IV

Three weeks later was the scheduled day for capture the flag as the whole camp was divided up into two teams; Red Team and Blue Team. In that time Percy hadn't seen much of Arina or her nefarious cousins that did not share the same grace as she did. He saw her from afar however, when she would walk out of the mess hall or when she was training on the far side of camp. However, today he would get to see her face to face once more. This all but filled him with a bubbling excitement.

As the whole camp gathered he looked through the sea of red clad warriors as he tucked his blue helmet underneath his arm. He spotted Arina, clad in red and she spotted him as if sensing his stare. She smiled though and walked towards him, a little saunter to her step and stopped right before him.

"Hmm, that's not good." she said eyeing his blue helmet and he gave her a questioning looks. "You're not on my team."

"Guess you and I are against each other."

"Two water kinetics going against one another...this should be very interesting. But just because I like you Percy doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you." she said and then backed up a few paces putting her helmet on. He watched her then turn and jog to the other side of the stream and join the line of red clad warriors ready to take on the blue team.

He grinned as he put on his helmet and then went and joined his team mates.

It didn't take long for the races to begin as a horn was sound and the two teams started racing at one another from opposite ends of the stream and through the trees finally meeting somewhere in between.

Percy dodged every person that tried to knock him down as he kept on running, hopping over logs, and diving under blades. He finally made it to the body of water and saw his one foe in this game waiting patiently.

Arina smirked as she looked at him and then spun her sword skillfully in her hand as she started to pace back and forth in a very predatory and taunting way.

"Come on Percy...come and play with me." Arina said in a small sing-song voice and Percy held his own sword out and held his ground opposite the small little stream that ran through in between them. It was the very stream and the very place that Dea and Annabeth had fought. He was brought back to the image of a bronze sword breaking clean over Arina and not leaving any sort of mark or imprint, not even on her armor.

His team mates came up behind him all of them stopping at the streams edge.

"Go on Percy. You can take her." he heard someone egg on behind him and it seemed as Arina paced back and forth it was apparent that she was not gonna be the one to cross the line first. So, he braved it and took a chance.

With one leap he hopped over the stream only to match blades with Arina as the two started hacking away at the other with demi-god on demi-titan force. But Percy felt the weight behind each strike, and it was apparent as he was now backing up towards the stream that she was much stronger physically than he was. Which was saying something, but then again she was half Titan.

"Come on Percy," she said making a swipe at him that barely missed his neck. "Don't hold back. I wont."

As his foot splashed into the water he felt it curl around his ankle and suddenly he was several feet in the air trapped in a spiral of water that was moving so fast and had so much pressure he himself could not call upon himself to control it.

At least he could breath in this water somewhat, but the current was fast and it wasn't letting up at all. But if only he could get his hand out of the current he could summon water to him as well.

He fought against the pressure as Arina stared up at him with a smirk on her face. Sure he liked her but that smirk really brought out the competitive nature in him. He finally, with enough struggle, managed to get his hand out of the current and the next moment whilst he was up the air a jet of water came pelting at Arina and sent her flying up against trees.

He landed in the stream on his feet and looked to brace himself from an attack from Arina but his eyes widened as he saw she had flown through three trunks of a tree and was on the ground face down her helmet falling off.

She groaned as she pulled it off, her long hair cascaded out like liquid ebony as she flipped it back her eyes glaring at Percy. She growled throwing her helmet down as she got to her feet and summoned water to her forming it into a trident.

He didn't realize he hit her with that much force, he was so sure he didn't. Or was that her? If a broad sword can break over her with ease then perhaps being thrown into a tree is of the same effect. It wasn't like Arina was light by any means. Sure she looked thin but, her body was nothing but sinewy muscle and determination behind it.

Percy summoned his own trident of water and she kicked away a trunk of a tree with ease and he backed up a few paces as she rose the trident and swung at him and he blocked with his as the two water-made weapons locked together spraying them both.

She then clenched her hand towards the stream and a roar was heard up the mountain and moments later many of Percy's team mates started retreating as a large gulf of water started to descend upon them. Percy's eyes widened as the water hit him completely submerging him for a moment as he looked into the water to see Arina still holding him off with her watery trident, as the water faded around them pooling at their ankles. Arina lunged forward making the water trident disappear, which for Percy was a great difference in weight, as he fell forward and she caught him by the throat and for the first time he felt the sharpness of her bronze nails against his skin. The sharpness bit into his flesh as he felt the itch of skin slightly breaking. He swallowed hard not daring to look down in fear however of potentially hurting himself.

The both of them were panting and so close as her eyes bore into his and she smiled at him apologetically as she tilted her head to the side.

"Don't make me hurt you even more." she said softly. So she didn't want to hurt him? That could potentially be used to his advantage. Of course that's exactly what he did as he came closer trying not to be bothered by her nails. The closer he tried to get to her it seemed the more she let up on his throat, perhaps in real fear of actually fatally hurting him.

Inch by inch the space was filling up and he looked down at her lips a little smile apparent on his own face and a small redness to her cheeks. She knew what he was doing, he was trying to distract her, trying to get her thoughts off of the battle. To some extent it was working. She was pulling back however when she felt skin break more under her nails.

"What are you doing Percy?" she asked him seriously and he smirked.

"Gotcha." he said and her legs were ripped out from underneath her as she had fallen from the water he had been wrapping around her legs, unnoticed to her, since she was already wet from the torrent of water that had previously submerged them both. She lay on the ground and glared up at him for a moment before letting her head fall back her eyes closed with a grin on her face.

"You win, go." she said.

Percy stepped over her and bent down looking at her with a little sarcastic smile.

"If you say so." he chuckled. "My place, after dinner. If you're not there I'll hunt you down and you'll have no choice to but hang out with me."

"Aye aye captain." she saluted with the wrong hand, her voice dripping with amusement. Percy stepped over her the rest of the way and jogged up the hill to go capture the red teams flag.

Long story short the blue team won and it was decided that a feast was in order and to be set up on the wide open space near the lake and the forest that was used for parties and things of a celebratory nature.

Everyone crowded around each other congratulating one another on a win or a game well played as they ate and mingled and enjoyed music being played. Percy in particular was looking for someone as he stood by the fire with Annabeth, Grover and a few other friends. His eyes roamed trying to pick out faces in the crowd, but all he got was a few of the kids from the Ares cabin and the Apollo cabin huddled in a circle and Arina was not anywhere among them.

"You lookin' for someone, man?" Grover asked him and he snapped his head to his satyr friend and shook his head as he took a sip of his water.

"No."

"Percy!" someone said through the crowd and walking towards him still clad in her armor. Her hair had been thrown up into a messy ponytail as the waves framed her face nicely. She had no cousins with her as she strode through, people parting to make way for her.

Percy grinned as he opened his arms to receive her and she awkwardly gave him a hug. The hug however ended not soon after it started as she pulled from him and grinned at him.

"A well played game I must say Jackson." she praised. "Took me on like a real god."

"Well you know," Percy said playing it off like it was nothing but in reality his win was huge or at least, to the other campers. "You mini Titans aren't as tough as you think you are."

"Oh really, sounds like another challenge." she narrowed her eyes playfully at him and he chuckled looking down at the ground for a moment before looking into those eyes he liked so much getting lost in them as the firelight danced in her sea colored orbs making the little flecks of gold sparkle.

Meanwhile Annabeth and Grover looked on in confusion as they looked at each other and then looked at the obvious flirting. It hurt Annabeth more to watch than Grover, as she had always carried a special torch for Percy. Yet here he was interested in this beautiful, amazing, talented and strong...well woman. In comparison Arina was a woman and she was very much still a girl despite her wisdom and superior battle strategy. In Percy's eyes she was his friend, and logically she should be friends with her too.

"Well you and I just aren't meant to fight each other." Percy said taking long sip of his water feeling that parched feeling in his throat again. "Next time you should come over to the blue side were you belong."

"I'll take it into consideration." she said.

"There you are." Alcander came around the fire as he came next to his cousin and Arina's smile immediately fell and her body became ridged. "They bothering you?"

Alcander eyed Percy and his friends with a very threatening look and Arina placed her hand on her cousin's arm and shook her head.

"No Al, I'm fine." she said pointedly. He looked at her and stared at her waiting for it to be explained to him. "Percy and I are on good terms. That goes for the rest of his friends too."

"Friends? You're kidding me right?" Alcander laughed a bit and when Arina didn't make any notion to agree with him, his laugh fell short and he looked at her shocked. "You're serious?"

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?" her brow raised at him.

"He's the reason your dad, and the rest of ours are locked away, forever. You hearing me Ari, forever! And here you are, making friends." Alcander said disgusted as he put his hands up and turned to walk away.

"Ugh Al wait!" Arina made to go after her cousin who was rapidly walking away. She stopped then and looked back at Percy her eyes emoting her apology. "Sorry, I'll explain it to him and maybe he'll feel differently or something."

As Arina left he was suddenly bombarded with questions he had no desire to answer and setting his cup down on a table he left without saying a word and headed back to his cabin. He felt guilty because he kept on being the reason Arina and her family were drifting so far apart. He just wanted to be her friend and a good friend at that. He desperately just wanted to be there for her and surrounded by her.

He lay on his bed in his cabin staring up at the wooden ceiling for what seemed like hours. Percy had attempted to try and read his book but kept on reading the same line over and over again unable to concentrate and was just soon staring off into space the book laying open on his chest. Soon the sun faded and it was dark and so was his cabin. He lay there just staring and in some aspects he was waiting. He was hoping she would spring out of his thoughts and become a reality to him, that she would just physically appear.

As if on cue he heard footsteps approach and then stop.

"Percy?" someone whispered in the darkness and he shot bolt upright staring towards the entrance to the area that was his room to see silhouetted in the darkness a female outline. He knew it was Arina, the voice said it all.

"Hey." he said and he took his book and closed it settling it on his night stand. He looked at her as she made no attempt to move closer. He stood up and walked closer and noticed then her shoulders were shaking and her head was hung low.

"Arina?" he asked and in the semi-darkness her head lifted up to see pools of sea, glossy and hurt, and he reached out placing a hand on her face and she rest into his open arms coming up and leaning on his chest.

It felt so right to be close, at least for the both of them. He felt his arms tighten around her and her own curve around his back her hands gripping onto his blue sweatshirt. He noticed her shoulders were bare and her legs against his were as well. She was in another tunic and she smelled of vanilla and water.

"What happened?" he said pulling back a bit as he rest his cheek against her and she lent into him feeling a sense of comfort and also a sense of foreboding. She knew by the way he held her that he felt for her like she felt for him. Though it may seem right it was indeed very much wrong. They weren't supposed to like each other. They were supposed to loath each other and crave to fight one another. However, it was like a string had formed between them, connecting them right at the chest and heart. It was almost as if no words needed to be spoken and all thoughts between them were no longer a secret. Simple, easy, feelings that where simply just there.

The only thing she craved from Percy was to be near him. He filled something missing in her she didn't realize that had been missing. A sort of connection with someone that understood you because you simply existed. This cosmic understanding of the being that you are with no desire to change you in any fashion.

"Alcander and I had it out." she said carefully. "We usually never fight, and it breaks my heart every time we do." she pulled back as she looked at him and reached up placing his smooth beautiful face in her hands. "He just doesn't understand what kind of connection we have, the kind of freedom I feel when I'm around you. I know our fathers aren't exactly on good terms, but it doesn't mean I have to hate you."

"I know what you mean." Percy agreed. "So, how bad was the fight?"

"Ugh, it wasn't too bad. I got so angry though." she let his face go and then turned as she sat down on the end of his bed and he sat down too. He reached up running his fingers through the ends of her hair and she lent on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "He understood though in the end. The twins though and Dea, They don't understand they..."

"It's okay...go on." Percy urged and she sighed.

"Dea and the twins are leaving the camp, and I don't know what to do."

"Let them go."

"You don't understand. I can't." she looked up at him and he at her.

"Well you can't go with them." there was a pregnant pause between them and Percy wanted her to just tell him she wasn't going anywhere. The jump in his stomach made him search her expression more. "You aren't going with them are you?"

"Why, cause you want me here? If I let them go, I'll face the consequences one day. I know what truly lies in their hearts and it is not good. They follow the way of destruction, or at least Dea does. The twins will always follow. If I let them go people could die. Innocent people could die and that would be on me."

"You aren't their babysitters. Maybe you just need to try being neutral and be your own person. You beat yourself up about things that sometimes aren't in your control. Like your cousin's opinions."

"I know." she said softly but with a small smile on her face. She then rubbed her eyes a bit. "Percy, I'm so tired." she said and he lent back lying down on his pillow and pulled her along as she rest her head right on top of his heart that was beating a million miles an hour.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and he felt her picking at his shirt and before he knew it she was breathing evenly and fast asleep. He looked down at her and braved to touch her hair. He found his fingers running through the ebony tresses and indeed it was as silky as water.

As he found a lulled comfort in her arms he too fell asleep until he would have to wake to face a harsh reality.

So when he did awaken he found that the warmth of her body next to his was gone and in the daybreak his cabin was lit in a soft hue of blue. Sitting up and blinking the sleep away, he looked around and then to the spot she slept on next to him. Placing his hand over the area to feel that the sheets were cold. She had been gone a while now and he wondered for how long.

"Percy." he heard someone say and he looked up to see Arina standing there dressed in faded blue jeans and a blue top that flowed over her shoulders and stomach with a black jacket over her thin shoulders. She also had a small duffle around her back and her sword at her hip. "I thought I'd make it back before you woke up."

"I thought..."

"I have to go." she said sadly and almost painfully. "Please understand. I have to at least make sure their stable, and that they wont do anything bad."

"Right." he said as he reached out taking her hand and pulling her towards him. Raising his hands he cupped her face and then quickly pecked her cheek before pulling her into a hug.

"Percy, I have a present for you." she said sweetly and softly to him making the hairs on his neck stand on end.

She pulled from out of her top the little golden shell on the delicate golden chain; the necklace her father had left her. He watched her unclasp it and then held it up to him as she hooked it around his neck and he looked down at it in wonderment as he flipped it over in his fingers running it along the tiniest grooves. It was well made, and looked very realistic, like someone had dipped it in gold instead of carved it out of gold.

Percy narrowed his eyes as something flashed across the back of the shell and he looked at Arina who smiled gently. He looked back down at the shell and watched it shimmer once more and he finally saw little carvings in Greek. He narrowed his eyes more and finally read what it said. To my Beloved One, may the seas protect you when I cannot. It was so tiny he was surprised he could see it, but it illuminated and magnified in his eyes like he was looking underwater.

"Only I can read it, but since you're like me you can read it too." she explained as she came up and clasped both hands over the one that was holding the shell and blocking it from his view so he would look at her.

He was caught in her eyes again, her most lovely and attractive feature.

"It's a promise." she said and he nodded. "A promise I will find you again one day, and I wont be gone long. One day where I'll be free from my cousins and expectations and that day you and I can make something real. Something intangible like a wreck at the bottom of the ocean. It may be broken but it's still beautiful."

It was the most beautiful goodbye he had ever heard. So when she rest her head against his heart and her arms grabbing onto him she whispered the last thing he would hear from her lips in a long while.

"Promise me you'll wait." she asked him hopefully and he nodded saying the only thing that came to his fuzzy thought process, the only thing that made sense, and the only thing he really wanted to say–

"I'll wait forever."

She gave him a genuine grin and looked down once then back at him before walking out. Percy watched her through the columns as she went over the hill to Alcander who stood there waiting for her. She gave her cousin a nod and without a glace back she left.

That was the last time he saw her for nearly two years.