Hello. Didn't expect to see me this soon, did you? This is sort of like an apology, hehe. So, I tried not to make this chapter too long. Thank you for all the reviews, you guys melt me heart. And one thing about this chapter, PERCICO.

NICO:

"What did they mean, Ira?", Nico demanded, panting as the floated above the cursed body of Tartarus. You would think floating would take up less energy than running, but Nico was starting to realize it wasn't so.

Ira didn't reply. Her pale round face was crinkled with worry as she looked over her shoulder to spot the advancing Titans.

Krios was leading the army of hellhounds, bigger than any Nico had seen.

"Ira, WHAT DID THEY MEAN YOU LIED TO ME?", Nico yelled at the nymph.

Her eyes were shining with tears. "I am helping you"
Nico stared at her.

"Ira", Nico stopped. "Answer me"

"I'm not your father's orchadist. That's my son", she said tightly, "Now get your bottom up in the air and let's leave as fast as we can"

Nico started moving but he felt cold. He had trusted her in the first place because she was supposed to be her father's orchadist.

Family didn't matter, when it came to immortal beings. Kronos had been Ouranos's own son but that didn't keep him from chopping his own father up. The same was with Zeus.

But she did get you this far, his mind reminded him.

What if it's a trap that she's leading me to?, he wondered.

Wondering all this had made him lose his concentration and he stumbled on to the ground.
Shards of red glass burried themselves in his skin, on his back and arm.

He screamed as he felt one slip between his spine and everything blacked out.

PERCY:

"Nico!", Percy called shaking the younger boy, "Nico, get up!"

Nico's eyes fluttered open, full of horror.

"Hey, hey", Percy said soothingly, "It's okay, you're here and I'm here"

Nico coughed and sat up. "I'm fine, it's just a bad dream"

Percy studied Nico. "Tartarus?"

Nico's face darkened, "Yes"

Percy had to admit Nico was brave even if he didn't know it yet. All that he'd gone through in Tartarus that too alone, somehow made Percy proud. Even though he had nothing to do with who Nico was or had become.

He wanted to pick Nico up and show him to the world and announce, "Yes. This kid. Got through Tartarus alone. Could you even imagine doing it? No. Therefore Nico Di Angelo is better than your sorry ass"

He was sure it would boost Nico's self esteem but he doubted it would be appreciated by the boy.

"Do you want to talk about it?", Percy asked quietly.

"Maybe later", Nico replied stiffly.

He got off the bed and exited the room, leaving Percy confused and a little hurt.

Day or night had no power on The Ark.

How much time passed, Percy couldn't tell. It seemed like an eternity. He wondered how gods lived like this.

Once he even dared to ask Zagreus, "Are you gonna keep us here till the war ends?"

To which Zagreus just smiled slyly.

The god wouldn't answer questions. Sometimes, the wouldn't even see him for a long while.

The ship itself was huge too. Weird noises came from different corridors and different rooms. Percy never dared to check what was in the rooms. He probably didn't even want to know.

Often he got lost. But he didn't care. He was hardly hungry anymore. Nobody would come to find him either. After what would seem like days, he'd wander back to a familiar part of the ship and then navigate accordingly.

He wouldn't see Nico Di Angelo for days, either. He had been hoping to make Nico talk about Tartarus, because that boy really needed to let some of that angst go. But the son of Hades seemed really hard to get hold of.

When he wasn't lost, Percy would spend his time with Jason. Practicing sword fighting. They couldn't let themselves get rusty. Gaia's army wasn't going to turn to dust on it's own.

Zagreus joined them, once in a while. And when he did, Percy and Jason went to sleep with fractures.

One of these seemingly monotonous days, Percy and Jason were sitting in Jason's room. It was just like Percy's but a shade lighter. It had the same small bed and an adjoined bathroom. A bookshelf stood in the corner. Percy's bookshelf had collected dust but Jason's was all messed up, as if Jason regularly read.

They often sat together for a while after practicing, saying nothing.

"I miss Leo", Jason said suddenly, "And I miss Piper of course. I miss the whole ship"

His piercing blue eyes bore into Percy, as if searching his soul.

"Me too", Percy said deflatedly. Because he did. He missed watching Annabeth work, with that furrowed expression on her face, he missed Hazel rushing to her cabin to throw up, he missed the not-so-clumsy-now Frank and Leo's wildness. He missed home. He missed his mom and his camp. He missed Grover and Rachel, and his brother.

He also missed Nico Di Angelo's silent presence.

Where was the boy anyway?

Thinking about Nico made Percy feel lightheaded. He had been preparing himself to talk to Nico for a while now and had set his mind to finally getting the younger boy to open up. So much angst wasn't good for anyone.

Or maybe you're just annoyed he opened up to Jason and not to you, a voice in his brain cackled.

"Oh, shut up", he said aloud, earning a strange look from Jason.

"I should leave", Percy replied hastily. "I'll see you tomorrow"

He heard Jason grunt as he closed the door and walked back to his room.

His sides hurt from the sparring and limbs felt heavy as lead.

He planned to fall into bed just as he was.

That was until he opened the door to his room and saw Nico Di Angelo sitting on his bed.

Percy's jaw must've dropped to the floor.

Nico was wearing a white tshirt and dark blue jeans.

Percy wondered if he was dreaming.

Upon closer inspection he realized Nico looked healthier, not too bony like he had originally been. He almost looked like the kid Percy had saved, with sparkling eyes and an easy smile.

Though he now looked kinda

Attractive.

Percy quickly dismissed the thought before he started blushing and Nico noticed.

Nick smiled, his eyes downcast and Percy found himself running his hands through his hair.

"What are you doing here?", he asked lightly, or so he hoped.

Nico looked up and laughed, "You look horrible"

"Hey!", Percy exclaimed indignantly, "I have been practicing"

He flexed his arms to emphasize his point.

"Well, I haven't been idle either", Nico told him, folding his legs in front of him.

"Oh, yeah? What have you been doing?", Percy asked, truly curious.

"Go take a shower first", Nico told him trying not to smile.

Percy made a face at him but went to the bathroom anyway.

Fifteen minutes later, he came out to find Nico listening to music in his iPod. He didn't notice Percy coming in.

Percy had to jerk the headphones off to get his attention.

"Hey", Nico said accusingly, "Not cool. Never interrupt a man listening to music"

"Scoot over, kid, cause I'm sleepy. Tell me what you got", Percy said, shoving Nico aside and seating himself on the bed.

Nico narrowed his eyes at Percy, "Don't 'kid' me"

Percy rolled his eyes and motioned for Nico to continue.

"I'll be leaving", Nico stated simply.
Percy's heart stopped.

"What?", he asked, genuinely confused.

"Somebody has to get reinforcements, you dolt", Nico said matter-of-factly. "It can't be any if you seven. So it has to be me. I know both camps. And I'm, uh, well acquainted with Reyna. And Thalia is the lead huntress, you know?"

His eyes became shifty for a second and Percy was afraid he would go back to the disturbed person he used to be but instead, Nico smiled sadly.

"I'm the only expendable person here, let's admit it", he said, not bitterly, but as if accepting it.

"You don't say that", Percy said roughly grabbing Nico's arm. "Don't ever say that. There are people who would miss you if- if you were gone. Like Jason"

Nico smirked, and that was the first time Percy ever saw that expression on the younger guy's face. "Is it so?"

"Yeah", Percy said seriously, staring back at the deep brown eyes that sparkled with curiosity, "And me"

He hopes his voice wasn't quivering. His heart was beating so loud he was afraid Nico would hear it and make fun of him.

"Well", Nico replied, looking downwards and then straight at Percy, "I'm glad"

Percy's spine tingled and his gut ached.

"Tell me what happened", Percy said, his voice steady and strong, feeling suddenly confident that this would be the right thing to do.

Nico looked like he would have liked to argue but he settled with a sigh.

"You don't want to know", he said in a low voice.

"I do", Percy said firmly.

"I'm not the sharing kind!"

"You don't have to be"

Nico looked at Percy with a helpless look, like homeless puppies did.

Percy wanted to give Nico a hug.

Wait, what?

"There was this spirit of darkness..."

Anything starting with the spirit of darkness couldn't be good.

He told him about Gorgyra and how she had helped him but lied to him. How that had led to Krios capturing them and torturing them.

"So what happened to Gorgyra?", Pervy asked.
He had always known that he was very thickheaded but apparently, he was an idiot too.

Nico's face became a mask, unreadably emotionless.

"She's the reason I can't shadow travel anymore. I could, before-", he choked.

"Before you came back here. Before you saw me again", Percy continued oblivious.

Nico shook his head trying to say something but words refused to come out of his mouth.

"She liked you, didn't she?", Percy asked quietly.

"Percy, stop", Nico snapped.

They sat in silence, not looking at each other. For a long while.

"When do you leave?", Percy asked finally.

"Now, probably", Nico said getting up.

That shocked Percy.

"What makes you think Zagreus will let you leave?", Percy asked.

"I have a feeling he will. Just don't drool on him too much", Nico replied smirking lightly.

Percy felt his face getting hot. "I don't drool on him"

"Keep telling yourself that", Nico said nonchalantly.

He was at the door, ready to turn the knob when Percy hear himself ask, "Do you still like me?"

"That's one way to put it", Nico replied, without turning.

Percy found himself stepping closer to Nico, though he didn't remember getting off the bed.

"What's the other way?", he said softly. His breath ruffled the hair at the back of Nico's head.

Nico turned, his face inches away from Percy's.

He brushed his lips lightly and slowly, against Percy's.

And then he was gone, leaving Percy to wonder if the last part had been a dream.

But the tingling sensation on his lips, the ache in his gut and the smell of sweet grass and mint in air indicated otherwise.