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That's why I felt bad after writing this chapter...
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!!!

Chapter 20; Part 2 : Round And Around

~All along it was a fever
A cold sweat hot-headed believer
I threw my hands in the air, said, "Show me something,"
He said, "If you dare, come a little closer."
Round and around and around and around we go
Oh now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know.
Not really sure how to feel about it.
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you.
It takes me all the way.
I want you to stay
It's not much of a life you're living
It's not just something you take-it's given
The reason I hold on
'Cause I need this hole gone
Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving
'Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving.
Not really sure how to feel about it.
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you.
It takes me all the way.
I want you to stay,
Stay.
I want you to stay.~

NICO POV

Then I felt his breath on my face, his eyes getting closer to mine, as he leaned in...

Hell yeah I was panicking. My heart was racing, beating a thousand times a minute, trying to escape my ribcage. My breath hitched and then stopped all together. My palms were sweaty. My eyes were bugging out of my head, and my body didn't seem to know what to do in this situation, so it froze entirely. Yet even after all of that, my mind seemed to shut down as soon as I felt Percy's warm breath on my lips. My body relaxed underneath him as the scent of the sea invaded my nose, my mind swirling with happiness, and my eyes fluttered closed. His nose touched mine and my body reacted with the contact. When the hell was he gonna move those cute pink lips to mine?

And then he moved, his breath now fanning across my mouth. His thumb was absentmindedly stroking my cheek. I could feel him, not an inch away-

"HEY, PERCY! ARE YOU IN THERE, MAN?!"

We instantly sprang apart from each other as if the other contained a fatal disease. Not a second later, Leo struts in holding a folded sheet of paper.

"I hope you weren't busy, Percy, because- Oh, hey, Nico." He nodded his head towards me in acknowledgement. "So, as I was saying, RaRa Reyna sent me over to give you this message. It pretty much just says that the quest with the hydra invasion wasn't going too smoothly and they might need you on standby if you accept and blah, blah, blah... Oh! And you have the next shift on training duty!"

Percy seemed to hesitate for a moment, then came back to reality, taking the piece of rolled up parchment paper from Leo's outstretched hand. All the while I was trying my hardest not to shrink away and die in a hole. My face was most likely the colour of the pomegranates I eat. Oh, gods... Am I even breathing? Breathe, Nico, breathe!

"Uh, yeah! Sure, man." The son of Poseidon replied after a short pause. "Whenever Reyna needs me, I'll be up for it. And as for the training duty, I'll be there. Thanks, buddy."

Leo saluted as he stepped out of the cabin door. "'Tis but my job, dude! Valdez saves the day!"

Once the door clicked shut, my breath hitched as Percy turned to me. It was only him and I again. My heart beat picked up and I stared at the ground, not able to meet his eyes. What was he gonna say? Reject me? Say the almost kiss was a mistake? Was he even going to kiss me at all? I peeked underneath my eyelashes and saw Percy nervously scratching the back of his neck. Why hasn't he yelled at me yet? Is he.... blushing? Even if he was, I would never be the cause of it. It was probably the embarrassment of almost being caught by a friend in an awkward position with another guy. Yeah, that must be it. Sounds legit.

I was brought back to the real world by a voice.

"So... If you're up for it, would you maybe want to come join me on training duty, Neeks...?"

~

Even though it was winter and most campers were on break from Camp Half-Blood (in other words a break from hardcore demigod training), some kids still wanted to learn more in their free time. I don't understand why, but they dedicate their lives to practice slaying monsters and training with a sword and looking cool and yada, yada, yada. I spent my life running in the dark shadows, banishing unworthy spirits, talking to the dead, slaughtering demons from the Underworld, raising skeleton armies, and learning how to travel through shadows into different worlds (dead or alive).

All in all, I not only look cool... I am cool.

I followed quietly behind Percy as he strode into the big colosseum looking training arena where a little more than a dozen demigods were lined up with weapons ready and armour on. They were all jostling around with their swords and daggers, goofing around, laughing at the dummies who got their heads decapitated by their friends, and tripping over each other's feet. I narrowed my eyes at the group of twelve to fifteen year olds. Why in Hades did I allow Percy to drag me here? Oh, right. Because I wanted to be with him and I just can't say no to those green eyes and that pearly white smile. Ugh, he's incredibly annoying!

"Right." Percy said as he threw his jacket off his shoulders, afterwards clasping his hands together. He stood tall and confident with a broad smile plastered across his face as he observed the demigods in front of him. "I see you guys are a fun group. Hopefully I can spruce things up a little for you, yeah?"

They nodded their heads and smiled up at Percy, some of them had determined looks on their faces. I sighed as Percy began speaking to them again, telling them basic orders. I threw off my jacket like he did not moments before and strapped on my own armour, pulling my sword out of the void. When I turned around, I saw the demigods were practising on dummies, warming up. I frowned, turning my head to the side in search for the seaweed brain of an instructor. I found him in a corner, struggling to tie up his shin and forearm plates. I couldn't help the small smile forming on my lips as I watched the goofball stick his tongue out in concentration.

I slowly trudged towards him. He huffed in frustration just as I stood behind him.

"Need some help with that, Jackson?" I offered with a tiny smirk as he jumped, a slight blush covering his cheeks.

He sighed in defeat and grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, please."

I said nothing more as I knelt down on one knee and began fastening his shin plates. I tied them easily, my movements fluid and graceful after years of practice. I moved to the next one as Percy shuffled into a better position for me to tie them. I felt a bit awkward doing this for him, the silence was only making me even more jittery. As I stood up, the green eyed man in front of me wouldn't look me in the eyes. I lifted his arm up and began working on fastening the armour on his forearms. My head was ducked down low, but I could feel Percy's eyes watching me closely.

I stepped back and cleared my throat, breaking the silence. "Done."

He grinned at me. "Thanks, I guess I need to learn the basics of tying my armour again, hahah."

I gave him an amused smirk and turned to the kids. They were still practicing, but I noticed that they all had a common weakness. Their defence was horrible as they seemed to put all of their focus on attacking the dummy in front of them. Their aim was to kill, but not to protect themselves. That obviously needs to change before someone ends up killing themselves. How could they be so thick?

"Whatchia frowning about? You seem to be thinking of something really hard." Percy pointed out, suddenly right beside me.

I turned my head slightly in his direction, showing him that I've acknowledged him, then stepped up. I felt the smallest bit of confidence wash over as I cleared my throat, ready to speak and give orders.

"Everyone, gather up." I said firmly and loudly, sounding a tad bored.

They all did as were told. It surprised me slightly, but I guess most of them were afraid of me, so go figure. They huddled up in a semicircle around me and waited for me to continue.

"I've noticed, while you were all warming up, that most of you have a lack in defence. That would most likely get you killed the first few minutes out in the real world." I stated bluntly. "So we need to work on that. Since this group is even in number, pair up and wait for further instructions."

The arena was suddenly filled with chatter and shuffling feet. I sighed and leaned on the hilt of my sword, waiting for the little turds to hurry up and find someone to partner up with. While I waited, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped and spun around, finding bright green eyes staring into my dark murky brown ones.

"I considered what you said. Maybe we could show them a few defence technics in different scenarios? You know, before we send them off to practice the moves on their own with their partners?" Percy suggested with a small smile.

I slowly nodded my head. "Sure."

~

"So, when someone is coming at you with a sword, there are many things you can do. Attack them, of course. You could go head on, you could block their blow with your own sword, you could side step, you could dodge it... But, what if you're in combat and your adversary is closing in on you, figuring out your weaknesses, the chink in your armour, attacking you at all different angles?"

I listened intently as Percy walked back and forth in front of me, sincerely intrigued with every word he said. It made me tingle how into this he was getting and how smart and interesting he really was. It was cute, to say the least. And hot. Very hot. I mean, gross! Totally not hot at all! I mean, attractive, young, smart, interesting, dedicated, fit, male combat training teacher? Pffffft... Totally gross.

"Of course you're first instinct would be to attack. It's only natural. Your aim is to disintegrate the monster that is the threat, but what about you? You still have to defend yourself while in battle, it's mandatory for your survival." Percy continued. "That's what we'll be learning today. My partner, Nico, and I will show you how it's done first. Watch Nico closely."

Finally, some action.

I stood up straight and gripped my black Stygian iron blade sword, taking slow steps towards the son of Poseidon, almost tauntingly. I have no clue where my new found confidence came from, but it didn't last long, I'll tell you that. I readied my sword as Percy mimicked me. I could feel about half of the kids' eyes on us while the other half was whispering as if I couldn't hear them. Humph.

My attention was brought back to the son of the sea god as he nodded his head, making the first move. His sword hilt came up, and soon it was coming back down, aiming for my chest. I tucked in my sword closer to my body and popped the hilt of my own weapon out, pushing Percy's sword away from my body as I stuck my foot out and kicked him in the opposite direction of myself, making him stumble backwards. I made sure I didn't hurt him, though. Not that I was going easy on him or being a sissy, it's just... I guess I just don't want to be responsible for hurting him. Yeah, that's it. I don't want to get into trouble.

"Nice." Percy commented, nodding his head in approval. "Now, let's see what happens when I get a bit too close for comfort, shall we?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. He just smirked and repositioned himself. I didn't have the time to prepare myself for what happened next. In a flash he was right beside me. I turned and raised my sword to protect my face just in time to catch Percy's blade and inch from the tip of my nose. He leant forward, his face between our crossed blades and grinned. My breath hitched from the closeness. Oh, gods... What did I get myself into? I was beginning to get nervous. My palms were sweaty against the grip of my sword.

Before another thought could pop into my head, I gasped as an arm shot out, gripping my elbows and tucking them into my ribcage.

"When your fighting this close to your enemy, make sure to keep yourself tucked in and secure, leave nothing vulnerable for your opponent. They'll strike immediately if they find a weakness, trust me." Percy warned.

I gulped as he circled around me, then stopped just behind me. Suddenly, two warm hands were placed on my shoulders. I tensed up instantly, my heart beating wildly. The effect this guy had on me... I bet he could hear my heart hammering against my chest right now. His face was right beside my cheek as he lent over me, one of his hands reaching out and repositioning my sword, all the while explaining to the young teens again.

I moment later, I was in a chokehold. My eyes widened in shock as I stared up at Percy behind me, holding his sword at my throat while I dropped mine. His arm shifted, wrapping around my shoulders, holding me to his chest, his head resting against my hair. I could feel him chuckle, the vibrations rippling through his chest, making me shiver slightly. I guess I should have kept my jacket on if I'm cold.

"Keep your feet apart, knees bent. You have to always keep your body grounded." He whispered in my ear, causing another shiver to travel up my spine. Hopefully he didn't notice. "And never let yourself get distracted."

I narrowed my eyes. I'm not going to let him do this to me. I spun out of his grip, making sure to stay away from his blade, and rolled across the arena floor, grabbing my sword in the process. I popped back up on my feet and crouched, ready to fight. Percy grinned, approaching me with his sword, Riptide, at the ready. This time, I made the first move. I went to pierce his chest, but he stood confidently and deflected my dark blade away from his body perfectly.

"Good defence, Jackson." I noted.

He smirked, stepping closer to me. I tensed up and held my sword closer to my body. Why is he acting so strangely today? I couldn't place my finger on it, but he seemed almost... Playful? It was definitely strange, anyways.

"I've had practice." He shrugged modestly. "But, I could still use your help showing our group the way I should hold my sword properly."

I nodded my head, taking a hesitant step towards him. He waited patiently as I cleared my throat, gripping his forearm, keeping my gaze anywhere but on his face. I grabbed his other hand, ignoring the tingles it brought me, and placed it on the hilt of his sword with his other hand. I then gently placed my hand on Percy's chest, feeling him tense up under my touch, and pushed his sword closer to where I put my hand, tilting it slightly. I frowned as I saw his Adam's apple visibly bob. Why was he suddenly nervous? Did I make him uncomfortable? I felt a bit hurt by this thought, but didn't let it show.

"Good." The son of Poseidon murmured. "Now close combat."

We began fighting, both focused entirely in the battle. It was a clash of metal against metal, small swipes, blocks and interceptions. Our bodies were so close together that I could feel the heat radiating off of Percy. Our swords were practically glued together. My sword seemed to have suddenly hooked on his, and I stumbled backwards, tripping over my feet. His hands shot forward and gripped my waist. I gasped. Well, I'm sorry if I'm a teenage boy with a stomach full of butterflies, but gods... It felt like from his simple touch on my waist set my body on fire. My face heated up.

Our noses were only inches apart. I was breathing heavily from our battle and so was he. I also noticed that he hasn't removed his warm hands from my waist yet. I gazed into his green eyes and they seemed to twinkle with something I couldn't decipher. His face held a goofy grin. With my own little smile, I pulled away, turned around while he was distracted and nicked his cheek with my sword. I smirked as he turned around with a surprised expression. Percy suddenly began laughing and I swear my mind turned to mush.

"Hey, that wasn't fair, Neeks!" He chuckled.

I lent on the hilt of my sword. "Who ever said I played fair, Jackson?" I smirked.

He raised an eyebrow in amusement and my confidence vanished, a blush forming on my cheeks as my gaze drifted to the arena floor once more.

"That was hot."

My head flicked up to see a girl who couldn't be much younger than me, wearing lip gloss and a layer of makeup, staring between Percy and I. My eyes widened as I froze on my spot. This day was just getting worse. I bet soon enough my face would explode. I just can't handle blushing this much. It's so girly, too... I hate it. It shows vulnerability. So I glared at the and she gave me a sassy look back. Percy burst out laughing at my shocked expression. He sent the group of kids to go work on they techniques and turned back to me.

I huffed and pouted, crossing my arms. "Useless child."

"Dude, she's like fifteen. You're the same age." Percy snickered.

"I think not, Jackson." I scoffed, crossing my arms and leaning against the nearest wall. "I'm still a year her elder."

He looked shocked as his eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Wait... You're sixteen?! Since when?"

"Since over four months ago, Tuna Breath." I replied, pushing myself off of the wall.

"What..." He muttered under his breath. "Wait, why didn't you tell anyone you were sixteen?"

I shrugged, smirking. "I think mystery makes everything a little more exciting, don't you?"

With that, I walked away leaving a stunned looking Percy behind me.

PERCY POV

"You can't tell me you've never watched a film, Nico." I said in disbelief and slight horror.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "When I was child, we didn't have such thing as movies. I just never got to it."

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him down in the beanbag chair next to me. He stumbled back and fell into it with a yelp. The son of Hades turned and glared at me in which I replied with a sheepish smile.

"Well, I'm glad I convinced you to join us for a movie night, then." I piped up happily.

The whole group was with us as we decided to get together in Frank's cabin and watch a movie with snacks and comfortable chairs and blankets. It seemed like a great idea, so I decided to drag Nico along with me.

~

"I can't believe you laughed when she was murdered!" I exclaimed in a fit of giggles.

Nico shrugged with a small laugh of his own. "It was obviously the most fake thing you've ever seen, Jackson. I don't understand why you're overreacting."

I was clutching at my sides and trying to breath through my laughs. Oh, gods, that was the best thing ever! Everyone was so into the movie, the most intense part when a girl was being murdered by a serial killer, and out of the blue Nico begins to snicker beside me, trying to muffle his laughs behind his hands, which only made it sound like tiny snorts. Everyone in the room turned to glare at him and I just couldn't hold back my laughter as well.

"Oh, Mother of Poseidon, that was gold!" I sputtered in amusement.

Suddenly, I was attacked by a flying piece of popcorn. I whined and turned my head to see the person who assaulted me with food. I mean, it wasn't even blue! How could you eat that?

"Shut up, Fish Brains! If you haven't noticed, the movie's still playing and we're trying to watch the rest of it!" Piper scolded.

Jason chuckled beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at her earning myself a glare in return. Leo and Frank were trying their hardest not to snicker at us.

"You're all children stuck in teenage bodies, it seems." Hazel laughed.

Nico's eyes twinkled with malice. "Well, if we're children... What does that make you, little sister?"

Hazel's eyes widened as the rest of us began to laugh. She pouted and turned back to the movie, pretending to ignore us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nico lean down and hug Hazel, kissing her on the cheek. His sister's eyes enlarged once again, as if she were surprised by her brother's affectionate gestures. Which was most likely true. The sight made my heart melt, but I held back my 'Awwwwww'.

Not more than three minutes later, Nico and I were engrossed in another conversation, totally forgetting about the movie playing in the background. I realised that I was slowly leaning towards him while we were speaking. Once realising this, I flushed a deep red and scooted back into my beanbag chair before anyone else noticed. Wait a minute... Did Nico just look disappointed? Nah, my eyes are playing tricks on me.

"Hey... Percy?" His voice was suddenly a lot quieter, I had to lean in to hear him. "Do you... Do you think I belong here?"

I stared at him, taken aback by his question. "Of course I do! We all welcome you. I mean, I guess Leo and Frank might need to get used to you for a little bit, but in no time-"

"I meant here at camp. D-do you think I should... stay?" He asked hesitantly.

I think I just had a heart attack. Did Nico just ask if he should stay at camp? Like he was literally considering staying? At Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter? I think I might faint.

"Yes!" I replied excitedly. After a moment, I realised how crazy I sounded and cleared my throat, a sheepish smile on my face. "I mean, yeah. You should stay. It's what I've been trying to tell you all along. Me and all of the others, actually. We want you here. And... I really want you to stay, Neeks. I really do. I couldn't handle if you left again, honestly. We've become really close lately, I can't lose you. I care about you, so of course I want you to- Oomph!"

I was practically tackled out of my beanbag chair and onto the floor in a massive bear hug by none other than the son of the death god. I chuckled and looked down to see him smiling up at me. Actually smiling. My breath caught in my chest and my heart beat picked up. That smile was probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And I've seen the home of the gods. I can't believe I haven't noticed Nico's beauty until now. He was truly beautiful, in a none cheesy and corny way. He was literally breathtaking. Literally. I can't breathe. Help me.

Instead of pushing him away, I gave him a warm smile and hugged him back. His face was now hidden in my chest. Tingles rippled through my body and my face heated up. I rested my cheek on top of his hair, breathing in his vanilla flower scent. Gods, he smelled so good... No, I'm not sniffing him. I'm just breathing deeply through my nose.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter had us jumping apart in shock. I completely forgot there were other people in the room, was that bad?

"Hey, Percy, you've got to see this guy's bowl cut!" Leo snickered.

Neeks and I shuffled away from each other and pretended like nothing happened as I joined my other friends.

Why does everyone keep interrupting me whenever I'm actually happy?

... With Nico?

~~~

End of Chapter

Like? Yes? No? Maybe? :)

Comment what you expect to happen in the next chapter ;)

What would you LIKE to happen? (Most of you guys will comment a Percico kiss, I just know it. I can feel it.😉)

- Playful Percy

- Teasing Nico?! YAY or NAY?
(Yay!)