Nico remaining a catholic while being the son of the lord of hell (and the greek equivalent of Paradise) is just the epitome of irony for me.
That's why I propose the following prompt:
Some random homophobic: y'all are going to hell for your sin!
Percy and Nico share a look before bursting out laughing.
Percy: Been there, done that, bud. A little dark but welcoming when you know the owner of the place.
Nico: Actually got a room for me in a palace there, can't say the same for you tho.
"Why are we here again?" Percy asked as he squirmed uncomfortably. The church parishioners seemed to all be looking at them.
"Because it's my mother's death anniversary," he reminded him. "And for some reason, you decided to accompany me to mass instead of staying home."
"I wanted to support you, Ni," he said. It was the first time he could do something as Nico's boyfriend and not just as his friend. "I just didn't know this was an hour-long thing."
Behind them, an elderly lady shushed them. Nico turned and apologized in a hush.
The rest of the mass went by. Nico distressingly left him to have some white, thin food put in his mouth and come back to kneel. Percy couldn't say he understood, but he imitated Nico as well as he could.
He could see a man in his forties looking at them suspiciously.
Eventually, the priest named Nico's mother when talking about praying for the departed, and soon after the mass was over. Nico took his hand and led him out.
"I think mamma went to heaven," he said softly. "That's why I could never summon her."
Percy looked at him. So that was why he attended mass for her and not Bianca. Nico knew where his sister had gone after death, but Maria di Angelo was another story.
"It was a nice ceremony," he whispered, not knowing what else to say. "I didn't understand half of it, but it was beautiful."
Nico smiled and squeezed his hand.
"That couldn't have been easy for you. Staying still all that time and not understanding why people did things," Nico told him once they were outside. "But thanks for being respectful and... for being there for me."
Percy smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
"If it's important to you, of course I'll be there," he said. "So, that white wafer—"
"I knew it," someone said behind them. They both turned to see the same man that had been glaring at Percy during mass. "Don't you know your kind is not welcome here?"
Percy paled. Had he done something wrong? Was he embarrassing Nico in some way?
"What do you mean our kind?" Nico asked venomously.
"Perverts," he clarified, looking at them in distaste. "People like you shouldn't desecrate the house of our Lord."
Percy blinked.
Oh, so he hadn't done anything wrong during the mass. The guy was just a homophobe.
He let out a sigh of relief.
"I thought Jesus invited everyone to come to him, even sinners," Nico answered with a raised eyebrow.
"If they repent," the man said. "Only hell awaits those like you."
And Nico turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. Percy stared back.
They both laughed.
"S-sorry dude, but I know for a fact that I won't go there," he said as the man turned redder and redder from anger. "The guy in charge kind of likes me. I have my own room in a palace waiting for me."
"That's sacrilege!"
Percy shrugged.
"I mean, down there is a little cold and drafty, but it's not as bad, and the dead don't feel the cold," Percy added. "If anything, I can say it's not the worst thing that could happen."
"You, though? I doubt you might get more than oblivion," Nico continued. "You're not God's brave defender. You're barely God's anything."
"You—"
"You're worth nothing, and you'll die alone and bitter," Nico said in his son of Hades voice. The man turned white as a sheet. "We're leaving, Percy."
The man stayed quiet as Nico walked ahead of Percy, their hands still linked, until they reached a Starbucks.
"Order anything you like," he said. "My treat, as thanks for going with me."
They didn't talk about that man, and Percy realized it was because he mattered so little to Nico.
"Why go to mass, if you know you're going to the Greek Underworld?" He asked once they were seated. Nico smiled sheepishly.
"It makes me feel closer to my mother," Nico admitted. "I feel like she's with me then."
Percy smiled and kissed his boyfriend, not caring who saw.
"I'm sure she is, Nico."
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