[ when she says that, that percy has that way, he can't help the ghost of a smile that flitters at the corners of his lips. percy does have a way about him and that's why it had been so hard for nico to push aside his feelings. it had always been so hard to not give in, to bask in that tendency of percy's to put others at ease, but he'd had to constantly remind himself that it wasn't anything special, it wasn't anything meant necessarily for him. it wasn't like percy felt anything for him. percy was just a likable guy and nico was... well, the son of hades. and all that time, nico thought it was never meant to be.
until now.
granted, there are still issues. it's why he's walking with annabeth now. it's why she's telling him about what percy said. of course percy would tell annabeth. he expects nothing different. while he knows percy truly cares for him, desires him even, he also knows annabeth is percy's true love. the one who walked through tartarus with him. nico may have walked there too, would've been willing to do anything to protect percy ( and annabeth ) from those horrors, but he hadn't been strong enough. ( he might never be as strong as annabeth and percy are together ).
the hands in his pockets turn into fists as he tries to keep from letting his emotions get the better of him. it would be too easy to let his emotions out like he'd done when pushed by cupid, but he doesn't want to subject annabeth to the freezing darkness that his emotions would emit. this isn't her fault, it's his and percy's and he knows he has to face the consequences. ]
Of course he did. [ he winces at his own bitter tone and tries for something much lighter. ] I mean-
[ this is hard, he thinks. maybe not as hard as coming out had been, but definitely difficult. a sigh escapes him and he stops in his place, staring out across the grass. ]
You were there when I admitted how I'd felt for Percy. I... wasn't entirely truthful. Or, at least, I thought I was. I just didn't think there was any way anything would happen between us when I know his eyes are always on you. He loves you more than life. I knew I couldn't compete.
[ no matter how much he tried. not even waiting at the side of the styx had been enough. ]
I didn't want to hang onto feelings that would never go anywhere. So I gave up. But here... [ his shoulders rise and fall as he swallows and glances towards her. there's guilt in his colorless eyes and the smile has been replaced with a frown. ] I don't know how it happened, but it did. I fell back in love with him and I doubt I could ever stop. I love him, Annabeth. Maybe as much as you do.
[ she catches the briefest hint of a smile from nico, feeling an odd companionship over the moment. because it's easy, loving someone like percy. it's easy loving percy, just percy, and she can't really fault nico for that. not considering how long she's known - or at least, considered. seen the possibility. known it in her gut. for as long as everyone had whispered about nico crushing on annabeth, annabeth had other thoughts. thoughts she never voiced, less they become true.
faced with them now, she feels almost partially to blame. or- no. blame isn't the word she's looking for. something else. some kind of guilt that weighs at her chest.
she feels at war with it a bit - those feelings of her heart versus the facts in her head - but before she can get swept up in them she feels the air shift, the tension harden. noticing this allows her to expect the bitter tone to nico's words, unsurprised and expectant when it comes out. nico fumbles over them, and annabeth lets him, feeling him come to a stop and taking a few more steps herself before stopping, her back to him as he starts to explain.
he loves you more than life. i knew i couldn't compete.
annabeth turns, then, to face nico. watches his shoulders rise and fall. watches his form, still a bit hunched, braced against what he thinks will follow. as he talks, annabeth schools her expressions, holds back on her thoughts, lets the information happen without barely a blink before she starts to process it.
i love him, annabeth. maybe as much as you.
she will admit, her chest tightens when he says that. an internalized competitive and possessive side to her lurching at the sound of it. her jaw does tense, her need to be able to control her own emotions fighting hard to keep it in check. she doesn't take her eyes away from nico, and if he keeps watching her, he will probably be able to see that momentary shadow cross her grey eyes.
one moment passes, then two, before annabeth takes a slow breath and forces the tension out of her jaw. ]
I know, Nico. I have known. It's not... [ she trails off, that steadfast determination to keep her straight face faltering as her shoulders drop with her next exhale. it feels a bit like defeat, in a strange way. like she's been fighting this fate of theirs, trying to force something normal for her and percy, for once. and now she's come to realize that was never in the cards. not for them, not since the beginning.
annabeth sighs, her eyes falling to the ground between them as she tries to recenter herself. they need to talk about this, she knows they need to talk about this, but whatever plan she had going into this conversation escapes her now, leaving her frustrated and a little tired. ]
I don't blame you for it- or fault you, or whatever you want to call it. It's- [ she presses her lips together for a moment, trying to sort out how she wants to say what she's thinking. ] It's not like we get to choose who we fall in love with, and gods know he has that way of getting under people's skin.
[ there's another pause here, where annabeth weighs her thoughts, the scales tipping back and forth behind her eyes before she finally looks back up to nico, forcing herself to keep her head up. he deserves that much, despite how much they both want to run from this conversation. ]
He loves you too, you know. [ despite her best efforts, her smile is a little sad here. ] I don't know how, or in what ways, but he does.
[ he loves you too, you know. that almost makes him scoff ( old habits ), but he withholds his derision. it's not fair, he knows, to blame anyone for the truth in annabeth's words, even if he doubts them a little. in his head, it's still hard to believe that percy feels anything but uncertainty towards him when for so long their relationship had been so... unclear. not quite friends, but certainly not enemies. to think that percy might feel more than attraction makes nico's head spin and he shifts his footing.
how does he respond to that? should he argue against it? that seems rather counter productive when annabeth knows percy as intimately and emotionally as he does. if not more so. she would know what percy's feeling probably better than he does. and nico has no doubt that annabeth could lay it out in the most logical argument possible for something like this.
so he doesn't argue against it. he merely lifts his shoulders again, this time in a shrug as he shifts his gaze to the ground. ]
That may be true, but he'll always pick you first.
[ it's a truth that cannot be denied and he likes to think they both know it. after all, percy never would've considered going as far as he did had annabeth never left. he recalls what percy said about him being there for percy and knows that percy never would've needed or wanted him, much less looked at him the way he had, had annabeth been here the whole time.
and when it came to either grasping his hand or falling with annabeth, nico had seen first hand the choice percy made. it still tears him to pieces inside. ]
And it figures you'd known. [ a short, mirthless laugh escapes him. a soft heh. ] I mean, it's you. You're pretty much a genius. If anyone could figure me out, it's you.
[ his feet scuff at the ground again and fortunately no grass dies around his toes. but his emotions are still simmering and he's unsure how to let go without lashing out. ]
So what are we going to do then? I don't want to give him up, but- I know I can't compete to what you two have.
[ annabeth can tell that he doesn't believe her, and she has to push down that urge to argue further. to prove it to him. she'd seen the way percy had looked when he explained what happened, she could tell what it meant. and maybe she doesn't understand it, maybe she can't quite wrap her head around it, but she knows. the combative part of her almost says as much, again, just to make him believe, but she holds her tongue.
but he'll always pick you first.
she doesn't know how to respond to that, so in turn she feels herself start to frown. ]
Being first doesn't really have anything to do with it. [ because, okay, he's not wrong and they both know it. annabeth won't admit it either, but that fact is part of the only reason she's not as freaked out as she otherwise should be. percy loves her, and that isn't what they've come to discuss.
he just also happens to have feelings for nico. on top of that.
but then he laughs - short and soft - and annabeth relaxes just a bit. ]
You aren't very subtle, honestly. I'm surprised no one else figured it out. [ she shrugs, a little curious at the slight shift in tone of their conversation. wondering what nico means to bring all that up.
but then it returns again, and annabeth's eyes follow nico down to his feet. watching to see his reaction, to try and gauge how in control he really is in that moment. she has a feeling, but she isn't sure, and the lack of dead grass is...what, a good sign? or just that he's better at hiding his tells? ]
I don't know. [ she nearly cringes as she admits it, hating the way the words taste. ] I'm not...good at this. This is for Piper, or Sil- [ she bites back on silena's name, still uneasy and unsure how she feels about it all. she still hasn't spoken to the other camper, despite hearing from percy that she was here and alive again. that was another can of worms she'd have to deal with at another time. ]
In the end, it's not up to me. [ the words come out easily, despite how much she hates it. she wants it to be up to her. she wants to make an easy decision so that this could be buttoned up and pushed away.
but it's not that easy, and with the expression percy had shown her, she knows she can't just fix this. not as easily as she wants to. ] Or you, for that matter.
[ annabeth turns to look back further into the park, the lightly winding trail. she still wasn't sure how she felt about eudio, especially considering all of this, but she could appreciate the thought put into the layout. the elegantly sweeping architecture of the small croppings of stone scattered throughout. it calms her enough to keep going. ]
Percy cares about us both and apparently has feelings for us both. The nature of the agreement we made to come here- unless your's was different from mine- kind of changes traditional ways of looking at relationships. [ she pauses, suddenly not sure if that was where she should have gone with it, before she sighs and shakes her head a bit - reaching around to rub at the back of her neck. ] If I had an easy answer for you, I would have offered it up already. But I don't. I don't know if there is one.
[ after a moment annabeth drops her hand and slides it back into the pocket of percy's sweatshirt, looking back to nico with what is probably her most genuine face she's worn through the course of all of this. ]
I love him, Nico. I am always going to love him. And if you make him happy I'm not... [ an exhale, short and a bit forced - it could be a laugh, but it sounds a little too lost, a little too desperate for that. ] I'm not going to get in the way of that.
[ the laugh soon returns, despite even himself, as annabeth insists that he's not subtle. and frankly, he agrees. he'd tried so hard to make people believe he hated percy and she saw right through him. is he surprised by this? not in the least. once again, she proves to be the girl he's always admired and the one percy loves so much. he really should've expected as much.
he recalls that day in camp halfblood, when the war was over and he'd thought he was over percy too. the light in her hair, the pleased gleam in percy's eyes, and the way she'd given him a high-five. it reminds him that he likes annabeth, for all the jealousy he's had of her. it's a large part of why he could've never brought himself to come between them, though at that time, he'd never believed he could.
now, things are so very different. the dynamic has shifted and nico has gained something he'd thought was forever out of reach. but at what expense? her short, frustrated sigh clues him into just how much she's struggling too ( a strange realization for him given she always seems so composed ). they both love the same person and neither wants to see the other hurt. ]
I've had enough meddling from love gods, to be honest. As nice as Piper is and Silena... was, I don't really want their advice. Moments like these. Moments like these, I need logic to work through how I feel.
[ he looks up at her, expression genuine as that familiar manic light gleams in his eyes. percy and annabeth are a thing that's meant to be. he and percy... they're on the verge of being something too. only one solution comes to mind, one that doesn't leave anyone out. loathe as he is to share percy, he knows that loving percy means loving who percy loves. so his eyes seek hers and he withdraws his hands from his pockets. ]
I don't think any of us will find an easy answer. [ though he suspects that percy would be the best of the three to figure something out. not because he's smart or logical like either nico or annabeth, but because he lets his emotions rule his head better than the other two ever could. ] But... I may have a solution.
[ he licks his lips, gaze darting away for only the briefest of seconds, but when it returns to her grey eyes, his expression becomes determined. ] I won't let you stand aside for me and Percy. That wouldn't be fair to either of you. So why don't we just... [ his shoulders lift and fall in a shrug. ] Share him.
I'd do anything for Percy and I know you would too. I guess... I guess I like you. Maybe not, you know- Like that, but still. And I know that if I want to do what's right for all of us, it means accepting you being with Percy as well.
[ as he speaks, his hands move, gesturing as though he's agitated. it's more that he's trying to find the best way to word things. ]
It's not possible to make Percy choose, so why don't we give him both of us and work things out as they come along.
[ his laugh pulls a small smile from her too, and briefly she feels a lot more like annabeth and nico than she has up until this point. like it's still a secret shared between them. part of her wonders what it would have been like if she'd been there after they found him and his sister. what would have happened if she'd been around when he was introduced to the world. it's not worth too much thought - she wasn't, too busy trying to chase down luke, too busy holding up the sky - but she does entertain it briefly. wonder if things would have been different, then.
most of their early time together had been, what annabeth now knows was, jealousy. nico watching her and hating her. nico watching her and wishing she wasn't there. and maybe it was never that intense, maybe his jealousy was never that bad, but there was something that shaped those few years, that pushed nico away.
there is something inside of annabeth that almost feels guilty, but she's brought back to the conversation at hand. ]
Oh I definitely don't want the gods involved. Just- [ well, he has a point too. piper isn't here, and as much annabeth wished she was, it wouldn't be any help. logic was the best way through it, as nico suggests, but annabeth pauses even still. because if there's one thing she knows, it's that with love (and also percy jackson) logic wasn't always the best. but she waits for nico to offer his suggestion anyway, and when he does, she just...stops. ]
Share...him? [ it's a bit difficult to wrap her head around, so she gives herself a few moments to weight the option out.
at first, she doesn't like it - but that only takes a moment for her to recognize that as her own pride getting in the way, and she files it back. second, she's unsure of it. she may not be an expert on relationships, but she knows enough to know that for most people, sharing wasn't really an option. and she's still not sure how she feels about it, but she also knows that they are demigods, which means they're anything but most people. third, something about the simplicity of it doesn't quite...stick. yet.
as she processes, her face defaults into an intense expression - brow furrowed and lips in a tight line. it's not until he says i guess i like you that annabeth breaks out of it, blinking and looking back to the son of hades.
he's trying - that much she can see. it gives her an extra push to possibly consider it. an option. she doesn't have anything better to suggest, does she? ]
I guess I like you too. [ she says with a small, almost playful smile. because really, she does. nico is interesting, a quiet, withdrawn kid who had grown into...well. what she sees ahead of her. with an interesting kind of confidence and a mind and wit she could actually talk to.
for so long it'd only been percy that annabeth doesn't even know what it means to possibly be attracted to someone. so much that she's not even sure what she should be looking for. still, nico has a point, and annabeth finds herself nodding, letting out another longer, more relaxed breath of air. ]
It's worth a shot, if anything. [ even if she hates the idea of going into anything without a little more confidence that it'd work. ] But we'll also have to run it by Percy. If he's....comfortable with it.
[ watching her consider is a fascinating experience. one that ties patience in with something almost like attraction. the small crease between her brows, that tiny furrow of her lips. it's not something he'd see from percy and he doubts it's something he shows much. so much of his own thinking is done behind shuttered expressions that, really, only someone like annabeth can read. and percy... well, as much as he loves the son of poseidon, he knows percy is more prone to action than thought.
so it's a relief when she exhales slowly, nods as she comes to a decision. if they can agree on this, it's a good first step. after all, it would only cause percy pain if they couldn't come to some sort of arrangement, a consensus.
which brings his thoughts back to percy and how he'll feel about this. once again, annabeth has the right of things. they will have to check with him first, to see if he's comfortable with all of it. nico has a feeling that percy will be pleased. not just because the two people he cares about might be getting along, but also because this way, percy can have them without having to worry about trying to parse his feelings for them.
and he wants everything to go well for percy. it's why he's been willing to sacrifice so much over the years. for percy's sake. and in his head, making this small sacrifice seems worth it if it means he can, for once, have percy's love. it may be divided, but it's certainly better than being forever in love with a boy who won't look his way.
so he grins. it's more of a smirk because to him, this is an achievement. it means he's grown enough to accept his feelings in a way he'd never been willing to before. he's also grinning because he feels like this might be the best way to make things work. he's already told percy he can't go back on being in love with him, can't go back to being unloved in return. there may be a chance it will all fall apart, but nico's used to those kinds of chances. he was willing to bet on percy in the styx, willing to bet on percy and annabeth in tartarus, and he's willing to bet on this now. ]
Naturally. From this point on, all of our decisions should probably be made as... well, a threesome?
[ and here, a slight hint of color takes to his high italian cheeks. not because the idea is scandalous to him ( here in eudio, he's taken part in his fair share ) but because this is something new for them all and part of him really wants to explore it. ]
[ she's been called out on the look more than once, and there was a bit when younger annabeth was almost self conscious of it. the way luke and thalia would poke at her for the creases in her brow, how kids at camp would call her mean. percy even called her out on it more than a couple of times, talking about how intense she'd get when they were faced with a problem. she's no longer concerned with it - the look itself is so much of who annabeth is as her blonde hair and grey eyes - but it can still catch others off-guard.
whether or not nico is watching her, she doesn't quite notice, still trying to process how the idea fits in her understanding of things. what holds out above everything else is the fact that in the end, she'll do what it takes to make percy happy. if he's safe, if he's okay, and if they're together? then she doesn't have much room to complain.
and nico seems almost visibly more relaxed, and annabeth can...try. she doesn't know yet how she feels about it, or if she thinks this will even work, but they're going to talk to percy and nico is smiling and all things considered, she doesn't feel bad. she doesn't feel like it'll fail, and they've definitely worked through worse odds than this.
the comment he gives makes her blink, looking at nico with a blank, unassuming expression, like she can't even start to process he said that. she lets that sit for just a moment, before she feels her face break into a small grin. annabeth isn't laughing at him, but there's definitely a joking tone to it, before she shakes her head. ]
You said it. [ but he's right, and with a bit of a breath annabeth lifts her head a little more to check down the pathway. she knows they haven't been followed, and she knows no one is listening - or probably would even care - but she feels herself need to check just in case. ]
We can go back and talk to him at the apartment. [ when she'd messaged nico, percy was still sleeping. it'd be a 50/50 shot on if he was still there when she returned (considering how poorly they both sleep whenever the other isn't there) but it was a good place to start. ]
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until now.
granted, there are still issues. it's why he's walking with annabeth now. it's why she's telling him about what percy said. of course percy would tell annabeth. he expects nothing different. while he knows percy truly cares for him, desires him even, he also knows annabeth is percy's true love. the one who walked through tartarus with him. nico may have walked there too, would've been willing to do anything to protect percy ( and annabeth ) from those horrors, but he hadn't been strong enough. ( he might never be as strong as annabeth and percy are together ).
the hands in his pockets turn into fists as he tries to keep from letting his emotions get the better of him. it would be too easy to let his emotions out like he'd done when pushed by cupid, but he doesn't want to subject annabeth to the freezing darkness that his emotions would emit. this isn't her fault, it's his and percy's and he knows he has to face the consequences. ]
Of course he did. [ he winces at his own bitter tone and tries for something much lighter. ] I mean-
[ this is hard, he thinks. maybe not as hard as coming out had been, but definitely difficult. a sigh escapes him and he stops in his place, staring out across the grass. ]
You were there when I admitted how I'd felt for Percy. I... wasn't entirely truthful. Or, at least, I thought I was. I just didn't think there was any way anything would happen between us when I know his eyes are always on you. He loves you more than life. I knew I couldn't compete.
[ no matter how much he tried. not even waiting at the side of the styx had been enough. ]
I didn't want to hang onto feelings that would never go anywhere. So I gave up. But here... [ his shoulders rise and fall as he swallows and glances towards her. there's guilt in his colorless eyes and the smile has been replaced with a frown. ] I don't know how it happened, but it did. I fell back in love with him and I doubt I could ever stop. I love him, Annabeth. Maybe as much as you do.
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faced with them now, she feels almost partially to blame. or- no. blame isn't the word she's looking for. something else. some kind of guilt that weighs at her chest.
she feels at war with it a bit - those feelings of her heart versus the facts in her head - but before she can get swept up in them she feels the air shift, the tension harden. noticing this allows her to expect the bitter tone to nico's words, unsurprised and expectant when it comes out. nico fumbles over them, and annabeth lets him, feeling him come to a stop and taking a few more steps herself before stopping, her back to him as he starts to explain.
he loves you more than life. i knew i couldn't compete.
annabeth turns, then, to face nico. watches his shoulders rise and fall. watches his form, still a bit hunched, braced against what he thinks will follow. as he talks, annabeth schools her expressions, holds back on her thoughts, lets the information happen without barely a blink before she starts to process it.
i love him, annabeth. maybe as much as you.
she will admit, her chest tightens when he says that. an internalized competitive and possessive side to her lurching at the sound of it. her jaw does tense, her need to be able to control her own emotions fighting hard to keep it in check. she doesn't take her eyes away from nico, and if he keeps watching her, he will probably be able to see that momentary shadow cross her grey eyes.
one moment passes, then two, before annabeth takes a slow breath and forces the tension out of her jaw. ]
I know, Nico. I have known. It's not... [ she trails off, that steadfast determination to keep her straight face faltering as her shoulders drop with her next exhale. it feels a bit like defeat, in a strange way. like she's been fighting this fate of theirs, trying to force something normal for her and percy, for once. and now she's come to realize that was never in the cards. not for them, not since the beginning.
annabeth sighs, her eyes falling to the ground between them as she tries to recenter herself. they need to talk about this, she knows they need to talk about this, but whatever plan she had going into this conversation escapes her now, leaving her frustrated and a little tired. ]
I don't blame you for it- or fault you, or whatever you want to call it. It's- [ she presses her lips together for a moment, trying to sort out how she wants to say what she's thinking. ] It's not like we get to choose who we fall in love with, and gods know he has that way of getting under people's skin.
[ there's another pause here, where annabeth weighs her thoughts, the scales tipping back and forth behind her eyes before she finally looks back up to nico, forcing herself to keep her head up. he deserves that much, despite how much they both want to run from this conversation. ]
He loves you too, you know. [ despite her best efforts, her smile is a little sad here. ] I don't know how, or in what ways, but he does.
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how does he respond to that? should he argue against it? that seems rather counter productive when annabeth knows percy as intimately and emotionally as he does. if not more so. she would know what percy's feeling probably better than he does. and nico has no doubt that annabeth could lay it out in the most logical argument possible for something like this.
so he doesn't argue against it. he merely lifts his shoulders again, this time in a shrug as he shifts his gaze to the ground. ]
That may be true, but he'll always pick you first.
[ it's a truth that cannot be denied and he likes to think they both know it. after all, percy never would've considered going as far as he did had annabeth never left. he recalls what percy said about him being there for percy and knows that percy never would've needed or wanted him, much less looked at him the way he had, had annabeth been here the whole time.
and when it came to either grasping his hand or falling with annabeth, nico had seen first hand the choice percy made. it still tears him to pieces inside. ]
And it figures you'd known. [ a short, mirthless laugh escapes him. a soft heh. ] I mean, it's you. You're pretty much a genius. If anyone could figure me out, it's you.
[ his feet scuff at the ground again and fortunately no grass dies around his toes. but his emotions are still simmering and he's unsure how to let go without lashing out. ]
So what are we going to do then? I don't want to give him up, but- I know I can't compete to what you two have.
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but he'll always pick you first.
she doesn't know how to respond to that, so in turn she feels herself start to frown. ]
Being first doesn't really have anything to do with it. [ because, okay, he's not wrong and they both know it. annabeth won't admit it either, but that fact is part of the only reason she's not as freaked out as she otherwise should be. percy loves her, and that isn't what they've come to discuss.
he just also happens to have feelings for nico. on top of that.
but then he laughs - short and soft - and annabeth relaxes just a bit. ]
You aren't very subtle, honestly. I'm surprised no one else figured it out. [ she shrugs, a little curious at the slight shift in tone of their conversation. wondering what nico means to bring all that up.
but then it returns again, and annabeth's eyes follow nico down to his feet. watching to see his reaction, to try and gauge how in control he really is in that moment. she has a feeling, but she isn't sure, and the lack of dead grass is...what, a good sign? or just that he's better at hiding his tells? ]
I don't know. [ she nearly cringes as she admits it, hating the way the words taste. ] I'm not...good at this. This is for Piper, or Sil- [ she bites back on silena's name, still uneasy and unsure how she feels about it all. she still hasn't spoken to the other camper, despite hearing from percy that she was here and alive again. that was another can of worms she'd have to deal with at another time. ]
In the end, it's not up to me. [ the words come out easily, despite how much she hates it. she wants it to be up to her. she wants to make an easy decision so that this could be buttoned up and pushed away.
but it's not that easy, and with the expression percy had shown her, she knows she can't just fix this. not as easily as she wants to. ] Or you, for that matter.
[ annabeth turns to look back further into the park, the lightly winding trail. she still wasn't sure how she felt about eudio, especially considering all of this, but she could appreciate the thought put into the layout. the elegantly sweeping architecture of the small croppings of stone scattered throughout. it calms her enough to keep going. ]
Percy cares about us both and apparently has feelings for us both. The nature of the agreement we made to come here- unless your's was different from mine- kind of changes traditional ways of looking at relationships. [ she pauses, suddenly not sure if that was where she should have gone with it, before she sighs and shakes her head a bit - reaching around to rub at the back of her neck. ] If I had an easy answer for you, I would have offered it up already. But I don't. I don't know if there is one.
[ after a moment annabeth drops her hand and slides it back into the pocket of percy's sweatshirt, looking back to nico with what is probably her most genuine face she's worn through the course of all of this. ]
I love him, Nico. I am always going to love him. And if you make him happy I'm not... [ an exhale, short and a bit forced - it could be a laugh, but it sounds a little too lost, a little too desperate for that. ] I'm not going to get in the way of that.
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he recalls that day in camp halfblood, when the war was over and he'd thought he was over percy too. the light in her hair, the pleased gleam in percy's eyes, and the way she'd given him a high-five. it reminds him that he likes annabeth, for all the jealousy he's had of her. it's a large part of why he could've never brought himself to come between them, though at that time, he'd never believed he could.
now, things are so very different. the dynamic has shifted and nico has gained something he'd thought was forever out of reach. but at what expense? her short, frustrated sigh clues him into just how much she's struggling too ( a strange realization for him given she always seems so composed ). they both love the same person and neither wants to see the other hurt. ]
I've had enough meddling from love gods, to be honest. As nice as Piper is and Silena... was, I don't really want their advice. Moments like these. Moments like these, I need logic to work through how I feel.
[ he looks up at her, expression genuine as that familiar manic light gleams in his eyes. percy and annabeth are a thing that's meant to be. he and percy... they're on the verge of being something too. only one solution comes to mind, one that doesn't leave anyone out. loathe as he is to share percy, he knows that loving percy means loving who percy loves. so his eyes seek hers and he withdraws his hands from his pockets. ]
I don't think any of us will find an easy answer. [ though he suspects that percy would be the best of the three to figure something out. not because he's smart or logical like either nico or annabeth, but because he lets his emotions rule his head better than the other two ever could. ] But... I may have a solution.
[ he licks his lips, gaze darting away for only the briefest of seconds, but when it returns to her grey eyes, his expression becomes determined. ] I won't let you stand aside for me and Percy. That wouldn't be fair to either of you. So why don't we just... [ his shoulders lift and fall in a shrug. ] Share him.
I'd do anything for Percy and I know you would too. I guess... I guess I like you. Maybe not, you know- Like that, but still. And I know that if I want to do what's right for all of us, it means accepting you being with Percy as well.
[ as he speaks, his hands move, gesturing as though he's agitated. it's more that he's trying to find the best way to word things. ]
It's not possible to make Percy choose, so why don't we give him both of us and work things out as they come along.
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most of their early time together had been, what annabeth now knows was, jealousy. nico watching her and hating her. nico watching her and wishing she wasn't there. and maybe it was never that intense, maybe his jealousy was never that bad, but there was something that shaped those few years, that pushed nico away.
there is something inside of annabeth that almost feels guilty, but she's brought back to the conversation at hand. ]
Oh I definitely don't want the gods involved. Just- [ well, he has a point too. piper isn't here, and as much annabeth wished she was, it wouldn't be any help. logic was the best way through it, as nico suggests, but annabeth pauses even still. because if there's one thing she knows, it's that with love (and also percy jackson) logic wasn't always the best. but she waits for nico to offer his suggestion anyway, and when he does, she just...stops. ]
Share...him? [ it's a bit difficult to wrap her head around, so she gives herself a few moments to weight the option out.
at first, she doesn't like it - but that only takes a moment for her to recognize that as her own pride getting in the way, and she files it back. second, she's unsure of it. she may not be an expert on relationships, but she knows enough to know that for most people, sharing wasn't really an option. and she's still not sure how she feels about it, but she also knows that they are demigods, which means they're anything but most people. third, something about the simplicity of it doesn't quite...stick. yet.
as she processes, her face defaults into an intense expression - brow furrowed and lips in a tight line. it's not until he says i guess i like you that annabeth breaks out of it, blinking and looking back to the son of hades.
he's trying - that much she can see. it gives her an extra push to possibly consider it. an option. she doesn't have anything better to suggest, does she? ]
I guess I like you too. [ she says with a small, almost playful smile. because really, she does. nico is interesting, a quiet, withdrawn kid who had grown into...well. what she sees ahead of her. with an interesting kind of confidence and a mind and wit she could actually talk to.
for so long it'd only been percy that annabeth doesn't even know what it means to possibly be attracted to someone. so much that she's not even sure what she should be looking for. still, nico has a point, and annabeth finds herself nodding, letting out another longer, more relaxed breath of air. ]
It's worth a shot, if anything. [ even if she hates the idea of going into anything without a little more confidence that it'd work. ] But we'll also have to run it by Percy. If he's....comfortable with it.
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so it's a relief when she exhales slowly, nods as she comes to a decision. if they can agree on this, it's a good first step. after all, it would only cause percy pain if they couldn't come to some sort of arrangement, a consensus.
which brings his thoughts back to percy and how he'll feel about this. once again, annabeth has the right of things. they will have to check with him first, to see if he's comfortable with all of it. nico has a feeling that percy will be pleased. not just because the two people he cares about might be getting along, but also because this way, percy can have them without having to worry about trying to parse his feelings for them.
and he wants everything to go well for percy. it's why he's been willing to sacrifice so much over the years. for percy's sake. and in his head, making this small sacrifice seems worth it if it means he can, for once, have percy's love. it may be divided, but it's certainly better than being forever in love with a boy who won't look his way.
so he grins. it's more of a smirk because to him, this is an achievement. it means he's grown enough to accept his feelings in a way he'd never been willing to before. he's also grinning because he feels like this might be the best way to make things work. he's already told percy he can't go back on being in love with him, can't go back to being unloved in return. there may be a chance it will all fall apart, but nico's used to those kinds of chances. he was willing to bet on percy in the styx, willing to bet on percy and annabeth in tartarus, and he's willing to bet on this now. ]
Naturally. From this point on, all of our decisions should probably be made as... well, a threesome?
[ and here, a slight hint of color takes to his high italian cheeks. not because the idea is scandalous to him ( here in eudio, he's taken part in his fair share ) but because this is something new for them all and part of him really wants to explore it. ]
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whether or not nico is watching her, she doesn't quite notice, still trying to process how the idea fits in her understanding of things. what holds out above everything else is the fact that in the end, she'll do what it takes to make percy happy. if he's safe, if he's okay, and if they're together? then she doesn't have much room to complain.
and nico seems almost visibly more relaxed, and annabeth can...try. she doesn't know yet how she feels about it, or if she thinks this will even work, but they're going to talk to percy and nico is smiling and all things considered, she doesn't feel bad. she doesn't feel like it'll fail, and they've definitely worked through worse odds than this.
the comment he gives makes her blink, looking at nico with a blank, unassuming expression, like she can't even start to process he said that. she lets that sit for just a moment, before she feels her face break into a small grin. annabeth isn't laughing at him, but there's definitely a joking tone to it, before she shakes her head. ]
You said it. [ but he's right, and with a bit of a breath annabeth lifts her head a little more to check down the pathway. she knows they haven't been followed, and she knows no one is listening - or probably would even care - but she feels herself need to check just in case. ]
We can go back and talk to him at the apartment. [ when she'd messaged nico, percy was still sleeping. it'd be a 50/50 shot on if he was still there when she returned (considering how poorly they both sleep whenever the other isn't there) but it was a good place to start. ]