Chapter Text
It was the beautiful morning of December 23rd, and the busy streets of Manhattan seemed far more chaotic and cluttered than Nico di Angelo had ever seen them.
He tugged on his gray scarf nervously. Hazel had insisted on him wearing it despite him not being that affected by the winter cold. He was wearing a black and gray flannel jacket over a black graphic tee with the name of a metal band he didn’t know (but the logo was nice and had a very cool skull). According to his sister, he was ‘the perfect image of boyish winter’, whatever that meant.
Why did he even bother to dress up on that particular morning so close to Christmas? Well…
“Nico!” Percy called, cheeks rosy from the cold and a wide smile. He was wearing a blue scarf over a rather bulky winter jacket and slacks. “Almost didn’t recognize you.”
Nico bit his lip and tried to smile. Percy didn’t mean anything bad by saying that, Nico had to remind himself of that. It was just him noting his different outfit. He gave a deep breath and nodded.
“Well, this is our first official date, and everything, so I thought… you know, that I should dress up a bit.” Nico rubbed his arm self-consciously. “Too much?”
“N-No! Not at all!” Percy said quickly, and Nico felt himself relax as Percy babbled about how good he looked.
He was as nervous as he was. Good thing.
“We better keep this conversation inside, where it’s actually warm,” he suggested. Percy gave a sheepish nod.
For their first official date, they had decided to drink some hot cocoa and eat some pastries at a not-so-fancy café. It was basic. It could be seen as boring or cliché.
For two demigods that rarely got to experience ‘normal’, it was perfect.
As soon as they entered, the warmth of the establishment was only made more blatant by the warm, earthy colors and the Christmas lights. Nico felt like smiling as he and Percy went for an empty table.
“So, what have you been up to?” Percy asked once they sat down. “We decided to go on a date like three months ago, and only now we could find the time.”
“Well, I've been working on something since my last birthday, you know legal adult and all that.” Nico shrugged a bit. “I wanted to do something that could make me money.”
“Oh, that’s good,” Percy said. “I’ve been working as a cashier. Not the best job, and I wish I could strangle a client or two a day, but I’m helping mom with the bills, and that feels good.”
Nico was about to agree, when an overpowering smell of pears invaded the café. He looked around, but no one else seemed to notice except Percy and him.
And just like that, Aphrodite was standing before them, looking like she just came out of a winter fashion magazine, her usual smug grin in place.
“Ah, I do so enjoy new couples showing their love,” she gushed, sitting down at their table on a chair that didn’t exist a second ago and crossing her legs in a ladylike manner. “Just my favorite, no matter the season.”
“No,” Percy said flatly. Aphrodite blinked. “Whatever it is you want with me, no. It can wait, you can put someone else up to it. I won’t do it.”
“Oh, Percy, this isn’t about you!” She said reassuringly. “No, I’m actually here for your beau.”
“Nico?” He asked, turning to look at his date, who looked equally bemused.
“Of course,” she said. “Persephone and I, we are quite close, and she told me about your little startup.”
“A startup?” Percy felt like he was at a tennis match, periodically turning from Aphrodite to Nico.
“I… decided to start charging for going on quests for gods,” he explained. “Shadow Travel makes it faster for everyone involved, and most of my clients have the resources to pay me, but not demigod children of their own to do their chores for them.”
“Such a little entrepreneur!” The goddess praised, making them both frown. “Do try to keep this one, Percy. Ambitious lovers are so good!”
They looked at each other, not knowing how to answer that.
“Anywho,” she continued. “I require your services. Someone has taken my golden apple, and I need it to be the centerpiece at my table during Christmas dinner.”
“The Olympians celebrate Christmas?” Percy raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t it a little too…”
“Christian?” Nico finished for him.
“Oh, the celebration has become so secular these past decades… it’s now about family, and gifts… I ran it by Hera and she was all for it!”
“And you can’t help yourself shoving that apple in her and Athena’s faces,” Nico surmised.
“What can I say? It’s my nature… I am the fairest of them all, and reminding them every once in a while keeps them humble.”
“Who keeps
you
humble, though?” Percy couldn’t help but mutter. Aphrodite thankfully ignored him, with all her attention on the son of Hades.
“I can’t do it,” Nico said. “You need it by Christmas, just two days from now, and I’m busy for the holidays. You’d know that if you saw the ad.”
Percy raised an eyebrow. Nico had put up an ad? He found himself wanting to see it.
“Well, I was hoping you’d make an exception for me,” Aphrodite said. “I’m an Olympian, a major god. A good review from me could make your little business boom… just like bad word of mouth could leave it dead in the water.”
Nico gritted his teeth. He pulled out a notepad from his gray flannel jacket and wrote down the details in ancient Greek.
“I’ll get to work on it.”
“I knew I could count on you darling!” She said, giggling. “Here, it has some of my power, this might help you find some clues.”
She gave him a gaudy purple handkerchief with some birds etched on it. As Nico examined it, a waitress came around with a paper cup.
“Here’s your pear latte to go, miss,” she said. Aphrodite took it and the girl went away, not even bothering to ask for their orders.
“I don’t know why I’ve been craving pears lately,” she admitted. “Must be the loss of my apple… they are sacred to all the participants of the Judgment of Paris, you know? Maybe I’m just looking for a replacement…”
“Tragic,” Percy couldn’t help but snark, knowing the Love goddess would not pick up on his sarcasm.
“And with that, I must bid you adieu,” she said. “Still have lots of planning for my little Olympian soirée, and everything must be perfect!”
Aphrodite disappeared in a puff of glitter and pink smoke, making other customers cough a bit. Nico clenched his fists and looked at Percy apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Percy,” he said. “I… I really need to take this.”
“Hey, you need to look out for your job, it’s not your fault,” he responded, smiling slightly. It went unsaid as to who was really to blame, mostly to prevent any smiting. “So, when are we leaving?”
Nico blinked, confused. He had expected this to be yet another failed attempt at a date, that they would have to reschedule once more.
“You really don’t have to do this.”
“I want to do this,” Percy insisted. “Aphrodite may be obsessed with pears now, but that doesn’t mean our date must turn pear-shaped.”
Nico snorted at that.
“That pun must have been fighting for its life to get out,” he said. “This was supposed to be a normal date…”
“I don’t mind, really,” he said back. He stood up and offered his hand. Nico took it and followed him. “Now, let’s make our order to go, and you can tell me all about this startup of yours.”