Summer of Love
Lily Evans and her best friend Athena Asimokopoulos head for a vacation in Athena's homeland—Greece. Lily expects a great summer, filled with lazy days on the beach, checking out hot Greek men and eating bizarre Greek food. However, the best part of the entire trip would be NO JAMES POTTER!
James Potter, however, is stunned when he is told he has to go to Greece for his cousins' engagement party. He doesn't want to go at all, but with some persuasion from his mother and Sirius Black, they're off.
Lily is outraged when she sees her worst enemy, James Potter in Greece! She thought she could get rid of him! James, meanwhile, is thanking himself repeatedly for deciding to come to Greece after all.
James is desperate to make Lily fall in love with him before the summer is over, but the question is—can he?
Chapter 13—James vs. Niko
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, do you think I'd be writing this? (Didn't think so). I only own Athena Asimokopoulos, her grandparents, Eileen, Stella and other characters you may not recognize.
No flaming please! I really do think that flaming just makes the author of the story feel miserable and that they stink at writing—so no flaming please!
This story is dedicated to THE BIG DANCE, for being my first reviewer. Thanks so much TBD!
Previously on summer of Love
Lily turned red but to James' delight didn't let go.
They walked hand in hand down the beach, talking about nothing when a deep male voice said, "Release Lily's hand! NOW!"
James, expecting it to be Sirius teasing him, turned around (still holding Lily's hand, mind you) to tell Sirius to go back to the table but he got the shock of his life.
It wasn't Sirius.
Lily's eyes went wide. "Niko!" She gasped. "W-what are you doing here?"
Niko's eyes narrowed as he eyed Lily and James' clasped hands. "Release Lily's hand," he said in a deadly voice, "and I won't be forced to hurt you."
James' scowled but didn't release Lily's hands. "No. I'm not."
"Me vlepees kala?" Niko asked angrily. (Do you see well?)
James didn't understand a work Niko just said but said, "I'm not letting go of Lily's hand."
Niko turned towards Lily. "Release his hand, Lily." He commanded.
Lily turned red and bowed her head, but didn't let go of James' hand.
Delighted with the fact that Lily wouldn't let go of his hand, James turned towards Niko. "And what gives you the right to tell me if I can hold Lily's hand?"
Niko's sharp brown eyes turned to James. "Because, my heart belongs to Lily," he said, "I loved her the moment I saw her at the welcome to Greece party. She looked radiant. Again, I saw her at the engagement party for George Grias and when I danced with her, I knew she was the girl. Then, she disappeared from me!" Niko's eyes darkened before continuing, "Then, I come to this restaurant and see my darling Lily at the same restaurant! Just as I'm about to ask her to sit with me, she stands up with this marohovlee(lazy bum) and leaves! As I follow them, I notice this boy put his hand in Lily's! Now, when I like a girl I make sure no other boy is in my way, and right now, you are in my way." He glared at James.
A ripple of hate issued through James' body. Right now, he was hating this Niko boy. He hated him even more than Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape (which was saying something).
In addition, what was this boy doing ordering James around? Nobody ordered James Potter around (except his mother and father) and got away with it.
James raised his arm and showed Niko how his and Lily's fingers were entwined together.
"I'm not letting go of Lily's voice," James said in such a low, deadly voice that it frightened Lily. "And I'm not letting you get through to Lily. I love Lily too and I've known her damn longer than you have! If you want Lily, you've got to get through me!"
Niko edged closer to James. "That can be arranged."
Suddenly a fist came flying in the air towards James' face!
--
Athena drummed her fingers on the table and tried her hardest not to stare at Sirius—but it was so hard not too! His sexy black hair that fell into his face in the perfect way, the piercing midnight blue eyes that twinkled when he was amused, and the face that looked like it was cut from stone—Athena could go on and on about Sirius.
She didn't even know how she could like Sirius—he was an annoying prat and—ahh—it didn't matter.
Sirius sighed loudly and dropped his head onto the table. "I'm so bored!"
Athena frowned slightly—she didn't want to tell Sirius her true feelings until he showed them to her—she didn't want Sirius to think she was a fool and Athena Asimokopoulos was not a fool.
"Where's Lily and James?" Athena asked, trying to light the mood up.
Sirius shot up so fast that Athena was shocked that someone could sit up that fast.
"HA! I win the bet!"
Athena narrowed her eyes hoping she looked cute and seductive. "What makes you so sure?"
"They disappeared off together to go for a 'walk'," Sirius put a lot of emphasis on the word walk, "on the beach and they haven't been back for about ten minutes." Sirius laced his fingers behind his head, tipped back in his chair and grinned. "That's code name for, 'I'm snogging madly on the beach as we proclaimed our love to each other.' The evidence is all here."
Athena rolled her eyes. "Black, if she had liked James she would have told me."
Sirius shook his head. "No, not really. She could have thought that you would laugh at her."
"Uh—number one, Sirius, she's my best friend—we've told each other everything and two, I'm the one that set her up with James."
"No, not really I'm the one—wait—did you just call me Sirius?"
Damn it. Athena cursed herself.
"Seriously, did you just call me Sirius?" He asked.
Athena grinned. "That pun's old Black."
Sirius dismissed that, leaned forward eagerly (Athena was sure he wanted to kiss her) and said, "Did you just call me by my first name?"
Athena had to think of an excuse fast or else Sirius would know.
"Umm—well—since Lily and James are on first name basis, I thought well—you know it was getting quite old for the last name thing."
"I never called you by your last name," Sirius pointed out. "Too hard to pronounce."
"As many Greek last names are." Athena muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing—nothing."
--
Luckily, James' Quidditch reflexes came in handy as he ducked just as the fist collided where James' face had once been.
Lily gasped. "Niko!"
"Lily," Niko said, moving towards James, "stay out of this—I'll buy you something after I beat up this boy."
James stood up, brushed the sand off his shirt and looked into Niko's eyes. "Since when are you so arrogant? I don't think you will be beating me up—no, I think it's the other way around."
"We'll see," Niko said, his eyes never leaving James' face as he positioned his fists. "We'll see."
James moved fast as he shot out his fist and to his delight, it hit its target.
Niko's head shot back as the blow threw him backwards.
Lily shrieked and covered her mouth. "Oh! James! Niko! STOP!"
Both boys paid no attention to each other, as they got ready for the next round. They wanted to kill the other person to get the prize.
That prize was Lily Evans.
Niko shot out his fist this time and again James ducked, but not without punching Niko straight in the face.
Niko fell backwards onto the sand, but quickly stood up, his face sweaty and bruises from where James hit him on his face. His eyes had a malicious look to them as he advanced on James, bringing out his fist. This time, he successfully hit James straight in the nose.
Blood spurted from James' nose as she stumbled backwards.
Lily screamed in shock, ran in the middle of the two boys, and tried to play peacemaker. "Stop it!" She commanded, tears leaking down her face, messing up her eye makeup, "Stop this at once!"
Yet, her tiny frame was no match for the six foot three James Potter and the six foot one Niko Asimokopoulos.
James and Niko ran towards each other and started attacking them in every way they could.
Lily stared in horror at the sight she was seeing. A bruised looking Niko and a bloody James. They were fighting over her and it made Lily sick!
"Stop!" She sobbed. "Stop this!"
The boys didn't pay any attention to Lily, they only tried to make each other in pain to get Lily.
Lily knew she couldn't do anything so she did the first thing that came to mind. (And that wasn't just standing there, staring helplessly as two boys tried to kill each other)
She ran to find help.
--
"Royal Flush, Black." Athena grinned as she collected the Galleons from the middle of the table.
They had acquired a set of cards from the host section when Athena went to go to the bathroom and were using the cards to pass the time away as the server brought their food.
Sirius pounded his fist against the table in frustration. "Damn it, Athena! That's the fifth time you beat me at poker!"
Athena grinned as she reached for the cards and began to shuffle them. "Luck, Black, luck. Now, you ready for the next round?"
"I guess so—I mean I have nothing to do until the food—bloody hell! Lily what happened to you?"
Lily came running in from outside and she looked a mess. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes red and puffy and her makeup was running.
Athena stood up quickly and went to Lily. "Lils! What happened?"
"Don't tell me," Sirius grinned, "You snogged James!"
Athena rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe she could like an idiot like Sirius.
"If she snogged James would her makeup be smudged and her eyes puffy?"
"I guess not."
Athena turned her back to Sirius and turned to her best friend. "What's going on, Lils?"
"It's James!" Lily cried.
"What about James?" Sirius stood up and went towards Lily in concern. "What's wrong with James?"
"He's in a fight!"
"With who?"
"Niko!" Lily cried.
"What are they fighting over?" Sirius asked.
"Me! They want me."
Sirius' face turned white. "Oh god," he groaned. "We better hurry over there. I know how deadly James can become if somebody gets in his way for Lily."
"My—my cousin?" Athena stammered as she followed Lily and Sirius out to the beach. "What the hell is my cousin doing?"
"You'll see!" Lily gasped, running towards the two boys.
It was hard running to James and Niko because one, Lily was hearing high heels and two, the heels stuck in the sand.
However, they finally made it over to the two boys who were still fighting—this time, it looked more bloody and gory.
"Niko Asimokopoulos!" Athena screeched, striding over to her cousin. "How dare you hit—OUCH!"
Niko had hit Athena right in the jaw.
Sirius' eyes narrowed as he stepped in the middle of the two boys, trying to play peacemaker as Lily had tried to earlier, but this time, he was successful—being the same height as James.
Holding out his arms, his palms were pressed into James and Niko's foreheads. The boys didn't do well to this and started struggling against Sirius.
"That's enough!" Sirius bellowed, giving stony looks to the two bleeding boys. "If you guys continue to fight this way, I'm going to use magic and I know some pretty good hexes!"
James and Niko stopped struggling and stayed still.
"Good." He released his hands from the two boys' foreheads and noticed that his left hand (which covered James' forehead) was covered in blood.
"Yech—blood." Sirius shook his hand and Athena took over—her eyes blazing in such a fury that Lily was suddenly afraid of her best friend.
Striding over to Niko again, she raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could.
SLAP!
The noise echoed throughout the beach and Sirius winced. Ouch, that had to hurt.
A red mark was on Niko's cheek as she turned to his cousin.
"Panayea mou, Athena!" He shouted, clutching his cheek, "What was that for?" (A/N: the first sentence, in English says, 'My god, Athena!)
"That's for being such an idiot!" Athena screeched her face turning brick red. "How could you act so idiotic? You—you vlaka!" (Idiot)
Niko, rubbing his cheek turned to the heavily panting James and said, "He started it."
"Like hell I did!" James snapped. "I was walking with Lily when he came up and started ordering me around that I should let go of Lily's hand—I was holding it, mind you—and when I refused, he threw a punch."
Athena turned back towards Niko and slapped him again, but this time it wasn't as hard.
"You poushte! You hit a visitor?" (A/N: Do you SERIOUSLY want to know what 'poushte' means? It's not a good word. If you want to know, it rhymes with 'duck.')
"He deserved it," Niko said grimly, rubbing his cheek again. "He was holding Lily's hand and she's mine."
"Lily's NOT an object." James snapped, using his sleeve to mop up the gashes on his face. "She's a human and the love of my life."
Niko glared at James. "Since when do you think that Lily will return the feelings?"
"And why are you so confident?"
Athena grabbed a hold of Niko's shirt to keep him from leaping on James while Sirius did the same to his best friend.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Lily screamed, raising her voice for the first time that night.
The squabble stopped and everybody turned his or her heads to the furious red head.
"I can't believe what just happened here," Lily said in a deadly voice, her piercing green eyes staring at James and Niko.
"Lily—I can explain—"
"Save it Niko," Lily snapped. "You're not worth my time."
"She hates you Niko! Ha!"
Lily turned her head towards James. "Don't be saying anything, Potter!"
James gaped. Did she just call him Potter?
"You two make me sick!" Lily spat in anger. "Hitting—punching each other—for me! I'm not a prize you know! I'm not some award winning medal that you can wear around your neck! I'm Lily Marie Evans, god damnit!"
James looked shocked. Did Lily Evans actually swear?
She looked at the two boys with loathing in her eyes. "I NEVER want to see your faces again! I hate you two both!"
She turned to James and said, "I thought you had changed Potter—I really did, but I guess once a Potter, always a Potter."
James' heart sank. "Lily, I—"
Lily pursed her lips and walked towards James, her normally warm deep green eyes, icy with rage.
SLAP.
She smacked James right across the face.
"That's from me," Lily said coldly, "I never want to talk to you again. I hate you more than I did in sixth year—and I promise you that I will NEVER like you. EVER!"
Whirling around, Lily made her way back towards the restaurant, leaving back a shocked Sirius, Athena, Niko and James.
Dun dun dun! James is back at square one again with Lily and summer is halfway over! audience gasps.
What did you think of the Sirius/Athena action? I knew that this chapter was called, 'James vs. Niko' but I couldn't have the entire chapter with the two fighting! I needed some S/A action. grins.
In addition, I can't BELIEVE all the reviews I'm getting from you guys! That makes me feel all special inside! The best part is I'VE GOTTEN NO FLAMES! (Let's keep it this way).
Oh yeah, before I leave you guys, I'm going to say one more thing. This is to my 'DATING THE ENEMY' reviewers! I'll post the next chapter AS SOON AS I FINISH THIS STORY. I can't keep going back and forth. When I started Chapter 4 for DtE, I started Chapter 13 for Summer of Love!
I probably will post Chapter 4 late this week or early next week that will be it until I get this story done!
--Greekchic.
P.S. My report card came in! WOOT, I don't have to worry anymore! (All A's except for two B+'s in Science and English and an A- in Gym. I hate my gym teacher).
Greekchic.