Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Rick Riordan.

Description: Basically, I rewrote the River Styx scene.

Okay, I got this Nico thinks to himself. He looks at Percy.

"Let's do this" the emo says carefully. The blue eyed man nodded, and walks to the Tunnel of Orpheus.

"Sing." Percy asks Nico. The son of Hades looks at him incredulously. "Me? Why me?" Nico complains to him.

"If I sang, it would probably cause an avalanche." He says. But really, Percy just wanted to hear Nico's voice.

"That's what we need." Nico points out, pointing at the rocks. Percy cussed under his breath.

He has a point The logical side of Percy says. But Nico the really gay side argues. Valid point the intelligent side admits.

"Just do it." Percy says. Nico coughs awkwardly. He really does not want to embarrass himself in front of Percy.

"Come on, just do it." Percy says. An idea forms in his head.

"If you do it, I'll kiss you." Percy challenges. Although, as soon as the words slip from his mouth, he wanted to take it back. It was too late though. Nico already heard.

"What?" Nico says, shocked at his words. Percy looked at him with horror.

The demigod started to defend himself. "That-," Nico cuts his sentence off.

Nico was at a tough spot. He could do it and possibly ruin the remains of their complicated friendship, or not do it, leaving them stuck at Orpheus's tunnel.

"Fine. I'll do it." Nico says, scratching his arm. Percy grins at the shorter person. Nico felt warmth show in his pale skin.

"For the quest not you." He says, wiping his face, hoping to cover his obvious blush. Percy crosses his arms.

"Sure."

Nico breathes in, preparing his voice. He opens his mouth and he starts to sing 'The Joke' by Brandi Carlile.

"You're feeling aren't you boy?" Nico sings.

Yes Percy thinks.

"With your quiet voice and impeccable style."

"Don't ever let them steal your joy
And your gentle ways, to keep 'em from running wild"

Percy knows Nico just started the first few lines, but he sounded angelic. Beautiful. His attraction for him grew stronger, which stressed him out.

"They can kick dirt in your face
Dress you down, and tell you that your place
Is in the middle, when they hate the way you shine"

Nico sings quietly, letting the lyrics flow softly from his voice. He drew out his passion and weaves them into the words.

"I see you tugging on your shirt
Trying to hide inside of it and hide how much it hurts"

Percy and Nico both winced at that line. It was all too familiar to them. Nico keeps singing, and Percy just stares in awe.

"Let 'em laugh while they can
Let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind
I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends
And the joke's on them" Nico sings.

"You get discouraged, don't you, girl?
It's your brother's world for a while longer
We gotta dance with the devil on a river
To beat the stream
Call it living the dream, call it kicking the ladder"

Nico discovered this song recently. He heard it on some radio and he really liked it. It was one of the modern songs Nico really liked.

"They come to kick dirt in your face
To call you weak and then displace you
After carrying your baby on your back across the desert"

"I saw your eyes behind your hair
And you're looking tired, but you don't look scared"

Percy glances at Nico, watching his cute face quietly. Then it hit him, like a train of sadness. Nico understood the lyrics. He felt those lyrics.

He was tired. He wasn't scared of the world he was forced into. He was too tired to feel scared. Too busy to feel pain. He was just an emotionless shell of tiredness.

Percy tried to reach out. To touch him. But he was held down. Why not? His heart says. We can't risk it his brain responds.

Percy glues his hands to his side, fearing he might do something stupid.

Nico carries on. "Let 'em laugh while they can
let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind"

"I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends"

"And the joke's on them"

"Let 'em laugh while they can let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind"

"I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends and the joke's on them" Nico finishes, staring at the closed tunnel.

The rocks separated, leaving a clear path for them to pass through.

"Nico-." Percy says, but Nico cuts him off.

"We don't know how long it'll stay open, let's go while we can" Nico says, passing through the tunnel, Percy following quietly.

Alas, they arrive to their destination.

To the River Styx. This was nice. Percy searches for a place to get food. Unfortunately, he remembered he couldn't eat food in the Underworld.

Percy looks around, drawn to the river, watching his only source of water quietly. At the distance, Charon weaves through the water gracefully, as moaning and sad spirits ride with him.

Random stuff pollute the river. A picture of a family, a wedding ring, a graduation cap.

The hopes and dreams of the damned.

Percy takes his eyes off the pride flag that floats by, covered in blood. Nico glances at Percy. Percy isn't anything like Poseidon, but he may seem out of place in a very different realm.

"Percy-," Nico asks, but Percy pulls a smile from his obvious discomfort. "Let's continue" Percy urges.

Percy passes by dead bodies, fires, craters, other such Underworld-ly stuff. Percy tried not to vomit every time he saw something gore-y.

Percy tried to make jokes but he couldn't tell if the tension eased between them. Also, death.

Nico glances around, conflicted. He feels cold here, but accepted. Welcomed. Probably because he was the son of Hades. He shook off the feeling of coldness creeping up his arms.

"We're going to the exact place Achilles got his heel, so we're going to pass the Fields of Asphodel. Don't make eye contact or talk with the spirits." Nico explains.

Percy nodded, tugging at his sleeve nervously. Nico and Percy moved on.

After a few minutes, they were in the middle of the Field of Asphodel. Percy tried not to look at the spirits at all. The spirits were gray, dull colors. No life to them at all.

Until Percy saw her. A black girl, with light hair, wandering aimlessly through the fields. Percy stares at her. She was different.  Not supposed to be here.

The girl's eyes pierced him, her golden gaze meeting with his sea foam eyes. Her hands moved, attempting to touch her.

Touch it! Percy's brain thought. Okay.

Percy, entranced, move to touch the girl's outreaches hands, to read her story.

"Percy, we're-," Nico says, turning to see Percy, reaching his hand to the girl.

The son of Hades groaned and tackled Percy, causing him to yelp, and he fell, cutting off his and her's connection. Soon, the girl turned and continued on, confused and dazed like her friends.

"Percy!" Nico said, on top of Percy's body. Percy squirmed beneath Nico's body, his body feeling hot. "What did I tell you?"

Perch blushed shoving Nico's body off of him, and standing up. "Not to look at the spirits?"

Nico looked at the boy, aggravated. Out of frustration, he grabbed the boy's wrist and pressed on. "You are so annoying"

They continue walking in silence.

Percy grinned knowing the tension dissipated. "Can I look-,"

"No!"

Percy pouted, though he planned on annoying the boy more. "Don't even try to cause more trouble!" Nico says.

The taller boy grinned. "No promises." Nico sighed.

"Why?" The shorter demigod asked. Percy thought for a while.

"Because it's fun." He sassed. But really, he thought it was cute when Nico was annoyed. He saw Nico's eyes twitch.

"Just- just don't annoy me." Nico said, letting go of his wrist so he can massage his headache.

"Then how will I enjoy this trip?" He asked, folding his arms. Nico cussed under his breathe in Italian.

Nico and Percy continued on, walking side by side to the River.

Scratching his ear, Percy grabbed an asphodel. Nico, done with him, shot darkness towards him, hitting his hand.

Percy looked at the asphodel, falling to the ground. "Nico! The flower!" Percy said, looking at the dead flower sadly.

"Don't touch the fucking flowers!" Nico demanded. He turned around to continue the way.

Nico let out a strangled sound and grabbed Percy's collar. The demigod yelped as Nico shadow-travelled him to the River, the fast way.

Percy fell to the ground, scratching his elbow, and Nico landed on Nico's chest, passed out. Gulping, Percy gently shoved Nico to the side, who was still asleep.

Perch stared at him for awhile, watching his angelic face illuminated by the hellfire. Remember the mission.

"So, do I just jump?" Percy asked, looking at a bug passing by the river. The bug is splashed by the Rivers water, dying immediately.

Percy stares at the bug, eyes widened. "So no." He looks to Nico, who is still asleep. He smiled, watching the Italian's face glow in the darkness of the Underworld.

Percy takes off his shirt and shoes, and threw it to the side. Hesitantly, he tested the water with his toes.

A burning sensation spread from his toes to his legs. Percy felt like yanking his foot away from the River.

Continue a quiet voice said. Percy put his foot into the River, trying not to cry. He continued doing this, slowly putting his entire legs into the River.

Percy tried to put his waist in, but slipped on a rock, and Percy yelped preparing for the pain.

Uncomfortable, boiling, warmth spread everywhere to his body. Heat pressed into his body, drowning him and filling him with fear and immense pain.

Percy tried to breathe, scared. Water invaded his lungs, cutting of his breath. He tried to reach the surface, but he was too weak to escape.

You're not in Daddy's domain now a loud, booming voice said. Percy's body floated away from the surface.

His body limped, his entire body and mind weakened. Every insult, bruise, scar swirled around him, tenfold. Everything seemed so scary, hard, painful.

Painful.

Tears rolled down his face, wanting to escape, but also not wanting too. Too weakened and painful to try and fight off death.

Percy, with the very little will to fight, screamed for Nico. To save him. For him to save me from the world.

Yeah, that's not going to work.

Percy, in a final, desperate, moment, saw his friend's faces.

Annabeth's face stares at him, before disappearing into smoke. His mom, Grover, Chiron, The Stolls, Tyson. He tried to grasp on to their faces, stayed tied down to the world.

But they all disappeared.

This was the first time in Percy's life he was so scared.

Nico wakes up. "Percy!" He yelled, searching for his stupid face. When he didn't see it, he started to panic.

"Percy?!" He yelled. He looks to the river, seeing Percy, shirtless, floating on the river.

Nico, not hesitating, he jumps into the River, swimming to Percy.

Ignoring the pain, he swam towards Percy. Nico's pale hands grabbed Percy, who was also swimming towards him.

As soon as Nico's hands touched Percy's soft face, he collided his lips with Percy's. Nico started to cry, wishing this the first time they met.

Percy, shocked at first, kissed him back. They both started to cry, kissing each other. Letting each other feel each other's pain.

Percy lifted his hand, and they both blasted out of the River. Still kissing Nico, Percy landed both of them safely on the shore.

"I never thought I would see my son making out with a child of Poseidon on my realm." A booming voice said.

They both looked up, and saw Hades, looming over both of them, a look flashing between his eyes.

The look someone makes when they won a bet.

"Congrats, Perseus Jackson. You're weak spot are you lips. Now get out." Hades said. Extending his hand out, a tunnel opened, letting Nico and Percy our safely.

"Bye, dad." Nico said sheepishly.

Percy wrapped his arm around Nico's neck. "Bye, Mr. Hades." Percy said. Hades glowered at the son of Poseidon and sighed, going back to his palace.

Percy and Nico both walked towards the exit smiling at each other.

It felt nice to finally express their feelings for each other. Finally let each other love. They don't know what happens next, but they both now it's going to end with them together.

And that kiss? It was the best underwater kiss of all time.

////////////////////////////////////////////

Bonus:

Hades walked back to his castle, smiling.

Walking back into the garden, he saw Persephone, planting an asphodel back in place.

"Stupid Poseidon kid." Persephone grumbled.

"I told you Persephone." Hades brags. She wasn't there too see it, but it was there.

Persephone stands up and walks away from the asphodel. Persephone wraps his arms around Hades, making Hades blush.

Persephone moves close to his ears, whispering "How about we just forget this?"

Hades grinned and pushed Persephone away. "That's not gonna work on me."

Persephone pouted. Persephone hated cleaning Cerberus. Hades whistles, and Cerberus comes bounding towards them, slobbering. Hades pets their heads and gives them treats.

"Okay, Spot. Go to Persephone." He says pointing to Persephone. Persephone's eyes widened when she saw the Hellhound bounding towards them.

"Wait, no!" Persephone yelled, but Spot already  pounced on her. All of their heads were licking her.

"Ugh Spot!" Persephone said disgustedly. She couldn't hate them for long. Soon she was hugging at Cerberus.

"I hate you." Persephone said to Hades.

"I love you too."