PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || The Underworld's Jealousy || PJatO || Frazeleo || PJatO

Title: The Underworld's Jealousy – Three Easy Steps to Happiness

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; right post House of Hades

PJatO Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, of course. They are all copyright by the old Greeks. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, hetero, threesome, hurt/comfort, fluff, shoujo-ai

Main Pairings: Nico/Percy, Frank/Hazel/Leo

Side Pairings: Reyna/Annabeth, Jason/Piper, Frank/Hazel (established)

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Jason Grace

Summary: Threeshot about what should happen after House of Hades. Nico journeys with Reyna and bonds with her, Frank and Hazel are not happy about Leo thinking of Calypso, Leo is confused by his feelings, Jason wants to help Nico, Reyna questions why her loyalty seems to lay by Annabeth, while Annabeth and Percy try dealing with what they had been through in Tartarus.

The Underworld's Jealousy

Three Easy Steps to Happiness

Step 1: Let's Contemplate

The darkness of the night was appreciated. It made ignoring the fact that he was alone so much easier. Glaring at the fire in front of him, he poked it for a last time before it went out. No need to draw attention to their little camp side. And it didn't do much for him to feel warm anyway.

"Hey. If you want, you can rest now... I just, I just couldn't sleep."

Nico had a hard time not jumping out of his skin. He had been sitting there for hours now, all on his own. He had nearly completely forgotten about his companions. Mainly so because he really wasn't used to having companions. The beautiful Puerto Rican girl approached him slowly, like you would approach a wounded tiger, cautious to not anger him. It was ridiculous, really. Nico hated when people acted like that around him. No one really took him serious because he was just that pale, scrawny kid, yeah? Until they see what he is capable of. He had seen the way Jason Grace kept looking at him after—well, he had seen it anyway. Even the mighty son of Jupiter was afraid of Nico's powers. In a weird way, that gave Nico a sense of satisfaction. After the humiliation Grace had put him through, it was good to know that he could control the Roman. If Jason was afraid of what Nico could do, then chances were low that Grace would blurt Nico's secret out. Still, regardless of how small the chances were, they were still there. And the mere fact that someone aside from himself knew this secret was ripping his heart out and squeezing his lungs until it was nearly impossible to breath at all. Nico had left Grace with that blabbermouth Valdez, who was to say that Grace wouldn't tell his best friend? Or worse yet, his girlfriend. Children of Aphrodite loved to meddle in these affairs. The most horrible scenario in Nico's mind was that Grace would decide to be 'helpful' and tell Percy. The mere thought made his heart nearly stop.

"Nico? Did you hear me?" Reyna frowned curiously as she sat down next to him.

"I did" Nico grunted with a short nod, turning his attention to the dead fireplace. "I don't need you to take over for me. Go back to sleep. I can manage."

"I haven't seen you sleep at all so far," Reyna noted with one raised eyebrow. "You need rest."

"I need for us to finish this quest so we can return to the ship" Nico gritted his teeth hard.

Reyna frowned as she took his appearance in. Ever since their little journey from the Argo II to the US had started, the Italian at least had started to gain weight again and even a little color. Being forced to be out in the sun didn't hurt, after all. Still, it worried Reyna that the child of the Underworld still kept to himself so much. He had done so during his times at Camp Jupiter, but later she had figured it may have been because of his Greek heritage. Now she was pretty sure it was just a general life choice. Folding her legs beneath her calves, she grabbed a stick to poke the last glowing piece of firewood and try bringing the fire back to life.

"Why are you doing this?" The daughter of Bellona asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Doing what?" Nico grunted, turning to glare at her.

His glare made her shudder, because it was not just angry, it held the rage of the underworld. Those eyes were so deep and dark that merely looking into them scared her a bit. There had always been an aura to the two children of the underworld, but Nico's was sometimes too intense to bear. As though he was carrying a burden too heavy for himself and he let others feel his pain.

"This quest," was the simple reply. "Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Frank, Hazel, Leo and Piper are the Seven. I am doing this to bring peace to the Romans and the Greeks. But as far as I know, you couldn't care less about either camp, isn't that right? What motivates you to risk everything then?"

"None of your business."

Reyna gave it a dry laugh. Figured he wouldn't empty his heart to her like that. Still, it intrigued her to know what was going on in his head. After Percy had reached camp and Nico's true heritage had been revealed, she had figured that waiting for Percy Jackson must have been what motivated him to return to Camp Jupiter over and over again. He had always looked as though he was searching for something. Someone, she supposed now. Percy and Nico were friends, yes. But there was something else going on, she could feel it in her gut.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Reyna asked and blinked a couple times surprised.

"Sleeping," Nico grunted, throwing a last annoyed glare at her. "Like you suggested. Night."

Simple and short. Everything anyone ever got out of that boy, as far as Reyna could judge. Frowning curiously, she watched how Nico walked over to the giant statue to lay beside it. If the two of them – and the elderly faun with the nasty temper – would be stuck doing this quest for a longer period of time, then Reyna would get Nico to talk. Even if he'd kill her for it. Not that she had much to live for anyway. Dieing in this war would be honorable, she mused. Not dieing would mean to return to a camp full of Romans who probably saw her as a traitor, at best. At worst, they were all under Octavian's spell by now and killing Greeks left and right and her along with them. She had lost Jason to Piper and she had lost Skippy to... death. She had no idea where Hylla was at the moment and if the Amazons had to fight their own share of the war. She was an outcast now, had chosen to turn her back on the Romans to obey the wishes of a blonde Greek. Groaning exhausted, she ran her hands over her face and dug her nails into her scalp. For the first time in her life, she felt truly alone. In Circe's Spa, she had her sister and the other girls. In New Rome, there were the other Romans. But now? She had risked her life when she had spared Annabeth during the confrontation between the Romans and the Argo II. She had risked her position, her name and her reputation when she had sprang up to obey Annabeth's request. She had lost her most loyal friend when she had decided to take on the most dangerous journey possible. Everything in the name of... of what exactly? Cocking her head, Reyna turned to stare into the sky. Annabeth had intrigued her right from the start, it had been the reason why Reyna had wished to talk to her and not any other member of the crew back when the Argo II had landed in the Roman's home. But why?

/break\

"So... You think Leo met someone?" Frank's voice was a low, dark whisper.

Hazel blushed slightly as she leaned against his chest. She really appreciated that blessing of Mars. His voice was deeper, his posture prouder and his body stronger. Now, he looked like a proper Roman son of Mars. Like a praetor. A small, proud smile slid onto her lips at that. Her boyfriend, the praetor of Camp Jupiter. Frank nudged her to gain her attention. Shaking her head a couple of times, she turned to look him into the eyes.

"I don't know... I mean, something must have happened on Calypso's island," Hazel sighed with a slow shrug. "Something important. He barely fidgets anymore, he looks so sad... I don't think he met someone he loves. I think he realized something that broke his heart."

"I don't know which option I dislike more..." Frank grunted and frowned, staring straight ahead.

The couple was on watch duty, while Leo was on his favorite position – right next to Festus, steering the ship. Even his jokes and teasing had died down and as much as Frank thought he would appreciate that, as neglected did he feel now. Which was a weird thing to begin with.

"I don't want him to be like that..." Hazel tilted her head slightly as she looked over at Leo. "I like the carefree and happy Leo better. Do you think we can fix it somehow? I mean, I know it can be fixed somehow, but... do you... are you willing to fix it? I know you two don't get along well..."

"I came to the conclusion," Frank started softly, but his voice grew firmer and more determined with every word. "That the Fates have made this decision for us. Ever since the Argo II landed here, the one demigod both of us spend most time with was Leo. May it be thrown overboard, locked into secret passages, or behind a collapsed tunnel. It's like the Fates themselves keep pushing him to us. Who are we to disobey them? Besides, it annoys me immensely that he's not paying attention to us anymore! That drives me more crazy than his stupid jokes."

The upset frown on his face made Hazel smile softly as she leaned up to kiss her boyfriend tenderly. "I think you're right. The Fates have decided. Now we just need to follow their path."

/break\

Piper was awesome. That was about the only positive thing – aside from saving Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, but that went without saying – that Leo had to say about this journey so far. She had brought Festus to life. Real life. Not just the mechanical life only Leo understood. He was... warmer, somehow. It was hard to describe. But it was awesome. Smiling fondly at his mechanical friend, he patted the dragon's snout. Festus gave some clicks as reply, before turning his head slightly to indicate to the other two demigods on board. Leo froze some, only turning the slightest bit to look over at Frank and Hazel. The two Romans were being all cuddly again, kissing and making tender eye-contact and all. Wiggling his nose, Leo hastily turned away again.

By turning, he caught a climbs of the crystal. Something within Leo clenched in a painful way at the thought of Calypso. He had to save her. She deserved to see the world and maybe find love somewhere. Not with Leo, which send another jolt of painful guilt through his being. At first, he had assumed that Calypso's curse was that the men she loved left the island. But the true curse was worse than that. The true curse was that none of these men returned her love. She was doomed to get her heart broken over and over again. And Leo would be only one more of these heartbreaking heroes. Still, he would keep his promise, because Calypso was his friend.

And Leo was not good at making friends. Six months at Camp Half-Blood and he still only had Jason and Piper, who probably wouldn't be his friends without Hera's fake memories as a push to begin with. Leo hadn't warmed up to Annabeth, the girl still scared him actually. He didn't have a chance with Percy, he guessed, because the most prominent thing about the son of Poseidon had been the glare he had given Leo after Leo had shot Camp Jupiter. Nico was not Leo's fault, the Latino was pretty sure it was impossible to worm his way into that boy's heart. And Frank and Hazel...? Aside from him constantly screwing up with them – looking like Sammy, making Frank jealous, insulting Frank on a constant base which didn't just make the big guy angry but also upset Hazel, carrying fire which was the one thing both avoided like nothing else – there was still that problem with his... feelings for them. Them had been the hardest realization of his life. Had hit him like a ton of bricks, actually. But as they had sat down in the mess hall together and his fingers had, without his consent, morsed I Love You to Frank during one of their oh so very rare normal conversations, he realized. Realized that teasing and insulting Frank was Leo's way of coping with being in love with Frank. Hazel had been a lost case right from the beginning. She was just too everything, too beautiful and kind and nice and compassionate and awesome. How could he not fall in love with her? He yelped as Festus tugged on his ear. The dragon gave some muffled sounds that translated to a simple 'Cheer up' in Leo's head, making the Latino smile a little.

/break\

The realization came slow like dawn, but it proved to be just as blinding as it fully emerged into Percy's consciousness. This, right now and right here, was harder than facing Tartarus. He was laying in his bed in his cabin, his eyes wide open as he stared at the ceiling. Every creek of the wood, every door somewhere that was being opened, the steps above, the engine below, the whistling of the winds outside, it was all too much. Every sound made him jump and want to fight. The movements in the darkness send panic through his being. Regardless of how often he told his brain that it was alright and that he was safe on board of the Argo II, that he wasn't in Tartarus anymore, his brain just couldn't compute. It was locked on panicked defense mode. But there was no danger. No living monster he could slay like in Tartarus, only the darkness and the fear that gripped his heart. He knew how to fight a monster, how to win a battle, but he had no idea how he was supposed to fight something that wasn't real, that wasn't there. The worst part was that he was alone. He had tried talking to Annabeth about it, but whenever he looked at her, he saw the ghoulish face, the faded ghost of her, he saw her covered in grime and blood and agony. Those images only lasted for split seconds before he realized that they laid in the past, that Annabeth right now was just regular, old Annabeth. Whenever he had tried in the past two days to talk to her, he just couldn't really express what he wanted. He didn't want to burden her with his pain too, because looking into her eyes, he knew she was feeling just the same amount of pain.

There was something else, a nagging feeling that just wouldn't leave him. Being with Annabeth was not how it was supposed to be. When they had held each other in Tartarus, every I Love You, it had felt like a gesture between siblings. They had outgrown their romantic feelings and evolved into each other's burdens, as harsh as it may sound. In Tartarus, they had felt responsible for each other, the need to protect each other. But that wasn't all. Their kisses didn't linger, when their fingers touched, it was fond but not loving. He was sixteen now, but he hadn't done more than kissing with his girlfriend and even those were rather chaste. He had started to realize that when they had returned to the Argo II and Percy had seen the way Hazel admired Frank's upgraded body. Those were looks that didn't pass between Percy and Annabeth. Never had. The first night they had spend together after Percy had been collected by the Argo II in New Rome, the two had just laid together and traded stories. No sex, not even making out. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind, at least not in an active manner. More in a panicked manner that she may want it. He wasn't ready for it, but shouldn't he be by now? He was nearly seventeen, Annabeth was already seventeen.

It was just another thing he wanted to talk to Annabeth about, but just like the topic Tartarus, their relationship seemed as impossible to approach. Heaving a sigh, Percy turned around to face the wall and curl himself together in a tight ball, hiding in the darkest shadows.

Darkness was good, in a weird way. The darker it was, the less he could see. In the light, every little movement looked like a threat, in the half-shadows even more so. But in the pitch-black darkness of the night, there was nothing to be suspicious about aside from the sounds. Darkness was safety.

Darkness was Nico. The thought made him blink a couple of times and forget to breath for a moment. Nico. Regardless of how much Percy tried, he just couldn't figure that boy out. There was only one thing Percy could be sure of when it came to Nico. Nico was his dark guardian angel.

Not just because of Bob, who had only aided them help because Nico had told him to. The way the others had told it, Nico had faced some kind of challenge so cruel that neither him nor Jason lost any word of it, only to get some weird scepter to control the dead so they would be able to reach the Doors of Death and help Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus. The fact alone that Nico had taken responsibility to lead the others to the Doors, even though Nico normally hated to be in the spotlight. Annabeth had told Percy that Nico, Grover and Tyson had been the first three to leave and search the world for him after he had disappeared. His brother and his best friend, no surprises there. But Nico? He never stopped by at camp anyway, how had he even learned of Percy's disappearance? Why did he care enough to roam the world? Then there was the Titan War. When everybody had looked at Percy for protection, for safety, because he would be the Hero of Olympus. The only one to look out for Percy, for his safety and his protection, had been Nico, who had found the Curse of Achilles to keep Percy alive (and not just during the Titan War – Percy's journey from the Wolf House to Camp Jupiter would have ended bloody and bad without the curse too). And even though Percy had ended up in the dungeons of Hades back then, Nico had not abandoned him, no, he had rebelled against the Lord of Death, the one god practically no one would want to mess with, had risked everything by defying Hades' orders and freeing Percy again. It went back to the labyrinth even, when Nico had returned to them to help Percy just because Minos had said Percy would be in danger. Even though back then Bianca's death had still been fresh and raw in their minds, in Nico's more so than in any other and so must have been his hatred, but he still came.

"Nico..." Percy's voice was a whisper in the darkness. "When will I finally understand you...?"

When Percy had tried to say thank you two days ago, Nico had shrugged him off as though Percy had personally offended the Ghost King. And the way Nico had made it sound, Nico's deeds didn't weight anything compared to Percy's. Which was a ridiculous thing to say. Sure, Percy had saved Nico in Rome, but that had been a team effort and quest. And Percy had saved Nico from Geryon's farm, but compared to all the times Nico had been there for Percy, it really was insignificant.

Nico was his dark guardian angel, the only problem was that Percy couldn't understand him...

/break\

The ship felt empty and somehow eerily dead these days. Jason shuffled his feet as he entered the lower deck where the Athena statue had been for so long now. But its missing was not the only thing making the ship feel empty. The Roman would have never thought he'd live to see the day this would cross his mind, but he was missing Nico di Angelo. The son of Hades kept to himself and to the background, but that was what made him so important. He had been that constant presence in the back of their minds, the silent support during their quest to rescue Percy and Annabeth. Without him, they would have failed. Not just for his powers, but also because his determination was stronger than that of anyone else. Of course it was. Regardless of what Nico may think, love made people stronger. It also had made Nico stronger. Shadow-traveling eight people, even with the help of Hazel, and now three people and a giant statue. Nico was pushing his limits nearly effortlessly, all for Percy. And Percy had no idea. Jason had seen it in those sea-green eyes, the confusion and hurt when Nico had pushed him away verbally. Gritting his teeth, Jason kicked the air. He wanted Nico to be happy. The lonely child of the underworld deserved it more than most others. He earned it, after everything he had been through. And Jason would do his darn best to help Nico.

Author's note: I've written oneshots based on HoH, but they don't satisfy me. HoH gave me all these feels. So yeah, short fic - five chapters - of all the feels put together. I think this is the first time I actually take everything as canon as it was in the books so far. It feels weird to me, but HoH was just sooo freaking good. Anyway, yeah, story will focus on Nico and Percy as well as Frank, Hazel and Leo, and also some Jason/Nico friendship and Nico/Reyna friendship and Piper/Annabeth friendship. Enjoy!