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Chapter #20; Part 1: I Can't Stand It

~I've been searching for
A boy that's just like you
Cause I know
That your heart is true
Baby, I love you
I never want to let you go
The more I think about,
The more I want to let you know...
That everything you do,
Is super duper cute
And I can't stand it
Let's sell all our shit,
And run away
To sail the ocean blue
Then you'll know,
That my heart is true
You, you got me where you want me
Cause I'll do anything to please you
Just to make it through...
Another year
You, I saw you across the room
And I knew that this is gonna
Blossom into something beautiful.
You're beautiful.
No I can't stand it~

NICO POV

"Hey, man, y'alright there?"

I turned and narrowed my eyes at Jason as he wore an amused expression. I huffed in annoyance and turned away from him. We were currently sitting at the campfire that Camp Jupiter has lit for Camp Half-Blood campers. They liked to keep most of our traditions to make us feel 'more at home' or something like that. The fire blazed a light blue colour. It didn't take a genius to figure out everyone was freezing their butt cheeks off. I could feel my lips turning the same shade as the fire. I stuffed my hands deep into my jacket pockets.

Jason has been teasing me relentlessly ever since we sat down in front of the fire. Why, you may ask? Because I couldn't see the damned flames, okay? I admit it! I have terrible eyesight. I could see a smudge of blue, but I couldn't see the detailed licks of the flames the fire emitted. So because of this, Jason has been poking at me for squinting as I stared down at the people singing and/or performing below. I was about ready to chew his fingers off. Or better yet, tape his mouth shut and feed him to the hellhounds. Has he always been this incredibly annoying? I thought he was supposed to be the responsible one, the 'leader'. Yeah. Right.

"You know, I bet your awful eyesight is because you've been in the darkness underground so much, that your eyes just grew accustomed to it and were damaged in the process." He stated seriously. "You're like a mole."

I stared at him as if he'd gone mad. "You're blaming it on the dark, Grace? That makes no sense!"

"Actually, it does. Looking in the dark can damage someone's eyes, it's scientifically proven. It's bad for your eyes, straining them to look in the dark when they're not meant to see in the dark and all. So, you know, it's only natural that I assume it's because of you being underground, in the dark, that your eyes are messed up." Jason said casually with his lips pursed.

I scoffed. "Maybe you should be hanging out with the Athena kids, smart ass."

He held his hands up as if in surrender. "I still think you should get your eyes checked, man."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and glared at the blurry fire ahead.

He can't tell me what to do. I'm my own man! I don't need any help. I'm perfectly capable of myself. I don't need 'Daddy Jason' on my back all the time. Geesh, maybe I just won't get my eyes checked by an optometrist to rebel against him. Yeah. I'll do that.

~

So I got my eyes checked.

Turns out my vision was worse than I thought. Why I wasn't tripping over my feet more than I was earlier was a mystery to me. I was practically blind. Or, I felt like it, anyways. The checkup was yesterday and they immediately sent me back with my own pair of hell with lenses. It was probably the worst pair of glasses they could have offered me, yet here I am, stuck with them. I mean, I didn't really want neon purple, oval, granny glasses. Nope, never. So these black, squarish, nerdy as heck glasses were mine now. The joy! But, you know, at least I could see now, right?

I've been grumbling ever since I got them, and Jason had only heightened my annoyance. He didn't say anything, but he was silently mocking me. I knew it. I could feel. Plus he was smug that I actually went to get these stupid things. I really wanted to wipe that smile off his face.

"They don't look too bad, Nico, just put them on." He tried to convince me. "No one is going to notice. But they will notice if you try climbing a step and fall flat on your face."

I scoffed and shoved the case that held my new spectacles further into my aviator's jacket pocket.

He pushed on. "You won't be able to see anything without them, I'm just warning you. You won't even be able to see Per-"

I growled, cutting him off.

"Watch it, Grace." I grumbled, my voice low. "I'll do as I please."

With that, I opened the case, took the dreaded glasses out of it, and set the things on the bridge of my nose, drifting off on my own away from son of Jupiter. Gods, I can already tell these things are going to cause so much unwanted embarrassment.

PERCY POV

I was just making my way across camp in the opposite direction from the group of campers I was chatting to moments ago, in front of a dining pavilion, when I spotted a dark figure slinking into the shadows of a nearby building. I didn't even mean to look in that particular direction, but the hunched figure with it's head down caught my attention. I frowned, deciding to take a closer look of the person who so obviously didn't want to be seen. As you can probably tell, they failed miserably.

Once I got close enough, probably fifteen paces away, I realised there would be only one person who would find refuge in the shadows while trying to sneak away. Nico pulled the beanie I now spotted further over his head, his bangs sticking out from the edges, as he shuffled around. He seemed to be trying to hide his face under his black beanie. I wonder why?

"Hey, Neeks, what's up?" I called as I approached him, jogging up beside him.

He jumped five feet in the air at my voice and yelped. Oops, I didn't mean to scare the poor the guy. When he turned around, though, I lost my train of thought. I guess he was trying to cover his face. But not for the same reason as I thought before. My heart melted when I saw Nico spin around with dark, squarish rims around his wide brown eyes. I was a bit more than surprised to see Nico, the son of Hades, the boy who wears nothing but black, the one who would gladly admit he's punk, who would pass as the 'bad boy' if he were in high school, was wearing a pair of big, black, nerdy glasses. And I loved it.

He was staring at me in shock, but instantly began trying to cover himself, pulling his beanie back over his face and trying to cover up the glasses. I didn't know why it was such a big deal, but it was. In a strange way, they just suited him so well. And I say that as a friend, nothing more.

I grinned down at him. "Hey, I didn't know you had glasses!"

He glowered and bowed his head, hiding his face.

"I don't." He grumbled.

"Yeah you do, I just saw them!" I stated.

He grumbled under his breath once more, still not revealing his face.

"C'mon, Neeks. Why are you hiding? They look great!" I tried reassuring him.

That got him to raise his head. He narrowed his eyes at me, but his whole face was red. He was embarrassed. I still couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy while seeing him like this. It's like when you dress your pet up in a cute costume and can't help but coo at them.

"I hate them." Nico stated bluntly, his shoulders hunched over as he glared ahead.

I gulped as his eyes flicked up to meet mine, then quickly looking away. "But you look, uh, g-good in them, honestly. Plus, they, um, help you see and all, so..."

I don't know why I was getting nervous all of a sudden, but my palms were getting sweaty. I wiped them on my jeans and rocked back and forth on the heels of my feet. I heard the son of Hades scoff and shove his hands into his pockets, his head down. I was surprised at how insecure he was, but I should have expected it. I felt a sudden urge to stick up for him and convince him that he is beautiful no matter what he thinks of himself. Not that I, personally, think he's beautiful. I never said that.

So I began to coo. "Nicooooo, don't hide, please? They look great on you! C'mon, people aren't going to make fun of you, if that's what you're worried about. Just look up, that hat isn't going to hide your face forever. You look cute!"

His face was glowing a bright shade of red by the time I finished. He growled.

"Shut it, Jackson." He pouted, taking his glasses off with an angry frown, and closed them up in a black case, stuffing it into his pocket.

I was just about to scold him for putting to waste something that allows him to see, when he quickly spun on his feet, and attempted to make a fast exit. During that attempt, he ended up stumbling forward, tripping on a rock in his path that he obviously hadn't noticed due to his stubborn actions. But before he could fall flat on his face, my eyes widened and I stuck my hand out, grabbing a fistful of his jacket firmly in my hand, and pulled him upright. Seeing Nico's wide eyes and surprised expression once he was standing again brought on a burst of laughter. I couldn't help it, his face!

He turned bright red and his lips pressed into a straight line as he waited for me to calm down.

"I wonder why you didn't see that rock in your way." I faked a thinking face. "Oh, no, wait... I do know why."

I snickered again as Nico huffed, crossing his arms. I took this as my opportunity and leaned in towards him, my face beside his, and my lips beside his ear. I could feel his body tense up immediately, but I didn't back away.

"I bet you wish you had them on now, huh, Ghost King?" I said in amusement, my voice low.

I pulled back slightly and grinned at him. He blushed a deep red, probably from embarrassment. His hands came up and placed his black glasses back on the bridge of his nose. I smiled. The feeling of accomplishment is always a good feeling, isn't it? Nico sniffed quietly and I returned my attention back to him. He seemed to be looking at me in almost a shy way, through his eyelashes, eyes flicking around beneath his lenses, bitting his bottom lip. My heart began beating faster, though I didn't know why.

"... Ahem..." The son of Hades awkwardly cleared his throat.

I finally noticed how close we were to each other. My eyes widened as I realised and I, too, blushed a deep red, becoming very flustered. I pulled back with an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of my neck as my heart beats became erratic. What is happening to me? I think Nico might have said something, but I was too busy lost in my thoughts to hear him. Why am I behaving so weirdly? My palms feel sweaty again and my face is warm. I have this burning feeling in my stomach and breathing picked up. I frowned. This is getting beyond weird.

"... ercy? Percy?" I heard a quiet, deep voice calling.

I snapped out of my thoughts and blinked rapidly, finding a very confused looking Nico standing in front of me.

"Huh?" I breathed.

He paused for a moment, giving me a skeptical look, then answered. "You kind of drifted off, I was a bit... Never mind, I have to go."

"O-okay..." I stuttered.

As his figure disappeared, I began mumbling to myself. What is up with me lately? I began pulling at my hair in silent stress as I sighed, walking off to my cabin. I don't need to give this any more thought. I just need a nap, is all. A nap and maybe a snack of Goldfish crackers.

NICO POV

I was currently sat in Percy's cabin on a chair at his wooden desk whilst he lay on his bed. I don't know what came over us, but one moment we were getting along and chatting about random things, and then the next, we began arguing about something as stupid as Jason. Or, more specifically, mine and Jason's friendship. I don't know why, but Percy seemed to be really touchy on this subject. I don't even understand why! And it bothers me beyond words. He seems to get really bitter whenever his name pops up. But I'm not even the one to mention him. Oh, no. Percy is the one who brought him up in a sort of competitive way, and now we fell into a thick tension.

"Why are we arguing about this anyway?" I growled.

He sighed in exasperation and sat himself up against the headboard of his bed. "Because you seem to chose him over me quite often. Do you trust him more than me or something? Because it feels like you're always going to him. Even after I promised you that you could trust me with anything, you still don't trust me enough! And it doesn't feel good when you go to Jason instead of me, okay?"

"Gods, Percy, you treat me like a child! I can speak to whoever I chose! If that's a problem for you, then go moan about it in your own time, because I'm tired of this conversation." I grumbled in aggravation.

"I don't mean to treat you like a child, but sometimes it's hard to pass a message through to you because you're so stubborn and difficult all the time." He said, gritting his teeth.

"I'm difficult? You're the one who's always on my back! You're always trying to push my limits, and then when you cross the line and I do something about it, you do something like this! And you call me difficult..." I retorted sassily.

He growled angrily. "That's only because I'm trying to stick up for you! All this time I've been trying to help you!"

"I don't need you're fucking help, Jackson!" I spat.

He got on his feet, and I copied his moves. We weren't that far apart, but we weren't close either. Yet I could feel the heat of his frustration radiating off of him. I bet he could as the fire blazing in my eyes.

"Yeah?" Percy said. "I beg to differ! You need my help, but you just don't want to admit it! You secretly crave for help, but here you are, not letting me! What the hell do you expect me to do? Tell me what need, Nico, and I'll be there, but you have to let me be there!"

"You want to know what I expect?" I breathed lowly, cracking. "I expect you to let me go. To give up. To just let me live the cursed life I was given and leave me like everyone else. I don't need anyone. I don't need help. I don't need you."

I had no clue what I was saying. I was in pain and my mouth was talking without my permission. I do need someone. I do need help. I do need Percy. Yet all I felt was anger and pain well up inside my chest.

"That's not true..." Percy said quietly.

I broke. "What the hell do you want to believe?! Leave me alone! I hate everything! You think you can be the hero this time? You think you can be my hero? Well guess what? I'm already as good as dead!-"

Once again, I seemed to end up tackled to the ground by an enraged son of Poseidon. He pinned my wrists above my head and sat on my thighs. The air was knocked out of me when I fell to the ground, but my eyes were still unwavering as they locked with Percy's. He was huffing through gritted teeth, but his eyes held a different emotion from last time. I waved it away and glared up at him, trying to catch my breath.

"Do it, Jackson. Try me." I threatened.

But he shook his head, the emotions in his eyes more clear now than they were before. Sympathy. Sadness. Understanding. Concern. Determination. Worry. I tore my gaze away as I seemed to not be able to regain my breath. I was now gasping for air. As I began to freak out some more, a gentle hand rested on my cheek. I looked up, shocked. Percy had a small frown etched on his face.

"It's okay, Neeks. Just breathe." He said soothingly, his eyes soft.

Oh great, I'm having a panic attack in front of Perseus Jackson.

It took a few minutes to calm down, but when I was finally okay, I couldn't help but keep my eyes on Percy. I can't help but feel intrigued by his sea-green eyes, flecked with gold. They seemed to pull you in, drowning you deep within his irises. I then remembered he was still sitting on me, one of his hands holding my wrists above my head, and the other resting gently on my cheek. My face grew warm as glanced back up at the son of the sea god.

Then I felt his warm breath fan across my face, his captivating bright eyes getting closer to mine, as he leaned in.

~~~

End of Chapter

CLIFFHANGER.
:)

-Nerdy Nico: Yay or Nay?

-PERCICO KISS?!?!?!?!?!?!