Author's Note: And once again it has been way too long since my last post for any of my stories. No excuses here just haven't been in the mood to write anything honestly. I've been caught up in planning out some potential fics but I haven't really been following through on those. Hopefully I'll have more time to write though and take advantage of that in the next few months. I do have more content for this story currently it just needs to be edited and a good deal of it needs to be rehauled because of some things I decided to rethink. This chapter isn't particularly hefty, sorry about that but I honestly wanted to get some good content out and wanted to leave more for next chapter. Not 100% sure on which story is getting an update next, honestly might be this one again or a new one, who knows? Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this next installment.

Love's Coming

She had looked for his coming as warriors come,

With the clash of arms and the bugle's call;

But he came instead with a stealthy tread,

Which she did not hear at all.

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Vanya found that Percy was a very interesting person. It turned out that Percy did indeed have ADHD and in addition to that he also had dyslexia. Despite that, he still showed to be an excellent student in his own way. While he appeared to not be paying attention in class-sometimes that actually was the case he confessed- Percy had amazing awareness and perception. He could be holding a conversation with a classmate about sports and if called upon by the teacher, still have the presence of mind to keep abreast of any questions hurled his way. Percy was unorthodoxly perceptive in that he always seemed to realize there was a different way to do a problem and seemed to do so almost purposefully as if to ignore the lesson's way of explaining things. Math was still certainly his worst subject however. All the awareness in the world wouldn't help him memorize formulas or put numbers together mentally. He had a literature class that he decided to take over English due to his dyslexia and he did surprisingly well in that class. Stories and plays seemed to be a favorite of his as he could easily think his way through plots and themes and could even quote some of his favorites. Most of them were Greek in origin but he explained that those had been familiar to him already because of previous lessons.

It also turned out that for Percy, fish really were friends. He was studying to get a degree in marine biology and it was those subjects where he thrived. He still wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do with the degree but he was very passionate about learning different species of sea flora and fauna and she could easily see him taking deep sea diving trips for fun.

When Percy asked about her she had shared that she was studying to be a musician. She had practiced with the violin since she was a little girl so she would say that she was good at it but it would help her immensely to have a degree in performance or art to earn a position in an orchestra.

After hearing that she was interested in music and that she played a few different instruments, Percy made her promise to play for him at some point. Despite her embarrassment she really couldn't say no to those baby seal eyes. He revealed that while he did enjoy music, he hadn't ever attempted to learn an instrument despite having a vague desire to try. She secretly thought that with his long slender fingers he had he would be perfect for the piano or guitar.

Vanya smiled to herself as she waited for Percy at one of their usual spots at a student cafe. At this point they had known each other for the better part of two weeks. It felt weird not being able to compare their friendship with any others-she was very withdrawn during her years in high school and it was only when she moved out that she had begun making more of an effort to make friends. But she had a feeling that even if she had made any other friends before Percy, none of them would be like him.

Percy was special like that.

"You're so beautiful, I just forgot my pick up line."

Vanya was jolted out of her thoughts by a shorter man with pale blond hair and scruffy facial hair leaning against her table as if he owned it. Vanya blinked. "Excuse me?" She asked in confusion. The man gave a smug smirk and she couldn't help but find it lacking when compared to Percy's.

"No really, I had this whole line picked out and it fell to pieces when I saw how beautiful you are." He commented and put a hand on the seat across from her. "Now, I gotta know, why is a woman that looks like you sitting all alone?"

Vanya couldn't help but feel a bit anxious and uncomfortable with his familiarity.

"Is there a guy I should be on the lookout for?" He sat in the chair without warning claiming it as his own.

"I'm not sure if you're aware or not but this is something of a couple's spot. And if you aren't with anyone, it's kind of like putting up a sign that you're looking for someone, get me?"

Unbeknownst to the man across from her, Vanya's mind blanked out everything after 'couple's spot' as her mind flew back to how Percy brought her here the first time.

No, there's no way he knew that. This place was probably just convenient. Y-Yeah, that was it!

"Awesome, I'm glad I lucked out, my name's Corey."

Too late, Vanya realized she had just nodded to something he said that she missed.

"Vanya?" She offered, feeling terribly off-balance.

"You know, I've got this really nice pad with a couple of my friends, usually I don't get the chance to show it off, but lucky for us they're going out tonight for a concert. What do you say?"

"Um, I was just waiting for my friend. He gets out of class soon." Vanya said still feeling confused and a tad uncomfortable. Corey smiled wide and she almost flinched at the way he ran his hands over the table possessively. "I can't imagine why a guy like that would let a girl like you out of their sight." He leered across the table as if he was trying to look through her shirt. "Fortunately," He walked his fingers across the table until they rested on her hand and caged her fingers almost painfully. "I'm a bit different." He boasted, his eyes glued to the minute show of skin her shirt allowed her.

"So how about it? We can just chill, maybe relax in the hot tub." He rasped lowly.

This time she did flinch.

"Dude!" Vanya sighed in relief as the man's hand was removed and she was able to take her own back. Percy had shown up and he was looking almost comically animated as he engaged the stranger. Percy's eyes were wide and he leaned over the table in between her and the other man providing a barrier. The blonde looked up at Percy with a befuddled expression. "Do I know-"

Percy frowned remorsefully. "I'm so sorry bro, I really feel for you."

Corey raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" Percy gaped for a second looking at him. "You don't know?! Dude, everybody's talking about it. Your girlfriend made out with Mr. Feranzo in an empty classroom and a bunch of people saw it when they walked by."

The man's face paled before it became a simmering crimson. "That bitch!" Percy held his hands up in peace as the man stood and balled his fists. "I'm so sorry bro, I thought you knew."

The raging blonde snarled and shouldered past Percy who barely moved. As soon as the man was out of sight, Percy sat across from her and gazed at her with concern in his eyes. "Are you okay? It seemed like he was making you uncomfortable."

"I-" Vanya wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, she was really grateful for Percy at the moment that man really was making her feel uncomfortable. On the other, what the heck was that? If Percy said at that moment that he was majoring in acting she wouldn't have given it a second thought. He was able to maneuver the man away from her and derail his attention completely before making him leave by himself without acting violent.

"Thank you." Percy smiled softly at her. "No problem. I wasn't just gonna let him sit here and harass you like that." Vanya grinned back. "I appreciate it. What was that by the way? How did you do that?"

Percy chuckled and smirked confidently in the way that only he could. "Well, everybody knows that Mr. Feranzo has a habit of helping out girls who participate in... extra credit. And the whole girlfriend thing was kind of a guess. I've seen him around before a couple times with another girl and just kind of went with it." He waved his hand. "It worked out though, so it's all good."

Vanya laughed. "That's amazing, I could never do something like that." Percy shrugged. "I just happen to be really good at improvising. Mostly because I'm terrible at planning. Unlike someone I know." He winked at her.

Vanya shook her head exasperatingly. "I planned out-"

"You planned out your entire semester down to each assignment on the syllabus and gave them time slots that fit in around your work schedule." Percy raised an eyebrow at her. Vanya blushed lightly. "I just like to be prepared okay?"

Percy laughed. "It's fine. It's a lot better than getting caught off guard by each homework like me." Percy stood to his feet smiling playfully at her. "C'mon, I promised to show you around the park nearby at some point. Why not now?"

Vanya got up brushing a hand through her hair. "Do I need to bring anything?" Percy shook his head. "Nah, just remember to stay away from the ducks."

"The ducks?"

Percy started walking, Vanya following closely behind. "Yeah, they're super testy. I saw them chase out this homeless guy once. Haven't seen him since." Vanya snorted and fell into step with her friend.

Vanya and Percy were making their way towards the park heading down a small vacant side street when they were stopped.

"Hey dickhead!" Vanya froze and Percy groaned under his breath before they both turned towards the voice. Corey was back. And he had brought friends.

Vanya expected Percy to try his 'college bro' persona once more and was surprised when he didn't. Percy's gaze shifted, the light glinting bright and dangerous as he stared down the man and his three friends.

"Are you talkin' to me?" Percy asked roughly his New York accent heavy. The man seemed taken aback for a second but continued striding towards them with his buddies in tow. "You-"

Percy lowered his voice even more sending shivers across Vanya's neck. "Are you," Percy pointed to the blonde. "Talkin' to me?" Percy pointed to himself. The blonde stepped closer but stopped suddenly as Percy stepped forward in proximity to him looming over the short stranger. "Cause I'm the only one here, You must," Percy got in his face pinning the stranger in place with his heated glare. "Be talkin' to me."

There was a high pitched murmur in the background- "Did he just quote Taxi Driver?"- and Corey's face scrunched up becoming ugly and crimson in indignation. "Yeah, I'm talking to you dickhead. You made me call my girlfriend and accuse her of cheating on me. She broke up with me."

Percy continued to glare at him. "Well ain't that a shame. I'm guessing you wanna take a shot at me now cause of it. So why don't we skip the rest of your first grade bullshit and get down to it." Percy turned his cheek. "Here, I'll even let you get your hit in."

Vanya breathed in surprise. What was Percy doing?

The blonde had no such reservations and swung a wild hook catching Percy across the face. Percy's head wobbled from the hit but other than that his stance didn't change. He then returned to piercing the man with his mocking sneer and wild eyes. "There, now why don't you take your little gang of high school drop outs and waltz out of here with your victory."

The blonde looked up at him and for a moment seemed to consider before he shook his head. "No," He licked his lips. "I think I'll-"

That was when Percy struck.

Before this, Vanya had known that Percy must have been good at brawling. He had been in several fights throughout his life when getting out of bad situations. She even knew about how he had come across a lot of criminals in the area seemingly by luck and still always seemed to come out on top.

But knowing something and seeing something are very different things. That was why Vanya was shocked when Percy responded to a threat so violently and swiftly.

Percy's eyes shone dangerously and his sneer turned into a predatory grin that made her take a step back as she observed him. His fist buried itself in blondie's gut and when the man wretched and bent over Percy's other hand clutched his mop of hair bringing his knee up in a single brutal action that broke his nose and knocked him out.

Percy turned to the other three and when they flinched and seemed to contemplate not fighting the guy who disemboweled their leader in two moves he didn't waste a moment.

Percy took two steps to the nearest guy who barely had time to put up a guard before Percy snatched one of his arms and stomped a foot down on his knee making him cry out in pain as he was sent to the ground. The second man chose fight instead of flee and advanced on Percy throwing a haphazard haymaker. Percy easily sidestepped and grabbed the man's arm turning and in one large exaggerated motion flipped him over laying him out on the concrete. As the man gasped in pain Percy snapped a punch out against the man's jaw making him slump in unconsciousness.

The third and final man had made the smartest choice and retreated as Percy wasted his friends. Percy spit out blood in the direction of the fleeing man. "Idiots." Percy's dangerous glare and sneer turned neutral before he swiveled to face Vanya. "Vanya," He grimaced looking at the bodies on the ground. "Sorry about all this, I tried-" Vanya's heart skipped a beat. This man. He had only wanted Corey to leave her alone and that spiraled into this mess. That guy had only wanted her as another notch on his bed post. Percy rescued her from that situation and then fought those guys off like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Something must have shown on her face because Percy stopped talking and looked at her intently. "Are you okay?"

Vanya made something between a laugh and a sob as she noticed that in her contemplation she had shed a few tears over Percy and his actions. "Am I okay?" She walked up to Percy, the friendly, funny, sweet, and dangerous friend that had accompanied her for some time now and examined him. "Percy, you're bleeding." Percy blinked. "Oh, yeah I did give him that freebie. I barely felt it to be honest. He must have been wearing a ring or something though." His tongue darted out against the cut on his lip.

Vanya wiped her tears and grabbed Percy's hand tugging him along. Percy was bewildered but walked along behind her. "Where are we going?" She laughed. "The park dummy. You've gotta show me those ducks."

Percy bobbed his head as if it was coming back to him. "Oh yeah, the ducks."

Funnily enough, the park was within sight, just at the other end of the street and Vanya was easily able to lead Percy over to a bench sitting him down. Percy seemed a bit thrown by her actions but she just giggled at his innocently confused expression. She dug through her purse coming up with sanitized wipes. "Percy, come here." Percy stopped staring distrustfully at the nearest duck and looked to her as she came close standing against the seat of the bench and looking up at him. "Here." She gently took his face in her hands. Percy's gaze was locked on her but it didn't make her feel nervous or scared. She wasn't sure what she felt besides the burgeoning tangle of unfamiliar emotion that seized her heart when she eyed the reddened skin on his cheek and the open wound on his lower lip. No, that wasn't quite true. She felt safe when Percy looked at her.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt safe. Safety was a relative term in the Umbrella Academy.

Percy caught her hand as she wiped down his cheek stilling her. "Hey."

She slowly met his gaze with a small shaky smile. "Hey." Percy's expression was filled with concern. "Are you okay? You were crying back there, I'm sorry that got so violent." Vanya sniffed. "It's fine. I just-" Percy's eyes searched hers imploringly. "I've never had anyone so willing to fight for me."

Percy softly cupped a hand over her cheek and caressed a thumb over her cheekbone sending tingles down her skin. "I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to keep you safe." He breathed so softly it made her heart race. Number Seven deep within her peeked her head out-That's because you don't know me-

He smiled so honestly bright and pure and Vanya was caught in his gaze

"But as long as I'm around, I'd never let anyone hurt you." Vanya bit her lip and softly cleaned his bleeding one. Her eyes were pointed down and away from his affectionate gaze.

"Thank you." She muttered.

Percy smoothed over her cheek again and she looked up hesitantly. His eyes were attracted to her lips as he leaned in distractedly muttering, "Anytime." Vanya found herself in a similar situation as she shifted her hand from his face to the nape of his neck curling her fingers around the hairs found there.

They both moved closer almost unaware of their actions as they leaned in to each other.

SQUAWK!

Vanya and Percy jolted back and swiveled their heads as one to the duck who had made its home on the bench beside Percy. She laughed as Percy seemed to growl and glare murderously at the duck who squawked fearfully and flapped away.

Percy sighed and ran a hand through his windswept hair. She looked on curiously as his phone buzzed in his pocket and he groaned. He offered her an apologetic smile as he answered. "Sorry."

"Hey, what's up?" He said talking to whoever called him. Percy paused for a moment thinking about something. His eyes darted down to hers.

"Give me one sec." Percy placed his other hand over the face of the phone.

"Hey, one of my work contacts down at the harbor needs help with today's job. I know we were gonna walk around the park and stuff but this guy's a good friend. Will you be okay if I go?"

Vanya nodded. "Yeah it's okay, I understand. If my manager called me I'd have to go in too." She understood. But she couldn't help but feel sad. Spending time with Percy was more fulfilling and precious than anything she could think of and she didn't want to miss a second of it.

Percy smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you- actually," He paused as he contemplated something. "Do you wanna come with?" He asked surprising her.

Number Seven raised her head in confusion. Vanya nervously played with her fingers as she fought not to say 'yes' immediately. He wasn't just asking her out of pity was he? She wanted someone to want her around because they actually enjoyed her company not because she seemed lonely or pitiful. "Do you want me to?"

Percy bobbed his head. "Of course, that's why I asked silly. Vanya met his gaze and smiled wryly. "You're not gonna get in trouble are you?" He grinned slyly back. "You don't like getting in trouble with me?"

Vanya frowned at him and crossed her arms. "Not when it gets you hurt." She pointedly stared at the cut on his lip. Vanya didn't like Percy getting hurt for her. Number Seven enjoyed the fact that he did solely because it was for her, that meant he cared for her.

Percy scowled. "I'm fine, I promise, this isn't the worst I've gotten hurt by a long shot." She sighed. "Percy, that's not a good thing." She shook her head worryingly for her friend's health.

He grimaced. "Yeah okay, I get it. But anyways, I promise it's fine the captain won't care who I bring as long as I'm there. Do you wanna go?" Vanya flipped her hair back and smiled. "Yeah, I wanna go. Just be more careful." Percy shook his head with mirth and stood close looking down at her. "I promise I'll be more careful. Besides, who would make sure you didn't get in any trouble if I was gone?"

Vanya smirked deviously back at him. "I hear Mr. Feranzo takes care of girls in return for... extra credit."

Percy paled and flapped his mouth looking like a fish. After Percy's mind rebooted he burst out with shock and mirth. "Vanya!"

She laughed and heaved at the look on his face. She had to keep him on his toes somehow.

Percy breathed in the briny, salty air of the harbor and smiled, feeling relaxed in the first time for a while. He turned to Vanya and winked at her. "C'mon, it's this way." He said motioning with his head.

She followed silently looking over the water and the seemingly innumerable amount of boats of all shapes and sizes docked in the water and along jetties. "Have you ever been boating before?" He asked genuinely curiously.

Vanya shook her head. "No, I haven't. I never had the opportunity."

"We'll have to do that sometime for fun. I actually have my own boat." Vanya looked up at him in surprise. "You do?"

Percy grinned out at the sea. "Yeah, it's an Outer Reef 620 Trident, I call it the Argo 3." Vanya frowned in confusion at him. "The Argo 3?" He smiled nostalgically. "Yeah, sorry, inside joke." Not much of a joke really, but what else was he supposed to say? That he named it in honor of the friends he lost on a quest of almost certain death to save the world?

She hummed and tapped a finger against her chin. "Hmm, now that I think of it, isn't that from a Greek story? The Argo?" Percy nodded. "Yeah actually, you could say I was raised on those stories, not all of them are great but some of them are pretty meaningful."

Vanya smiled at him. "That's nice, I don't remember a lot of them but I had some classes that touched on- wait." She paused in her step and Percy stopped as well looking at her curiously. "What?"

She looked up at him. "Percy." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah?" What's up with her all of a sudden? She grinned at him as if she won something. "Like Perseus from the same stories." Percy held back a grimace. "Yeah, uh kinda. To be honest my full name actually is Perseus."

"Really?"

He nodded and scratched at the back of his neck. "Yeah I just don't really like it when people say the full thing. It's kind of a pet peeve so I just introduce myself as Percy." Vanya nodded. "Yeah, I understand. Vanya's kind of odd too. It's generally a boy's name which is kind of disconcerting." She hadn't known that when she received her name at thirteen, she was just glad to be called something other than Seven.

Percy shrugged and grinned warmly at her. "I wouldn't have known if you didn't tell me. It's a very pretty name." Vanya looked away and muttered something under her breath. "What did you say?" Vanya blinked at him and then rolled her eyes. "Nothing interesting, now lead the way Perseus I'm sure you don't want to make more trouble and be late for your job."

Percy groaned. "Vaaanya." She grinned up at him cheerfully. "Yes?" He met her eyes for a second before giving up and walking the way to the boat. "Nevermind, come on, it's just over here."

Vanya stepped aboard the ship and awkwardly reached out to Percy to steady herself. She had to admit she wasn't sure what she was expecting when Percy said he worked with some of the fishing crews along the Long Island Sound. Her thoughts were more along the line of a schooner with sails and riggings. So she was slightly let down when she found the Byte Me, a fishing trawler at least a hundred feet long with a modest crew of 12 fishermen all separately focused on different tasks along the boat.

" 'ey bahy, glad you cooehld make it. Who do you 'ave dere?"

Vanya blinked at the thick Irish brogue.

Okay, now that was someone who matched Vanya's thoughts of a sailor. The man who approached them possessed a firey mane and rough, hard features with a permanent scowl. He wore unexpectedly heaver layers with a large heavy coat that came down below his waist and an oddly fitting black baseball cap that said 'Kiss my Bass'.

Percy placed a steadying hand on Vanya's back. "Hey there Banaghan, this is Vanya. She's a friend from college. We were together when you called so I decided to drag her along for the ride."

Banaghan scoffed at Percy and crossed his arms. "It's captain to you bahy. We're ahn me shep after all." He turned to her and narrowed his eyes scrutinizing her. "Joehst stay ooeht o' de way and be safe and we'll 'ave no prahblems lass. I dahn't need to be wahrryin' abooeht bumblin' schoolgirls when we're ooeht to get a catch."

Vanya managed to stammer a 'Yes sir' and the man abruptly left without any deliberation. Percy turned to her smiling. "Don't worry about Banaghan. He's a softy under all that layers. I can tell he likes you."

Vanya pursed her lips and eyed him in disbelief. "That was him liking me?" Percy shrugged unconvincingly. "He didn't throw you overboard."

"Percy!"

Percy winked. "You can find a nice spot near the prow, I'll try to come over when I get a break." He gave a cheeky smile and walked away. Vanya glared at him and huffed petulantly. That boy.

Which end was the prow?

Vanya shivered, huddled the wall of the cabin on the prow. It was a little past noon and they had been out on the water for close to an hour. Her first experience with sailing hadn't been the best on the deck by herself.

The permanent scent of fish was prominent everywhere on the ship as well which wasn't the most pleasant experience. She did have to say it was very novel being on a ship out on the water though. She hadn't been off balance nearly as much as she thought she was going to be but that was probably a product of their low speed. The ship had been on a charted course through the Long Island Sound picking up large traps before they would set their nets in the water.

Percy had been a bit of a ghost flitting between different parts of the deck, carrying traps, talking with different fisherman and shooting her gazes in between tasks. From the smile on his face though she would say he was certainly enjoying himself. It seemed like he belonged here in a sense. She even saw him somehow getting the captain to ease up at some point as they shared a laugh over some documents the Irishman was looking over.

"Hey there V, havin' fun?" A light weight was draped over her shoulders as Percy settled beside her. Vanya smiled at him gratefully as she tugged his jacket around her body. "V?"

Percy swept a hand through his sea sprayed hair. "Eh, not my best work. I'm sure I'll have something better whipped up soon." Vanya rolled her eyes. "And what should I call you?"

Percy shrugged as a light seemed to dim behind his eyes. "My most common is Seaweed Brain." Vanya stifled a giggle at his withdrawn countenance. She leaned into him catching his attention. "Well I'm not sure about that one. I'll give it a ten for creativity." She teased. "I'm pretty partial to 'Hero' myself." Percy seemed to stiffen as he looked at her in bewilderment. "Hero?"

Vanya fixed her eyes on him. "You don't like it?" Percy held her gaze. "I usually don't like that sort of thing. But coming from you it sounds.. right." He smiled at her and she grinned back, glad that she brought him out of whatever dark mood that was. "Good. Cause you were my hero today." Percy leaned back into her and she reveled in his warmth.

Percy grinned down at her. "And you were my Melody." Vanya laughed. "What?" Percy looked away almost sheepishly. "Alright that made a lot more sense in my head. I mean, you always seem to hum some song every other day and I thought it fit."

Vanya blushed lightly. "I like music." Percy smiled. "I know. That's why Melody fits perfectly." Vanya shivered. It wasn't from the cold this time. She might not have had the time of her life on this boat trip but she was very grateful that she had decided to come at that moment. Being with Percy was really nice. She knew that she liked him- a lot really- but wasn't really sure where their relationship stood. The past few days had been different between them. Not bad different they had just been closer than before and then there was that moment at the park. She didn't know where this was heading but she knew that she wanted whatever it would bring more than anything.

"Blackjack!"

"Hey boss, how's it hanging?" Percy laughed as a jet-black pegasus landed before him and neighed in greeting. It was a few days after Percy's day with Vanya on the boat and they had been a confusing and frustrating few days. He hadn't seen her since and that made him feel just a bit lonely so that brought his mood down a bit. He also was one-hundred percent sure that he wanted to be closer to her and for their relationship to grow. It felt weird doing things the 'normal' way comparing things to how they were with Annabeth but everything came so easy with Vanya. It seemed natural to do all he could for her and to be there for her because she brought the best out of him. Even the other day when he got himself into that funk she shook him out of it so effortlessly. Even he had to admit that she was already so important to him. He still loved and missed Annabeth but the pain was seemingly absent. That black hole of self-pity and loss that had been festering in him even after therapy was soothed over by her and he couldn't thank Vanya enough. He wasn't sure he could say he loved her but with the way things were going it seemed to him that things were heading there fast.

And he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"You're late." Percy vaulted on top of Blackjack. "Tyson's probably waiting for us and you know how he gets when he's hungry." Blackjack cantered nervously before taking off. "Oh man. Boss please don't let him eat me. I swear Pegasi don't taste good."

Percy snorted looking over New York City. "Tell him that. I'm not gonna be the one using your bones as a toothpick if I get hungry." The city was busy as always and looking at it from above always gave him a sense of disconnection and left him feeling introspective. All the tiny figures of people and cars all running around and living their separate lives but all connected by the loud backdrop of the city that they shared. There were other places he loved, sure, but the Big Apple would always be home. Percy's gaze was drawn to the university attended and he absently wondered if Vanya was in classes right now.

"Hey Blackjack."

"What's up Boss?" Percy sighed threading his fingers through his close friend's mane. "Do you think I deserve to be happy?"

"Asking philosophical questions from a Pegasus is a new low Boss." Percy cuffed Blackjack's head scoffing. "Blackjack."

The flying horse neighed in laughter. "Just saying Boss. I don't know, no one can tell you that you can't be happy. Like even that time you banned me from donuts I was still able to get sugar cubes from Hazel."

Percy shook his head in mirth. "That's not exactly what I meant."

"How should I know? Deep questions ain't the Blackjack's thing. I just take names and kick ass. And eat donuts. And get friendly with the local ladies."

Percy chuckled. "Should I be worried about any junior Blackjacks in the near future?"

"Nah Boss. No one can tie down this prime bachelor. As long as I'm safe I get to have my fun with none of the responsibility unlike those dweebs in the stables. Guido's already lost that battle." Blackjack neighed in laughter. "He settled down with a girl in Jersey. Jersey. I'm tellin' ya Boss that guy just doesn't know what's good for him."

He snorted. "Yeah, I know. Hey, I think that's Tyson down there."

Blackjack neighed in agreement and glided down smoothly. They came to a halt beside a picnic bench where Tyson sat impatiently tapping his foot while looking at a stack of donut boxes on the bench.

"Brother!" Tyson leapt to his feet with a goofy grin on his face. Percy dismounted Blackjack just in time to receive a crushing hug from his half-brother. "Hey buddy, ease up a bit."

Tyson stepped back grinning down at him with his one eye. "I missed you brother, I got donuts already!" Tyson stood at an intimidating seven feet tall in his 'small' form with a mess of brown hair and a single similarly colored eye that looked down at him kindly.

Percy chuckled. "I missed you too." He took a glance around them. They weren't a lot of people in the area but somebody would probably come by and wonder why there was a horse sitting there with them being fed donuts. "One sec." Percy turned to the picnic table and reached out to the Mist. He had gotten loads better at weaving the magical barrier between the supernatural and the ordinary thanks to Hazel. He couldn't do anything serious like bluff his way into the White House or anything but he could put up a small field of invisibility over the three of them. "There we go." Percy followed Tyson to the bench and sat across from him with Blackjack at the end of the table eagerly sniffing at the boxes.

Tyson opened up the first box and set it close to Blackjack who promptly stuffed his face into it snatching up the first powdered donut he saw. "How are you doing Tyson? It's been a while since we hung out." Tyson smiled widely around his donut. "I am good brother, Ella has been busy writing books. I have been helping her remember old stories and build her a new library."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's awesome bro. I'm happy for you two."

Blackjack neighed from the end of the table spraying the bench with powdered sugar. "Speaking of happy. Boss here doesn't think he deserves to be happy. He's got this new girl that he hangs with a lot and he really likes her. He's just not sure if he should make a move."

Percy gaped at Blackjack. "How did you know that? I haven't talked to you in weeks."

Blackjack gave a humph ruffling some of his feathers. "What do you think I do all day? Sure, I graze, eat donuts, hit up chicks, and kick monster ass. But besides that? I got bored one day and decided to hunt you down. Imagine my surprise when I saw you hanging out with a lady friend. I might not be able to talk philosophy but I can put two and two together."

Percy stared at Blackjack in astonishment. "Huh."

Slam!

Blackjack and Percy started and turned to Tyson who had slammed two meaty fists on the tabletop.

"Brother deserves to be happy more than anyone!" Tyson cried out, a look of heavy emotion over his face.

Percy put his hands up in a calming motion. "Woah big guy."

Tyson sniffed and wiped a hand across his eye. " 'm sorry. It's just, you deserve to be happy more than anyone else I know. You saved and helped so many people. You even helped monsters and spirits. Before Percy, I didn't think I deserved to be happy either."

Percy frowned. Before Tyson found them he was homeless, living in a box in the city. Even when Percy first met him, he wasn't the nicest to him.

"Percy helped me be happy. He called me brother and accepted me as family. If even a monster can be happy, then Percy should be happy too." Blackjack neighed in agreement. "The cyclopes is right. There's no point in trying to not be happy when you deserve it. It's hard to think of you as a kid because of all the shit we've gone through partner but truth is that that's what you are. You're young and you have an opportunity to be happy. Not many demigods get that."

Percy sighed exasperatingly at his friends. "Alright love doctor, I'll take that under advisement. And when did you get so smart Tyson?"

Tyson leaned over the table, his shirt sticking to the donuts. He held a hand up to his mouth. "Ella make me read lots of books."

Percy laughed and leaned back. Maybe he really could do this. So what if he's been through some shit? If he didn't live his life to the fullest he might as well be disrespecting the sacrifices his friends made for him. How hard could it be?

Author's Note: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed that. To be honest I felt like the bully section was too cliched? Or basic? I don't know, I kinda like it and I'm keeping it obviously but I feel like I could've introduced some action and built their relationship in another way but oh well. Oh yeah I hope you guys enjoyed that taxi driver bit, I love Robert De Niro and I thought well, Percy often injects humor of some sort when he taunts people and while he is older and more mature that side of him is more than likely to come out while fighting. I hope I didn't screw over the fishing scene either, I honestly just did a bunch of online searches for that stuff, I've no personal experience on how commercial fishing is done and didn't feel like watching one of those netflix docs on it lol. I enjoyed writing the byplay between Percy, Tyson and Blackjack a lot. I love Blackjack, his character is very fun to write. I'll be honest with you guys though, the budding romance at at the beginning here went fast for a couple reasons. One, I have a plot idea/device that inspired me to write this story in the first place that hasn't been revealed yet and two, I'm not writing every conversation they have together just to put meat on this story, I can only stretch my romance/college life muse for so much before I get bored out of mind or lose inspiration. So next chapter is likely going to be where the story really gets going, it is a pretty big hook and I hope the majority hang on for the ride cause I'm not stopping. As always though, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave reviews, let me know what you guys would like to see or what your thoughts are.

-Insaneauthor050701