Chapter Text
The End
Ugh, why did it have to end? What was the point of an ending if you just had different scenarios going through your head about how it should have ended instead of the way it did end? Did this ending give it closure? There were so many more possibilities that could have been, yet the author decided to choose this route. No matter, this story will not end like the rest. Nor will it begin like any other.
Nico sighed, closing the Kindle app on his phone and sitting back against the tree. A light breeze sifted through his hair, raising the strands ever so slightly before settling once more. He looked at the ground, back at the infernal device called the cell phone. For being a marker on the road to technological advances, it sure made it extremely hard to like it when it gave him such torture. Torture such as the meaning of “what if”.
The book he had been reading on his phone had just been finished, and as cliche as it is, the boy gets the girl and saves the world. Happy ending galore. Nico grimaced, his entire form bending downwards with the frown. He could feel the jealousy for the character and sadness for the book rising as bile in his throat formed, making him feel the need to throw up. How could such a mysterious and dark series turn into a predictable bestseller? It was a great steal and had two books sequels with equally compelling review rates. Deadline pushing? Writer’s block? What would have happened if the writer just took the fan's advice? He didn't ponder long, the thought curdling his mind into unhappiness.
The dark-haired boy pulled out his notebook, silently reflecting his past thoughts. The notebook was worn and torn at the seam, some pages completely omitted from existence by Fate's command, lost and forgotten. Doodles and pictures adorned the pages, mostly of a beautiful field, a calm forest, or a certain person. Nico shuddered at the thought of said person but continued his thinking.
Tap tap
The thudding of the pencil struck the paper, making it even more riddled with wasted graphite. The contemplation of what to draw grew larger and larger before Nico sighed and began his art.
Swift, strong lines flowed across the pages, connecting and disconnecting from each other. The body was complete. Shades and hues were put into play, contrasted only by the shade of the tree. Black like the color of ink, golden yellow rays of sunlight beating on a body, and indigo for his dyed jeans, fading with time. Nico reached for a pencil with the perfect amount of greenish blue before he stopped, seeing a looming shadow that was not there two minutes ago in his peripheral vision. He turned his body, facing the person who always knew where he was at 3:37 PM, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday of the year. Their faux smile plastered across their face that ran chills down Nico’s spine, hands in pockets, trying hard not to laugh at the utter despair of the other. None other than Percy Jackson.
The top swimmer and jock of the school. Muscular, handsome, funny, all the typical signs of a popular guy. He also had the insufferable trait of being a bully too. The thing was, he never went after anyone but Nico. Poor, little Nico, who had never crossed his path until 7th grade Percy and 6th grade Nico had each other in the same math class. Nico had been quite smart in elementary school and even managed to skip two grades, being the small 10-year-old in a middle school environment. Ever since they sat next to each other, Nico has been the prime victim of Percy's ire. From the slight annoyances of paper throws, to pushing him around after class and even some close calls with a near beating, the past four years had been near-Tartarus for Nico every time he interacted with Percy Jackson. Even during the part of their relationship where middle school and high school were not in the same area, Nico and Percy lived almost 2 blocks away from each other, which Percy would take advantage of by visiting his house every weekend. It didn’t help Nico knew that he had a deep-rooted crush on the water boy.
The young man had the most beautiful green eyes in existence, not even being a full shade of green, but a mixture of some magnificent hues of blue and green imaginable. When Nico went to some of the swim meets that Percy dominated for the yearbook club, he had an Adonis body, 6-pack abs rippling down his stomach, and v-lines that could carve their way into a steak. His light tan across his entire body made him even more desirable to others, knowing that only the sun knew what his perfect ass looked like. His muscles were taut and lean, with biceps like a gym bunny, but not like a bodybuilder. His hair was slightly messy and spiked in some directions, but not too long either.
Not only his appearance, but his personality to everyone else besides Nico was amiable and overall grandiose. He was said to go to soup kitchens and help out homeless people not for community service, but because he could. He made friends with everyone in school, even the loner kids who no one liked (rather ironic). The teachers commended his hard work and no one had a problem with him. Except Nico. He was so disgustingly liked it made him almost unlikeable, if not for his dislike for Nico. And Nico still held hope for him, all these years later, because he hoped that he could one day gain at least a sliver of friendship from this guy.
Probably unlikely.
“Hey, what’s up, di Angelo? How’s my favorite fruitcake?”
About two years into knowing Nico, he found him staring a bit too long at his ass and demanded to know what was up with Nico backed up against a wall, shivering at the proximity and the fist close to his face. Through Nico’s incessant sobbing, Percy found out he was gay. Percy then used this information to harass Nico, flashing him with random body parts slightly now and again and then accusing him of being a pervert.
He wasn't a pervert.
Nico looked back down at his drawing and shrugged casually. “I'm feeling fine. Thanks, Jackson.”
Percy meandered up to his side, looking over his shoulder.
“Good. I'd hate for you to be without me around. I just came over to see what you're doing. Daydreaming of sucking someone off? Maybe me” Percy comically raised his eyebrows, as if they were old buddies sharing a joke.
“Finished reading a book.”
“Didn't ask.”
“The plot was decent and the characters were memorable, the series has been-”
“Did I ask for your opinion?” Nico paused and averted his eyes.
"No..."
"That's what I thought. Now, answer the damn question. Do you?"
"No, I-I don't."
"Don't what? Spit it out?"
"I-I don't dream of sucking you off."
"And keep it that way." Percy slapped Nico upside the head, messing with his locks and catching his fingers on the split ends.
On his way out from underneath the tree, he looked back, and Nico liked to imagine he was looking back in regret or was going to caress his face and say ‘I'm sorry’. But he just paused for a brief moment and turned back. Like he had done for the past four years. And Nico turned back to his notebook, lying peacefully away from the carnage. He grabbed it, making sure no stray blood touched the cover page. He sat back, watching the sun filter through the tree's leaves, holding back his tears as he filled in the rest of the shaded lines with their somber colors.
Thus begins our story. It's only the beginning of the story, and introductions are just...