DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot.

Summary: "Because Percy knows his mother is happy for the smallest thing he did for her and Nico just needs to find a home to feel right on earth."

I apologize for butchering the language of the Italian people and retarded conversations, also for grammatical errors and unfunny jokes. And I also apologize to Jules Verne's fans out there, please don't kill me.

Happy reads :)

Life Debates

by

CeruleanAndGray

It's one of those bright, clear days with occasional soft breeze rolling on the hills of Camp Half-Blood, carrying cheerful laughter of younger campers on the strawberry fields and the older counselors' exasperated shouts on the training ground. The satyrs were either busy playing their flutes to grow plants or busy crossing the border with more new demigods. Mr. D even looked less grumpy than usual . . . Nah, that's asking too much, the God of Wine was scowling and 'slightly' inebriated as usual.

Well, the point is it's a fantastic day. Thank Zeus' podex for small favors.

Thunder rumbled across the sky, as if the King of Gods was saying, 'Your welcome, punny mortals. Keep my godly anatomies out of the prayer or I'll smite you, you hear?'

One Percy Jackson could careless. Laying on the sands of Fireworks beach, salty air filled his lungs and the sound of rolling waves sang powerful bass in his ears and he thought, 'This is what I save the world two times for'. Not for the Gods, not because he was so heroic he couldn't see the world in great peril, but for peaceful days like this. Because, seriously dude? Totally worth it.

It had nearly been a year since the Argo ll crews kicked Gaia and minions' collective butts (this is a major simplification), turned out when he escaped from Tartarus with Annabeth nearly three weeks had passed. He and Annabeth still had nightmares from their time down there. Let's just say that Annabeth would never read Journey to Center of the Earth ever again and Jules Verne was a stinking liar.

Okay, let us not waste time remembering that hellhole. Anyway, since he was technically seventeen going eighteen now and as the norm (although he was anything but norm) dictated, Percy was obliged to attend collage. Actually he didn't want to, considering he barely read English and he only graduated Goode High because Paul kindly persuaded the dean. He was actually pretty proud of himself for graduating high school, it may not seemed much but Percy always thought he would not actually achieve this height of educational level. Not because his lack of, um, scholar abilities, but because the whole I-am-the-prophecy-child-and-one-of-the-seven business.

Truthfully, after the second war had been won, he was starting to think that his life purpose was to fight Titans, evil primordial beings, et cetera, because he was just that unlucky to be included into two Great Prophecies in a lifetime. What if Rachel suddenly issued another one when he was on his bench, in the class, pretending to listen the professor droned about something he didn't have an idea about? That's not gonna be pretty alright. He didn't want to make collage the nth time priority again, because . . . let's face the music, college is expensive and Percy knew his parents weren't exactly made of drachmas or dollar bills. Whatever.

He already told this to both Paul and his mom. Paul understood his reasons, but his mom was the real problem. Oh, don't get him wrong, his mom, queen among the women as Poseidon had proclaimed, completely understood him too. It was just her expression that told him she wanted to see her baby boy wore silly togas and had a diploma because she, Sally Jackson-Blofis once dreamt to be like that. Sally didn't tell him that, she would never dare to burden Percy with expectations to fulfill her dreams of all things, thanks very much, Sally was a much better person than that.

Percy just had this nagging feeling inside his heart that wanted to make her mother's dreams come true. He knew that his mother was already proud of him, by the Gods did he know that every time his mother gazed at him, made him blue cookies and hugged him. It's just, sometimes, he remembered the time when he was a third grader, his math teacher had a pop-quiz that day and surprise, surprise Percy did good at it and had gotten 'B'. Again, it may not seemed much but he had gotten out of class running excitedly that. He had found his mom waiting at the school gate and ran towards her with a stupid big grin plastered on his face. Percy waved the test paper in front of his mom's face and his mother had been so happy she squealed and squeezed Percy to death. She had bought him blueberry ice cream on the way home.

It was one of his favorite childhood memories, the memory just showed him that he could make his mother happy with such simple things. He didn't have to be the hero of Olympus nor beat twelve foot Hyperborean to make her proud, just small little things like passing tests at school. So, he decided that he would attend college. At New Rome. With his girlfriend. Maybe they had a degree for lopping off monsters' limbs or something.

Percy Jackson. Limbs Lopper, Ph.D.

Yeah, he could live with that.

Oh, and he also hoped that they would be willing to make his GPA somewhat passable too because, dude please, he had saved them once. Not counting the fact that he had beaten so many monsters to ensure the safety of his fellow demigods and was their praetor albeit only for a day.

Okay, that sounded pathetic.

His musings was interrupted by crunching sounds of boots against the sands and only one person that he knew of wore combat boots all the time. He sat up and turned around.

"Yo, Perce. I don't think you need tanning anymore."

"Psh, I know. I would wear less clothing if that were my objective. You on the other hand could use a bit of tan, my dear cousin."

Nico di Angelo smirked and plopped on the sand beside him. As usual he wore all black. Black shirt, black jeans tucked inside the black boots. A stark contrast with Percy that was currently wearing Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts, his flip-flops strewn somewhere on the shore. The King of Ghosts had hit growth spurt (About time, Nico said) and stopped being a midget awhile ago, he almost reached Percy's height but with a lankier build that matched his agile fighting style.

"So . . . what's up, man?", Percy the ever conversationalist asked.

"Nothing mortally endangering my life, just doing various jobs for my dad. Traveled to Italy, not Rome mind you," he made a disgusted face at this, "awhile ago. Verona. Beautiful place." Nico said while squinting his eyes towards the sun.

"Whatever for? Persephone had you pick some flowers?"

Nico had proceeded to look at him like he was an idiot or something. Percy just thought he couldn't be blamed for not knowing what Verona's specialty was, it just sounds . . . flowery. Besides it's where Romeo and Juliet thingy was written right? Surely, there were many beautiful flowers there.

"No, I was searching for my mom's relatives. "

"Oh, awesome. I assume Uncle Hades had returned your memories?"

"Not exactly. I may had some secret meetings with Lady Hecate. Pretty sure my dad knew about it though, but he just let me be."

"Well, that's great either way. I'm glad for you." Percy said sincerely. He admitted that he had this soft spot for Nico because he always looked like a lost puppy, not knowing where to go and what to do. Just sometimes.

"Thanks." The son of Hades smiled and went back to squint at the sun.

"And how did it go? You found something?"

"Thankfully, yes. My mother was a daughter of a diplomat, so I snooped into Foreign Affairs to find info about her origins. I didn't find much, the war destroyed most of the files. But, I did found out that she was born in Verona as an only child. Father: Salvatore di Angelo, ambassador for US from 1918 to 1925. Status: Deceased. Mother: Elena De Luca, Status: Deceased." Nico rehearsed his founding like he had practiced it for hundreds of times.

"Oh", went Percy. He was like, Are you going to cry now?

"But she had cousins though, a bunch of di Angelos. They even have a manor down in the suburbs of Verona. Apparently, di Angelo is one of those families that is real old they curtsied each other when they met. "

"Oh."

"Uh, huh."

"I found it ironic that you are a grandson of a diplomat of all things, considering your social skills . . . "

"Hmm, me too. It's because of Hades I guess. He negates all the good genes because he is, you know, badness in its purest form."

"That's tragic, man. I'm so sorry for you."

They looked at each other and bursted out laughing like loons. The boys felt the ground shook but before they got sucked into the depths of hell and fed to Cerberus, Nico mumbled an apology to his dad. Then after a moment, they regained their composure.

"What did you tell them then? 'Nice to meet you, oh dear family. I am Nico and I was born during WWII. I am actually your granduncle twice removed. Yes, I missed you too, guys. Let's group hug'? Percy shamlessly hugged himself while grinning from ear to ear.

Nico went quiet, Percy thought that he might had crossed the line and was in the process of composing an apology when Nico replied.

"Yeah, I told them pretty much that, minus the hugging part of course. They don't do group hug, they curtsied remember?" Nico said as a matter of fact.

" . . . . . for real?"

"For real. The head of the family, that's Fabricio di Angelo, is really superstitious. He actually spooked me more than the kids at Hecate cabin did and that's saying something. It also helped that Aunt-"

"Grandniece you mean." Percy smartly cut him.

"Shut it, Jackson. It also helped that Aunt Geraldine could see through the Mist. They even bought the part where I told them I was kept in Lotus Casino with my sister for years. They are, um, imponente." Nico chided with a flourish of hands gesture.

"Oh, now that you found your long lost relatives, you identify yourself as an Italian?" The son of Poseidon asked incredulously.

Nico smirked as if he found a new way to ridicule his older cousin. Or probably he did.

"L'Italia è impressionante. Io sono un italiano, il mio nome è Nico Di Angelo. Ciao, piacere di conoscerti."

"Uh, okay. Hold your horses, du-"

"Mio cugino è un idiota, il suo nome è Perseus. Ma personalmente penso kelphead è più preciso. Oh, this is fun."

"I will found out what that means and I will kill you in your sleep."

"Che è carino, perdente."

End.

Thanks for reading this story through the end. Please tell me what you think by reviewing. You guys are awesome :-)

imponente - awesome

L'Italia è impressionante. Io sono un italiano, il mio nome è Nico Di Angelo. Ciao, piacere di conoscerti - Italian is awesome. I am an Italian, my name is Nico di Angelo. Hello, nice to meet you.

Mio cugino è un idiota, il suo nome è Perseus. Ma personalmente penso kelphead è più preciso - My cousin is an idiot, his name is Perseus. Personally, I think kelphead is a more accurate name.

Che è carino, perdente - That's cute, loser.

:-)