Number One
by Eris

"You're a really good friend, Nee-co."

Nico grinned at her. "You're just saying that because you're drunk," he pointed out.

"Noooo!" she protested vehemently as her body swayed in her seat, eyes widening to emphasize her words. "I mean it! I don't say it a lot, but I think it, like, a lot!" He snorted as she tossed back the amber liquid in her shot glass. "You're a really good friend, Nee-co."

"Yeah, I think you've had enough," Nico said, motioning for the barkeep to not refill her glass as he wrapped his coat around her. "I'm bringing you home."

"Don't!" she squealed as he lifted her off the stool and into his arms. "Don't wanna go yet! I'm having fun, Nee-co!"

"I can see that," he agreed, shifting her so that he could make sure she wasn't flashing her underwear at anyone, "but since you no longer have the ability to stand, the fun has to end."

"Meanie!" Annabeth grumbled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're just like Percy."

"I'm better than Percy," he scoffed, playing along. "I let you get drunk, remember?"

"But you took it away!" she complained. "I was having fun, Nee-co!"

An amused smile covered his face. "Yes, you mentioned that already." Annabeth fell silent, allowing Nico to carry her back to his car. Concerned (because Annabeth was a talkative drunk), Nico stopped walking and set her down. "Don't fall asleep," Nico told Annabeth, holding her by her shoulders as she stretched her legs.

As if on cue, Annabeth yawned widely. "No promises," she giggled, stepping forward. Rolling his eyes, Nico tucked her under his arm to keep her steady and began walking with her. He kept her awake by asking about her firm's latest project, and she began discussing everything in great detail. "You're such a good friend, Nee-co," she said out of the blue.

Nico laughed. Annabeth was usually their designated driver whenever they got together, so it wasn't often that Annabeth was this drunk. It was a change he probably would've liked had she not been doing it to dull her obvious pain. And despite his attempts at coaxing the story out of her, she had stubbornly remained tight-lipped, never divulging the reason for her sudden need to consume an entire bottle of tequila—though Nico assumed it had something to do with Percy.

It was almost always about Percy these days.

"I think you've mentioned that before too."

Annabeth hummed, leaning heavily onto him. "Thanks for tonight," she mumbled. "I know it sucks that you had to stay with me—"

He paused a few feet away from his car. "Stop that," he said firmly, gripping her tighter even as he maneuvered them into a position where he could look her in the eyes. "If you haven't noticed, you're kind of my best friend. So it doesn't suck to hang out with you. Promise."

To his utter horror, tears filled her eyes. He hadn't meant for her to cry! She was supposed to give him a little Annabeth smile that told him she already knew that!

Crap.

"Oh, Nee-co!" she sniffled, wrapping her arms around him as she buried her face into his chest. "You're the best friend ever. Like, number one on my list."

Speechless, but instinctively knowing she needed some form of reply, Nico hugged her back, blinking dumbly. He'd never seen her cry before, not even when…well, just plain never. It had always been a constant fact for him that crying and Annabeth didn't go together, and seeing her like this felt…wrong. Nico suddenly felt the urge to beat Percy up.

Annabeth and tears did not go together.

He didn't know how long they'd been standing there, but the boisterous sound of a large group of people cut into their moment and made him realize what a cold night it was. Nico silently led Annabeth to the car and quickly turned the engine on to activate the heater.

"Take me to your place."

A little surprised, Nico's suspicions swiftly gained even more credence, but he said nothing as he released the clutch and stepped on the gas pedal. He could practically taste her relief as he turned down the street that led to his apartment building. His curiosity grew, and he almost asked her what was going on, but when he turned to do so, he found she'd fallen asleep.

When they finally reached his building, he parked his car and didn't bother waking her, choosing to carry her up quietly. If Nico assumed right, then whatever happened between her and Percy had been big and explosive and entirely exhausting. She definitely looked like she needed the rest.

Once he'd gotten her settled on the couch (she loved that lumpy couch, for some bizarre reason), he contemplated calling Percy, but decided not to. Annabeth wouldn't have wanted to stay with him if she wasn't avoiding Percy, and if he called the other demigod, he'd just come over, ruining whatever peace Annabeth had gained tonight. Like he'd told Annabeth, she was his best friend, and he took care of the people he loved.

So he grabbed some clothes and took a shower instead, washing off the grime he'd collected for the day. His job as a landscaper wasn't the cleanest job in the world, but it helped him identify where he could immediately summon an army of dead people when he faced a monster in the middle of the city. As the son of Hades, his scent was one of the two strongest in New York (the other being Percy, of course), so he got attacked a lot, and unlike Percy, he wasn't invincible, so he used all the help he could get when he needed to.

By the time he exited the bathroom, Annabeth—still asleep—had relocated to the floor, making Nico chuckle as he returned her to her perch. He briefly considered putting her in his bed.

"Hmm." She squinted up at him. "Wha's goin' on?"

She was adorable while half-asleep. "Nothing. Go back to sleep."

"'kay," she replied, her hand moving up his arm in what was unmistakably a caress. Electric awareness jolted into him, and he was instantly unable to ignore the fact that Annabeth was a beautiful woman. Of course, he'd always known she was pretty, but he'd never really looked or saw her like he was looking and seeing her now.

All of a sudden, she wasn't just Annabeth.

When she sleepily pulled him closer, her lips meeting his, he forgot everything but the fact that a gorgeous woman was kissing him. So he kissed back, his hands coming up to tangle his fingers into her hair and keep her where she was. And when Annabeth realized (and he saw that she realized) that it was Nico she was kissing, he waited, anticipation thrumming through his veins. He saw, too, when she made her decision to kiss him again.

Nico felt a niggling feeling at the back of his head, and he began to remember something, but Annabeth slipped her hands under his shirt, and his focus shifted to the sensation of her dragging her nails lightly across his nipples. He shivered and retaliated by ripping off the remaining buttons that persistently kept her white shirt closed.

Hours later, he gathered her into his arms, tired and sated and wracked with a heavy sort of guilt. He'd long ago remembered who he was with, and that she'd been drunk when she kissed him, not to mention half-asleep. He'd long ago come to the realization that she would regret this in the morning. But he still responded to her touch, still kissed her back, still violated her and her trust in him with each second he spent naked with her.

The gods help him, but he couldn't stop falling in love with Annabeth Chase.

And though he wished she was, he knew she wasn't his to love. So many people would be affected if he tried to pursue her. And Percy…

Percy was terrifying when it came to Annabeth. His desire to protect his loved ones was his greatest strength and his most crushing weakness, and he'd loved Annabeth for so long that losing her would send him into a determined frenzy. Nico had witnessed it twice already—once when Annabeth had been taken by the Manticore during the Titan War, and last was when Athena, still angry at Percy merely for being the son of her rival, threatened to hide Annabeth from him. Percy had settled the last one with an oath to the River Styx, promising to destroy Olympus with his bare hands if any of the gods did such a thing. Athena was forced by Zeus to back down before Percy—protected from the gods because of his oath to and his curse by the Styx—did as he promised.

And if the gods—if Zeus—was wary of him, then Nico was downright anxious.

Besides, despite feeling what he felt, Nico knew he didn't have a chance. Annabeth loved Percy, no matter what kind of problems they were having right now.

So no, he couldn't fight for Annabeth. All he really could do was be the friend she needed.

But he couldn't even be that for her, could he? Tonight already proved that.

Without him noticing, Nico fell into a fitful sleep, his heart heavy and his conscience guilty.

Author's Note

My muse is visiting me again! Hurrah! Four hours of writing resulted in this. Haha! Let me know how it was, yeah? And please, if you've got anything harsh to say, make it something that'll help me improve my writing instead of just dissing me. Okay?

Love,

~E

Disclaimer: I only wish I thought of a story like Percy Jackson first. I'm completely in love with the Greek myths, so Percy Jackson is so much more my cup of tea than Harry Potter. Sorry J. K. Rowling!