PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || A Summer of Magic || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: A Summer of Magic – The Warlock and the Merman

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus

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, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: m/m, fluff, courting, merpeople, fantasy AU

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo

Summary: Prompts: A Summer of Magic | in the arms of the ocean | Moon

Nico went to the lake house of his late mother to sort through her things. And sure, he is a warlock, but he had never expected to find a merman in the lake!

A Summer of Magic

The Warlock and the Merman

Nico took a deep breath and closed his eyes as his hands shook so hard he dropped a crystal. This, all of this, had been a bad idea. He pressed his lips together and tried to center himself. Not that it was really working. He shouldn't have come here, or at least he shouldn't have come here alone.

Shaking his head, he left the house hastily and fished for his phone in his pocket. He dialed quickly and was relieved when his friend picked up after only a few rings.

"Di Angelo? You arrived safely?"

"Yes, Lou", sighed Nico. "I... did. But, and don't tell Bia, I shouldn't have come here alone."

"Well, no one forced you to go alone", huffed Lou and Nico could practically hear the eye-roll. "Bianca told you that the two of you could go together. Or that you should at least take me, or Hazel, or Alabaster, or Ethan, you know, literally any member of the coven."

Nico huffed, now it was his turn to roll his eyes. Lou was right, of course. And so had been Bianca. But Bianca was the leader of their coven, she couldn't just skip and leave for a while. And... none of the others felt right. Sure, Hazel was their cousin – their fathers being twins – but it wasn't the same. Nico, he had to do this one alone, he couldn't do this with just anyone.

"This is all that remains of my mother", whispered Nico softly. "I can't..."

"I understand that, Neeks", sighed Lou gently. "I know how much her death hurt you. That's why we think you shouldn't have gone alone. This hurts you still. You're... We're your coven. Your family. We want to be there for you. We don't want you to go through this alone."

"I'll be fine", muttered Nico.

"Su—ure. That's why you're calling. Because you're fine", hummed Lou unimpressed.

"I-", started Nico, trying to argue with her, but interrupting himself.

"Nico? You still there? Everything okay?", asked Lou concerned.

"I think... I saw someone in the water just there", replied Nico.

"...Lady Maria's house is the only house around that lake", pointed Lou out. "You think some humans are camping here? That's dangerous. The Silver Lake is a magic spot-"

"I know that, you don't need to remind me", sighed Nico. "I'll go, check it out. Talk to you later."

Silver Lake was a potent nexus. Magic flowed freely here and the lake itself, when it reflected the full moon, it multiplied and focused magic. There were many fae folks living around the lake – Nico and his sister Bianca had befriended them when they had been children. Though Bianca was closer to the Moon Elves, Zoë and Phoebe and others, while Nico had befriended the Sun Elves, especially one of them named Will. For a moment, Nico smiled faintly at the happy childhood memories. This place, it held so many good memories for him, which was why it hurt so much.

"Hello? Who's there?", called Nico out loudly.

The thing was; no one should be at the lake. Yes, this was a place filled with magic, but only the surroundings – not the lake itself. The forest, that was where the fair folk lived, where the satyrs and nymphs resided. The lake itself was too sacred, only the witches and warlocks came near it.

"You're not supposed to be here!", called Nico next. "This is private property."

Which was true; technically, the lake and surrounding area belonged to the di Angelos. The di Angelo coven had had this cottage for five centuries now. Maria di Angelo, she... she used to be the coven leader, before her... untimely death. Now Nico's older sister was. And Nico was the first one to come to the cottage since their mother's death, to clean up. No one else was supposed to be here; no warlock or witch would come here without asking permission first. Which meant Lou was most likely right – that it were just a bunch of normal humans, probably teens, who snuck in to camp.

"Hey! You! That lake isn't for swimming!", barked Nico out when he found the figure.

A person, in the water. It was too dark to make anything else out though, because clouds were blocking the moon. When they moved, Nico stumbled, too stunned to comprehend what he was seeing. The silver light of the moon reflected on the lake and seemed to light everything around them up, especially the beautiful creature in front of him. Sitting on one of the flat, high stones all around the shore of the lake was a... merman. His tail was flapping in the water, his head tilted up to look at Nico curiously. His eyes sparkled like cut emeralds as he watched Nico intensely.

"Well, we'll have a problem then because I don't do too well when I can't swim."

Nico just continued staring. Merpeople... were real? Sure, he had guessed so – considering elves were real and so were witches and warlocks and werewolves. Still, he had never seen one and he had never met anyone who had seen one either. Merpeople were largely considered a myth, either that or so recused that they did not interact with the surface dwellers. Nico felt excitement bubble in his chest. He had always been what his sister called a nerd; he had studied all the bestiaries and even written his own at this point. The fact that this was a real, actual merman?

"Do all surface-people glow?", asked the merman curiously.

Nico looked down at his hands and blushed a little. His hands were indeed glowing the poisonous green of his magic. His excitement hadn't leaked out in years. This was embarrassing.

"No. I'm a warlock – a magic user. The glow was my... magic", replied Nico.

"Co—ol. I know a sea-witch. She's wicked", grinned the merman delighted.

"I'm Nico. Nicodemos di Angelo, of the di Angelo coven", offered Nico after a moment.

"Cool. I'm Percy. Prince Perseus of Atlantis", replied the merman with a friendly grin.

"Did... you just say 'prince'...?", asked Nico slowly.

"Yep. Son of the king of the ocean and all of that", grinned Percy.

"What...", started Nico and shook his head. "What is the prince of the ocean doing in the lake of my backyard? Because... I... I don't believe you've always been here, right?"

"Dunno if you saw it, but there was like... a flood a few months ago", explained Percy slowly. "And, sure, my mother had always warned me not to swim out too far. But... this flood? The town was under water! I... I could swim through stores and houses! I always wanted to see human architecture and all the things humans own and use! And I just... I kept swimming and exploring and I lost sight of the time and then... the flooding went back but I couldn't. I was... stuck here."

Nico nodded, frowning a little. "That's not... good."

"No kidding", huffed Percy and rolled his eyes. "Do you know how bored I am?! And there's not exactly a lot of space in here to swim around! I am stuck swimming the ever-same circle over and over again. It's maddening. At least this lake contains fishes. Otherwise, I'd have starved already."

"I will help you", declared Nico fiercely and puffed his chest out a little.

Percy bit his lip and grinned at how adorable the human looked. "If you save me, my father will be more than just grateful, you know. I am his favorite son."

"A dad shouldn't pick favorites", pointed Nico out with a frown.

"Eh. I'm my siblings' favorite too", replied Percy. "Perks of being the youngest and of having a few centuries on your siblings. You're the shiny, precious new family member, you know."

"...Okay", nodded Nico, voice breaking a little. "Uhm, how old are you?"

"Two-hundred and ten years. Turning eleven this year", grinned Percy.

"Okay. So you're slightly older than me", muttered Nico.

"How old are you?", asked Percy interested. "Humans have short lives, right?"

"Humans do, but I'm a warlock. We're immortal. I'm... ninety-five", admitted Nico.

"No—ow. You said something about helping me?", asked Percy and reached out with his arms.

Nico nodded and stepped closer, careful to step on the flat stones and not into the water. Percy looked curious at that but he didn't comment. Carefully, Nico reached out to grasp Percy beneath the arms and lift him up. Which, retrospectively looked at, had been a horrendously stupid idea. Percy was mainly muscles – something that didn't escape Nico, who had been staring at Percy's well-trained torso for the past five or so minutes. And then the stones he stood on were slippery, so the next moment, they both came crashing down into the water. Nico gasped for breath – a mistake considering he was under water. All he could do was stare up at the bright light of the moon through the surface as water soaked his clothes and dragged him deeper. This was how he was going to die; dragged into the depth by the lake. Because that was why swimming in it was forbidden; witches took magic from it and magic came at a price. Whoever was unlucky enough to set foot into the lake was doomed to pay the price – every warlock and witch knew that.

"Hey there. You were supposed to help me, not have me save you", huffed Percy as he dragged Nico out and placed him on the shore. "You okay? Humans aren't made to breath water."

Nico was coughing violently, spitting out said water. "Yeah we're not... I'm... you saved me."

"Care to return the favor?", asked Percy, flapping his tail.

"Yes. But we're going to do this differently", muttered Nico. "There's no way I can carry you."

"Are you calling me fat?", gasped Percy, looking playfully offended.

"I'm calling you well-trained. You're all muscle", huffed Nico. "How do you feel about legs?"

"Look weird", stated Percy. "Dunno why humans have the need to wrap them into separate layers of clothes, that looks very impractical to me. Also feet are super ugly."

"...I meant how do you feel about having legs?", clarified Nico, blinking slowly. "You're strange."

"Having legs? Me?", asked Percy stunned, head snapping up. "What?"

"I'm a warlock. Like I said. And I guess giving you legs so you can walk yourself is far more efficient than me trying to... somehow... drag you out of the lake", commented Nico.

Percy's eyes were wide and sparkling as he nodded so hard, Nico feared his neck would snap. "Yes! I always—Oh, I didn't know that was possible! Please, yes!"

It made Nico smile a little, because Percy's enthusiasm was adorable. Closing his eyes, Nico focused his magic on Percy's tail. The merman yelped suddenly, very loudly, which indicated that the spell must be working. Though when he opened his eyes, he immediately regretted it because... of course was Percy naked. Immediately closing his eyes again, Nico summoned clothes for Percy and used the opportunity to turn his own clothes dry again.

"Le—egs!", gasped Percy before giggling. "Oh, the toes are funny. I can control them all individually. Look! Look, I can wiggle them! That's fun. What's their usage?"

"Their...?", echoed Nico confused.

"Toes. What are they good for? Can humans truly grasp things with them? It's what we tell each other in Atlantis. That humans are dangerous for they have essentially four arms!"

"Oh. No. No, toes... don't have a function, not really", hummed Nico with a frown.

"Curious", nodded Percy. "Truly fascinating. Okay! Teach me how to walk!"

Nico smiled kindly at Percy and offered him his hands to help him up. Percy was wobbly on his feet, clinging tightly onto Nico while Nico taught him how to best put one foot in front of his other. He never let go of Percy while teaching him. The joy in Percy's eyes was absolutely breathtaking. The merman was so – he was absolutely amazing and enthusiastic. And beautiful.

"You're a natural", smiled Nico, offering Percy one arm.

Percy was clinging onto the arm and he kept stumbling every now and again, but for the most part he was doing well. "It's not that hard. The hardest part is having two instead of one limb though. I keep wanting to lift both legs at once, which is... impractical."

The smile on Nico's face softened even more as he led Percy over the hills and toward the sea. They paused on top of the hills so Percy could marvel at how beautiful the ocean was from this perspective. The wonder on Percy's face... Oh, Nico shouldn't be this enchanted by the merman, but Percy was so refreshing, so different from anyone Nico had ever met. The two walked over the beach, Percy squeaking at the feeling of the sand between his toes.

"Wow", whispered Percy. "Dry sand is weird."

They walked into the water until it reached their midsections and then, Nico used his magic once more to turn Percy back into a merman. His skin shimmered blue, his pupils were slits now and his teeth seemed more like fangs. Things Nico hadn't noticed that much before.

"You're... gorgeous", whispered Nico, not knowing what else to say.

Much to his surprise however did Percy lean forward and kiss him softly. "Thank you, for everything. Your kindness... I'll not forget it, Nicodemos di Angelo. I'll not forget you."

With those parting words did Percy swim off into the ocean and Nico was left... longing.

/break\

It was a week later that Nico sat on his father's armchair, a glass of whiskey in one hand and his mother's diary on his lap. He was smiling softly as he read about the first time his parents had met, all those years ago in Venice. It hurt, to think about her, but it was also nice to remember the love between his parents. Hades was in Los Angeles, with his first wife Persephone, mourning Maria in their own pace. For Bianca, it was to throw herself into her work. And for Nico – well, for Nico it was hiking out to Silver Lake and cleaning up his mamma's cottage all on his own.

"Hello—o? Anyone home? Please tell me you're still here. I haven't considered the idea of you returning to wherever you were before you came here. I didn't think this through. Nicodemos?"

Nico dropped his glass by accident, spilling his father's expensive whiskey on the floor. The sound must have startled Percy too because he yelped outside. Blinking, Nico scrambled off his chair and to the door, practically ripping it open and then immediately blushing, because of course was Percy naked. Hastily did he shrug out of his hooded jacket and put it around Percy's shoulders. Due to size difference, it was long enough to cover all the important part. Which, Nico shouldn't find so cute.

"Wait. Why are you here? What are you doing here? Why do you have legs again?", asked Nico.

"Percy, would you like to come in and sit? I'm sure your legs ache from making the journey from the beach to here all alone", offered Percy, imitating Nico.

"Right. My manners, I'm sorry. Please come in", nodded Nico, taking Percy by the arm.

He led Percy over to the couch and sat down together with Percy before pulling the fluffy blanket from the backrest and wrapped it around Percy. The merman gasped pleased by the soft fabric and started snuggling into it, looking far too happy about this.

"So, I returned home, right? To my family, reassured them I'm fine, told them you saved me. Oh, these are for you, by the way. Dad says thanks", started Percy to explain, handing Nico a satchel. "But... I got bored after I went through all the hugs and reassurance. So, I used my guppy-eyes on mom and dad and went to the sea witch I told you about and asked her for legs. It's kind of, you know, forbidden, bu—ut since I knew it actually works... I wanted to see you again. I also wanted to see this world again. I want you to show me your world. If you... want to."

"Oh", whispered Nico, lost for words as he stared at Percy in surprise. "I... yes?"

Smiling pleased, Percy wrapped his arms around Nico's neck and slowly pulled him in for a proper kiss, not just a peck. Because he liked the warlock. He kept thinking about him and what was immortality good for if he didn't get to do what he wanted? What good was magic if he didn't get to use it to help him get the one thing he had wanted for so many decades now? To walk the Earth, to interact with humans.

/break\

Percy was laying on his stomach, kicking his legs back and forth in the air. This had been the most exhausting summer he had ever had. Gravity was weird when not in the water. Lifting stuff and carrying it around. Cleaning up. Dust? Percy did not like dust. Dust was stupid. But cleaning the cottage up with Nico and having the warlock explain everything they sorted through and telling personal stories about those things, it had been amazing. And when not cleaning up, Nico took Percy to the nearest town. They walked the streets and ate human food in human restaurants and watched movies – movies were awesome! The more time Percy got to spend with Nico, the happier he was with his decision to go to the human world. The whining he had done with his parents had paid off. His big brother Triton had warned him that just for a guy he met once, he shouldn't 'give everything up'. But... Percy wasn't giving anything up? He could return to the ocean any time he wanted. And Nico, he was just the cherry on top. It was everything out here, every human thing. Nico and his magic, he was a wonderful bonus, one Percy had actually fallen for, but not the main reason he was here.

"And you're sure you wish to return to New York with me?", asked Nico softly.

He came to lay next to Percy on the blanket in front of the lake. The moon stood high above them, the lake looked beautiful and fireflies were circling it, glowing in all the colors of the rainbow – showing that not all of them, if any, actually were fireflies, but rather fairies. Nico smiled gently as Percy adjusted to cuddle up against him, sighing contently.

"Definitely. This town is amazing and you said it was small. It didn't seem small to me. If you say this New York is even bigger? I have to see it! And the Thickpath! You said it's like movies but they are performed right in front of you? I want to see them!", exclaimed Percy.

"...Broadway. Not Thickpath", laughed Nico fondly, kissing Percy's temple.

"Weird words", mumbled Percy and rolled his eyes. "You promised. I want to see it. I want to see the human world, I want to see more of it. And I want to meet your coven!"

Nico smiled, lifting a hand and letting his magic dance around it. His family was looking forward to meeting Percy too, because apparently he was all Nico could talk about these days. Which was fair.

"Thank you", whispered Nico lowly. "I... came here, alone, because I thought I had to do this alone, but it was... eating me up. It hurt me, all these memories of my mother. But you... you helped me go through this. You helped me deal with this, you made me laugh for the first time since she died. You're so wonderful, so amazing, I'm... so glad I got to meet you."

"I'm glad I got to meet you too", smiled Percy and wrapped his arms around Nico.

Nico closed his eyes and relaxed in his lover's arms. It was odd, but the merman's embrace felt like laying in the arms of the ocean. He could feel sun-warmed waves wash over him, smell the salty sea, feel that tranquility of floating in the water. He smiled softly, burying his face in Percy's neck and pulling him closer, getting lost in the feeling of Percy's embrace. He had thought this summer would be filled with pain, but it had been filled with the most marvelous of magics. Love.

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: RIIIGHT so here's the thing I absolutely HATE about "The Little Mermaid 2". This dumbass "and because of ~danger~ she never saw her family again or went to swim in the ocean again until her daughter hijacked things". Bitch. Bitch dad has magic, can turn her into a mermaid anytime, could turn Eric into a merman so both could visit the ocean. It never had to be an either or decision. So. Have a NOT either or decision! Percy gets to enjoy the human world for as long as he wants and, thanks to magic, gets to return whenever he wants! And with this story, we wrap up this year's Percico Event! Thanks for reading them, I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed writing them. ;)