep him safe.
"Percy, Nico, are you going to stand there all day or are you coming in with me?" Poseidon called to us from the front door.
"Coming!" I called as I pulled Nico along behind me before he regained his footing and fell into step with me. We climbed the few flights of stairs that separated the ground floor to my mother's apartment. It was a nice moment when my mom opened the door, her face changing from curiosity to glee upon seeing Poseidon. When her gaze shifted towards Nico and I, I swear I heard her squeal in delight.
"What are you doing here? This is such a surprise! Come in, come in! I'll go get some muffins for you guys to snack on." Sally greeted us before rushing off towards the kitchen. Poseidon was the first to step in, he wasn't as familiar with the layout as I was so he just stood off to the side, clearly waiting for me to step ahead of him. I slipped off my shoes as Nico did the same and walked in. After crossing the threshold, I could finally smell these muffins my mother had made and just the scent drove me wild. My stomach growled at the exact same time as Nico's, resulting in a laugh from my father.
"I take it you two are hungry?" Paul smiled as he stepped into the room.
"Maybe a little..." I admitted. "How are you doing?"
Paul gestured towards the living room. "Why don't we talk in there, it'll be much more comfortable."
We all followed him into the warmly lit room and took our seats. Poseidon took one of the armchairs, along with Paul, leaving the couch for Nico and I, and soon to be my mom. "In answer to your question, I'm doing well." Paul's gaze shifted from myself to Nico. "I'm not sure if I've met you before, so I'll introduce myself: I'm Paul, Sally's husband."
"Yeah, Percy told me about you. I'm Nico, Percy's uh..." Nico trailed off, not knowing if he should introduce himself as my boyfriend or not.
"Boyfriend, Nico's my boyfriend." I answered, just as my mom walked in carrying a plate of muffins. I saw Nico suck in a breath, anxiously waiting for their response.
Sally just continued what she was doing and put the muffins down on the coffee table. "Nico Di Angelo, right?"
Nico gulped. "Yeah, that's me."
"I thought I remembered you. And you're happy with Percy? He can be a little annoying sometimes." Sally chuckled.
"Hey!" I called out, a smile on full display.
"There's no one else I'd rather be with, and yes, I'm very aware he can be annoying sometimes." Nico's timid look has transformed into a beaming grin.
"Good, now who wants muffins?" Sally asked, changing the subject as if the thought of me having a boyfriend was no big deal. I think she knew how nervous Nico had been and had kept her inner fangirl about our relationship from spewing out. I could tell from the twinkle in her eye that she was happy for me and supported me. A quick look at Paul told me he was feeling the same.
"I do!" I called loudly only to be met with a room full of laughter.
"Of course you do, you're always hungry." Nico playfully nudged my shoulder, showing me just how comfortable he was with my family, and that meant a great deal more to me than the mouth watering muffin being passed my way. In my life, there's not much that I value more than food, so for Nico to be higher on the list was a big deal.
"Thanks for coming, it was nice to get to know you, Nico. You'll have to come over again soon and show me how to make that fettuccini Alfredo you were talking about." Sally said from the doorway.
"That would be lovely." Nico replied, grabbing ahold of my hand.
I squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Oh, you don't have to worry about us not coming back, those muffins were delicious!" I rubbed my stomach with my free hand.
"I can tell, you ate five of them!" Paul teased from just behind my mother.
"He's a growing boy! I'll make him all the muffins he wants." Sally grinned warmly at me as she leaned into Paul slightly.
"Then you can be assured I'll return a lot more frequently." I beamed at the sight of their closeness.
"Oh, and Poseidon, you are aware the invitation is extended to you as well. I would love to learn more about those hippocampi you talked about." Paul interjected from the inside of the apartment.
"It would be my pleasure." Poseidon nodded his head. "We should get going if you want to get back to camp before dark."
"Yeah, you know how traffic can be sometimes." I went along with my father so my mom wouldn't figure out where we were really going.
"Be safe!" Sally called as we began to walk towards the stairs.
I turned back towards her. "I always am."
The drive to the tattoo parlour where we were going only took fifteen minutes, allowing Nico and I just enough time to talk about his visit to my mom's house. He told me that I had the best parents to have ever lived, and I agreed with a laugh. Sure, I went through a phase where I hated being told what to do, but through everything my mom stuck with me and tried to see things from my point of view. I couldn't have asked for a better mom.
"I'll wait in the car, come out when you're done, and for my sake, try to be safe." Poseidon nodded his head at me.
"Yeah, yeah. We'll be safe." I replied before shutting the door and walking side by side with Nico to the door. It had become a cloudy afternoon with a warm breeze drifting through every once and a while. The breeze ruffled the bell as we walked in, sending a pleasant sound spiralling deep into the parlour. The only reason we'd picked this place was because my dad knew the owner and he'd helped him on his first quest. Yes, the owner was a demigod, and yes, he was good at doing piercings and dying hair.
"I take it you're Percy," said a voice that just emerged from behind a curtain. "And you must be Nico." He gazed at my beautiful boyfriend with a playfulness that I didn't appreciate.
"You'd be right." I almost growled, earning a look of curiosity from Nico.
The guy, who's name I'd forgotten, seemed to sense my thoughts. "I'm Dan, and don't worry, I'm taken." I breathed a sigh of relief. "So, who wants to go first?"
"Uh, I guess I'll go." Nico shrugged as he stepped forward.
"Great, right this way." He pointed to the curtain where he'd first emerged. "And Percy? There's a magazine about sea creatures on the table if you get bored."
"Gee, thanks." I tried to play it off like I wasn't interested, but I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
"Don't mention it." Dan began to walk towards the ominous curtain. "It shouldn't take too long so don't get too absorbed in your reading."
I began to wonder if he could read minds, then dismissed the idea. "Whatever, just don't make Nico uncomfortable."
"Oh, trust me, that's the last thing I'd do." He smirked. "Just playing with you, chill and stop worrying so much." Dan smiled before disappearing behind the curtain where Nico had gone.
I picked up the magazine and immediately smiled. It was the turtles issue! Immediately, images of our date at the aquarium filled my mind. Nico smiling after we kissed. The look on Nico's face as we ate gelato. Nico, in general. I just can't wait to see him with the streaks in his hair...
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Double the length as usual because it was the last full chapter! All that's left is the epilogue! (Unless my brain decided to randomly inject more fluff into the storyline...)
Anyways, what'd you think of the chapter?
Thoughts on Sally's reaction?
Thoughts on poseidon's tie?
Thoughts on Dan? (Hehe)
Thoughts on the amount of muffins Percy ate? (I don't blame him, I would eat a whole dozen of muffins if I could.:D )
Please check out my other stories if you like my writing and follow me if you want to be notified when I post a new story! *hint hint*
Question: if you could get a piercing where would you get it?
My answer: my nose, because I've literally always wanted to get my nose pierced!
Bonus question: what are some of your favourite parts/quotes from this fanfic? (I'm just curious haha)
Thanks again for reading and getting this fanfic to where it is today! I'm sad to be so close to the end, but also happy because this is certainly something I'll never forget. I got to go on this journey with all of you, and I feel like I've actually gotten to know some of you. The amount of success this fanfic has gotten astounds me! I have readers from England, America, France and a whole bunch of other great places! Some of you are reading this in your second language, and that just blows my mind. Expect a huge thank you note to be at the end of this fanfic, because I am so thankful for all of you!
Spread love like butter, and remember to smile! -Tianne :]
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