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Dear the ones I love,
I hope this message doesn’t arrive late, I put Hermes on the job for a reason. I, Percy Jackson, will be dead within the next 24 hours. There are no options for me to take that will prevent this, my dad has already tried all he can to, and all I can do is say I’m sorry. I don’t want to die, but this is what’s going to happen as the fates determined. I have no idea how I will die, I only know that it will happen.
You all have given so much meaning to my life, and for that I will be grateful past death. Seriously, my life could have ended so much faster without you all in my corner. Throw a good funeral for me, and make sure every single food is blue. I don’t care what the food is, make it blue.
I hope to see you all later, Percy.
P.S. I hope I don’t die in a stupid way, that would suck.
Handing the letter to Hermes, Percy felt he should have been crying. He should have been cursing the gods, or trying to find some way to defy the fates, but in his heart he knew this was it. He just needed to make sure everyone knew he wasn’t going out a sore loser.
This would be the last letter he would send. As soon as Poseidon told him, and he accepted that he would be dying in some unspecified way in the next 24 hours, he decided to start writing letters while accepting his dad’s offer to grant him a wish. He wanted Hermes to deliver these letters, and dear old dad was able to get his help.
The first letter he wrote was to his mom, his first thought upon sitting down to write was she should be the first to hear—er, see—this news. He couldn’t talk to her directly, she was sick. Well, moreso injured. She was in the hospital right now, and he didn’t want to disturb her. He couldn’t admit he was dying soon to her face while she was already so weak.
After that heart-wrenching letter, he wrote to Paul, his step-dad, and his younger sister Estelle. He tried to keep that letter as gentle as possible. It wasn’t right that he wouldn’t be able to see her grow up.
He realized if he spent his final hours writing letters, his friends may never forgive him, so he decided to make a more general one for all of his friends. It was good that he decided to do this instead, because after he barely managed enough energy to nod to Hermes who left in a flash.
Collapsing onto his bed, he could hear his phone start to ring. He… really didn’t want to talk to anyone. What if he died on call with them? That would be awful for him to put them through. Nobody was close enough to his apartment to disturb him, to his knowledge, and for once he preferred this. It was eight in the morning, and he was going back to bed for maybe the last time.
Silencing his phone, he cherished the feeling.
Nico’s day started really early, but it was only about seven when he started functioning properly. It was at that time when he was about to go into the kitchen to see what his ex was cooking that a tall man manifested into his bedroom.
Any normal person would be confused by this, but Nico was a demigod and the tall man was his father.
“Father? What are you doing here?” Nico stared up at his father, who looked deadly serious, more so than usual. The demigod took a step back towards his bed. “Is there some issue with the underworld?”
His father sat down on the edge of his bed, motioning for Nico to join him. Nico hesitantly did so, even as his stomach begged for food.
Hades sighed. “I was informed of something today, and I cannot prevent it. I can only warn you.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll be dying in the next 24 hours. By this time tomorrow morning, you’ll be with me in the underworld. There’s nothing you and I can do to stop it.”
Nico didn’t really know what to say after that. Someone normal may have asked more questions, but he only felt that one was truly meaningful.
“Why are you telling me this? Why not just let it happen if it has to?”
He watched Hades consider this question, which shocked him. Hades really did this on a whim, instead of planning as he usually would? This was interesting to see from his father.
“Because I felt you’d use your time wisely.” Hades responded quietly. “Whether you live for only the next hour, or until morning, you’ll find some way to make the most of it. See to it that you do.”
Nodding, Nico stood up. “I will.”
Then his dad was gone, and he was back to being hungry again.
The kitchen was occupied by Will Solace, the person he decided to continue living with even after they broke up, because they still cared about each other. He knew Will needed to work on how he operated in romantic relationships, and he himself needed to as well.
Nico watched his ex happily finish making some bacon, plating the food with a cheerful hum. He was already dressed in scrubs for his shift at the hospital. Nico considered not telling Will, or telling no one at all, but he felt getting it off his chest selfishly was fine if he was truly about to die.
“Will?” He came up to pick up his plate Will had set aside, two eggs and three slices of bacon formed a smiley face on the porcelain. “I really need to tell you something.”
Will picked up his own plate and started making his way towards their tiny dining room table, sitting down as Nico followed.
“Tell away,” Will said. Nico opened his mouth to speak before Will cut him off. “Though if it’s about some sickening nightmare I’d prefer to talk about it after we’ve finished eating.”
Snapping his mouth shut and sitting down without saying anything felt like torture to Nico, but it was probably for the best he sat down before he said what he needed to say. He could already guess how Will would react, likely he would cry and try to prevent Nico’s death, as inevitable as it was.
“I’ll be dying in the next day or so.” Nico admitted casually, eating his eggs casually too because fuck it, he was starving.
“What?” Will asked quietly, pausing while he held his fork in the air. A piece of egg dangled from his fork, which Nico decided to look at instead of Will’s face. “Repeat that?”
“My father told me I will die in the next 24 hours, and there is no way to prevent it.”
“There has to be some way! What if you stayed in bed all day? I could call in sick and—”
“No matter what we could try, it wouldn’t change anything. Hades would have told me if it was possible. Honestly, I don’t want you to see me die either.” Nico took a breath. “Besides, I’m not against death’s design. Remember Octavian?”
Will looked haunted by the memory. They let that man die together.
“W-Well…” Will ran a hand anxiously through his hair, taking a shuddery breath. “What do you want to do? We could go out?”
“I say go about your day as normal, without me.” Eating the last of his bacon, Nico stood up with his plate and headed towards the kitchen to clean it off. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my final day with my ex, no offense.”
“N-None taken… I know who you’d rather spend the day with instead…”
Before he got the chance to snap at Will, the doorbell rang. He set the plate down and rushed to get the door before Will could stand up. Opening it, he was surprised to see Hermes.
“Letters for Will Solace and Nico di Angelo!” He announced cheerfully, handing identical yellow envelopes to Nico. Nico glanced down at them, and when he looked up the god was gone.
He felt the envelopes with the tips of his fingers before silently closing the door and walking back over to Will. Handing Will his envelope, he stayed standing up while he ripped open his ferociously. Opening this letter could be a waste of his precious time after all.
Inside was a letter from Percy Jackson.
Nico shadow traveled away before Will could say anything.
Percy wasn’t expecting a weight to fall on top of him when his eyes were closed, and he panicked. He was dying this fast!? His eyes shot open and he shoved whatever it was off of him just before realizing the mysterious weight was Nico, who was certainly not heavy enough to crush him.
“What are you doing here?” Percy sat up as Nico moved to sit next to him instead of on top of him like moments before.
Why did he even ask? He knew why Nico was here.
“I wasn’t going to let you spend your last day alone,” Nico reasoned.
“That’s not your choice to make, really.” Scooting to the edge of his bed, Percy stood up and stretched. “You probably shouldn’t stay, I wouldn’t want you to die with me or have you watch me die.”
He walked into the living room of his apartment, heading to the kitchen to look for a snack. Nico followed him, despite Percy trying to make it clear he didn’t want Nico to get hurt by sticking around.
Casually, Nico hopped onto one of the counters once Percy went over to the pantry to grab some chips. “I’ll be dying whether I stay or not. So…” Nico said while staring at the floor and letting out a nervous chuckle.
Percy nearly dropped his chip bag. “What do you mean??”
“I’m dying today too.”
What were the chances? Maybe they died in the same way, so shouldn’t they not stick together? But death was inevitable, so wouldn’t that not change a thing? Ugh, he needed to come up with a reason why Nico should go, but he couldn’t put enough conviction behind any of his words. Maybe he did want Nico to stay.
“...I still don’t want you to see me die,” he tried.
“I’m the one most used to death, and what if I die first instead?” Nico spoke blandly. “What if we die and no one can find our bodies and then can’t get closure? I think that we should stick together, so when one of us does eventually keel over, the other person can say what happened.”
Percy was barely in the mood for chips now. He ate a few before starting to walk back to his bed. Having this conversation while laying down sounded better than having it while he stood up.
“We can spend the day together,” Percy relented. “I guess it makes sense since it’s both of our last days.”
He flopped onto his bed unceremoniously. Burying his face in his favorite pillow, he’d miss it when he was dead. Percy didn’t see Nico get on the bed too, but he could feel the mattress dip and move as Nico laid down to his right.
Taking his head out of his pillow, because suffocation would be a pretty bad way to die, Percy stared at Nico. Nico didn’t seem to mind, he stared right back.
“How do you think you could die? You’ve always seemed invincible to me.”
Shrugging, Percy turned over to lay on his side instead of his front. “But I’m certainly not.”
“Hmmm,” Nico tilted his head upwards, looking at Percy’s headboard. It was made of oak wood, with screws holding up many pictures of his friends and family. “Maybe you could drown?”
Percy couldn’t help but laugh at that. The conversation was morbid, and yet somehow Nico found a way to not make it unpleasant. “Literally impossible.”
“But what if it’s not water?”
“I can control all liquids, Nico.”
Sitting up and propping his body up with his elbows, Nico frowned down at him. “How did I not know about that?”
He didn’t really want to say why, even though he knew the exact reason. He could still remember how terrified Annabeth looked at the time. They broke up when Annabeth said she really needed to focus on college, but he still kept his promise to her.
“...I don’t usually mention it.” He tried to leave it at that.
Nico looked down at him from where he propped himself up. “Why not? It’s cool.”
‘I guess…” He looked into Nico’s dark eyes once more, and found he could be honest. “It reminds me of Tartarus.”
They fell into uncomfortable silence after that, since Nico likely didn’t know what to say now. Instead of looking into each other's eyes like before, Nico was now looking away and sitting up fully.
“I’m sorry I reminded you of it.” Nico finally spoke, but it came out softer than before. “I didn’t mean to.”
Percy didn’t mean to make Nico feel bad, and now he felt they needed to get out of this awkward turn to the conversation quickly. He was thinking of things he could go see and do a few seconds before Nico dropped on top of him, that could be a nice change of subject.
“Hey, it’s alright.” He sat up and placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “I guess since I can’t drown and I could save you from any water based threat, would you like to go to the new aquarium near here…?”
“That would be better than sitting on your bed all day,” Nico commented with a smirk. “Should I shadow travel us there?”
“...Nah. It’s within walking distance, save it for something more far away?”
Standing up, Percy watched Nico nod before he told him he was changing out of his pajamas. Nico turned around, staring at a blank blue wall as Percy tugged some pants on.
“How do you think I’ll die?”
Percy grunted as he pulled up a pant leg, hopping on one foot. He couldn’t really think of any reply, so he just finished putting his pants on and walked out of his bedroom, brushing past Nico.
“No idea, I don’t have any guesses. You’re also pretty… invincible.”
Nico laughed and hid it behind a hand, Percy wasn’t sure why.
They headed outside of Percy’s apartment, heading down stairs and walking through some busy city streets. People were heading to their jobs, and on a normal day Percy would be doing the same. Not on this day though, he was ignoring his boss’ calls just like everyone else’s.
Percy was leading the way to the aquarium, brushing past people like it was no big deal. He didn’t stop to consider how Nico would fare, but he didn’t have to. He felt a hand grab his, and he finally did stop.
“I keep losing you,” Nico said quickly. “Let’s just hold hands.”
He slowed down his walking so Nico wouldn’t have as much trouble, but the amount of people in the streets made it difficult for him to not speed up on quite a few occasions. Pulling Nico closer, they finally made it through the crowd and to the entrance of their destination.
Then his body tensed. What if Nico died here? Should they just stay home? No, that would be a waste of their last day. They needed to go inside because if not, they never would.
Nico, without any of Percy’s fear. casually led him inside, not letting him even pause their walk. Once a worker scanned their tickets, which Percy got on his phone, they headed inside. They were instantly greeted with multiple hallways, all leading to different exhibits.
Percy didn’t notice their hands were still clasped together, he was too busy eagerly heading towards the otters he saw advertised on a sign. He had never seen otters in real life before, and he really wanted to. In response to his excitement, Nico simply shrugged and followed.
The otters were more majestic than Percy expected them to be. They would swim in performative loops, going between the surface and the deeper parts of their water area. It was almost mesmerizing to watch this pattern, but then he spared a glance at Nico.
One thing people assumed about Percy was that he was clueless, but that was far from the truth. Nico chose to hang out with him out of anyone, and Percy knew it couldn’t just be so their bodies could be located. Will was a viable option to Nico, and yet he still chose Percy.
His mind brought him back to the day Nico confessed he used to have feelings for Percy, but not anymore. It seemed so sudden, and it looked like Nico was feigning nonchalance. He watched Nico walk away towards what would later be his ex-boyfriend, and Percy let him.
His mind brought him back to the current day, where he realized there was no need for them to hold hands, yet they were still doing it.
If this was truly Nico’s final day alive, shouldn’t he make it a happy one for him?
Taking a breath, he started walking to a dark exhibit. The darkness made it harder to see people, including Nico, and that gave him confidence.
“Hey, Nico?”
“Mhm?” Nico went up to a tank holding some worm looking creatures that stuck their bodies out of the dirt. Eels, probably? Percy didn’t bother to read the sign.
Taking a second to gather his thoughts, he squeezed Nico’s hand. “Does spending the day with me make you happy? I don’t want your final day to not be a happy one.”
“I could ask you the same question,” Nico said as he moved on from the eels, taking Percy along with him.
Does spending time with Nico make him happy? Well, it usually did when there wasn’t a looming sense of dread over all of their interactions. Knowing you were going to die soon really could give you a sour mood.
And yet… he didn’t feel the dread as strongly when he was with Nico.
“Yes, you do make me happy. Now, you can answer.”
Nico scrunched his nose up—he didn’t believe Percy. That was okay, but Percy hoped he would by the end of the day.
“I’m happy to spend the day with you because I still love you.” His back was turned to Percy as he started walking towards another exhibit, but he stated his feelings so casually that Percy was caught off guard. “I want to go see the sharks now.”
Why did I tell him!?
Nico almost shadow traveled away the very second the word love left him. Knowing he was dying made him throw caution to the wind, and now he was silently guiding Percy towards the sharks.
All he could think about now were the other people he loved. His mother, his father, his sister, and, sadly, Will. It wasn’t Will being a terrible boyfriend that made him regret loving him, no, Will was alright and likely could be a good match for someone else. The regret stemmed from him not thinking he could pursue Percy.
If he just held out while Percy was dating Annabeth maybe he could have…
No. He couldn’t change the decisions he made, he could only think of the small future he had left.
“I want to go visit my family’s graves,” Nico blurted out once they had seen a few more exhibits. Percy turned to him, a confused look on his face that made Nico want to shrink into himself.
“Your mom and sister have graves? I didn’t know that.”
His 18th birthday wish to his father was to have them built, and he didn’t tell many people about them. Why should he, when he was the only person who would ever visit them? Besides, if the information ever got out, it could be used against him.
“Hades built them at my request, they’re in Italy.” He made sure Percy’s hand was still firmly in his.
Percy looked at him doubtfully. “That’s pretty far to shadow travel to, are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll manage,” was all Nico said before doing exactly that.
They were placed right in front of Maria and Bianca di Angelo’s graves. The stone was barely dirty since Nico washed them meticulously every time he came to see the two, except this time. He let go of Percy’s hand, which was surprisingly steady after shadow traveling. Usually, people would tremble. Percy did seem to stumble at least, which is what he expected.
“Their bodies aren’t here,” Nico managed to say. “But I like to think they can hear me, even if I know it’s not realistic. I wonder if they know how I’m doing right now, and what’s about to happen.”
“I hope I’ll see them soon.” He knelt on the grass, brushing the dirt of both of their graves with his hands. “As morbid as that is.”
“I understand the wish, and I hope to see Bianca again too.” Percy stood behind Nico, sighing. “I barely got to know her before… what happened happened.”
They settled into silence as Nico stared at the two graves. He wasn’t holding back tears while he thought about how needed to let Hades know he wanted to be buried here with his family. Nope, not him. Even so, he wasn’t finished visiting family just yet as a living being.
“I should”—Nico grunted as he stood up from where he was crouched—“I should go visit Hazel.”
Seizing Percy’s hand again, he didn’t shadow travel immediately. He was preparing himself for the feeling. “Are you going to tell her that you’re dying?”
Nico hesitated before muttering, “I’m still thinking about it. I want to tell her—but is that the best thing to do for her sake, or just my own?”
He received no response, so he decided to shadow travel to relieve the awkwardness between them. It didn’t really work, because they stayed silent even after the process was finished. Why did he have to say what he did back at the aquarium? Yes, he was still blaming the tension on that fuck-up.
“We’re here,” he announced as if Percy couldn’t see Hazel’s apartment door right in front of them. Percy leaned on the wall beside it, likely trying to keep his balance after the teleportation. “I still don’t know what I’m going to say.”
Percy knocked on the door, and Nico hesitated to even take the steps needed to get his feet on the doormat.
“Percy?” Hazel opened the door, she looked like she was crying. “I got your letter.”
Oh, right, Nico hadn’t thought about that part in all of this. It made him rethink all of the possible actions he could take, but that was alright. Overthinking gave him clarity… at least some of the time.
“Are you really dying today?” Hazel asked, and Percy slowly nodded.
“I am too.” Nico let the words come out and his feet carry him forward, even as his mind yelled at him to stop. “And I can’t do anything either, which is why I wanted to come see you before it happens.”
Hazel’s eyes were glassy as she instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him securely. He always felt safe when he was hugging his sister, but he couldn’t explain exactly why.
“How did you find out?” She asked him quietly, keeping the hug going.
“Hades told me. I’ll be dying by tomorrow morning…”
It was so strange to consider his own mortality. He had seen so many others die, but it didn’t really make him think how he would. But now that his impending doom was pushed to the forefront of his mind, he understood why Sisiphus tried to cheat death. He didn’t want to die, despite it being an inevitability and something he pushed for others to accept.
Lost in thought, he didn’t comprehend what the other two were saying as they went into Hazel’s apartment. On the kitchen counter he spotted what he suspected to be a sandwich that was in the process of being made. For some reason, this was the moment when he started actively listening to what the two were saying.
“I will be pulling you two out of the underworld,” Hazel announced. She pulled two plates from some cabinets and put bread slices on them.
Percy and Nico shared an awkward look. Would Hazel be able to revive them?
“You really don’t have to do that,” Nico chuckled awkwardly, “I’ll take good care of Percy in the underworld, I swear.”
“You’re right. I don’t have to.” Hazel finished making a sandwich before moving onto the next. “But I’m going to anyway. Now, what do you two like on your sandwiches?”
Nico shook his head, he really wasn’t in the mood for lunch. He was surprised when Percy went over to start making his own. Being close to his death didn’t make food any more appetizing to Nico, but Percy seemed to be operating as normal. “I’m not really in the mood to eat, sorry.”
Hazel stormed up to him, and he instantly knew he fucked up. He put his hands up in mock surrender, taking a step back as she gained ground. “I’m asking for one last lunch with my brother, are you refusing me that?”
They participated in a staring contest for a few seconds until Nico sighed, resigning himself to making a sandwich. “Alright.”
He made a suitable sandwich and sat down next to Percy at the dining table. Percy gave him a smile as they sat down at the same time, and Nico felt his cheeks heat up. Looking away forced him to look at his sister. He’d be leaving her behind soon. As much as he wished he wouldn’t have to, the certainty of death loomed.
Nico bit into his sandwich to distract himself, but found himself not really enjoying his creation. Glancing over at Percy, he recognized a similar reaction. He also recognized that Percy put turkey instead of ham on his sandwich. Percy didn’t like turkey, but Nico did.
Thinking back to Hazel’s sandwich making setup, the ham was far away from Percy. Maybe he didn’t see it?
“…Percy?”
Percy hummed in acknowledgement, swallowing his bite.
“Want to swap sandwiches?”
With an excited nod, the two swapped sandwiches. When Nico turned his attention back to his sister, she was resting her head on a hand while staring at him. He paused his eating.
Hazel lifted her head with a small smile. “You’re spending your last day with him, Nico?”
The knowing look she was giving him sent shivers down his spine. He honestly hoped to keep his ongoing attraction to Percy a secret from the man forever, and yet his plan wasn’t working out. He didn’t have forever. He only had today.
The thought depressed him, but he tried to keep a strong face up for his sister. “Yes, I am. He’s nice to spend time with.”
He could not have sounded more awkward.
“I see,” Hazel responded while finishing off her sandwich, she then gathered the other two’s plates.
All Nico could think was he didn’t want Hazel, who was such a kind soul, to see him or Percy die. He stood up and followed her to the kitchen which wasn’t very far off from the table they left Percy at. Apartments aren’t very large, after all, especially when you can barely afford them.
“I have to go,” Nico confesses hesitantly. He doesn’t want to leave her, but that’s the selfish part of his brain speaking.
“You mean you want to?” Putting their plates in the sink, she turned to look at him. She looked hurt, but there wasn’t anything Nico could do. He would die, and no amount of comforting her would change anything. But he decided he could at least be honest with her
He sighed and stepped closer just to be seized in a bone-crushing hug. “Uh—Hazel. I don’t want to go, but it’s a matter of you seeing me die or not.”
“I understand.” She squeezed him once more with an impossibly tight grip before letting him go. “Have fun and don’t waste your final day with him.”
Nico smiled at her. “You’re an amazing sister.”
And his amazing sister said with him.
She was implying something, and saying it kinder than he himself would have if his sibling abandoned him like this. Still, Nico was unsure whether to listen to her advice or not.
Once he and Nico shadow traveled back to Percy’s apartment, Nico fell to his knees. They hit Percy's carpet with a thud. At first, Percy thought he could have been exhausted, but then he saw Nico’s body shudder. Kneeling beside him revealed that Nico wasn’t visibly tired, but he was crying.
Percy wrapped his arms around Nico’s trembling form, trying to provide some sort of comfort even while his own mind was racing and dizzy from shadow travel. It was quickly going to be nighttime, and he wondered if his death would be a painless one. How was this going to end? He was scared to find out.
Suddenly, his knees weren’t meeting the carpet but were rather sinking into his own mattress. Nico had shadow traveled them to Percy’s bed. The feeling of shadow travel made him take a deep breath, but he still found it very cool. If he could, he would exchange most of his abilities for the ability to teleport.
Nico was suddenly laying down, and Percy followed him. He refused to let go of Nico, not yet. He needed to make Nico feel better, but he didn’t know how to yet. In his attempts to think of something, he smiled.
“Want to spar, Nico? Like the old days?”
He looked down at Nico, whose face was buried in his chest, and heard him mumble. “I’m too scared of skewering you…”
“That’s fair, actually.”
They laid in relative silence—Percy guessed they were both too scared to say what was running through their minds. What Nico said made sense. It made sense to want to be cautious, but Percy wanted to rebel against the idea. He wanted to be reckless. This was his final day, wasn’t he allowed to be?
No. Not if it meant sacrificing Nico’s happiness. No sparring. No dangerous undertakings.
But he knew exactly what would make Nico happy, and it would be reckless of him. He needed to think about the decision further. Running a hand through Nico’s hair, he felt the man calm down gradually in his arms. After the silence between them dragged on for ages, Percy slowly untangled himself from Nico and sat up.
It didn’t seem very long that they got to enjoy each other's embrace, but it was hours in reality. They spent hours just… holding each other.
“Can we go on a walk?”
Nico silently nodded up at him before also sitting up, stretching out his arms.
They ended up walking the streets of New Rome. Percy would be taking in the scenery for the last time, but all he could focus on was Nico. Nico’s face as he looked around at the people and shops. The way his small reactions could hold many secrets Percy would never uncover, not with the limited time they had left.
There could be one way to uncover some, however.
Who was going to judge him? He guessed those actual judge guys in the underworld, but he was sure this wouldn’t affect their placement of him. Besides, his comfort in the afterlife was basically guaranteed with Nico by his side.
He took Nico’s arm in a hand, bringing their walk to a sudden halt. “Hey. Can we talk about what you said at the aquarium?”
Crossing his arms, Nico spun on a heel to face Percy. “I said a lot there.”
“You know what I meant—the love thing—and I just want to know more.” Percy’s brows furrowed, and he felt some of his confidence leave him. “Did you mean it…?”
Nico hesitated, and he looked Percy in the eyes. “Yes.” He took his arm slowly out of Percy’s hold. “I did. Does that bother you?”
Percy kissed him.
It was a very simple kiss at first. He could guess Nico had felt better, but he put a lot of effort into tilting his head and putting his arms around Nico’s waist. Their simple kiss turned far more complicated after that, and Nico broke it with a nervous chuckle.
Percy thought he did something wrong, but that was before he saw the adoration in Nico’s eyes.
Nico spoke to him breathlessly, reaching up to wrap his arms around Percy’s neck. “We should… go somewhere more private.”
They shadow traveled to a roof as the sun started to set. Percy could ignore the passing time when he was kissing Nico though, and the dizziness the teleportation gave him that made his steps uneven. The kisses they shared left him breathless, but he could care less. Suffocating in love didn’t seem like a bad way to die.
When they finally broke apart, Percy couldn’t keep a smile off his face. He looked out at the setting sun, and he took a step towards it. In an attempt to admire it and the people below, he attempted to sit down on the edge of the roof.
He forgot about his dizziness.
He forgot about the sun.
He forgot about Nico.
He forgot about everything in that instant.
All he felt was panic as he lost his balance and fell head first onto concrete.
Nico knew he was too late as soon as Percy slipped, but he tried to grab his lover’s hand anyways. He had just gotten everything he had ever wanted—and the best kiss of his life—of course it was ripped away from him in an instant. He expected it, but it never failed to hurt.
After letting out a blood-curdling scream, Nico descended down the stairs of the building. He found no energy to shadow travel again to reach Percy. His body felt numb. It barely responded to reasoning.
When he reached the ground floor, he shoved past a few people to reach Percy. He could feel that Percy’s soul was already gone when he looked down at his body, and he felt like he was choking. Percy’s soul was comforting, he never realized it until now. The emptiness terrified him.
Still, he knelt down beside Percy. Nico pressed a kiss to the back of one of Percy’s hands before letting it fall limply.
A sob came out of his body as he retreated from the soulless body, turning his back to it and walking away. He went to the back of the building, where no one was around.
Why did it have to happen to Percy? Why did he have to die first? Why did the world insist on him never being happy?
He fell to his knees, putting his hands over his ears. This did nothing. His overwhelming grief was not a sound he could muffle. It was all consuming. It devoured him, leaving his body useless and numb. Well, not completely useless.
Without his input, a crack formed underneath him, similar to the one that took Bryce Lawrence’s life many years ago. He didn’t move to get up. He stared at it. He could feel Percy’s soul, faintly. It was on the other side of the crack. Using his powers, he widened the crack.
He let death take him too.