AN: Thanks to anyone who read and reviewed last chapter! Here's some more...

Afterwards, as the haze of lust cross-faded to a leaden weight of guilt, Percy said; "This mustn't happen again."

Beside him, pale skin iridescent in the harsh glow that crept through the ugly, thin curtain, from the neon sign outside, Nico barely moved. His hand was cool against Percy's over-heated chest, where it had been resting for a few minutes. His thumb stroked gently across the light scattering of hair there. Percy wasn't sure he'd heard.

"We can't do this again," he repeated, pushing the words harshly, "it's not right."

Nico's thumb strayed further this time. It lightly grazed Percy's nipple, forcing a hiss to spring from the lips of the son of the Sea God.

"You know," Nico said gently, "the first five times you said that, I actually believed you."

Percy shut his eyes against the shame. He didn't dare address that statement, not the undermining of his own words nor the confirmation of the times they'd been together. It was much more than five, he realized. The sheer number of times he'd betrayed Annabeth laid bare before him. Gods! Annabeth! How long had he been away? How long would that book hold her attention? Would she question him when he got home? Would she suspect?

Aloud he said only "I mean it this time."

Nico's thumb and finger closed over Percy's nipple. It should have hurt, and maybe it did, but it sent a thrill through Percy's body too, a wave of pleasurable anxiety across the bottom of his belly and into his groin. Nico let go as quickly as he'd pinched, but he'd made his point. Percy's gasp could not have been mistaken for pain.

And they both knew it. Percy could not hide his attraction for this scrawny man. What had once been pity and protectiveness, was now obsession and possessiveness, and he just couldn't put his finger on when that had happened. Percy must have flushed red, because Nico smiled and said, with sad knowing "There's no point being embarrassed. It's just the way it is."

"I'm not embarrassed!" Percy protested, "I'm ashamed."

Nico sat up, angry again. "Oh, yeah, that's much better!" he grumbled, and began searching for his clothes.

Percy felt the new coldness beside him keenly, "What, have I offended you?" he snapped, "You arrange dirty motels so you can make a married man have sex with you, and you want me to be proud about it?!"

"No!" Nico snapped, "I want you to be honest about it!"

Percy hissed in an angry breath. "Are you threatening to tell Annabeth?"

"I want you to stop treating me like a whore!" Nico shouted.

Percy gaped. How could Nico say that? He was a hero of Olympus! He wasn't some villain! He saved people. He didn't treat them like whores.

It felt like the sound had been sucked from the room. Nico's outburst seemed to have stunned them both into silence, and all the other guests in the motel and the cars on the road as well. Percy stared at Nico, open-mouthed, as the son of Hades roughly pulled on some pants.

"It's never gonna change," Nico muttered after a few moments' pause. "Is it?" he demanded, but only managed to glare at Percy for a moment before he had to turn to disguise the way he wiped a tear from his eye. Percy saw the tears anyway. He hated that he'd created them. The hatred stuck in his voice.

"What did you expect?" He was shocked at his own voice, how full of malice it was, when truly he felt no malice for Nico.

"Expect?" Nico repeated, "Percy, I love you."

And the words hung in the air between them. Percy didn't need them, he already knew Nico loved him. He'd known for ages. He wanted to use that as an excuse for his inexcusable behavior, make himself believe he was doing this so Nico didn't have to be without the one he loved. But he couldn't even believe that in the privacy of his own head.

It only took a moment for Nico to take Percy's silence as answer enough. "Gods know why," he mumbled to himself, then grabbed the rest of his clothes, and held them to his chest. He turned to look at Percy one last time, with a thrill of relish, "By the way, Percy, we're in Nebraska. I mean, I know you don't want to risk someone we know walking in on us, so I took us somewhere far away. And I didn't book the room, it just felt empty when I travelled. So, good luck with that."

And he stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

Percy assumed he was coming back. He waited long minutes thinking he was coming back. He didn't.

"Morning!" Annabeth greeted as Percy came out of the shower.

"Morning!" Percy replied, trying to push his clothes behind the door so she doesn't notice they were the ones from the previous night.

"How was Grover?" Annabeth asked, "What time did you get in last night?"

"Oh, er… about three?" Percy gambled, knowing 'about half an hour ago' would take a lot of explaining he wasn't prepared for. "Maybe."

"Oh, a long one?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, a bit, you know," Percy said, vaguely, "how was your evening?"

"Oh, I got so much work done!" she gushed, as though that were the best thing anyone could do with an evening in. "I learnt so much!"

Percy smiled at the warmth in her voice and the adoration for Annabeth that bloomed inside him. Maybe he could just stop now, seeing her so happy to be with him, and truly feeling the same happiness back, and then Annabeth would never need to find out, because it was over.

She flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she said earnestly, giving him a beautiful chaste kiss on the lips.

"What for?" Percy asked.

"The book, of course!" she cried. "That must have cost a fortune!"

"Oh," said Percy, trying not to blush, hoping he wouldn't inadvertently reveal his guilt-fuelled motivation. "It was nothing."

Annabeth smiled her beautiful smile, "I have the best husband in the world."

Percy smiled and tried to hold down the wave of extreme guilt.

"So, what are your plans for today?" she asked, finally letting Percy out of the bathroom.

"Er, some training…"

"You're not going to work?"

"No," he replied, "why did you want to do something?" That would be nice. A day out with Annabeth, reminding Percy why he loved her, why he'd chosen to spend his life with her.

"Well, it's just, I got an Iris message from Juniper and…"

Percy only half heard the rest. Annabeth had agreed to something, some nature ceremony or something for Juniper and Grover. It wasn't a big deal, they just wanted Percy and Annabeth to be there, to help them get ready. It shouldn't be a problem. Except that Grover was Percy's alibi, and the second they arrived he would reveal the deception.

"Er…" Percy interrupted, but his brain wouldn't come up with an excuse. He could come up with ideas so he didn't have to go but he needed to stop Annabeth going, and no ideas surfaced for that. If Annabeth went without him, then Grover would definitely let slip. If they were both together, maybe Percy would get the chance to grab Grover before he could say something. "Sure," he said, weakly, "sounds good."

They travelled by Pegasus, Percy trying to pretend it wasn't his second ride that day by hiding his soreness. It had been a long ride from Nebraska, and he'd been very lucky to find one that would fly him as far as a river that he knew flowed to the Pacific. Water he could handle; he knew he could travel as fast as he wanted if there was water around, but it had still been a panic. If he ever saw Nico again, he was going to give him what for. Some great guy, announcing his love then abandoning Percy in a random unpaid-for motel room hundreds of miles from his home.

Grover ran about like a nutter in his pleasure at seeing them. Annabeth didn't seem to think it strange, as she let Juniper talk her ear off and pull her in the direction of some flowering plants. Grover grabbed Percy's arm with excitement.

"Percy!" he cried, "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Shhh!" Percy hissed, while returning the man-hug Grover was trying to give him, "keep it down."

"Why?" cried Grover, "you're my best friend I can shout if I want!"

Percy grabbed his arm and tugged him away from the girls, "Listen, man, if Annabeth asks, can you tell her I was at yours last night?" It was a bit too direct, but even an hour on horseback hadn't helped Percy come up with a decent way to start this conversation.

"But I wasn't," Grover said, "I was..."

"No, I know that!" Percy snapped, "but that's what I told Annabeth I was doing."

Grover frowned at him, like this lying thing was a strange new concept. Obviously it wasn't! Why was he being so dumb?

"Look," Percy said, deciding right that moment to try a new tack, "there was this present I really wanted to get Annabeth..."

"Ooh is it her birthday?"

Percy blinked, "No..."

"Your anniversary?" Grover tried, with a grin.

"Er..." Could he get away with that one? Grover had been there for most of his and Annabeth's major events, except the most private. "No..." He said.

"So what was the present for?" Grover asked, curiously.

Percy took a breath to push down his irritation, "Dude!" He said, "can't a guy just get his wife something nice? Just because?"

Grover blinked at him slowly, "Er," he said.

"Sorry," said Percy, "I've just been worried she'd find out, you know?"

"OK," said Grover, "I mean, of course, it is great you've got her a present…"

"Great!" said Percy, immensely relived. He'd gotten away with it. And this was the last time. Never again would he never risk his relationship with Annabeth. Never again. He slapped Grover on the back, cheerfully, "Thanks man; I owe you one!"

"Er, but, er…" Grover bleated, and a new twinge of worry hit Percy, "I mean, you know I've got your back, man, like, always but…" the satyr bleated nervously, "I mean, I'd tell anyone you asked anything you wanted…"

"So what's the problem?" Percy growled, the bleating get on his nerves more than it ever had before.

"It's just, the ritual of magnolia, it's a dryad thing, and well… we couldn't do it unless we spent, like, a week in the wild, just the two of you, you know?"

"Get to the point," Percy snapped.

"Well, I mean, that's where I've been for a week, you know. Got back this morning, just before Juniper started the Iris message."

Percy rolled his eyes. Just his luck to get that week. "So? Just don't tell Annabeth."

"Sure… sure, I mean, I'd never… it's just… it's all Juniper's been talking about all morning. And … and she's been talking to Annabeth. Like, right now."

The bottom fell from Percy's stomach.

Grover rushed out his next words, his own excuses for letting his friend down, not knowing it was Percy who needed to excuse his actions. "But, I mean, it's not like you're cheating on her or something, is it? I mean, I bet the second you tell her about the present she'll be like 'Oh, my Seaweed Brain's the best' and all that."

"Yeah," said Percy.

"Well, I'd better get on, you know?" said Grover, "we've got loads to do before everyone arrives."

Percy was sorely tempted to shout at him; of course Percy wouldn't help Grover if Grover wouldn't help Percy. But he couldn't hold it against Grover. It wasn't the satyr's fault, "Sure," said Percy, sadly. "What can I do?"

Grover chatted animatedly, as Percy looked around. This was going to be painful. His eyes caught Annabeth's. She was looking at him with a frown. She'd been talking to Juniper and understood the implications of the wood nymph's words. She'd realised that Percy had lied.

AN: I love to know what people think so please review. Thank you.