Auroraescritora - Aurora Escritora

SITTER'S LOVE - Nico!Babysitter, Percy!Teacher-father - Chapter XVI e Chapter XVII

As I promised, here are two chapters. If you see any mistakes, like wrong names, let me know! As this was an original story, I may have made some mistakes.

Previous chapters: CHAPTER I / CHAPTER II / / CHAPTER III, CHAPTER IV e CHAPTER V / Chapter VI e Chapter VII / Chapter VIII e Chapter IX / Chapter X, Chapter XI, Chapter XII e Chapter XIII / Chapter XIV / Chapter XV

Chapter XVI

Percy turned his back on Nico, got into his giant jeep and drove away. Before he knew it, Percy was far away, leaving him with only silence and his own thoughts, watching until the car disappeared into the horizon and only when he had no choice, Nico resigned himself to going back inside the house, walking slowly, questioning the life he led.

He was starting to wonder, was that house even his anymore? Nico didn't feel safe in it, he didn't feel like it was his home, nor was his room a safe place anymore; Nico no longer had the key of his door’s room, not since his father had discovered that he wouldn't be doing agronomy in college like Hades had planned and that, in fact, he was almost ready to leave and go in another direction. However, the high point was when Hades practically sold him in exchange for support and investment in the family business. In the end, Hazel was right and that was his job in that family, to keep Will calm, happy and in control, so that his father would be sure that the mayor would remain happy. Everyone won, right?

Sure. Except him, of course.

With those encouraging thoughts, Nico walked the rest of the way to the front of the house and climbed the set of the porch steps, entering through the front door.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw that shadows had already formed against the walls. He only needed the door to close for the rest of the room to fall into total darkness, leaving him with only the moonlight for illumination, but that didn't bother him. He kept walking and watched his shoes, walking without looking where he was going, having already memorized every corner of that path. Ten steps forward, three to the left and five ahead to reach the dining room.

"We need to talk." Hades's voice sounded shrill in the silence of the room.

Do you know what scared him the most? That silence is what Nico had always feared. It was Hades with his hard, judgmental looks, was those quiet moments before the storm came, and it was that giant house that always seemed so empty of life; that was what it did to him; it haunted him, made him think Nico would never escape that horror movie of a small town and the claustrophobic places. Because, that was how he would end up, a small boy, in a small place, in a small family and in a small life. He would probably end up like one of those story endings too; he would work for his father until his last days and marry whoever Hades told him to, obeying like the perfect son, right? That was supposed to be his future?

He was so tired…

"I don’t think so. I think our conversation is over." Nico heard himself saying, still looking at his feet. Why was he still trying? Why did he care what that man would think? That wasn’t his responsibility, none of it was. It wasn’t pampering Will Solace, the mayor, or worrying about the family’s business; Nico didn’t need any of that.

Nico nodded to himself, and he was so exhausted that he didn't care about Hades's angry grunt. Or the chair scraping across the floor, or even the heavy footsteps coming towards him. Nico only raised his head when Hades was too close to ignore, feeling empty and hollow.

After all, what could Hades do? Hurt him again?

Nico was already more than injured.

"How dare you to defy me!" Hades raised his fist and punched the table, which shook with the force of the blow.

Nico barely reacted, he looked at his father's hand on the tablecloth and tried to remember why he should care.

It was all so meaningless that he just continued to watch it.

"I'm tired, Hades." Nico said, defeated. It was the first time he had called him that. Hades was no longer his father, his Papa. He had stopped being that a long time ago.

Nico barely heard the people in the room gasp, which didn't stop them from slowly approaching the two. However, his focus was on Hades, the one Nico blamed for all of this. He needed to blame someone, because if Hades wasn't the one to blame, it meant that he was the reason for all of this mess.

"I'm sorry. I can't do what you want anymore. I-- I tried... I... I'm not challenging you, I just... haven't I done enough?”

Silence fell again, it seemed like no one was breathing. He even tried to see Hades's reaction; his vision was blurry and it was hard to breathe, his chest was constricting as if someone was crushing him, but... but he was calm, he was so calm that it seemed like Nico was watching everything like a spectator; for the first time in a long time he felt like nothing could affect him anymore. It was strange, the tears rolled down his face and his hands were shaking, and he didn't know if it was from relief or sadness; the tears simply overflowed from within him.

Nico blinked and a few more tears rolled down his face. He finally allowed himself to cry for the first time in his life.

"Can you forgive me? I need to do this." Nico tried again. He knew it would be in vain, because with Hades there was only one way to do things, either it was the way he wanted it or it wasn't. Nico accepted that, he accepted that it was the end for them.

It was… it was okay, he had done everything he could. A gentle voice was saying in the back of his mind. He nodded once more, to himself and to what he knew was coming next. When nothing happened and Hades just kept looking at him with that neutral expression, Nico… Nico just let himself breathe and started walking. One step at a time; one to avoid Hades’s still figure, another to get past the table, and a few more to climb the stairs. He looked at them and put his right foot up, then his left, and dragged himself up them, one at a time, until he reached the star’s end and walked a few steps into his room.

Nico left the door open. There was no point in him closing it when he couldn’t lock it, and sat down on the bed. He kept staring at his shoes. He needed a new pair. Maybe new jeans too. Maybe a new bed or… or a new Nico. It sounded good. Anything was better than being the same old Nico Di Ângelo.

He wished he could just be… Nico. Nicollas.

"Oh, my baby." He heard someone saying, someone entering the room, someone hugging him tightly and sitting with him on the bed. He recognized that smell, it was Bianca, her long wavy hair falling over his shoulder, covering him like a protective shield. Nico should have heard what she told him, Bianca had warned him so many times. He should have listened.

"Bia." He murmured, unable to hear his own voice. " I didn't want to.”

"I know, dear. With the Solace family, that's all it could have been. You don't have to try anymore.”

"I don't need to?" He didn't know that.

"Of course not. It was your choice from the beginning. We will support you.”

He knew the choice was his, Nico wanted to tell her that. And that was exactly why he had no choice. How could he do anything when he knew what the consequences would be?

"Don't worry. This is his problem. It's high time Hades acted like a man.”

"That's right. We're gonna kick that son of a daddy's ass if he comes back here!” Hazel said somewhere near them.

Nico knew he could count on them. He closed his eyes and let himself relax like he hadn't done in a long time.

Chapter XVII

"See you on Monday.”

Percy looked at Nico's sad face once more and was tempted to throw him over his shoulders and run away with him.

He wanted to say that everything was going to be okay, that all it took was one word and Nico would never have to deal with those people again. But before the words could come out, he did what anyone in his place would do; he controlled himself and walked to the car that was parked a few feet away. Or rather, he marched, sprinting down the road and doing his best not to look back or go back to Nico.

Percy just stopped walking when he got into the driver's seat and sped away from there.

Shit! What was he thinking! Why did he keep doing this? He shouldn't have let himself get carried away, but he couldn't help himself. Nico reminded him of his teenage years, of those days in college where he was free to do whatever he wanted; Nico made him act like a child again, defying older people who had an image of authority and harassing anyone he felt like. What could he say? After all, Percy was what Nico had accused him of without even having to use words; a billionaire, a womanizer, and with a superiority complex.

He wasn’t like that anymore, that person stayed in the past; now Percy was a centered and responsible individual, he wasn't the type to cheat even if his illustrious wife didn't think the same. But what if Nico needed help? What if Hades tried something against Nico? About Will, he had no doubts. Was it safe to leave Nico among those people? Who would defend him when the next punch came?

No! Percy couldn't think about that. He didn't even know those people and he barely knew who Nico was. He didn't... Shit! He shouldn't have left Nico alone. Frustrated, he slammed on the brake and let his head fall against the steering wheel, the horn making a loud sound. WHAT. WAS. HE. THINKING! Nico wasn't his at all and if Nico had survived in that place without him for all this time, he could keep going. Right?

Sure.

Really… what if Nico couldn’t? He looked so defeated, so fragile… cases of anxiety could cause worse even more damage, like suicide or depression, couldn’t they? What if Nico… No! He couldn’t think about that, he couldn’t! Percy should have dragged Nico out of there when he had the chance, he knew that if he insisted just a little longer Nico would have accepted, but… he admited, okay! He wanted Nico to come of his own free will and not because some guy he had just met had asked him to. However, Percy could offer help, couldn’t he? Just one more time?

He took his cell phone out of his pocket and looked for Nico's contact, thank goodness he had given it to him in that conversation in the kitchen before the panic attack. Percy pressed the message icon and typed:

“Is everything okay? I hope things haven’t gotten worse. The offer still stands. Whenever you need it.”

Was it too direct? Too blunt? Too sincere? Too intimate? It didn’t matter. He pressed send and put the phone back in his pocket, starting the car once more. He sent a message, and at the moment, it was all he could do. Was the right thing to do. Otherwise, he would just be another one of those people demanding something when it was clear Nico wasn’t willing to give it.

With this depressing thought, Percy drove the rest of the afternoon and early evening, still not knowing what to do, but doing what he could in this situation.

He walked through the entrance of the condominium and finally arrived home, exhaustion overcoming him as soon as he stepped out of the car. It seemed like so much had happened and so much time had passed, even though it couldn't have been more than five or six hours since breakfast. He walked around the house and up the steps to the porch only to be greeted by two pairs of tight hugs.

The children grabbed him by the waist and smiled at him, all happy. Of course, that wasn't enough. Annabeth Chase, his dignified wife, was sitting on the sofa in the living room with a drawing in her hand; on it were them: Logan, Alice, Nico and Percy. A normal, happy family.

"Daddy, Daddy! Mommy got here early." Logan said looking at him, still with his arms around his waist.

“He told her everything about Nico,” Alice warned, perceptive as always.

“It’s okay,” he said to the children. Or maybe he said it to himself, trying to convince himself of it.

So the three of them walked the rest of the way to the living room, sitting on the couch opposite where Annabeth was.

"Oh, Percy. Did you make it back home? I thought you were too busy to care about your kids.”

"I called a babysitter before I left.”

Percy didn't even bother explaining since the kids should have told her what happened.

"You know what's even more amazing? It seems like you replaced the nanny I hired without telling me." Annabeth stood up, smoothing her dress and crossing her arms. Her eyes analyzed him from head to toe, demanding and cold.

Ah, it seems like she was preparing to fight, even her voice changed intonation.

"Children, it's time for bed, yes? Go ahead and go upstairs." He gave each of them a kiss and watched Alice take Logan's hand, leading him upstairs.

Percy waited long enough for the children to disappear down the hallway and turned to her:

"What are you doing here? This is not our agreement.”

"Guess what? I missed you, sweetheart." She smiled and blew a kiss in his direction, sitting back down, her eyes sparkling as she studied him. Annabeth tossed her long platinum hair to one side of her shoulder, exposing part of her chest and neck, showing the swell of her breasts against the tight dress.

There was a time when Percy would do anything for her, but now all that was left were threats and conversations to see who was the strongest one.

"Annabeth!”

"You still haven't answered me.”

"If you must know, he's the person you hired.”

"Is he? From what Logan said, you two seem pretty close.”

He felt the need to roll his eyes like a teenager and ended up resigning himself to his torture. It’s like they say, if you can't beat them, join them. That's exactly what he did, he sat down next to her and closed his eyes for a moment.

"He's a good kid. He just needs help." Percy said finally.

"Don't you tell me?”

"His family is worse than mine and yours combined.”

"Is that all? Do you want to help him?”

"Unlike you, I'm not a traitor." Feeling Annabeth approaching, Percy opened his eyes again, looking at her head on. "Speaking of which, when are you going to sign the divorce papers?”

"Divorce? Things are great as they are. Why ruin something that is going so well?" Then she looked him in the eyes and placed her hands on his shoulders, sliding them down in a caress that only disgusted him.

"Annabeth." Percy said, turning away from her. "What are you doing here?”

"Hmm, I love it when you talk rough. We could--”

"We could nothing. There's only one reason why you came back.”

"Okay!" She told him. Annabeth got up from the couch and went to the suitcases that were still in the entrance hall and came back soon after, handing him an invitation to the Palace Hotel, one of the most exquisite party rooms in the city. "I need your help. I have this party... it's important to me.”

"They always are. Are you trying to use me again?”

"Look, I would go with Heyna, but these people are traditional. If they see you with me, it will make things move much faster. Think about it this way, the sooner you agree, the sooner I'll leave. Doesn't that sound like a good deal?”

"A good deal? You've got to be kidding me.”

Percy brought his hand to his face and rubbed it, he was too tired to deal with her.

"Come on, Percy. Just this once.”

"I won't do anything until you sign the papers.”

"Percy, you know I can't do this.”

"You can't? Are you sure? I have enough evidence to annul the marriage for adultery. Is that what you want?”

"You're lying, you would never do that! What about the children? Are you gonna do that to them?”

"They’re already grown up. They don't need you. I don't need you. And if you don't want to accept it, I'll be forced to use force. Who will lose more? Me, a university professor, or a socialite architect? Can you imagine the gossip magazines? I can.”

He stood up, tired of it, and turned his back on her, not caring if Annabeth would get hurt or not. But of course she wouldn't give up that easily, right?

"I… I’ll sign it. After the party, if you’ll come with me. The kids need to go too.”

Percy turned to her and studied her angelic face. If he hadn't known the venom behind that vulnerable expression, Percy might have believed it. He would have believed it before he found out what Annabeth was doing on these business trips. And with who.

"Okay, but this is the last time. If you don't keep your end of the deal, I can't be held responsible for the consequences.”

With that, he turned his back on Annabeth and walked up the stairs, finding the children at the top of them, their little faces sad and tearful.

"Shhh… it's okay. Who wants to hear a story?" Logan and Alice sniffed, but held their hands and together, they entered the room.

Thanks for reading!