Leo had set the building on fire. He was fighting an angry Cyclops single handedly, and he might've blasted fire at it a few times, even though it was flame proof. He was just about out of tricks, so of course, he had to face plant as the monster was chasing him. It picked him up, roaring with delight. Leo tried to reach his tool belt with no luck. Right when he was about to give up, an arrow sprouted from the Cyclops eye.
"What the-" he looked up and saw a person standing on one of the support beams, holding a bow. The Cyclops fell forward, and Leo narrowly escaped being squashed. Unfortunately, he turned around just in time to see the Cyclops hurtle a truck engine at the shooter. She (Leo had decided it was a girl) tumbled off the beam, but managed to hang on with one hand. She was hanging over the fire. Leo was about to run back to the Argo, but then he decided he couldn't leave the girl who'd saved his life. He assembled a makeshift grappling hook and was about to the pull himself up when the girl grabbed the rope with her feet and somehow managed to slide down it to the ground.
"Leo Valdez. You owe me one." She growled as they ran for the door.
"How do you know my name? And I just saved you!" he protested.
"From your own fire! That doesn't count!" she argued. "Nicky. Daughter of Neptune. I'm a loner and I used to live here, but it seems as if that's no longer an option." She glared at him.
"Well sorry!" Leo whined. Just as they came to the door, it collapsed in.
"Great." The girl stomped her foot.
"Hang on." Leo growled. He braced himself and charged into the pile of wood. Most of it busted out. "Come on!" Leo shouted. The girl leapt through just as a wall of fire exploded outward. "Just follow me! You can come to my ship! It's full of other demigods." Leo told her. She nodded and followed him.
Ten minutes later, they were on the Argo II. The others flocked around as soon as they noticed a new person. "Let's meet in the mess hall." Jason said.
When they were all gathered, Annabeth took charge. "Okay. Tell us what happened Leo." She said. "I was going for machine parts in that old factory, but there was a Cyclops, and I may have launched a few fireballs…" he shrugged.
"Then I saved his butt." The girl added.
"Nuh uh- wait, yes, she saved my butt." Leo admitted.
"Now, who are you?" Annabeth asked the girl.
"My name's Nicky. I'm a daughter of Neptune with a weird… gift. I'm a loner, I used to live in the warehouse Leo burnt down." She glared at him.
"Wait, Neptune?" Percy asked.
"And what do you mean, gift?" Annabeth added.
"Allow me to illustrate." Nicky grabbed Leo's glass of water and thrust it upward. She waved her other hand, and it froze solid. She caught it and set it on the table. "Viola. It was a side effect of being part of Khione's, er, collection." She shrugged.
"You were in her collection?" Piper gasped.
"For three years. So technically I'm seventeen, but I only look fourteen. I prefer being fourteen." Nicky explained. "So are you guys gonna, like judge if I can stay? Vote, maybe?"
"You would do that without knowing us?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes, well, if I needed to escape, humans have quite a lot of water in their blood…" she tapped her fingers against the table, and a thin layer of ice spread from where she touched. "Plus, I know who you are. Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, pursued the Mark of Athena, dating Percy. Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite, dating Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, former praetor of New Rome. Hazel Levesque, revived daughter of Pluto, with a gift for finding valuables, dating Frank Zhang, son of Mars, who either has a pet or has that awesome animal power thing. And of course, the famous Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, destroyer of the Saint Louis Arch, conqueror of Polyphemus, who held the sky and beat the Labyrinth, and best of all, destroyed the Titan Kronos with his bare hands." Nicky said.
"How did you know all that?" Annabeth tried not to gape.
I saw Leo shooting fire, the way you've been analyzing me, it's obvious, Piper used charmspeak, Jason flew down from the mast, Hazel has a diamond in her hand. Frank has animal hair all over him and the build of a son of Mars. And I've heard of Percy, and even if I hadn't, his reaction to my claiming to be a descendant of Neptune would've told me he was a Poseidon kid anyway." She explained.
"Wow. Well if she can notice all those things, I think we could use her." Piper spoke up. Nods of agreement went around.
"Well, you're in. Just so you know, we're sailing to our death in Athens." Annabeth said.
"Oh I know." Nicky said, then pointed to the map on the wall.
"Anyway, back to work people. Nicky, find something you can do and help." Annabeth ordered. They all dispersed.
"What are you doing, Leo?" Nicky asked.
"Repairing the engine. Can you help?" Leo asked. "Yeah, probably." She followed him to the engine room.
"You wouldn't by any chance be able to pull out a normal tool belt from your magic one?" she asked as they walked.
"I don't know, never tried." Leo shrugged, then reached into his tool belt. "I guess I can!" he passed the belt to Nicky along with a few basic tools. "Put these in, you'll need em." Leo told her. "Oh dang it! I forgot to tell Annabeth I need three hours before we can leave." Leo face palmed.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Nicky told him, turning around. She leapt at the chance to have friends, and was eager to please.
"Thanks! Should I wait, or…"Leo hesitated.
"What's the point of that? I can find the engine room." Nicky smiled. She found Annabeth's room by following her voice.
Piper, Hazel, and Annabeth were whispering excitedly. "Leo obviously likes her!" Piper said.
"Leo likes everyone." Annabeth retorted.
"Yeah but I bet once we get to know her, we'll see she's perfect for him!" Piper argued.
"I hope so, at least. Leo could really use a girl. I mean, all the rest of us are in some kind of relationship, but not him." Hazel added.
"We just need them to spend a lot of time together!" Piper exclaimed. Nicky covered a laugh and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Annabeth called. Nicky stuck her head in.
"Leo says we'll be ready to move in three hours." She told Annabeth. "Okay, thanks Nicky." Annabeth nodded.
"Oh, are you gonna help Leo in the engine room?" Piper asked.
"Yep!" Nicky said, secretly smiling. Nicky found Leo easily: by the following the banging sounds. "Reporting for duty!" she saluted when Leo looked up.
"Okay, can you connect all these blue wires to the red circuits?" Leo asked. "You got it." Nicky set to work connecting wire after wire.
"So where you from?" she asked.
"Woah, woah, I don't do back stories." Leo threw up his hands.
"What if I go first, then will you spill?" Nicky asked.
"Depends on how bad yours is." Leo smiled.
"Wow. Okay. My mom took care of me faithfully until I was eight. She knew my dad was Neptune, but she never told me. She just told me that he couldn't be with us. We were happy, even if we were poor. I adored my mother, and I was her pearl, she said. Then one day, on my eighth birthday, my mom took me out on the ocean. A storm came up, and our ship sunk. My mother got hit on the head real bad, but I somehow managed to get us both to shore. By the time anyone found us, I was just sitting there, watching the ocean. My mother was dead. Right before she died, she told me about my father. I've always blamed myself, and I hated the water for years. I was put in foster care, but after four families, I just ran off and lived alone on the streets. My dad visited me when I was twelve and told me about my power and that just made me feel worse. I tried going to Canada to get away from it all, but ran into Khione. I was frozen for three years. I busted out eventually, and managed to get back to New York, stowed away a few times, and ended up in Greece, where my roots are. The end." Nick shrugged.
"Yeah. I guess I'll tell. My mom burned in our workshop. I blame myself for starting the fire. Then foster, then the streets, same as you." Leo shrugged.
"It's a hard life. But as I must say, it's not your fault your mom is dead. She wouldn't blame you." Nicky looked right at him.
"Right back at ya." Leo punched her arm.
"Oh yeah! So Leo, I overheard the girls taking about setting us up. They say you need a girlfriend." Nicky laughed.
"It's that obvious?" Leo said sarcastically.
"Anyway I say we lead them on, make them think they're winning. And I bet you they'll try to set up a bunch of stuff. So we do it, follow their plans like they want, but obviously we'll just be friends. But it'll be hysterical to see what they try to set up!" Nicky grinned.
"I like the way you think." Leo gave her a fist bump.
A while later Leo and Nicky emerged from the engine room. Leo showed Nicky the intercom he'd put on the steering wheel. "Watch this." He pressed a button. "Please fasten your seat belts, we depart in thirty seconds."
"Lemme try!" Nicky said.
"The intercom's still on.." Leo told her.
"Heh heh. I knew that. Anyway. Blast off in T minus 24, 23, 22, 21, 20…" Leo joined in. "Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" they made exaggerated engine noises, and Leo launched. Somewhere down below, Hazel, Piper and Annabeth all grinned at each other.
At dinner, Leo and Nicky were the last ones to the mess hall. The last two chairs were right next to each other. Nicky flashed Leo a laughing smile.
Later that night, Piper got Leo and Nicky on watch together.
Next morning they were forced to sit right next to each other again.
"Leo, this is their twenty ninth try!" Nicky started laughing.
Leo grinned. "In nine days! They're getting so desperate. I mean, deck scrubbing? We don't even do that!"
"Lucky number thirty." Piper whispered, crossing her fingers. "Hey Nicky, can you tell Leo that Frank is going to take over guard in ten minutes?" Piper asked.
"Yeah, sure!" Nicky grinned as she walked away, having overheard Piper. "Hey Leo, Frank's taking over in ten. Piper insists this is lucky number thirty, by the way." Nicky said, joining Leo by the railing to watch the sunset.
"Well I gotta say, I agree with her." Leo turned.
"Wha-" Nicky was cut off by a hesitant kiss from Leo. He pulled back, looking embarrassed. Nicky grinned and kissed him back. Leo's hair caught on fire.
"YES YES YES YES!" Piper screamed, jumping up and down from her hiding spot. Hazel and Annabeth came running down the hall. "You missed it!" Piper exclaimed. Leo and Nicky started cracking up.
"Wait, are you guys really gonna get together?" Hazel asked.
Leo and Nicky pointed at each other. "Ask him!"
"Ask her!" they said at the same time.
"How about, yes!" Piper said. Leo shrugged, grinning. Nicky did the same. Piper clapped.
"HAPPILY EVERY AFTER!" Piper shouted.