Chapter 4: Arrival at Camp

PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Sonny || Chasing Fireflies || Sonny || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: Chasing Fireflies – The Next Generation of Heroes

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; post both series

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: shounen-ai, fluff, h/c, mpreg, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, D/s, bondage, masturbation, toys, spanking, rimming, handjobs, magic, knotting, collars, past rape/abuse, (temporary) character death, depression, threesomes, shoujo-ai, hetero

Main Pairing: Sander/Donny, Trend/Derek/Sam and Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Chris/Clarisse, Piper/Annabeth, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jason/Reyna, Travis/Connor, Malcolm/Katie, Lou/Miranda, Jake/Will, Kayla/Nyssa, Alabaster/Liam, Tyson/Ella, Paul/Sally, Hades/Persephone, Tempest/Blackjack

Side Pairings OCs: Trend/Sam, Herc/Thea, Joe/Nico, Marshall/Sara, Loki/Blance, Dash/Kara, Vic/Stella/Jonas, Chuck/Melissa, Luke/Thess, Kitty/Percy, Fred/Carry, JP/Milly

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Clarisse la Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Hazel Levesque, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Jason Grace, Will Solace, Jake Mason, Katie Gardner, Malcolm Cage, Miranda Gardner, Lou Ellen, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Nyssa Black, Kayla Hein, Alabaster C. Torrington, Thalia Grace, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Octavian Simmons, Ella, Tyson, Grover Underwood, Sally Blofis, Paul Blofis, Chiron, Small Bob, Mrs. O'Leary, Blackjack, Tempest, Arion

Gods: Hades, Persephone, Demeter, Poseidon, Artemis

Own Animals: Shadowchaser (Donny's shadow-pegasus), Trickster (Sander's pegasus), Nightowl (Thea's pegasus), Fighter (Sam's pegasus), Rush (Trend's pegasus), Poker (Jack's pet-bunny)

Own Characters of the Next Generation:

Nicercy: Bianca Maria 'Bia' di Angelo, Hades Poseidon 'Donny' di Angelo, Sally Persephone 'Percy' di Angelo, Theseus Paul 'Thess' di Angelo, James Charles 'Jimmy' di Angelo, Laura Silena 'Silly' di Angelo, Jackson Tyson Jack' di Angelo

Chrisse: Calandra 'Cally' Rodriguez, Chrysander 'Sander' Rodriguez, Charisma 'Carry' Rodriguez

Pipabeth: Theadora Tiphane 'Thea' Chase, Lucas Thomas 'Luke' Chase, Tristan Frederick 'Fred' Chase, Matthew Robert 'Matt' Chase

Jayna: Hercules 'Herc' Grace, Thalia Hylla 'Thyl' Grace, Jupiter Perseus 'JP' Grace

Frazeleo: Esperanza Nicole 'Nico' Zhang, Sammy Marie Zhang, Emily Fey 'Milly' Zhang, Claryssa 'Claire' Zhang

Matie: Amarilla 'Amy' Cage, Anthismos 'Andy' Cage

Louranda: Kathryn 'Kitty' Ellen, Alabaster 'Basty' Ellen

Jakill: Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Mason (adopted; daughter of Apollo)

Stolls: Hunter 'Hunt' Hood, Hayden 'Heist' Hood (adopted; sons Hermes)

Own Demigods: Samuel Raser (Ares), Derek Rhys (Demeter), Trend Austin (Athena), Marshall Mikaelson (Enyo), Sara Mers (Mars), Joanna Foxx (Vulcan), Phylicia Rosenberg (Persephone), Bellatrix la Fey (Ares), Phineas DeVorut (Venus), Melissa Montgomery (Dionysus), Charles Smith (Apollo), Stella Ribeiro (Aphrodite), Jonas Meyer (Enyalios), Victor Kruger (Hephaestus), Erik Anderson (Enyo), Lila Lovegood (Hecate), Rainbow Jordan (Iris), Takara Thompson (Trivia), Sedanur Aykan (Apollo, augur), Loki Murdock (Mercury), Blance Lamour (Chione), Ulrika Schuster (Eris), Arielle Schneider (Triton), Liam O'Riley (Hecate)

Summary: Donny di Angelo never cared about fighting or becoming a hero. Quite the opposite of Sander Rodriguez, who was the greatest Greek hero of their generation. Together with his beloved cousin Nico Zhang and his best friend Thea Chase, Donny faces the hardest quest possible. The one for confidence and love. His biggest support though are his parents and siblings. Being a teenage demigod was hard, being the son of the greatest hero ever was even harder.

Chasing Fireflies

The Next Generation of Heroes

3. Arrival at Camp

"This is ours? All ours? Only us? Really really?"

"Yes, Jacky", smiled Percy and got down onto his knees to look at his youngest son. "This is the Poseidon cabin and since both your grandparents stay true to their oath, this cabin stays empty most of the time. This is your cabin. And the Hades cabin belongs to your cousins Nico, Sammy, Milly and Claire for when they're visiting us here. But now listen, Jackson. You will behave your best, you will listen to your big siblings and to Chiron. I don't want any complains. Understood?"

"Yes, mom, I swear", nodded the youngest di Angelo obediently and with a toothy grin.

Percy sighed and hugged the boy tightly. "Why do you children have to grow so fast?"

"Is not fast!", disagreed Jackson confused.

"Percy. Come now. I have plans for today", chuckled Nico from the doorway. "And you lot better behave. And keep at least one other person in the same room when Thess and Luke are together."

"Da—ad!", protested Thess embarrassed and blushed.

The Ghost Prince only chuckled and wrapped his arms around his husband to shadow-travel them home into their well-deserved freedom, as he put it. Donny watched how his parents left through the shadows from the comfortable spot on his bed. Jimmy and Silly had already left to do the gods knew what. Donny sighed, his arms crossed behind his head.

"Donny? I'll be going over to... uh... say hi to Luke, kay?", asked Thess and blushed.

"Percy. Go with him. You heard what dad said. No funny business."

"Do—onny!", pouted his younger brother embarrassed. "That's not what I meant! I thought you'd like to go and tell Thea we have arrived or something! You're stupid! Stupid, big brother!"

Ranting on about what a stupid, stupid brother Donny was, the other boy left the cabin too, closely followed by his giggling twin. The oldest di Angelo boy raised one eyebrow curiously.

"Off you go. I can practically see how you're that short of exploding with excitement. But don't go into the forest alone or mom will grill me", warned Donny amused.

"Yey!", exclaimed Jacky excitedly and ran out of the cabin.

"Freedom", muttered Donny with a sigh and turned onto his side. "Oh. Hey."

"Why do you come to camp if you're so annoyed by all those horrible, horrible living creatures around you?", chuckled the figure standing in the door.

The light from behind made it impossible to see more than shady outlines. Donny squinted and sat up some. He grinned broadly and relieved as he recognized the broad, tall figure.

"Sander! What are you doing here?", smiled Donny and hurried to stand.

"Saying hello to you since you seem to enjoy the solitude of your cabin so much, Disney Princess", chuckled the other boy and ruffled the unruly black hair. "So, hello."

"Just to say hello?", asked Donny suspiciously, pushing the hand away.

He looked the other boy up and down critically. Light, brown hair, styled to point skyward, dark, brown eyes and a sun-kissed and well-trained body. Donny blushed slightly. Sure, they were friends, somehow. A bit. Well, their sisters had always been inseparable and since Sander and Cally were twins and Donny was only ten months younger than Bia, the four of them had often done things together, especially as kids. But since Clarisse – Sander's mom – was the daughter of Ares and part-time trainer at Camp Half-Blood, Sander was really well trained and very good with weapons. He had already accomplished quite some quests, more than anyone else at camp. Which had earned him much recognition and many admirers. As well as a big number of friends. Oh, who was Donny kidding? Sander was practically friends with everyone at camp. Though looking at his own mom, that seemed to easily happen if you're the biggest hero and so friendly and all... So yeah, there wasn't really reason for Sander to be friends with the awkward loner. Donny bit his lips. And earned himself a hit upside the head.

"Ouch", whined the younger boy and rubbed the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"You had that stupid look on your face and I always have the urge to hit you when you get that."

"Sorry that my face looks stupid", mumbled Donny sadly and sat back down on his bed. "Ouch! And what was that for now?!"

"That was for being stupid", snorted Sander and rolled his eyes before sitting down next to the younger boy. "I said stupid look and not that your face is stupid. You always get that stupid look on your face when you're having stupid thoughts again. Like that you're not good enough to make your parents proud or crap like that. Ah, see. Now you're blushing. That's like admitting it."

"Sh—Shut up", mumbled the son of Nico and Percy embarrassed.

"And your face", grinned the brunette and poked Donny's nose. "Is anything but stupid."

"We're never going to agree on that, Chrysander", huffed Donny annoyed. "So why not leaving it?"

"Right", snorted Sander and leaned back on the bed. "I won't stop until you believe me. You got amazing powers, Don. Without you, Thea and I would have failed most quests."

"That's stupid", disagreed Hades Poseidon stubbornly. "I talk to animals. I can't even fight."

"Because you don't try", grunted Sander desperately, gesturing wildly. "You talk to animals, yeah. To small, sneaky animals that can warn you if any monster is near. You can even order them around, you can't tell me that an army of mosquitoes is not super cool. Oh, or rather an army of zombies and ghosts? Or how about just calling out for your pegasus with your thoughts. You always only see how much of a Disney princess you are but you always fail to see how handy that is. The Disney princesses are not the great heroes for nothing. And if you'd truly try, you could control both shadows and water just as well as your parents do. But because you have both, you would need to double the effort. But you don't even try."

"Because I'm scaring people off enough by having those powers!", screamed Donny angry and glared at the taller boy, who looked at him stunned. "I know how powerful I could be! But look around, most only merely tolerate me as it is. They wouldn't even do that if I'd be good at that kind of stuff. They would all be too scared to be around me."

"That's bull", grunted Sander and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You and Thea are the only friends I have, Sander", snorted Donny and rolled his eyes. "No one wants to even come close to me because I'm a freak. Everybody got their parent's powers. Powers of one god and oh, that's cool. Powers of one of the Big Three? Well, let's be a bit more cautious with them. But the powers of two of the Big Three? No, rather stay far away from that one, wouldn't want him to send us to Tartarus or drown us, would we?"

Donny gritted his teeth, his arms crossed over his chest, his head hung low so his bangs were hiding his eyes. The brunette frowned at him for a moment before laying one arm around his shoulders.

"All the reason more to train, dumbass", hummed Sander. "So you can kick their asses for being idiots and show them that they're missing out being friends with the most awesome Disney princess ever. You could be the strongest hero of this camp if you'd even half try."

"It still wouldn't bring me any friends or..."

Donny interrupted himself and blushed. Sander raised one suspicious eyebrow and edged closer.

"Yes, please? Or what? I get it, you're depressed because most campers are wimps and rather piss their pants than gathering the courage to talk to you and befriend you. What else?"

"Well... I just... It's stupid, okay?", mumbled Donny and blushed, trying to hide from Sander.

"What's stupid? And why are you boys hanging out without me? And why is our cute Disney Princess blushing again? What did you do to him, Chrysander?"

The two boys looked up at the girl entering the cabin. She had her hands stemmed against her hips and was glaring accusingly at Sander. Her waist-long brown curls were decorated with different shades of blue, both as streaks and as feathers braided into them. Her intense, storm-gray eyes stared at the boys, waiting for an explanation.

"I didn't do anything!", defended Sander himself. "He is being all mopey again so I tried to coax it out of him and I was so short of getting him to talk before you interrupted! Stupid!"

"Calling the most clever girl at camp stupid?", giggled Donny amused.

"Flattery won't get you out of this either, Hades Poseidon di Angelo", warned the girl.

"Thea! Don't!", whined her best friend desperately. "You know I hate when you call me by my full name... It's stupid and annoying!"

"Would you rather have for your parents to scramble the letters like mine did?", huffed Thea and sat down on Donny's other side so both friends could edge closer to the boy in the middle. "Spill it."

"I—I don't...", mumbled the flustered son of Nico and Percy.

"Does it have anything to do with... our brothers dating?", grinned Thea knowingly.

"Huh? Which ones? Fred and Jimmy? No, stupid. Your brother is already dating my sister. And Matt and Jack are too young...", grunted Sander with a frown. "Oh. You mean Luke and Thess."

"Yes, you genius", snorted the girl and rolled her eyes before turning to Donny again. "Well?"

"I don't... it has nothing to do with that", huffed Donny stubbornly.

"Okay, be an idiot if you want to", muttered Thea and shook her head disappointed before leaning back against the wall next to her best friend. "I mean, it's not like I'm your best friend or like we are your only friends and you can talk to us about everything. Naw."

"You work guilt better than grandma Sally!", groaned the young Sea Prince annoyed. "Fine, yes, you're right! I... I scare people enough for them to not even want to be friends with me! Why should anyone want to... to kiss me or to date me!"

He hung his head low so his friends wouldn't see the tears prickling in his eyes. Thea leaned forward to lock eyes with Sander. The two exchanged a worried glance.

"Donny...", whispered the clever girl softly. "Is that why you're always so down? Do you have... love trouble? Is it that? Why haven't you told me before-"

"I'm not having love trouble", mumbled Donny and sighed. "I mean, I'm not in love or anything. I just mean that... You and Herc had been dating for three years now and you guys look so happy and when I look at my mom and dad... I want that too! I want someone to cuddle with and to kiss and stuff too, but... Why should anyone want a freak like me who rather talks to pegasi than to other humans? I'm sixteen now and I've never even been kissed or just held hands with someone! And now even my two years younger brother is in a relationship!"

He had stood up during his rant and was currently pacing in front of his two friends, gesturing widely to make a point. The other two second generation demigods observed him slightly amused.

"Oh, Donny", laughed Thea with a slight smile and shook her head. "You shouldn't wish for a relationship just because you want to date. Just wait for the right... person to come, mh?"

"But my point is that I'll never find a right person! Who would want me?!"

"Who wouldn't?"

Donny blinked with his large, sea-green eyes and stared at the brunette boy surprised. Thea next to Sander giggled slightly as she watched how the son of Clarisse glared at their friend.

"W... What?", blinked the young Sea Prince confused.

"You are so stupid, Disney Princess", sighed Sander and stood up to walk over to the smaller boy, glaring down at the younger teen. "I mean, come on. You're super powerful. You could be, if you'd only train. Demigods always look up to strong heroes. You would have the whole Aphrodite cabin fawning over you." Sander chuckled and put his fingers under Donny's chin to lift his head. "And you're pretty. Have you looked into a mirror recently? You got those really hypnotic eyes and this adorable look on your face when you're confused or frustrated. Then there are those pink lips of yours that look marshmallow soft. And seriously, I don't know many guys who can pull such tight leather pants off like that. That ass of yours is already making most of the tougher boys drool and I am pretty sure some would have already hit on you if not for your overly protective father and grandfathers. No one wants to mess with Lord Hades and Lord Poseidon. Not even your ass is worth being thrown into the depth of Tartarus. Though it would be worth a consideration." The brunette smirked mischievously and leaned around Donny, staring thoughtful at the smaller teen's ass before nodding. "Yeah, certainly worth the try."

The mischievous smirk widened some more as Sander smacked Donny's butt once before leisurely leaving the cabin, his arms crossed behind his head. Donny was beet red and if he would be like his cousin Nico, he would already have been burst into flames.

"Wh... What was that about?", huffed Donny wide-eyed and flustered.

"He has a point", laughed Thea softly.

She was laying on her back, her head hanging over the bed so she could look at her friend upside-down. Donny was staring questioningly at her, holding his butt as if he was afraid someone else would smack it. His lower lip was quivering nervously.

"Theadora!", whined Donny desperately.

"Don't worry", smiled the brunette girl. "You know how he is. He's always being stupid. But he's right. You're extremely pretty. I'm sure you could totally seduce many guys around here. But since all guys around here had grown up with you and know how incredibly insecure you are – which is not an attractive thing, mind you – and know who your grandfathers are, no one tries."

"You... really think so...?", whispered the young Sea Prince skeptically and turned to his sister's full-length mirror to stare at himself. "I'm not special. I look just like my siblings."

"And that's what's special", chuckled Thea and shook her head. "Your sister Percy has a girlfriend, your brother Thess has a boyfriend... uh, somehow your family is kind of gay..."

"Why do you assume that I'm gay too?", huffed Donny and stared at his own ass questioningly. "And what made Sander say that could be worth being thrown into Tartarus...?"

"Just a... feeling", shrugged Thea amused. "I mean, you have that whole flustered adorableness going on. You're the perfect uke, Donny."

"Stop reading those stupid Japanese comics", grunted Donny and blushed some more. "Besides, why should a strong guy want a weakling like me?"

"You're not weak, you're just untrained", corrected Thea and rolled her eyes. "Train and you would get the attention of the whole Ares and Enyo cabin. Every strong fighter would want to duel you. On the battle field and in bed, if you get my drift."

"You're a horrible person", mumbled the flustered boy annoyed.

"Oh, come on! You have to see what a cute ass you have. If I were a boy and gay, I would never let you out of bed again", grinned the brunette and wiggled her eyebrows.

"I should tell Herc about this. Wonder what he would say to that", muttered Donny.

"He knows of my little yaoi obsession", shrugged Thea unfazed. "And he said as long as I don't force him to fuck a boy for my entertainment, he doesn't quite care. So... I'll have to get my entertainment elsewhere. You're my best friend, entertain me!"

"What am I?", huffed Donny and crossed his arms in front of her chest.

"Aw, come", pouted Thea and stared at him with begging eyes. "You're the one claiming to want a boyfriend. Yeah, yeah, sorry. 'Someone' to hold you. Well, newsflash: Prince charming won't be riding on his pegasus to crash-land in your bed and confess his undying love to you. You'll have to do something to get your happiness. I had to practically spell it out for Herc before he understood his feelings for me. Now he's mine. Do something and you could make Sander yours."

"Sander?", grunted the son of Percy and Nico with wide, surprised eyes. "What?"

"Oh come on", snorted the brunette and rolled her eyes. "I've seen that blush you had going on when Sander smacked your ass. That was way more than a simple being embarrassed."

"Get lost, Chase!", groaned Donny annoyed and flustered. "You're really horrible!"

Thea laughed and stood. Though before she left, she stuck her tongue out at her best friend. Donny heaved another sigh and turned around once more in front of the mirror. Though then he shook his head and turned back to his bed. Groaning in annoyance, he pulled his backpack close to reach his diary. Once it was out of the backpack, he also grabbed a pen to write.

/diary|entry\

Okay, it's me again.

And now I could really use some advice, because I'm totally confused. I mean... I just told my friends about that embarrassing problem. You know, that I want someone all to myself. And they... well, they weren't exactly making fun of me, but Sander was still teasing me – he even hit my butt! And then Thea started to say stupid things like how I wasn't blushing because I was embarrassed by it but because of something else. But she wouldn't tell me what exactly she meant.

I just know that it was feeling weird. Like, really weird. I mean, Cally had playfully hit my butt before too, to get me going when I was too slow for her liking. But that only got me annoyed. Somehow it made me all... antsy on the inside when Sander did that. That's weird.

And the things he said! Like that I'm pretty and all of that...

And now Thea thinks that I like Sander. I mean, like-like him. And that confuses me.

I mean... Sander totally is the hottest boy at camp. I'm not saying that because I'm gay, I'm just saying that as a guy who is not blind. He's strong and tall and got that mischievous smirk and those confident eyes and the way he handles his sword is amazing. So... Sure, if I was gay, I would probably find him attractive...

And he's nice. He's the nicest boy at camp too. I mean, the kids from Ares cabin had always made fun of me for my insecurities. Though Thea now said that if they wouldn't have known me for so long, they would now all be hitting on me. I don't know why she's saying such stupid things.

Anyway, San is cool. He always defended me when I was a small kid and everyone was either angry or scared because of me. Because of that nearly war my mere existence had caused. He had always stood strong for me and beaten those who gave me a hard time.

Then there's that thing with the animals. Most find it weird that I can talk to them or they just act as if I'm crazy and only lying about it. But Sander is different. He always listens to me when I tell him about my swims with dolphins and what they told me. And he even sometimes asks me to help him talking to his own pegasus. Because he really likes his pegasus. It's a white stallion called Trickster. Unlike most at camp, who only view the pegasi as means of transportation like cars or bikes, or as annoying tasks when they have to take care of the stables, Sander sees his pegasus as his friend. I could never ever be with someone who would disrespect such a friendly and helpful creature like a pegasus. That's totally unacceptable. Some are really mean to the pegasi, but Sander and some of his friends pranked them as punishment. I like when he's defending those he cares about.

Which must mean that he really cares about me too since he's always defending me. I know he's still doing it. I know many – especially the kids from Enyo cabin and Ares cabin – are always making fun of me and call me a weakling. And I know San always tells them off and says that if I ever learn to control my powers, they should watch out because I would kick their asses.

That's something else he had said today. That I would probably have many campers after me if I would be trained. He's probably right. Who would want a weakling? Certainly not San. He's the biggest hero around here. I haven't seen him being serious with anyone. I mean, I've seen him fooling around with some Aphrodite girls and some guys from Apollo cabin, but he has never been in a serious relationship. Probably because no one is strong enough to hold his attention for long...? But he had said that if I would train, I could become strong... Maybe... strong enough so he would like me like that...? Just maybe...? Oh gods. I think Thea is right. I think I'm in love with San.