Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/3701527.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Percy_Jackson_and_the_Olympians_-_Rick_Riordan, Percy_Jackson_and_the
      Olympians_&_Related_Fandoms_-_All_Media_Types
  Relationship:
      Nico_di_Angelo/Percy_Jackson
  Character:
      Percy_Jackson, Hades_(Percy_Jackson), Nico_di_Angelo, Poseidon_(Percy
      Jackson), Athena_(Percy_Jackson), Persephone_(Percy_Jackson), Zeus_(Percy
      Jackson), Jason_Grace, Annabeth_Chase, Hazel_Levesque, Bianca_di_Angelo
  Additional Tags:
      Russian_Revolution, russian_civil_war, February_Revolution, October
      Revolution, 1905_Revolution, Revolution_AU, Tsar!_Hades, Tsarvich!_Nico,
      Sailor!_Percy, Protective_Percy, Revolutionary!_Poseidon, Revolutionary!
      Zeus, Great_War, Smut, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Water_Sex, Minor_Violence,
      World_War_I
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-04-07 Words: 6175
****** The Tsarvich's Guard ******
by Charles_Edward_Stewart_(eddiecharlesstewart)
Summary
     AU set in the turbulent times of the Russian Revolutions and so
     called continuum of crisis.
     Sailor Percy saves Tsarvich Nico from drowning and is appointed his
     guard................... Adventures ensue.
Notes
     Hades-Tsar Nicholas III.
     Nico-Tsarvich Alexis.
     Persephone- Tsarina Alexandra.
     Percy-Sailor.
     Zeus- Lenin.
     Poseidon- Bolshevik revolutionary.
     Jason- Bolshevik leader
     Annabeth- Bolshevik Political commissar.
     Athena- Senior Bolshevik.
     Hazel- Princess.
     Bianca-princess.
Young Tsarvich Nicolas IV walked lazily down the corridor of the Winter Palace.
Past huge bay windows and stern portraits the tiny boy wandered. He was dressed
as usual in a tiny sailor’s uniform, complete with a little white cap and
striped shirt, as was traditional for a little Tsarvich. He passed the
resplendent imperial guardsmen who clicked their heels and straightened up as
he passed; he threw each a friendly smile.
The tiny heir to the imperial Russian throne entered the main hall, brown eyes
scanning the room before he ran, abandoning all semblance of decorum to his
father’s side.
Tsar Hades looked down at the tiny figure of his son, swathed in the white
uniform of the sailor, his nest of wild black hair escaping from below a
sailors cap. The boy was a pure nuisance at times, lacking the aloof attitude
and stature of the aristocracy, he was far too willing to embroil himself in
the woes of his underlings, but he was too adorable a child to attempt to
discipline.
The young Prince’s sisters Hazel and Bianca walked over to pull their younger
sibling into a huge hug. The Tsarina Persephone looked on at the display of
affection with a cold, unwavering stare. The assembled men of the Duma stared
in amusement and irritation at the disturbance to the proceedings.
“Your highness….. I hate to interrupt… but could we get back to the matters of
state?” a rather nervous looking minister voiced from the assembled ranks of
Duma politicians.
“If we must” the rather irate Tsar grunted.
Tsar Hades was considered rather a bore of a man- narrow minded, ignorant and
unpardonably incompetent. Often courtiers muttered the country was ‘an
autocracy without an autocrat’. The Tsar’s unwillingness to allow reform of
change yet inability to lead led to a crisis across the country.
“Can’t you deal with it?” Hades grumbled.
“Maybe if you gave us some powers to act?” Another minister mumbled. This
earned him a hard stare from the Tsar.
“It’s only a small disturbance!” Hades yelled suddenly.
“There is a minor revolution on the streets of St Petersburg!” the men of the
Duma cried as one.
“MINOR!” Hades almost screamed, his face turning red with fury.
“They march on the palace!”
“Shot them!” Hades huffed.
“Daddy… why do you want to shoot the people?” Nico murmured.
“Because they have been naughty” Hades whispered to his son.
“Oh” the boy whispered back, “Will I get shot if I’m naughty then?” he asked
innocently.
“No, no son, they have been very bad.”
The tsar stood and beckoned his family follow him, effectively ending the Duma
meeting.
Soon the Tsarvich had to hold his ears to muffle the sounds of pain and agony
as the cracks of rifle fire and the screams of the injured and grief stricken
carried from outside the palace. Smoke hung in great towers above the city as
rioters and revolutionaries burned buildings as they fled. That night the young
prince Nico cried himself to sleep to the sounds of his peoples suffering.
 
Many weeks later, Nico and his father were visiting Kronstadt Island, base of
the Russian Baltic sea fleet, when it happened.
The Young prince had been allowed to clamber along the railings of the ship as
his father inspected the crew. He was almost at the prow when his foot touched
a slippery patch on the railing, his foot slipped and then he fell, tumbling
down, down, down. With a great splash the boy hit the water below, sinking
below the freezing waves into the murky darkness. Nico was peripherally aware
of commotion above him, and then he saw a splash and the slender form of a
boy…in sailors garb swam towards him. As the blackness descended on him, Nico
felt strong arms surround him.
 
When Nico awoke it was many hours after. He was laid out, under starched white
sheets in a naval hospital. In an empty ward filled with crisp white beds. Well
almost empty. On a chair beside him a boy about 14 lay slumped across the arms.
He had a shock of messy black hair, lightly tan skin and wore naught but
towels; beside him over the chairs back the sodden uniform of a sailor was
neatly laid. The boy suddenly shifted a groan escaped him perfect lips, the boy
turned in his slumber. With a wild flailing of limbs and an almost girly
shriek, the boy tumbled from the chair to land on his bum on the cold stone
floor. Nico giggled as the boy rubbed his sore behind before looking up at the
giggling boy.
As realisation dawned on the young sailor he leapt up suddenly to salute, the
mixture of a loose towel around his waist and the boy still nursing his sore
behind made it a farcical display that only further fuelled the young
Tsarvich’s giggles. The young prince looked into the mesmerising blue-green
eyes of the young sailor, the same that had leapt into the water after him Nico
realised, in awe. They were like the ocean, sparkling bright and open with the
boy’s mirthful expression.
The boy tried in vain to regain his modesty as he tugged the fallen towel up to
cover his privates. Nico realised he had been staring at the others sharp v of
muscle and slight trail of wiry hairs too long. When did his mouth start to
water? He quickly changed that train of thought as his face began to flush.
“Thank you” Nico said quietly to the boy.
“Huh?” the boy murmured.
“Thank you!” Nico said again.
“Oh… your welcome….err… anytime I guess.” The boy nervously nattered.
The loud voice of Hades suddenly piped up from where he was standing a few beds
away, previously unseen, “That you will, my boy. From now on you will be
Nicolas’ personal guard. If anything ill happens to him, on your head be it!”
“Yes sir!” the young sailor cried.
The tsar strode back to the inspection.
“I’m Percy Jackson” the boy said, holding out a shaking hand to the young
prince.
“I’m Nicolas…. Call me Nico, please” the tiny prince said as he shook the
others hand, noting its coldness and the slight quiver.
Percy looked down at his feet his body still quivering.
He remembered when the boy before him had fallen mere hours ago.
He had been at the furthest most rank of sailors from the Tsar at the parade on
board the mighty battleship. As a mere rating he was kept well away from the
ruler of all Russia. He had been watching the tiny Tsarvich as the boy
clambered about the railings of the ships side. He looked to the Tsar as the
man delivered his speech. When he looked back the boy was gone. He did a double
take… none had noticed. Percy sprinted from his place in the ranks, ignoring
the cries of the officers and leapt over the ships side. He saw the boy prince
below him sinking into the inky depths. He took a great breath and pushed under
the water, reaching the boy just as the last water escaped the smaller boy’s
mouth. He pushed for the surface, breaking it seconds later to riotous applaud.
That was a few hours past now.
“Are you ok?” Nico asked again… trying to break the Percy from his thoughts.
“Y-y-yes s-s-sir” the boy murmured his teeth rattling and his body shivering
with renewed vigour.
“No you are not!” Nico grunted “Lie in here until you warm up!”
Percy looked at him in horror, seeing the look that brooked no argument on the
young Princes face Percy sheepishly pulled back the covers and slipped into the
warm embrace of the sheets. He laid on his back avoiding touching his prince.
The smaller boy huffed loudly before grabbing the bigger boy and pulling
himself over until he lay wrapped around the older boy in a hug. He shivered as
the others cold body pressed into his.
Percy felt the smaller boy, a ball of warmth, lie atop him. Felt small hands
rub warming patterns into the skin of his chest in soft caresses. He mumbled
contentedly in the others embrace as he slipped off into sleep once more.
 
It was a few hours later Hades strode in to find his son lying in a bed with
the young sailor, entwined in sleep. He gently woke the older boy and had him
dress before carrying the Tsarvich to an awaiting carriage.
 
Months later Percy tailed behind Nico as the smaller boy stormed through the
palace in a ball of fury, kicking out at the fine statues and sculptures that
lined the palace walls. He strode into the Tsarvich’s bedroom following the boy
as he leapt onto the grand bed with a huff.
“It’s not that bad!” Percy tried.
“NO!” Nico growled.
Percy shot him a look of disbelief.
“Just get in!” the boy-guard tried again.
“NO!” Nico huffed, pouting ridiculously.
Percy suddenly leapt forward and grabbed the kicking and screaming Tsarvich
into his arms, hurling him over his shoulder he carried the smaller boy who was
beating his tiny fists into the older boy’s back, to the bathroom where he
deposited the boy on the floor, locking the door with one hand while he
restrained the young prince with the other. That done he tugged of the boys
clothes then dumped the boy in the hot bath full of bubbles and body oils, fit
for a prince.
Percy then leant forwards and began to clean his little prince, rubbing a soft
cloth gently across the pale expanse of the smaller boy’s ivory chest, trailing
lower across his abdomen before quickly dipping between his thighs to clean his
privates.
Nico couldn’t bite back his moan when the soft cloth and firm hands of his
guard rubbed against his privates; he blushed as the boy brushed his rapidly
hardening erection. His efforts to bite back another moan were defeated when a
firm hand suddenly grasped his erect cock. He looked into Percy's eyes to see,
amusement and a dancing flame of lust in the sparkling blue-green depths. It
took Percy only a few strokes to tug the orgasm from Nico’s member, amid wanton
cries and a great splashing of water.
When Nico came back to his senses he looked to see that Percy still sat beside
him gently caressing his messy hair.
Nico looked questioningly at Percy.
“I’m fine.” Percy murmured, then leant forward tentatively all his previous
confidence drained, and pressed a chaste kiss to Nico’s nose.
 
It was almost a year later. Prince Nico walked in the gardens in his little
white sailor uniform, followed by his very own sailor. Percy grunted as he
followed his friend and charge on a walk through the palace gardens. On a hot
day like this he wanted to swim in the river by the palace, he was enjoying
teaching the young prince how to glide through the waters after his little
incident a year ago blighted his confidence.
“What shall we do now?” Nico asked his friend.
“Swim!” Percy cried excitedly.
Nico nodded resigned to the torturous activity his friend so loved.
They ran down to where the palace bordered the river. Percy threw of clothes as
he ran leaving a trail across the grass before he ran into the cool waters
naked to the world. Nico was slower, walking to the banks before neatly
removing and folding his clothes then slipping into the lapping waters. Nico
for a moment of panic could not see his friend. Then the older boy emerged from
under the water splashing his with water before grabbing the small prince and
pulling him in slightly deeper. Nico shrieked at the water reached his neck.
Percy pulled the smaller boy to his broad chest, patting his back and
comforting the smaller boy.
Nico’s cried turned to quiet whimpering then silence in the comfort, support
and safe haven of Percy's arms. He wrapped his legs around the elder’s waist
and leant up to rub his nose against Percy's, he stuck his tongue out to
innocently lap at a drip of water that hung on the tip of the older boy’s nose.
Percy let out a strangled groan. Nico leant back down to feel a hot hardness
pressed between his cheeks. He in turn let out a short cry, shifting to feel
more of the bigger boy’s hardness between his legs. Percy moaned wantonly and
shifted, thrusting between the soft thighs of the tiny boy. He pulled Nico up
so their lips met in a messy kiss, Percy's tongue invaded the hot wet confines
of Nico's mouth, doing sinful things as it twisted and sucked on the smaller
boy’s tongue. Nico moaned wantonly as hands grasped his bum, squeezing the
smooth globes and a finger slipped into the crack to circle the tight hole. As
the kiss turned particularly heated, Percy pushed one finger into the little
Tsarvich. Nico moaned wantonly.
“Shhhhhh my little prince” Percy whispered in the boy’s ear, biting gently on
the rim and flicking his tongue about it. Nico moaned again.
A firm yet gently hand covered Nico's mouth as Percy began thrusting his
fingers deeper and faster into Nico's tight hole. The boy screamed into the
muffling hand in pleasure, growing almost painful at the over stimulation he
bit the others hand.
“Bastard! You have bloody sharp teeth.” Percy grunted.
Nico shot him a smirk.
“Please… more….” Nico whined wantonly, pleading with the older boy for mercy.
Percy chuckled openly. Replacing the hand over Nico's mouth he slowly eased his
hard erection slowly into the smaller boys, hot, wet, velvety hole. Pushing
past the ring of tight muscle to bury himself deep inside the tiny boy who
quivered in his arms, Percy bottomed out so his balls lay next to Nico's and
his hips were pressed firm against the others arse. He gently carried the
smaller boy, who hung limply from his 7 inch cock, over to the rocks that lined
the river bank. He lifted the smaller boy gently on to a large border so his
arse pointed towards Percy who stood behind him still buried in the smaller
boys tight hole. Once sure Nico was comfortable Percy pulled out till only his
head was still in Nico's tight hole, then with no warning he plunged back in.
with long deep thrusts he set up a fast paced rhythm that had Nico moaning
wantonly against Percy's hand, panting and groaning at the beautiful torture to
his prostate. In what seemed to Nico, embarrassingly like minutes he felt heat
build in his lower stomach. With a string of cried only barely muffled by
Percy's hand the smaller boy came, spraying cum over the surface of the rock
and his belly. Percy thrust into the smaller boy as his arse clenched with his
orgasm, the older boy pushed deeper into the boy, thrusting sporadically into
the tight hole again and again. With a loud grunt Percy came, buried deep in
Nico's tight arse and filling the tiny heir to the throne with his thick cum.
Percy lay limply above his charge like a dead weight until the smaller boy’s
wriggling and breathless gasps brought him back to the present. He pulled
himself up, pulling the smaller with him before pulling out of the smaller boy,
then carrying him into deeper water where he washed the cum from his lover and
prince’s chest and arse.
Hours later Nico sat with his family and a few minor nobles at a mighty feast.
The grand table was laden with all kinds of food and delicacy, caviar,
Champaign, vodka and port were passed around. The smaller boy squirmed in his
seat mumbling to himself, quietly cursing his friend and guard for demanding
they have sex minutes before he had to leave for dinner.
“Are you alright?” Bianca hissed to him, looking him up and down.
Nico flushed red “I…I’m fine” he whispered.
Bianca glanced at Percy suspiciously before returning to her meal.
“The war is going badly” a general near Nico grunted.
Nico tuned his ears to their conversation; he glanced back at Percy who stood
ceremoniously behind his chair.
“I hear there have been almost 3 million casualties” another added.
“The people in the cities are starving…” a civil servant added.
“What?” Nico asked.
The generals looked to the small boy in shock and fear, wary of the treason
they were committing.
“Well….”
“The truth” Nico asserted.
“The army is in collapse… a thousand men a month desert… officers are shot by
mutineers… Food never gets to the city…. People are starving” the generals
whispered to him.
“Oh”
That night Nico cornered Percy as they undressed, Percy usually slept on a
mattress on the floor of Nico's room but as of earlier that day he was
comfortable to slip into the grand four poster bed.
“Did you know we are losing the war?” Nico demanded.
“Yes” Percy whispered.
“Why not tell me?”
“It was not my place”
“So you can lie to me! What else have you lied about… our friendship… our
love?”
Percy’s eyes shot up from where he had been staring at the floor. He looked
into the cold, hatred filled eyes. Hurt filled the older boys eyes, the depths
of his eyes turned stormy; turmoil filled the once sparkling orbs.
“Do you even like me or do you simply shirk from the war?!?” Nico cried.
“Don’t you ever question how much I love you” Percy suddenly yelled advancing
on the Tsarvich, “As you obviously question your feelings I will leave the
guard and re-join my friends, the sailors of my brigade were sent to the front
not a week past!”
With that the older boy tugged on his uniform and stormed from the room and out
to the guards barracks. He told the duty officer of his resignation. The kindly
officer tried to dissuade him but he remained unmoved. With that he marched
from the palace and into the dark streets of Petrograd. With the war against
the Hun ongoing St Petersburg had been renamed to Petrograd with the tide of
anti-German sentiment.
Percy marched to his father’s house, men in workers caps and coats filled the
study as he pulled of his coat and pushed gently through the crowd, past mean
faced workers and gruff men of the Petrograd garrison, all wearing small red
ribbons .
“Percy!” a man cried from among the assembled men.
“Father!” Percy pushed forward to embrace his father.
“It has been a while!” his father said reprovingly.
“Too long!” Percy agreed.
“What’s happening?” Percy added looking curiously at the mob of the Proletariat
about him.
“Ah this…. Well it’s a meeting of sorts.” Percy's father grunted non-committal
clear in his tone.
Suddenly a man strode to the fore of the meeting.
“Fellow Bolsheviks! I call this meeting to order…. The military revolutionary
committee!”
Percy grasped his father’s shoulder and pulled him from the room to the kitchen
where the older man slumped down of the chair in silence.
“What is this?!?” Percy grunted, repressing a cry of anger.
“After your mother died, on bloody Sunday…. When that bastard ordered the
troops fire at protestors, I joined the Bolsheviks, to fight for the rights of
the common man…. The Proletariat Revolution!” His father cried.
“These people want only blood!” Percy retorted….”They are no worse than the man
who ordered the troops to kill mother!”
His father’s hand shot out, slapping him hard across the cheek. Pain flared
across Percy's face and he saw red.
“I will tell you now, I will play no part in your revolutionary games….I am off
to the front tomorrow and god willing I will not see you again for a long
time!” with that Percy spat of the ground at his father’s feet and turned to
storm from the room.
The older man grappled for his arm pulling his son back into the room.
“Why are you even here, I thought you were in Kronstadt!” His father said
quietly.
“I was chosen to be the guard of the Tsarvich….Now I head to the front… alas It
is time I leave. Farewell father” Percy sighed. The younger man stepped from
the room pulling on his sailors overcoat over his uniform he stepped out into
the night. Behind him he heard a voice call his father.
“Poseidon?”.
A dejected and defeated sigh was the only reply.
 
It was almost a month later Percy sat in his trench, in the mud, on the eastern
front. Around him his squad of sailors-come-volunteers sat around singing,
laughing and drinking. Vodka was passed about and a man with a mouth organ
began to play. Percy felt a stab of pain as he remembered listening to his
mother play the same tune as the marched together in some workers strike back
in 1904. He had been only a toddler. He remembered the harmonica being laid on
her chest as they buried her body on Bloody Sunday 1905. He remembered the
grandeur of the balls with the Tsarvich by his side and an orchestra playing.
Silent tears slipped down his mud crusted face at all he had lost.
That night sleep remained out of Percy's reach amid the crackling of flares and
the far of boom of artillery fire.
 
Months later, a rather tired Percy stood in his trench; he tugged on his
sailors coat about him and cursed the damn Russian weather. Early 1917 was a
cold winter. Pulling on his boots he stomped along the trench running to HQ to
gather the unit’s rations. On his way back he spotted a flash of white. Like
the sailor uniform he so fondly remembered Nico had worn. He cursed the memory
for coming unbidden.
As he reached the command post he saw a collection of well-dressed officers
milling about. He kept his distance. Then he saw a familiar sight from long
ago. The young Tsarvich pulling his father in tow almost ran from the command
post towards the entrance to the trench where Percy stood.
“Please can I. Please?” Nico pleaded.
“Alright I guess… but you’ll need a guard.” The tsar turned to Percy who stood,
trying in vain to remain inconspicuous and hidden.
“You!” the tsar said, pointing at Percy. The young sailor thanked god for the
mud covering his face which made him unrecognisable or so he thought.
“If I may sir… could I just run to the HQ and grab the rations I was sent to
collect.”
“Yes of course! Fetch the hamper in our car as well for little Nicolas!”
“No father, that it not what the soldiers eat so neither shall I!” Nico piped
up.
“OK… fetch another ration then!” the Tsar grunted.
Percy hurried off and returned laden with seven canteens of broth and a bag
with black bread inside.
The young sailor saluted the Tsar once more then beckoning for the Tsarvich to
follow him he quickly wove his way into the trenches. Percy noticed the small
boy behind him shiver. He stopped suddenly and put down the rations before
tugging off his overcoat and draping it over the younger boy’s shoulders.
Then shouldering the rations he carried on down the trench. Glancing back he
almost laughed at how comical the young Tsarvich looked in the coat- many sizes
too big.
“Percy?” Nico asked suddenly.
Percy turned to look at the boy in fear.
Nico walked up until he stood inches from the older boy. He spit on his thumb
then used it to wipe away some of the dirt.
“It is you!” he whispered, his voice distant and almost lost.
“It is I” Percy whispered in resignation.
Nico made a choking sound.
Percy fought against the urge to hug the boy. The urge won.
Nico sighed as warm strong arms encompassed him and he was pressed into Percy's
broad chest and the feeling of safety.
“I never stopped loving you” Percy whispered into the others ear.
“Nor I you” Nico whispered back.
“Would you come back to me?” Nico near whimpered.
“If you would have me?”
“Yes.yes.yes.” Nico cried excitedly.
Percy led Nico down to his trench where he introduced the Tsarvich to his
comrades. The young prince sat with the men, ate with the men, danced and sang
with the men. Percy was readying to take Nico back to his father, much later
that evening when it happened.
He heard the familiar bang of an artillery piece.
Heard the wretched scream of the shell tearing through the air.
As if in slow motion he saw if begin to fall.
Closer, closer, closer.
Percy leapt forwards grabbing Nico and hurling him into a dugout landing on top
of the smaller boy as he dove into the entrance.
BANG!
 
When he awoke to the sounds of shovelling, of picks and spades Nico could tell
neither up nor down. Only darkness. And the reassuring weight of Percy
protective atop him. Percy was unmoving.
Light broke through the earth enshrouded darkness. The cries of jubilation rang
in his ears as he was tugged out from under Percy into his father’s waiting
arms.
Percy was still unmoving.
Nico’s eyes remained glued to Percy's limp prone form as he was patted down by
his father to check for injuries. He was uninjured. Nico could see a crimson
red stain on Percy's side, glistening wet with blood pulsing from some hidden
wound. Around them the shattered, broken remains of Percy's fellows lay
scattered in the blackened pit that was once their trench.
He tugged himself free of his father’s arms and ran over to where his lover lay
bleeding. He grabbed the young sailor and turned him over using his last
reserves of strength. Percy's eyelids quivered, and then opened. Nico stared
into the beautiful orbs now flooded with pain and relief. Nico leant forward
and cradled Percy in his arms keening softly; he brushed the messy hair from
Percy's eyes. Tears flowed in rivers down his cheeks. His father and the
surrounding men watched the display in shock.
Percy took in a shallow breath.
“Ni-c-c-c-o” he sighed.
“Percy, Percy, please Percy come on please.” The smaller boy pleaded as he
clasped his lover’s weak hand in his own.
Harsh voices shouted orders and Nico could only scream in pain and fury as he
was pulled back from Percy's limp form, the older boy was pulled onto a
stretcher and carted off.
Nico yelled and howled and screamed and bawled and wretched and sobbed in his
father’s unyielding arms.
Many hours later a now exhausted Nico sat limply in the Tsar’s automobile as
the roared through the war-torn countryside towards Petrograd. They leapt onto
a train and were soon steaming towards the capital. Suddenly the train stopped.
Nico stared numbly out of the window.
A party of generals strode into the carriage. Nico ignored them.
His father began arguing fiercely. Nico ignored him.
Finally his father sighed in defeat. Nico ignored it all.
It was only when they reached Petrograd did Nico notice the change afoot.
“Father what? What has happened?” Nico turned to his father who seemed to have
deflated.
“I-we have abdicated… so did your uncle...There was a Revolution while we were
away… we go to join your sisters and Persephone in imprisonment.”
“Oh” Nico sighed.
When Nico arrived at the Palace outside Petrograd where they were to be
imprisoned, Nico was shocked to spot Percy leaning against the columned
entrance, a bloody bandage tied tight around his chest, a small flicker of a
smile passing across his worry strewn face. Nico ran into Percy's arms, hugging
him tightly. The older boy grunted in pain. Nico withdrew sheepishly turning to
his father’s reproving stare.
Percy stared at the Tsar’s expression with anxious eyes.
Hades nodded slightly then walked into the palace leaving the boys in peace.
They kept their peace for almost half a year. Outside the war waged on. A
Provisional government formed and nearly fell. The crisis continued.
 
It was October of that same year. Nico bored of the monotony of their
imprisonment demanded that Percy help his escape-at least for a while.
It took days of pleading, pouting and puppy eyes before Percy finally caved. It
was a cold day. Both donned heavy coats and fur hats before slipping from the
palace and escaping through the gardens. There Percy helped Nico change into a
set of tattered workers clothing. Then they set of, catching a tram into
Petrograd. Once there Percy led Nico through the grimy streets of the Vyborg
district, past the main station towards the winter palace. As they passed the
telegraph office it became apparent something was afoot, Red Guards as opposed
to the men of the Provisional Government guarded the doors. Percy tugged Nico
into an alley as a truck loaded with red guardsmen and men of the Petrograd
machine gun regiment, roared past flying the red banner high. As they neared
the winter palace, the watched as hordes of drunken Bolshevik revolutionaries
‘liberated’ the wines stores of the palace. Provisional government ministers
were being bundled into trucks and carried to the St Peter and Paul fortress
for imprisonment. Nico turned away as his childhood home was trashed by looters
and vandals.
Percy led the boy quietly through the streets once more, hiding from the
Bolshevik patrols to the Smolny institute the guns of the battleship Aurora
pointed ominously across the city and sporadic bursts of gunfire crackled
across the city as the last bastions of Kadets and Cossacks were defeated.
Percy pulled the young ex-Tsarvich into the packed balcony of the Smolny
institute.
Zeus the Bolshevik leader, returned from exile stood atop the platform and read
out a decree.
The Social Revolutionaries, Mensheviks and Kadets in the Petrograd soviet
hurled abuse crying ‘Coup’.
They stormed from the building. The Bolsheviks remaining formed a soviet of
their own. Percy saw his father among the ranks of cheering revolutionaries. He
quickly grabbed Nico and harshly tugged the boy out of the masses into the cool
night air. Percy led his little prince to a shady alley, there he broke out
some acrid black bred from a pocket and forced the boy to eat some. He suddenly
felt a strong arm grip his shoulder; he turned around in alarm, cursing his
lack of vigilance to see his father standing behind him, his expression joyous.
“Percy!” Poseidon cried.
“Father!” Percy hissed.
Poseidon looked past his son to see the small boy cowering in the shadow of his
son, clinging to his coat tails.
“Is that…?” the asked in shock.
“Yes!” Percy grunted through gritted teeth.
“Why did you take him here? Now?” Poseidon grunted.
“Well I wasn’t to know you were staging a FUCKING REVOLUTION! Now was I!”
“No I guess not” Poseidon grunted. “I will take him before the central
committee, they will decide his fate.”
“FUCK NO!” Percy almost screamed. “He’s mine!”
“Ahhh…” Poseidon said as realisation dawned on him
“Back to the palace then…. I will escort you…..you wouldn’t get far without a
pass.”
Percy looked into his father’s eyes searchingly before nodding. They set off.
“I’m Poseidon Jackson…. Percy's father” the Revolutionary said to Nico after a
while of silence as they walked.
“I’m Nico Di Angelo…. Percy’s lover” Nico said casually, inside his heart was
beating frantically.
“I like this one Percy… he’s quite bolshie” Poseidon chuckled.
Percy suppressed a laugh as well at Nico’s audacity.
Poseidon left them at the palace gardens.
“Keep well my son… protect him.” he said as he left, tears filling blue eyes.
The figure melted into the blackening night.
The boys returned to a scene of mayhem. The ex-royals were being forced to pack
their belongings and board trucks. Nico and Percy joined them Nico grabbed his
sailors uniform a fur hat and coat, and a small dagger Percy had made him,
Percy grabbed his own uniform coat and hat before hugging Nico and leading the
boy away.
Bianca tried to resist. She spat and hissed fury at the red guards, kicking and
biting her captors. A tall blonde grey eyed woman stepped from the Bolshevik
ranks. Athena. The infamous red terrorist. She dragged Bianca roughly outside.
Percy hugged Nico tighter to his chest, covering the boys and ears with his
arms.
A shot rang out.
Athena stepped back inside a calculating cold stare crossing her sharp
features.
The family then hurried onto the waiting trucks, the girls sobbing uselessly.
Nico stared in dumb shock at the passing darkness as Percy pressed him close to
his warm chest and ran his hands in soothing circles across his back.
 
Many hours later they reached Tobolsk in the Urals; they stayed there a while
then were forced onto a train and sent to Yekaterinburg. There they were
imprisoned for two months. Hades had sunk into a pit of depression, he would
rarely stir, preferring to wallow in his misery in a darkened room, the Tsarina
Persephone tried to keep Hazels spirits up with tales of a rescue mission. Nico
new none would be attempted. Every day the sounds of fighting drew closer, they
were little over the far of ridge now. Nico spent almost all day with Percy
now, living out their days under the shadow of death. The slept, ate, walked,
talked, chopped wood, and hunted together. Percy's father who had been assigned
as one of their guards would take to two boys hunting in the woods to
supplement their diet of stale bread and take their minds of death.
It was the early morning of 17th of July 1918, the boys were awoken from their
beds, Percy tugged on a his uniform, seeing this Nico pulled on his sailors cap
over his woollen coat and rag-tag uniform. They joined the rest of the family
and the royal physician and were marched down to the basement. There Athena
stood grinning evilly.
A group of red soldiers bearing rifles filled into the room.
“I hereby sentence you to death on the orders of the Urals soviet of workers.”
She read.
Hazel began to sob and the tsarina wept openly. The Tsar visibly deflated,
shrinking into himself. Nico put his hand in Percy’s the smaller boy was
shaking.
Then the guardsmen razed their rifles. Percy stepped forward shielding Nico
from the bullets malice.
Suddenly Poseidon stormed into the room. He pushed past Athena, past the
riflemen, until he stood before his son, acting as a shield to the bullets.
“You will not kill my boy!” he yelled furiously.
“He is a traitor!” Athena near screamed.
“He was never on our side! He is the most loyal of all!” Poseidon retorted.
The Di Angelo’s looked on at the display curiously in the face of their
impending doom.
“Kill them” Athena screamed.
“Vive La Revolution!” Poseidon cried. The rifles cracked. Athena’s pistol shot.
Hades, Persephone and Hazel slumped to the ground blood welling up and dripping
from their mouths. Poseidon fell into Percy's arms. With a few whispered words
he died.
The guns reloaded, were pivoted to aim at Percy who stood once again before
Nico.
Percy stared into the eyes of his executioners, he felt Nico take his hands
behind his back once more.
Percy tensed as he prepared for death.
Nico clenched his eyes shut in fear.
They awaited their fate.
“STOP!” a voice cried. Percy looked over and Nico peeked out from behind him to
see a tall blonde boy, about Percy's age storm into the room. “Stop this
insanity!”
“The Whites are just over the hill!” Athena screeched.
“The whites are just over the hill. What will they do when they realise you
shot the Tsar- let alone his child son!” Blonde girl cried, storming in behind
the other.
“Annabeth!” Percy cried.
“Not now seaweed brain!”
Percy clamped his mouth shot.
“For the murder of a Bolshevik Officer….I hereby sentence you Athena
Azhikelyamov, to death…. Take her away!” the blonde boy shouted hoarsely.
“I am Jason Bukov, head of the Urals soviet of soldiers’ deputies… I apologise
for this unpleasantly…”
“UNPLESANTRY!” Percy near screamed, his hands bunching into fists, his face
turning red with anger.
“Percy Calm!” Nico and Annabeth said as one. The older boy huffed.
“I’m Annabeth Yevtushenkov” the blonde girl said to Nico.
“How do you know my Percy?” the little boy asked curiously, still half hidden
behind his guard.
“We were friends back in Petrograd…. Before 1905…”
“OK…. Let’s get you out of here… there is a train leaving for Murmansk …. If
you could escape there you could get to Arkhangelsk, the British will take you
with them and you can escape to exile….Live” Jason said quietly, sadness heavy
in his voice.
The two boys were led to the station.
The train took almost a week to reach Murmansk.
Another week cross-country to Arkhangelsk.
A few days under questioning then they were on a ship to London.
Then finally Peace!
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