A/N: I've been working on this for maybe a week now. It began with a headcanon of Nico standing behind the counter of a pub, cleaning glasses, and Percy leaning against the counter, trying to engage Nico in conversation. Later, while I was writing this, I could so picture Poseidon, in his shorts and Hawai shirt, selling fishing accessories, so I included this in the story.

You don't have to think of a particular age for them, but I made me some notes to keep track of the timeline, and at the beginning of the story, Percy would be twenty-one and Nico nineteen – eighteen when he started to work.

For your information: The movie they are talking about at the end – or at least, the movie I thought of while writing this particular scene – is Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

Enough of this claptrap – here comes the story! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing this!

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus are the intellectual property of Rick Riordan. Star Wars – even though only implied and never mentioned outside the author's note – belongs to Disney.

The Ghost King from the River Styx

A tale of losers and barkeepers

HashtagMC

Percy Jackson had been a customer of the pub 'River Styx' for two years now. One of his friends – he didn't even know who it had been – had taken him with him years ago, and he had stayed. The interior was comfy, the staff was nice, and it wasn't too far from his humble apartment. Plenty of sensible reasons to come here.

One not-so-sensible reason was currently cleaning glasses behind the counter. The barkeeper had began to work here maybe a year after Percy had come here first, and he had caught Percy's interest immediately. At the time, he had broken up with his girlfriend, after he'd realized that he had never wanted to be with her, and just maintained their relationship because everybody had expected him to do so; expected them to be the perfect couple. He had, shortly thereafter, realised that he wasn't really into girls, and it had been quite a shock for him. He had, with the help of his best friend Jason – the guy could work as a counsellor any time – accepted his sexuality as a part of him, though.

Anyway, a few months after his coming-out to his friends and family, he had seen the black-haired young man behind the counter of the River Styx, and thought something along the lines of: This guy has a really cute face. The young man had long, black, unruly hair, brown eyes, and really pale skin. He was scrawny, maybe six inches smaller than Percy, and his appearance totally suited the name of the place. If this was the River Styx, then the guy was truly from the underworld. Percy had never seen him wear anything but black – unless one counted the brown aviator jacket that hung next to him – and the skull ring on his finger perfected the Punk look. Or maybe it was Goth? Percy wasn't really an expert in fashion. Long story short, the guy looked a) scary, and b) totally awesome.

The guy's name badge read Nico, and that was – besides the obvious fact that he was working in this pub – all that Percy knew about him. Nico was always polite, but he didn't talk much. Percy doubted he had ever heard more words than the usual 'what can I bring you, sir?' leaving Nico's lips during the past year. He merely cleaned glasses and served drinks until his shift was over, looking definitely bored. Maybe it was Percy's imagination, but to him, it seemed as if Nico only lived up when Percy ordered his beer.

'What can I bring you, sir?'

Maybe Percy had had one drink too much, or he was especially courageous today.

'Know what? Cut the "sir"-crap. Your name is written on your name tag, so it's only fair if I tell you mine. The name's Percy. Or Mr. Jackson, if the first name is too intimate.'

Yeah, definitely too much beer. That sounded like the most plain pick-up line Percy had ever heard.

'Well… what can I bring you, Mr. Jackson?'

Percy was sure his face was glowing while he absent-mindedly ordered his last beer. Nico had called him by his name – even though it was his last name – and that was way better than the usual 'sir'. He wasn't an anonymous customer amongst many anymore, to Nico, he was 'Mr. Jackson'.

He liked the sound of that.

Cut

'The same drink as the last time, Mr. Jackson?' When Percy visited the River Styx the next time, he was greeted by Nico's voice. And Percy was almost disgusted by his own cheesiness when he thought to himself that this voice was music in his ears. Almost. After he'd nodded and took a seat at the bar, he looked up as Nico set down the glass in front of him.

'Thanks. Uh… I guess this sounds weird, but if you say "Mr. Jackson", I feel uncomfortable saying "Nico". I totally don't mean this to sound like a pick-up line, but maybe I could call you by your last name?' He hoped Nico wouldn't react strangely or something, but this really bothered him. But to his relief, Nico smiled and actually set down the glass he was cleaning and reached out. 'The name's Nico di Angelo. Or Mr. di Angelo, if the first name is too intimate.'

Percy shook the hand and grinned as he heard Nico using his own words against him.

'How come you're here this early? Usually, you don't appear before at least nine a.m. Took a day off at work?'

Now Percy felt really flattered. Maybe Nico just was observant, but if he knew what time Percy usually came to visit the pub, he had apparently paid attention to Percy, in spite of his usual, bored expression. That thought sounded promising.

'Nah, no work today. Dad is visiting his brother, so he closed his shop.' He snorted. 'I really don't get why he insists on visiting his family. They can't stand each other. They constantly keep bickering.' He took a sip of his beer. 'But "family" is not dad's strong suit anyway, I'm proof of that. His dirty, little mistake. His wife never fails to point this out.' Another sip. 'You know what? Working at your dad's shop because you won't find another job really sucks.' It suddenly occurred to Percy that Nico might not have wanted to hear any of this. 'Uh, sorry. Didn't mean to bother you with all this.'

But Nico chuckled. 'Believe me, I get it. Same here. Though I haven't heard my stepmother call me mistake once, she's actually quite nice. But I agree – working at dad's place sucks.'

Percy frowned confused. 'This is your dad's place?' Nico nodded. 'Yup. My grandfather was quite obsessed with the Ancient Greeks, which resulted in my father being named Hades. Believe me, you don't want to be named after the god of the dead. Anyway, he thought since it's his name, he might as well put it to good use, that's why he bought this pub and gave it the name it bears today.'

'You totally practised this speech' Percy deadpanned. 'From your marketing brochure?'

Nico laughed, making Percy's heart flutter. He had never heard Nico laugh before. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen him smile before. 'Nah, I just have a very good memory. Anyway, so the reason I'm working here is to fund my studies.'

'You're going to college?' Percy felt the blood rush to his cheeks. Not for the first time in his life, he felt like a complete loser. Truth was: He hadn't even completed high school.

'What's wrong?' Nico asked. Percy swallowed hard. 'It's, er…' He sighed. 'You're talking to the biggest loser in New York City. I—I got kicked out of every school I've attended so far, and… the hell with it, I haven't made it past ninth grade, okay?' He did his best to look anywhere but into Nico's face. He might as well stand behind the counter and sell beer. He was no use for anything else.

'Why?'

'Huh?'

'Why did you get kicked out of so many schools?' No trace of mock in Nico's voice, just sincere curiosity. Which was a first. Besides his friends – most of them had had similar problems – nobody had not made fun of Percy once they'd learned what a loser he was.

'I… might have been a troublemaker? Hyperactive, ADHD, dyslexia – I got the whole packet of problems. Always was a loner. No friends, couldn't focus during lessons… as I said, I'm a loser.'

He was surprised to feel Nico's hand on his, and as he looked up, he was met with the wonderful eyes of the barkeeper. 'Don't say this' Nico quietly said. 'It's not your fault.' He gave Percy's hand a gentle squeeze before returning his hands to the glass (Percy was quite sure he was cleaning the same glass for, like, twenty minutes now).

'So you live with your family in the flats above the pub?' Percy asked in an attempt to change the subject. Nico shook his head. 'Nope. Moved out as soon as I turned eighteen. I couldn't stand the close proximity any longer.'

Percy frowned. 'So you live with your girlfriend, or in the college dorms?' He was pretty sure that a part-time job at a pub was not paid well enough to afford a flat, unless it was paid by two people.

'Ain't got no boyfriend' Nico answered, and something inside Percy purred at the word boyfriend.

'My mother has saved money for my and my sister's education all her life,' Nico explained. 'It's not much, but combined with this job, it's enough to keep me from starving.' He – finally – put the glass down and picked up another one. 'What about you?'

Percy sighed. So much for changing the subject. 'As I said, I work at dad's shop. Believe me, I hate this job. He sells accessories for fishing, and he's actually proud of it. I would quit rather sooner than later.' He shrugged. 'But nobody's got a job for the untaught idiot.' He realized that his glass was empty, and gestured towards it. Nico understood and filled the glass again.

Percy took a sip of his beer and laughed a dry laugh. 'I can so picture myself in twenty years. The best I can hope for is to work for dad's successor. Though that's highly unlikely. Triton hates me, and he always points out that he is the legitimate heir to dad's company. So, as soon as dad retires, I can go and live on the streets. Will make a fine beggar.'

He didn't hear the 'I won't let this happen' Nico mumbled under his breath.

After he had finished his second beer as well – they had kept talking about trivialities – Percy got up and reached for his wallet, but Nico beat him to it. 'My treat.'

Percy frowned. 'Just because I'm a loser, that doesn't mean you have to pity me. I am totally able to pay for my own drinks.' Nico smirked. 'And I am totally able to invite a handsome stranger to a beer.' He gently forced Percy's hand with the wallet out of the way. 'Goodbye, bello.'

Cut

'The usual beer, Percy?'

Percy froze in his tracks for a second before a wide grin spread across his face. 'The usual beer, Nico.' He received his glass from Nico. 'So we're on first-name-terms now?'

They had been talking – and flirting – over the past months, but only that. None of them had made a move, like asking the other one on a date. And, honestly – it was starting to get to Percy. Constantly coming very close to asking Nico out, just to lose his courage in the last moment – it was driving him insane. But he never seemed to find the right moment. A few times, they had been coming pretty close to the topic 'boyfriend', but not close enough for Percy to man up and say the words that were floating around in his head for a while now: 'Would you go on a date with me?'

'Are you even listening?' Percy flinched. 'Uh, no. Sorry. Zoned out for a bit.' Nico sighed. 'I said: I think we're pretty close, what with all the times we've talked, so I don't feel uncomfortable with saying "Percy" anymore. So, yes, we're on first-name-terms.'

Despite his originally bad mood, Percy grins. So they are making progress. Slowly. If Percy isn't reading too much into this. If Nico really is interested in him, and doesn't just enjoy the flirting. If this, if that…

'Hey, what's wrong?'

That's one thing Percy isn't sure about, he isn't sure whether it annoys him that Nico can always tell when something's wrong, or if he enjoys it. Nonetheless, he's never succeeded in avoiding talking about his problems once Nico noticed they were there.

'Nah, just a fight.' Percy had originally intended to end it there, but in the end, he told Nico the whole story. How he had been pissed because of a stressful day at work, gotten into a fight with Annabeth, and ended up yelling at everyone. How it just made him feel sick to be the only single among all his friends and their respective girl- and boyfriends. Sometimes, he couldn't stand the happiness around him, and if it was a bad day, he wondered why his friends dealt with a loser like him. Jason, Piper, Hazel, Rachel and Annabeth were studying, Reyna and Frank were in the army, Leo was working at his family's garage, Calypso was working at a restaurant, and what Annabeth's new boyfriend was doing, Percy had no idea.

Nico was a good listener. He always was.

Cut

Two months later, Percy decided to make another move and asked Nico if he'd like to hang out with him after his shift was over. Nico agreed, and suggested – to Percy's surprise – they'd go to the cinema. They had soon formed a habit of this, going to the movies each first Saturday in the month, alternately choosing which movie to see. Today was the third time.

'The Labyrinth of Minos, Nico? Seriously? I didn't knew you were into horror movies.' Percy said. Nico only smiled amused. 'Says the one who went to see Finding Dory.'

'I am not going to let you hold my hand,' Percy deadpanned.

Of course, in the end, Nico not only held his hand, but also flipped up the armrest between their chairs and clung – Percy was tempted to say snuggled up – to Percy whenever the movie was scary. Which meant, the better part of two hours. Percy had no idea why he was doing this – usually, from what he'd seen, Nico wasn't the touchy-feely kind of guy, if anything, he disliked body contact – but he let Nico do as he pleased nonetheless. His surprise grew when he caught himself petting Nico's hair and Nico didn't mind.

After that, it became some sort of a rite between them. Whenever they'd go to the movies, they'd all but cuddle during the movie, only to fall back into the 'just friends' pattern afterwards. It was driving Percy insane, but at the same time, he liked it. In his somewhat mundane everyday life, he looked forward the each first Saturday. The movies didn't matter since long ago – it was the only time when he was allowed to hold Nico as close as he wanted. By now, they'd watched whatever sounded interesting, often deciding which movie they liked to see only seconds before they reached the counter.

'Shit, I've forgotten my wallet,' Nico cursed. Until now, each of them had paid for their own ticket. Nico turned to Percy, looking apologetic. 'Sorry, Perce. I didn't mean to spoil our evening.' Percy decided then to store this memory and remember it whenever he could, because not only Nico had, for the first time, called him by a pet name – Perce – but he had also said our evening.

'I'll pay for you,' he said, wondering why Nico hadn't thought of that. Nico immediately looked conflicted and guilty. 'Percy, I know you can't really spare any money—'

'Neither can you,' Percy cut him off. 'Look, if you're so keen on it, you can pay it back tomorrow. But for now, let me pay. I don't want to spoil our evening either.' He emphasised the our, and eventually, Nico gave in. After they'd finished their bickering, they turned back to the counter, suddenly realising that they had probably stolen the time of everyone who was in line behind them.

'You,' said the employee behind the counter while he took their money and printed out two tickets, 'are the cutest couple I've seen here in a long time.' Both Nico and Percy blushed at the implication.

'We're not – I mean—' Percy stuttered.

'Not a couple?' asked the man surprised. 'Does your boyfriend know that?' He winked. 'Just kidding. But you could easily be mistaken for one.' He handed them their tickets. 'Here you go. Have fun!'

Cut

Percy shivered as he stomped through the snow, but it wasn't because of the weather. Today, he was going to ask Nico out on a date. And – honestly – the possibility of Nico saying 'no' scared him like hell.

'Morning, Percy!' Nico's voice sounded from the counter as Percy stepped into the River Styx. It wasn't usual for Nico to do morning shifts, but one of the employees had gotten sick, and he had told Percy he'd take her shift the other day. Given this knowledge, Percy had taken the first half of the day off to come here and just fucking do it and ask Nico out, as he told himself while he walked up to the counter.

'Morning, Nico.' He tried to steady his breathing as he sat down at the bar stool. Just don't fuck up now. He rehearsed his speech a last time in his head – he hat, in spite of his dyslexia, written uncounted versions of it the last days, before he'd finally chosen one and practised it until he knew it by heart.

'Uh, Nico?'

'Yes?'

Phew. Let's do this.

'I know this Saturday isn't one of our Saturdays, but I wondered, no, I want to ask you: Would you go to the movies with me? As a date? Because, Nico, I like you very, very much, really, and I've been wanting to ask you out for a long time, but I didn't have the courage to do so. And, if your answer is no, then please let us still be friends, because I don't want to lose you. So, if you don't want to, I'll never bring it up again, but if your answer is yes, you'll be making me the happiest man in a fifty-miles-radius.'

Nico arched one eyebrow and smirked. 'Who helped you writing this speech?'

Percy blushed. 'Nobody!' he protested. 'I spent, uh, one week maybe, writing this by myself.'

Nico smirk grew wider until it had changed into a grin. 'Well, the last sentence isn't true. The happiest person around am I, because the answer is yes.'

'Yes!' Percy shouted and pumped his fist into the air, before he remembered that there were people around. 'Oops. Sorry.'

Cut

'That movie was utter crap,' Percy decided. Nico, however, couldn't totally agree. 'You can't deny that they are a cute couple,' he argued. 'Even if they didn't get to kiss.'

'Forget about the couple!' Percy shot back. 'The script was like a weird mixture of all the other movies! Why would they build a third doomsday machine with the same fatal flaw? I just don't get it! They should get themselves a better engineer!'

'Percy,' Nico sighed. 'it's a movie, for God's sake. It doesn't have to be logical.'

'Yes, but also, did you see the guy's face when he took off his mask? He looked like a rich, spoiled brat who wants to take over the world!'

Nico heaved another sigh. 'You know what? You're a nerd. And annoying. An annoying nerd, that's what you are,' he judged, though elbowing Percy playfully. Percy took that as a 'I don't mean it'. Hopefully.

'Sorry,' he said sheepishly. Nico's smile told him that his apology was accepted.

They were approaching the exit of the cinema, and usually, they'd part now. But this time, before Percy could say anything – he had no idea what he'd say anyway – Nico grabbed Percy's hand, linking their fingers, and spun him around. It was the first time they were that close outside the cinema hall.

'That was wonderful, Perce. Thanks' Nico said, and the gratitude in his eyes was real. Percy smiled back and took Nico's other hand as well.

'Can I kiss you now?' he asked, leaning in but stopping halfway. And then Nico leant in too, and their lips met. Suddenly, Nico's hand was in Percy's hair and Percy's arms were wrapped around Nico's waist as their lips moved with each other's. When they broke apart, Nico still ran his fingers through Percy's hair.

'Now, would you be a good boyfriend and walk me home?' he asked, and as if Percy's heart hadn't been working overtime before, now his heartbeat sped up again. Boyfriend. Yeah, this word was music in his ears. Boyfriend.

'Sure. Can't let my boyfriend run through New York alone.'

On their way outside, the passed by the employee behind the counter, who was currently counting the change and preparing to close the cinema. As they walked past him, he looked up, and his look and smile was a pure one-hundred percent 'I told you so'.

Percy had never seen Nico's apartment before, and he was surprised to see it wasn't much bigger than his, from what he could see from the door. He'd always assumed Nico would live in a bigger flat, what with him being practically upper class – compared to Percy.

'Well, see you tomorrow,' Nico breathed against Percy's lips.

Cut – Epilogue – Four Years Later

'I'm home, Perce!'

Percy could hear that. Yet, Nico never once forgot to announce his presence when he came home from work. And Percy loved it. He sat on the couch in their apartment, his laptop on his knees, and was frantically hitting the keyboard in order to finish a paper. Said paper was due the next day, and he had forgotten it until the day before.

'How are you, honey?' Nico peeked over the couch's backrest, resting his chin on Percy's shoulder and ruffling Percy's hair with one hand. Even after four years of their relationship, Nico never seemed to get bored of playing with the hair of his fiancé. Percy didn't mind at all.

'Totally dog-tired, but I'm almost done,' he responded. 'I made lunch, it's in the fridge. You can warm it up while I finish this, so we can eat together.' Nico nodded and headed for the refrigerator.

'Perce?'

'Hm-mm?'

'You know, I just realised… I never said how proud I am of you. I'm proud. You're the most awesome person I have ever met. You never give up, like now, when you're learning to get your degree. I'm proud, and I feel blessed to be with you.'

Overwhelmed, Percy looked towards his to-be-husband. Nico smiled sheepishly. 'I just wanted to say this. And I meant every word of it.'

Percy put the laptop down to walk over to Nico, wrapping his arms around the taller man and resting his head on Nico's shoulder. 'Thanks, Nico,' he whispered.

'I love you, Perce.'

'I love you too, Neeks.'