And FINALLY the chapter you've been waiting for! Sorry for the long wait, and although it is a bit shorter than usual, I hope you readers like it!

Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Shadow's Enlightenment

Nico lay in his thin pajamas with his buttoned shirt open till below his sternum, the blanket up to his bare chest. He shifted uncomfortably and rolled over to his side, facing Reyna. Reyna was sound asleep, and he smiled as she made little purr-like breaths. She may seem tough on the outside, but aside from the public, she possessed various cute gestures and habits. What he loved about her most though was her calm and peaceful demeanor as she worked, ate or slept. He always felt more "at peace," so to say, when he was around her. Letting his eyes observe her features for a few more seconds, he then turned to the opposite direction and carefully removed himself from the bed.

CREAK.

"Aw shit." Nico swore quietly. He looked down and lifted his foot from the old wooden shield that had, a second ago found itself at his feet. How in Hades' name did that get here?

He grumbled inwardly, in annoyance and picked up the shield, throwing it like a Frisbee towards the sky. It sailed straight towards the river and as it landed, he heard a distant yelp. Pshh, sorry river nymph. Don't hurt me. He searched for his sword around the room and found it propped against the small fountain at the center of the "guest's quarters." You couldn't really call it "quarters" due to the walls having retracted into the ground. In their place stood equally distributed dark marble pillars and the ground was floored with a contrasting bright white marble. Furniture was spread throughout the "room" with a table tennis station at one corner and a "mytho-magic" game spread out on a table at the other corner. He hadn't touched the game for six or seven years but it brought back memories of his childhood. To be more specific, memories of his sister. His dead sister. Nico was long over mourning and when he found love in Reyna, and she accompanied him and healed him of his emotional wounds, but the feeling was still reminiscent. He sighed with nostalgia.

Nico glanced at his watch. 12:03 am. Enough time to take a short walk yet still wake up the next day without lacking sleep. He couldn't sleep right now, anyways. Walking into the shadows of one of the pillars, he closed his eyes and called upon the innate spirit. A flame kindled within his mind and became a dark, black flare. Nico concentrated on a familiar image that grew into the dining pavilion until it was detailed enough to fill his mind with a clear, black-white moving picture. Willing the flame to spread, he projected this part of his soul to the images and his mind faded to white.

. . .

Thalia was laughing to the point in which she felt exhausted, but still continued laughing. Percy was telling her about his time with Mrs. O'Leary the hellhound and so far, it was going pretty humorously. He made a throwing motion with his arm.

"And so when Clarisse decided to challenge Mrs. O'Leary's fetching skills, I agreed to show her how fast that hellhound could run and catch the Frisbee-shield. I threw the shield like this―" Percy picked up a wooden shield by the altar and threw it expertly into the distance. From his view, it seemed as if the shield had a nice, soft landing.

"―But at the last moment, my arm cramped up and I threw it awkwardly, with the shield hitting Clarisse instead," He finished. Thalia made a futile attempt to stifle her laughter, lest her abdomen muscles become sore, but to no avail. The initial sound came out as a quiet snort, then a few giggles, and it quickly ascended to a burst of powerful laughter. Unfortunately, it became contagious and soon, Percy was chuckling until his voice grew sore.

When the laughter began to die out and sound no longer announced itself at the end of their voices, Percy found his lips instinctively brushing upon Thalia's, and it lingered for a few special moments before they separated.

"Cheers." Percy took his glass of wine from atop the altar and raised it in formal greeting. Thalia too, raised her glass as well but as she reached around her ear to push her hair back, he could see her blushing.

"I―I didn't think―," she stuttered. Percy smiled, in a way, drunkenly but at the same time, alert and awake.

"Are you embarrassed?" he asked in a voice that was open to any answer.

"No I just―," and at this point, she looked away and averted her eyes from his intent gaze, "I just thought you always loved Annabeth."

Percy took a sip from his glass of wine and placed it atop the altar again. "I do―but I have always loved you too." And before she could answer, he leaned over and kissed her again, this time, more firm and certain, pressing against her. Thalia placed her hands onto the edge of the altar for balance, dropping the glass of wine. A loud clang was heard as the glass shattered against cold, hard stone, the liquid spilling over her bare feet. She didn't care though, the wine glass. Her mind was going berserk with a million different thoughts racing through her mind. One stuck to her: I'm not getting enough of this. She lifted herself onto the altar and shifted her hands to grab the front of his shirt, then moving it with only her finger tips grazing his skin in a fluid motion towards his ears. Pulling him onto her, she let her lips chase after him like a dragonfly courting its mate. Percy avoided her attempts, instead, ducking under and kissing the sides of her neck, her cheek, and her ears. His tongue flicks out momentarily and it skims her earlobe, which is succeeded by a nip on the ears. Thalia gives off what sounds like a quiet moan. The edges of his mouth curl up into a wicked smile.

Now pushing onto her, Percy's lips crashed upon her own, savouring every part of her. He could taste her, something that resembled a mixture of fresh orchids and . . . air. It was as if a refreshing, breath-taking yet comforting wind that guided him, and in this case, it gently compelled him to delve deeper into her. His tongue longed to search for a partner and it finally became entwined with Thalia's. Together, their mouths twisted and writhed like they were a single beast, struggling to achieve the zenith of its excitement. They could feel one another―both felt the urgent necessity for more. I need more. WE need more.

They broke apart momentarily to catch their breaths. Thalia exhaled serenely and stared into her lover's sea green eyes. It seemed forever until Percy spoke quietly, repeating her words.

"You ready?"

. . .

When the light faded, Nico was standing in the dining pavilion. No, not standing. Standing would be defined by maintaining an upright position, supported by one's feet. No, definitely not standing. Levitating would more accurately describe his current condition. He smiled, an accomplished, satisfactory expression on his face. Willing himself to drift up several meters, he observed the landscape around him. Peace and calm settled in his mind and he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and tasting the refreshing, clean air.

Nico was using shadow projection. He developed this ability during the war against Gaea and basically, it allowed him to send a piece of his soul, called the umbra, across the spirit-plane to a certain physically area, whether to scout or to spy or for simple leisure's exercise. He could access most of his senses as a soul-projection such as the smelling, hearing, seeing and feeling of the environment around him. It was useful, as nobody could see or sense his presence, unless they too could shadow-project.

He opened his eyes again, a dark blue against the black night. They glowed in a way, with fiery intensity, without the chaotic madness about them. The wind blew against his face and his black hair whipped back. It was good to feel the cold wind again. He floated down and planted his two ghostly feet firmly on the marble floor of the dining pavilion. Willing himself to tense up his figure glowed with a dark-navy aura until he could feel himself again. That was another advantage of shadow projection. Nico could tense up and concentrate once more and the rest of his slumbering soul from his original location would dissolve through space, re-assembling itself completely where the umbra was and successfully materializing. It was essentially shadow-travelling, though slower and requiring less energy. Safer too. That's right, it's―Safer. Nico felt as if it were a word to be cherished, after all the scarring experiences in the struggle against Gaea. Well, it was alright now, the camp was safe and by all means, he need not be so cautious.

But being cautious is an always will be a good thing. It keeps one alert. Relax, the war is over, and the camps are at peace. Nico glanced at his watch again. 12:30 am. Wow, time flies. He decided to walk back to the guest's quarters instead of shadow-projecting; sometimes, doing things like regular mortals would calms one down. The wind swirled up again, but instead of a graceful pleasant breeze, a chill beat at his back.

Ah, and that's another chapter! If you liked it, favorite, follow, and most importantly REVIEW. No seriously, your feedback is what keeps me going! If you readers have any suggestions or specifically long comments, feel free to PM me!

Peace.

~Nightrous