The little blue sparrow next to Iris looked at Nico and tilted her head in recognition. Nico backed away from Iris.

Percy glared at her, "How dare you, that was a gift from his mother!"

Iris did not hear Percy but the sparrow started hopping in place. Iris advanced on Nico, who pulled his sword and pointed it at her.

"Oh! Perhaps I was mistaken." She fiddled with the collar of her shirt. He peered at her, "That's alright. It's obviously very valuable to you. So you can have it if you can give me what I need."

She looked at him, eyebrow raised. Nico looked at her, "A death candle."

Percy spoke up, "And safe passage to the village near the wall."

"A death candle, oh no no no. I don't deal in black magic."

Percy looked at her, confused. Nico noticed his confusion but didn't say anything. The gears in Percy mind started working.

Nico looked at Iris, "Really? Can you give us a lift then, to the village near the wall?"

Iris smiled at him, "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

Percy rolled his eyes.

"For that flower, I can offer you passage." Iris looked at him contemplatively. "Food and lodging as well."

"Safe passage?"

"I swear, you Percy arrive there in the exact same condition you are in now."

Nico smiled at her and handed her the flower. Iris grinned evilly, "Do you have any idea what manner of thing it was you had?"

Nico shook his head, "Some kind of lucky charm?"

"A very lucky charm indeed. Protection. In fact, the exact same thing that would have prevented me from doing this."

Iris cast a spell that turned Nico into a chipmunk.

"Ah much better." Iris said, picking up the little animal. Percy tried to attack her, but some invisible force held him back, if we all recall Deucalion's spell.

Iris straightened from picking up chipmunk Nico and spoke, "Though I'll keep me word. You Shall not be harmed."

She took him to the back of her carriage and put him in a small cage, "There, food and lodging just as I promised."

She gave him food. Behind her, Percy entered the carriage. He glared at her back, and spoke up. "Would I be correct in thinking that you can neither see nor hear me?"

When he got no response, he grinned evilly. "Then I wish to tell you, you smell of pee first of all. You look like the wrong end of a dog. And I swear, if I don't get my Nico back the way he was, I Percy be your personal poltergeist!"

Chipmunk Nico looked at Percy in fear. Iris couldn't tell, so she kept preening and smiling at him.

Boyd was on the same pathway that Percy and Nico had been on, though he was a day behind. He saw the same stone, and glared at it. He spurred his horse on.

Iris sat on the bench, occasionally shaking the reins to keep her horse moving. Inside, Percy stared at Nico in his little cage. "Nico?"

He got an head tilt. "If you can understand me, give me a sign."

Nico looked at a wheel of cheese. Percy followed his gaze and went to the cheese, taking a piece off. HE walked over to a chair near Nico's cage. He sighed as he gave Nico a piece of cheese. He looked at Nico. "You know how I said I know little about love? Well, that's not quite true."

He talked of seeing it over the centuries that he had been watching over the universe as a star, and how it made watching the planet's inhabitants bearable. He talked of how everyone seemed to go through wars, pain, lies and hate, yet there was always a brightness that was only brought out by love.

"You could search the universe and never find anything more beautiful than love, Nico."

Percy kept talking about love, but the narrator was too busy staring at the chipmunk Until he heard Percy say.."I'm just trying to say, Nico, I think I love you."

Narrator looks at Percy, and listens to him talk. Author watches as Narrator turns into puddle on floor. Cue eye-roll. Narrator smiles.

Soon, it was night time and Iris pulled into her usual spot in the village. She went in and got Nico out of the cage. Percy followed right behind her. She smirked at him as she put him on the ground.

"Now, the wall is a mile that way," She pointed west, "Although it may take you a while to get there, Transformation has a way of muddling the brain."

Nico turned back to himself, pulled out his sword, said "You..." and collapsed at Percy feet. Percy moved to help him up, while Iris smirked at Nico and said, "I told you, Save your strength."'

She walked off. Percy turned Nico over, "Nico, wake up. I've been so worried about you!"

Nico looked up at him and smiled, "Annabeth."

Percy face turned sad. Then he glared at Nico, "I think I preferred Mother."

He started to help Nico up. "Come on, There's an inn over there, Annabeth's birthday isn't until tomorrow."

Nico slowly started to get up with Percy' help. Percy kept talking as they made their way to the inn. They got there and into a room. Nico was face down, passed out on a bed. Percy was in a bathtub behind a partition.

Percy sat there thinking as Nico woke up, and moved off the bed. Percy was so far into his own head, he did not hear Nico moving around.

Nico moved a window on the partition, and smiled as he watched Percy.

"Excuse me?"

Percy jumped in fright and moved, "Oh!"

"I think you're in my bath."

"Well, then close your eyes and I'll get out for you."

Nico smiled at him, and did as he was asked. Percy soon was out, covered in a towel and fixing his hair. Nico watched him for a few minutes before he spoke, "Did you really mean what you said in the caravan?"

Percy spun around and stared at him. "But.. but you were a chipmunk! You wanted cheese! You didn't..."

Nico nodded at him. Percy covered his face in embarrassment. Nico grinned at him. Percy turned away, "I asked you to give me a sign!"

"And risk you being too embarrassed to keep saying such lovely things?"

Nico smiled, wrapping an arm around Percy waist, and carding a hand through his hair as he kissed Percy forehead. Percy couldn't look at him.

Nico looked at him, "You really want to know what Coach whispered to me that day?"

Percy looked into Nico's eyes and gave a small nod. Nico smiled softly, "He told me my true love was in front of my eyes."

Percy started to glow when he heard this. But Nico wasn't done speaking, "And he was right."

Nico pulled Percy into a kiss.. which turned into.. Well, we'll close this here, so use your imagination, people.