Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians fandom. Nor, do I wish to. Once upon a time I may have, but now, I have enough on my hands as it is. I don't think I can handle such a franchise on my belt. I'll leave it to Rick Riordan for now.

Author's Note: This is (yet again) another story for Takara Phoenix's (Takara_Phoenix on AO3) Nicercy Summer Contest. I said that I would write a Harry Potter story (wince), but I didn't have any ideas to follow through. The foundation was there, but I just couldn't write it. So, I ended up writing this story. It was originally meant to be the plot of an original fiction that I was saving until I was a much better writer, but the temptation was too great. I just had to write it into a fanfiction. I couldn't help myself. (haha)

Also, this story will contain sports, mainly basketball. I am not an expert on basketball myself, but I know enough to keep this story going. If I ever use a term incorrectly, please tell me and I will try to fix it. Some of the ideas (mainly the basketball ones) comes from Kuroko no Basket and real basketball combined.

Warnings: Characters That Are Out Of Character, Language, Slash, BL (boy's love).

Status: 1 out of ? chapters.

FullReverse Presents...

Paint Me a Better Tomorrow

I. Broken Rules

It was a given rule that men - or boy, in general, were not adorable, cute, or anything associated with those words at any given time, but for once, Percy had to make an exception. As he watched his best friend, Leo Valdez, openly stare at the new transfer student with unblinking eyes and a crimson blush dusting his cheeks, he couldn't help, but think that Leo was - dare he say it - cute. Adorable, even. (Or probably in his case, adorakable.) It was endearing (and, amusing) to see Leo so fixated on a guy he had just met. They hadn't even spoken to the guy yet and he was already blushing like no tomorrow.

Percy was positive that Cupid had made an early visit this year with Leo Valdez as his primary target. And as per usual, he had great aim. Percy had to admit that the new transfer student was stimulating to the eyes, to say the least. And to top it all off, the guy was just Leo's type. Tall, handsome, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and simply gorgeous. 'Why can't Cupid hit me with some of that?' he wondered idly, before quickly pushing the thought away. He snorted at his wishful thinking. 'As if that could ever happen to me.'

Snapping out of his thoughts, Percy glanced over at Leo, who was still transfixed with the new guy. His blush had increased two-fold and Percy could see why. Brilliant blue eyes stared back at Leo with an amused expression, similar to the one he had on hyis face. He looked away from the intense staring contest, not wanting to intrude, and found himself gazing into piercing black eyes. Percy gulped and turning away. His eyes met with Leo's and they shared a blush.

"Gods, what was that?" Leo asked. Percy just laughed and smiled knowingly, adding to Leo's embarrassment.

"Man," he complained. "What a cliche way to start the school year."

. . .

"America is such an interesting place." remarked Jason with a smirk. "I never boys could be so adorable." His best friend, Nico di Angelo, just shook his head.

"That's because you're too busy staring at their ass, instead of their face," he drawled, earning a shrug from his best friend. "But, you have to admit, the boys were surprisingly cute." His eyes flitted back over to the other two, namely the taller one with iridescent sea-green eyes. He was cute, very cute, with the delicate blush decorating his cheeks when he glanced the Italian's way and held eye contact, then looked away shyly. Nico had to admit, American boys are cute, possibly even more than Italian boys.

"Mr. Nico di Angelo and Jason Grace, I presume," he heard a deep voice address and turned around to face the person. He was met with a kindly man with shaggy hair, dressed in a tweed jacket. The man was sitting in a wheelchair, smiling at them, with a clipboard in hand.

"Yes, sir. I am Nico," he introduced. Gesturing to Jason, he said, "This is my best friend, Jason."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Jason replied with an incline of his head. The man smiled, replying in kind.

"Likewise, Mr. Grace. It is my pleasure to have the two of you here at Elysium High. My name is Mr. Brunner, but you may call me Chrion. I am the principal of this school, along with Lupa, my co-principal. How are you liking everything so far?"

Jason shrugged. "The school isn't so bad. We haven't gotten the opportunity to walk around so much, so we can't really form an opinion yet."

"But, it is different from what we're used to," Nico added.

Chiron nodded in understanding. "Do you need any help with anything or is everything set?"

"Do you, by any chance," Jason inquired, "have a basketball club?"

"Of course," the principal replied affirmatively. "Here at Elysium High, we organize a broad selection of extra-curricular programs, including sports."

"Awesome," answered Jason with a wide grin. "The two of us were hoping to join the club."

"it's a little late," Chiron noted. "But, I'll see what I can do. Percy, the captain, and Leo, the co-captain, haven't decided on the positions as far as I know and they're always open for experienced players."

Jason and Nico shared a smile. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now, if you excuse me, Lupa is paging me." He unclipped a walkie-talkie, murmuring in to the receiver. With a nod, Chiron rolled away, leaving a bemused Jason and Nico behind.

"He seems.. nice," commented Jason, after a pause. Nico nodded.

"True," he agreed. "So, you're really joining basketball with me? I thought you loved soccer."

Jason smirked. "Of course, I am. Soccer had been fun, but basketball is still my favorite sport of all time. And, I also saw the cute boy from earlier wearing a basketball jersey. I want to test his skills."

"His skills?" Nico wondered. "Or, his ass?"

Jason chuckled. "A little of both, I guess, but mostly, his skills. What about you? What position are you aiming for?"

"Small forward," Nico replied. "It's been a while since I've played in the position, but it's still my favorite position."

"That's what she said," Jason quipped.

Nico just rolled the eyes and glanced at his watch. "We should hurry. First period is starting soon."

"Who do we have first?"

"A Ms. Hestia for AP Literature."

"Great," Jason said, making a face. Literature was no his favorite subject.

"Come on. Let's go." Nico began walking towards room 13, where class was being held. A quick glance behind told him that Jason was still rooted in place. "Grace.."

"I'm going. I'm going. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"Shut up." 'Bastard."

. . .

"Alright then class, when you hear your name, raise your hand and say 'here'." Hestia glanced at the first name on the list. "Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano."

"Here."

"Silena Beauregard."

"Here."

"Charles Beckendorf."

"Here."

"Luke Castellan."

"Here." The same routine continued on, until she reached a pair of names that was recently added to the list.

"Nico di Angelo."

"Here." A strong Italian accent was evident in his voice. Multiple poorly-hidden sighed from the female population could be heard and she couldn't help, but roll her eyes. She wasn't one to judge, but if all it took was an accent and good looks to make them swoon, then the girls of their generation were shallow and fickle.

"Jason Grace."

"Here." A different, slight subtle accent was present in his voice. Cue the breathless sighs. The Literature teacher rolled her eyes once again and directed her attention to the new students.

"Welcome to the class, Nico and Jason," she announced with a warm smile. "If you don't know already, I am Ms. Hestia, but you call me Hestia. I will be your homeroom, as well as your AP Literature teacher." Nico and Jason nodded, returning her smile politely.

"Alright then, c;ass is about to begin. Please turn to page 57 in your textbook." She smiled when the students immediately opened her books and gigled softly when she saw two of her favorite students (she really shouldn't have favorites, especially one month into school, but who really cares, anyways?), Percy and Leo, trying to discreetly hide the fact that they were staring at the back of the new students' heads, who were consequentially (read: purposefully) placed in front of them. 'This is going to be an interesting year,' she thought. Hestia caught a glimpse of a faint blush on Percy and Leo's cheeks and quickly stifled a laugh. It was going to be interesting year, alright. There was no doubt about it.

. . .

'So, their names are Nico di Angelo and Jason Grace," Leo said, setting down his tray of food beside Percy's. "You think they're dating?"

Percy shook his had. "I highly doubt it. They seem more like best friends."

"I heard that they're both joining basketball," he added. Percy stared at him in suspicion.

"Where did you learn that?" he asked.

Leo grinned. "I heard from one of the cheerleaders, who overheard one of the teachers talking about it. I don't know if it's true, but I hope so."

"Only you, Leo, only you," Percy said, shaking his head with a smile. They shared laugh, before digging into their lunch.

"Is it alright if we sit here?" They heard a voice, obviously Italian (and, sexy, Percy added), ask. "Everywhere else is full." Percy and Leo looked up to meet the eyes of Nico and Jason. They blushed and nodded. After Percy managed to find his voice, he said, "Sure, go ahead. There's plenty of room." The two transfer students smiled, taking much care to wink at them, before sitting down. They received twin blushes in return and shared a smirk.

"My name is Nico, by the way," the Italian introduced with a smile. "And, this is my best friend, Jason."

"Hi, I'm Leo Valdez," Leo replied, trying to hide his inner turmoil that they were actually talking to them. "And, this is my friend, Percy Jackson." For once, Percy refrained from saying anything, just opting to nod at the transfer students. His heart was already beating as hard as it was because of Nico's (could he say heated?) gaze. If he spoke, he feared that it would leap out of his chest and declare his crush on the guy.

"Weren't you two in our first period?" Nico asked, striking up conversation. He saw the way Percy (was it Percy?) staring at him and smirked roguishly at the cutie. The boy developed a light blush and broke eye contact, averting his eyes back to his lunch.

"Umm.. yeah" Leo answered. "So, what brings you America? It's not everyday we have European transfer students over here." He mentally patted himself on the back for managing to speak eloquently - or at least, to some extent - in front of Jason.

"We just a change in scenery," Nico replied with a shrug. "Our parents had a job offer here and took the opportunity to bring the family here."

"We weren't exactly ecstatic on the sudden move, but it's actually not that bad," continued Jason.

"So, how do you like America so far?" Percy gathered up the courage to ask. It was hard enough with the guy bringing a blush to his cheeks with a single smile. 'Damn you, Nico, and the gods who made you gorgeous.'

"It's a really nice country," Jason said, "with lots of great views." He gave Leo a pointed look and the boy immediately knew what the other was implying. The Latino blushed crimson and looked away, while Jason just chuckled lowly.

"America is much different from Italy," Nico admitted. "But, I love the people here. So unlike back home. It's refreshing not having to always act proper and stiff around people.

"So back in Italy, you were hard-pressed to act properly?" Leo asked, grinning stupidly at his horrible pun. He just couldn't help himself. Really, he couldn't. The temptation was just too great. And, it also helped lighten the mood.

Beside him, Nico and Jason burst out laughing. After a moment of trying to stifle his laughter, Percy joined in, as well. Leo and Percy visibly relaxed and they shared a smile. 'This isn't so bad, after all.'

"One question, though," Jason said, after his bout of laughter. "Do you know where we can find the captain of the basketball team, along with the co-captain? Chiron told us to find them."

Percy allowed his a smirk, which Nico found quite sexy. "You're looking right at them. What do you need?"

"You're that Percy?" Jason barely seemed to grasp the idea. He didn't think that the boy who Nico seemed to be attracted to could be the captain of anything, let alone a basketball team.

Leo laughed. "Which other Percy would he be? Now then, how may we help you?"

"We want to join the team," Nico answered confidently. "Or at least, try out."

"Have you played before?"

"We have been playing since we were little kids," Nico replied with a smirk.

"And, we were on our old school's basketball team before we left," Jason added.

"What positions do you play?"

"Small forward," was Nico's reply.

"Power forward," Jason answered. "That good enough for you?"

"We'll see," came Percy's cryptic reply. "Words don't mean anything, unless there are actions to back it up. We'll see you on the court in 6th period." He stood up and grabbed his lunch, smiling at Jason and Nico. With a small nod, he and Leo left the table, murmuring to each other.

"What do you think, Perce?" Leo asked, as he tossed the disposable lunch tray into a bin.

"They have the physique," Percy commented, smirking. "But, we have to see if their skills as really as they say. This makes things a lot more interesting, though. Very interesting."

Basketball Terminology -

Fadeaway: A fadeaway or fall-away in basketball is a jump shot taken while jumping backwards, away from the basket. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Small Forward : The small forward, colloquially known as the three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game and is commonly abbreviated "SF". Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall. The small forward position is considered to be perhaps the most versatile of the five main basketball positions. Small forwards are primarily responsible for scoring points and also often as secondary or tertiary rebounders behind the power forward and center. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Power forward (PF) is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low blocks". They typically play offensively with their backs towards the basket and position themselves defensively under the basket in a zone defense or against the opposing power forward in man-to-man defense. The power forward position entails a variety of responsibilities, one of which is rebounding. (Taken from Wikipedia)

That's all for the first chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review and tell me how it went. Was it good? Was it bad? Was there something that I could have added? Could have taken out? Please review. I would appreciate the feedback. Have a nice day.

This is FullReverse. Until next time...