LEO'S POV

It's almost four in the morning, and I am still thinking about her.

A thick fog hangs over dark sea, and the waves rock the boat rhythmically, soothingly. Exhaustion crept into my bones like a virus I just couldn't shake. I seriously did not need to fall asleep at the ship's helm. The last time I got distracted at the wheel, we were attacked by a huge tentacle monster like something straight out of a hentai.

Bottom line, it wasn't pretty, and I don't want to repeat that.

But I'm sitting here in the ass-crack dead of night, and my thoughts are wandering. A quick swivel of my head confirms that Percy and Annabeth are still up, too, talking about who knows what. Their voices are swallowed in the heavy fog, but when I squint I can see their expressions are gravely serious. I'm not really in the mood to annoy anyone, so I let them be.

I guess that's how my thoughts fall to Peri.

I can't help but feel some fire burn inside me when thinking about her, when looking at her, when touching her. And I don't know it's not just like I wanna push her against a wall and see for myself what those pretty lips feel like pressed against mine-

Ugh there I go again.

I sighed wearily.

"Hey, big head."

My sweet daydreams were disturbed by a soft voice in the quiet early morning air. I turned around to see a pair of butterscotch orbs.

"Peri?"

She smiled that wonderful, infectious smile that only she could pull off. "The one and only."

"Uh, w-what are you doing up so early?" I asked, trying to pretend like I wasn't just thinking about the lips now speaking to me.

Peri shrugged and leaned against the side of the ship. "I've been sleeping since my whole... belly flop into the sea yesterday." My stomach turned at the memory of her almost drowning to death, but she quickly continued. "I'm okay, I've rested plenty- trust me. I just came to relieve you of your duty. I'm sure you're exhausted."

I shook me head sluggishly. "Me? Nah, chica, that's why they call me coffee." She shot me a quizzical look, and I grinned. "Cuz I stay up all night."

The blonde let out a hearty laugh at my corny joke, the sound slicing through the still morning silence. It set me at ease, but when she put her palm on my cheek I felt a whole new tenseness spreading through my body.

"You joke, but," her brown eyes scanned my face before looking into my own, "you look exhausted. At least take a power nap?"

I frowned and pulled away, my mind gears turning. "No, no I can't go to sleep now. The stabilizer is still busted and Shrimpzilla did major damage to the ship's hull and masts. Not to mention-"

"Oi! Leo, you look like a zombie! We can fix the ship, but it'll take time. For now, you need to rest." She looked in my eyes, deadly serious. "You've gotta be on your toes for what we're up against."

I gulped before nodding. She was right. I released the ship's wheel and gestured for her to take it. Instead, Peri outstretched her hands about 6 inches over the control console and closed her eyes. To my astonishment, a golden glow appeared around her palms before spreading to the control console.

"Whoa!" I said in amazement. "Learned some new tricks?"

She peeked an eye open to look at me. "Something like that." She dropped her hands and the glow faded. I noticed a bead of sweat had formed on her temple. "Okay, by tapping into the Argo II itself, I've gathered a pretty detailed assessment of the damage." She bit her lip (fuuuck she's cute when she does that). "You're right, it is pretty bad, but don't worry! I'll get to work on it right away."

I started, "I can't ask you to do that by yourself-"

"Oh hush!" Peri grabbed my hand quickly, steering me towards the stairs. "Let's get you into a nice warm bed, okay?"

Under a different circumstances I could've overpowered her, but I was completely exhausted and sleep sounded oh so good right now. And I didn't totally hate having her this close to me. She smelled sweet like strawberries.

We made it to my room too quickly. Peri opened the door, but stopped short at the entrance. Was she... blushing?

"Um.. you can take it from here, right?" She giggled nervously.

Being the quick thinker that I am, I slumped against her as if I couldn't bear to support my own weight, closing my already heavy eyelids. "So... tired... can't .. move."

"Oh! Leo!" Her body pressed up against mine for a sweet moment before she threw my arm over her shoulder and grabbed my waist to help me stand. "Geez, you must be wiped. Come on."

She half-carried me inside my room before setting me on my soft and cushy bed. I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Mmm, thanks, Peri. You're the best."

She tucked the blanket around my body, smiling. "Yeah, I kinda am."

Just like everything else I create, I made these beds too perfectly. I could already feel myself drifting off to sleep. The edges of my vision were turning black. I just wanted to look at her for a little longer. "Goodnight, Peri."

"Goodnight, Leo. Sweet dreams."