A/N: Hello, and welcome to the final chapter of this particular story, fellow demis! I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: Some language, cute boy fluff

It was late September now, although Percy wasn't really able to tell. The weather in California always kind of stayed the same, especially in New Rome. Much like Camp Half-Blood, there was a magical barrier surrounding the entire place- keeping it a nice, neutral west coast temperature. Which was far too warm for Percy's eastern blood. He was used to this time of the year being unforgivably cold and crisp (and usually really rainy). All this sunshine was really throwing him off.

More so because what he felt inside was far from sunny. After his time in the loop, he'd returned home long before Annabeth bothered to come back. She never even knew he had been gone. A big part of him wished he hadn't been- his memories of the loop gave him a persistent headache that he couldn't shake.

His girlfriend finally made it home a few days later. He tried to ignore the guilt he felt when he saw her again- even though he hadn't actually done anything disloyal. . . yet. Not physically anyway. But he couldn't help but feel like he had something significant to feel guilty about. Something in him that had changed while he was in the loop.

The two spent a couple weeks doing what they always did these days; just existing in the same space. To her credit, Annabeth did seem to be trying a bit harder than usual to make things seem normal. Percy was beginning to think that maybe that was the problem with them; "normal" was so difficult. Even when they were both trying their hardest, nothing ever seemed to come any easier.

All in all, nothing had changed between them. Just Percy's perspective. His time with Nico, in the loop, had been like being with a very close friend, organic and pleasant. He just didn't feel the need to try so hard or overthink every single word that came out of his mouth. Having a conversation with his girlfriend was like walking barefoot over hot coals- dangerous and likely to leave lasting scars if he misstepped even a little.

He thought about these things well after Annabeth went back to Olympus to finalize a particularly big project. She told him she could stay and let the foreman worry about it- but Percy could see the longing in her eyes- the longing she got when she was thinking about her work. The longing he never saw in her eyes for him. So, he told her she should go. He wasn't angry. Part of him wasn't even sad. He was just exhausted.

Although, she had been gone for over a week, Percy was no closer to figuring anything out. Until one night, when he was lying alone in bed, trying in vain to get some sleep. His mind was racing with thoughts that he had tried for months to repress.

Thoughts of the loop and of the son of Hades. He closed his eyes, almost hoping that when he woke up, he'd be back in the loop- with Nico. The moment the thought hit him, his bright green eyes darted open.

'Why would I think that?' he asked himself. 'Why wouldn't I think that?' he revised, after the initial shock wore off. He wasn't happy here. He hadn't been happy for a long time. The only time he could remember being really happy lately was in the loop. Maybe not at first- but that last week in the loop, as mundane as it was, had been the most fun the son of Poseidon had ever had.

The truth. . . was that he'd missed being in the loop for months now. . . he'd missed it since the moment he'd returned. Admitting that to himself was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. But lying in the silence, he couldn't deny it anymore.

He thought his love for Annabeth was enough. . . that it would keep him happy. The reality of love wasn't that simple though. Aphrodite's version of love is the tabloid version- the kind people see on those gossip magazines in the supermarket and think 'wow, now that's true love.'

It isn't. It's never as perfect as it's made out to be. Cupid may be a massive knob of a god, but his version of love was by far more realistic. It's not the kind of thing two people can just have and expect that it will be enough. It needs support and structure. . . if Percy's dumb ass could see that and a brilliant architect couldn't, then they were in a lot more trouble than he originally thought. On those support beams stands the foundation of what makes love last; friendship, common ground, trust, respect, compromise, togetherness, and so much more.

As Percy lie there, nothing but the sound of crickets filling the silence in the air, he had no choice but to finally accept that he had almost none of those things with Annabeth, at least not anymore. And he was only now starting to see that maybe he never really had most of them to begin with. Certainly not respect- Annabeth was constantly undermining him and looking down on him because he wasn't as smart as she was. She was never willing to compromise, everything had to be done her way. She was always right. The only thing the two of them had in common was the baseball team they cheered for. . . which didn't really seem like enough to base an entire relationship on.

And now. . . they were practically strangers to each other. When they were together, it was unpleasant and depressing. Percy could see now that relationships weren't meant to be like that. He kept waiting for things to change- but the only way they ever would is if Annabeth did. And he knew in his heart that she was set in her ways. Their future together. . . all those dreams he had for them. . . they were all doomed from the beginning. His love and his hope kept those dreams alive as long as they could. But now, he couldn't turn a blind eye to it anymore.

Without thinking much more about it, he bolted out of bed and threw on his warmest pair of pants and a nice thick jacket. After all, it was probably very cold on the east coast. It was a long ride to Long Island, and it was really late, but Percy just wasn't in the mood to resist anymore. He's a demigod. His life is inherently short. He wasn't about to let such an obvious opportunity pass him by.

Nico was sulking in the Hades cabin, as he'd been since their return. Jason tried like hell to get him to come out and participate in the camp activities but he just told him to go away. It was sweet the guy cared so much about him, but right now, Nico was too broken to feel any semblance of joy or gratitude. He'd probably thank him later, after the worst of his heartache passed.

What he had with Percy in the loop had been a farce. He knew that the moment they started it. What he hadn't been expecting was for their act to become so real to him. Nico couldn't remember the last time he felt so whole. . . in fact, he was sure he never had. The time he spent with Percy felt so good, so perfect, that he knew he'd probably never feel a connection like that again. The rift in his heart wasn't sure to heal anytime soon- actually, it likely never would.

It was a lonely night, one of the many Nico assumed he'd have for the rest of his life. That is, until there was a persistent knock on the door. Initially, he thought it might be Jason, back to torment and/or lecture him. Then, he remembered how late it was. A confused twitch took control of his brow. Surely none of the campers would be stupid enough to wander around at night and risk the wrath of the cleaning harpies.

The knocking continued, getting louder and louder each time. Nico stood to answer the door. As he did, he heard a voice on the other side, calling out his name softly.

"Nico, it's me; Percy," the voice said. Well, no one but Percy Jackson would be stupid enough to wander around Camp Half-Blood at night. . .

Nico's heart sank into his chest. But rather than dwell why Percy was there, he ran to the door and flung it open. Standing on the stoop was a very alert Percy, his eyes fixed on the sky. He pushed through the doorway, past Nico, breathing like he'd run a marathon.

"Percy?! What the actual Hades are you doing here?" Nico demanded, shutting the door, quietly.

Rather than answer, Percy took a risk. He approached the younger demigod slowly until he was mere inches from him. He took in the sight before him- letting the memories of the loop fill his mind. Nico looked almost exactly the same as he had a few months ago. Maybe a bit more tired and his hair had grown out a little, but otherwise, he was the same Nico that Percy was sure he had fallen in love with.

The son of Poseidon leaned forward, saying nothing, and joined their lips together, placing his hand on the shorter boy's waist. Nico gasped in shock at the contact. His instinct was to immediately pull away. And he would have, if he had any form of rational thought running through his head. . . but his mind had gone completely numb. He felt like one of Medusa's victims, frozen in place for all eternity.

It certainly felt like an eternity- in the best of ways- before Percy finally pulled away; his beautiful aqua eyes glistening in the dim light of cabin thirteen, full of adoration. Such a look was all too foreign to Nico- especially such a look directed at him. But his brain was still too foggy to think about any of that.

"Wh-what. . .?" Nico stammered, not able to finish his sentence. Luckily, he didn't need to. Percy shook his head, a little embarrassed by how forward he had been. He hadn't planned to just walk into the cabin and kiss Nico, like some awkward ass cliché romantic comedy. But he was pretty used to being impulsive. And when he saw Nico standing in front of him, his expressive, dark eyes questioning- he just couldn't resist. He'd repressed all the thoughts he kept having about his ghostly friend since the loop, but the desire had been building up for months. Now, here they were; alone. Together.

"I- uhm. . . I'm sorry, Nico. I didn't mean to spring that on you so quickly," the aquatic demigod admitted. Nico just stared at his crush, his chocolate eyes still searching for an answer.

"Right. What am I doing here. . ." Percy recalled, knowing he still owed his friend an explanation. He'd had a few days to think about what he wanted to say to Nico- the road from San Francisco to Long Island was a long one; full of endless waits in the cold and drunks. . . a whole lotta drunks.

"Nico, I know this seems crazy. . . Scratch that, I know this is crazy, but. . . that stuff I told you about in the loop, about me and Annabeth. . . that was all true," the older boy confessed, taking his friend's hand. Nico met his eyes, unsure where this was going. "I. . . gods!" Percy stammered. This was turning out to be a lot harder than he thought it would be. Letting go of what he had with Annabeth was hard enough; but the look in Nico's sparkling brown eyes was not making it any easier.

"Listen Nico. . . I came here because I needed to see you. What happened in the loop. . ." he paused. In the event that Cupid was listening, Percy didn't want to mention the plan out loud. Subtlety was not his strong suit but he'd have to try. "What happened in the loop meant something. Maybe that place wasn't real, but something changed in there. Something really special. . ." he confessed, squeezing Nico's hand.

The son of Hades just stared up at him, not really believing what he was hearing. Was Percy saying that he had feelings for him? No way. That couldn't be it. But that sure is what it sounded like. The younger demigod's heart felt like it was about to explode from his chest. Percy was silent for a moment, just staring into his companion's panicked eyes.

"Nico. . . that thing you said in the loop; about how you'd never leave me alone. . . did you mean it?" Percy asked, stepping a little closer to his friend. Nico nodded his head slowly.

"Every word," he managed to mutter, his mouth suddenly very dry. Percy smiled, leaning his forehead against the shorter boy's.

"What about that other thing you said?" the son of Poseidon asked.

"I said a lot of things," Nico pointed out. He wasn't sure which thing Percy was talking about.

"You said that if you were still waiting when I changed my mind, you'd be there. Did you mean it?" Percy whispered, his warm breath tickling Nico's face.

The son of Hades lifted his head, his face even more ghostly white than usual. He was trying to make sense of what his cousin had just said- but it just wasn't computing. Percy's beautiful smile only confused the younger teen more.

"Wh-what are you implying?" Nico finally managed to stutter.

"I thought it was obvious," Percy began, his warm smile fading into a longing stare, "I've changed my mind." With that, the older boy pulled his friend flush to his lean form and kissed him once more, a feverish passion taking over him.

Nico was shocked back into reality by the pressure of Percy's salty lips against his. This was really happening. Even in his dreams, Percy didn't taste this good. Years of sexual repression screamed at Nico to stop this. It wasn't right. . . But he ignored it. He was only fifteen, after all.

His arms wrapped themselves around Percy's neck, as he leaned further into the kiss. Percy buried his fingers into Nico's soft raven locks. Before too long, they were forced to separate, their breathing shallow, their eyes wild.

"I'll take that as a "yes" then?" Percy asked, his eyes questioning but his lips grinning.

"I. . . yes! Of course I meant it!" Nico found himself screaming excitedly, just as he would have done as a kid. He didn't care if he seemed desperate. He was desperate. He'd wanted this for so long. When he'd finally resigned himself to accepting that it was never going to happen- he was thrown into a loop with the object of his affection and forced to pretend they were in love. When he came back to the real world and Percy walked away, Nico had assumed things were back to normal and he'd have to learn to forget his love for Percy all over again. He was sure that he'd be left longing for the bull-headed son of Poseidon for the rest of his life. . .

The thing about living in a world of gods and monsters, is that if something seems to good to be true; it usually is. Nico didn't want to trust this. It could be a trick. Maybe cupid just gave up and shot Percy with one of his arrows. Maybe this wasn't even Percy at all, but a god disguised as Percy. Or, more realistically, maybe Percy was just lonely and having a moment of doubt. Maybe he and Annabeth would work things out and Nico would be left alone again, only this time completely and utterly broken inside.

All these scenarios played out in the ghostly demigod's mind. As terrible as they all were, he still couldn't be bothered to care. He felt far too good right now to worry about where this was heading.

Percy kissed Nico's cheek, a relieved sigh escaping his chest. He hadn't been sure his cousin would be okay with any of this. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Nico even more. But to see that playful glimmer in his eyes again, like when they first met, filled Percy with so much comfort. When he looked back at Nico, he saw tears welling in the younger demigod's eyes. He wiped the moisture away, gently, with his thumb.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern dripping from his voice. Nico stared at the saline on Percy's finger, surprised to see it there. He hadn't even noticed he was on the verge of tears.

"Sorry about that. . . nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect," Nico chuckled, bashfully.

"Happy tears?" Percy asked, wrapping his arms around Nico.

"Happy tears," the son of Hades affirmed, leaning his head up against his cousin's chest, and letting the steady rhythm of his heart beat lull him.

"Good" Percy sighed. He hadn't seen Nico cry, or even come close to crying, since he first met him. The guy had grown into a fearless freaking warrior over the last five years. Percy was sure there was nothing that scared him. He made it through Tartarus alone. Percy would be the first to admit, Nico di Angelo was one bad ass demigod.

To know that someone as hardened as Nico was that happy to be with him, was a pretty clear indication to Percy that he was exactly where he needed to be. It was going to hurt, closing the book with Annabeth after everything they'd been through. But he was more sure than ever that he was finally on the right track. Everything was clicking into place.

There was still a lot for them to figure out, but that could wait until the morning. Percy was beat, physically and emotionally. He tightened his grip around Nico's waist and shuffled them both over to a coffin shaped bunk bed; where he then toppled onto his side, pulling Nico down onto the bed with him.

Nico yelped, surprised at first, until he started laughing- although he wasn't entirely sure why he was. He chalked it up to being a little giddy about this entire situation. Percy chuckled along with him, so happy to hear him laugh again.

The taller demigod grabbed the blanket and draped it over them. He then wrapped his arm around Nico and placed a soft kiss on his head. Nico felt himself melting underneath his love's touch. He snuggled into Percy's chest, surprised by how amazing it felt being this close to someone.

"Goodnight, Angel," Percy muttered sleepily, not even really meaning to say it aloud. Nico felt his face grow hot. He wasn't used to such intimate pet names. But he liked it. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Goodnight, mia conchiglia," Nico whispered. He was pretty sure he was too excited to get much sleep, but he knew he needed it. He tried to tell his brain to shut up and just drift off. As he was finally about to, he was sure he heard a deep voice echo softly from somewhere in the cabin.

"You're welcome."

A/N: Alright, guys, that's the end (for real this time)! Nico refers to Percy as "his seashell" at the end there, just to save you the trouble of translating (supposing you don't know Italian). Anyway, thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a comment/kudos if you did! If you didn't, I'd still love to hear your feedback!

Also: While I am sorry the story is so short, I will not be writing more. I get asked this far too often, so I just want to clear the air. I have my reasons for making it the length it is; involving my own time restraints and creative choices I thought would make the story more impactful. In summary, just please don't ask me to write more. Thank you in advance! eue