Part One: Chapter Eight: Reasoning

=Percy=

I was avoiding him. Strait out avoiding him. It's been working out pretty well considering about two days have passed and I've managed to play Keep Away from Nico. Well, at least while he's awake. Say what you want, but I watch him while he sleeps, and I have to get my work done sometime. Everything is in that room, including the sleeping boy. I know it's childish, and Silena has told me this too, after skipping out on dinner with her and Nico for these two nights. But come on, what am I going to say to him? I can't look at him without thinking of...

I can't think of him without it either. I groaned in frustration and leaned back in my chair. It was well past midnight and the sky's were clear, giving the room a beautiful aery of color from the moonlight. On the desk in front of me was my latest piece of work, a collection of letters to Annabeth, a girl I haven't seen or spoken too in roughly six years. I normally have these letters hidden away, but when I add to them, I bring them out. The latest one ranted about my current trip and moment with the Angel on my bed. I picked it up and reread it.

Annie,

How long has it been since we last saw each other? Five? Six years? Gods I miss you Wise Girl. I'm back in the Sea of Monsters, and somehow I haven't been bothered by it. Maybe it's because I found an Angel? I miss you, my all knowing best friend, my, right hand, my first mate...

Until a few day's ago, I've never given that spot to anyone you know, It's still yours if he doesn't accept.

It seems like you were right, that stupid comment from the last day. I have found something to collect that I wont be able to keep. The Angel I spoke of, I know, back then that you had imagined it to be a boy and I would laugh at you. But now he's laying asleep near me, and all I can do is watch. The other night, when we entered the Sea of Monsters, I had blacked out. I know, my sister was extremely mad at me this time. When I woke, I was being kissed by my Angel and, well you can imagine it can't you.

I don't know what to do. I've been avoiding him sense. I wish you were here, if you could help me like you always had.

I wonder, how's Elysium treating you? Good I guess. You deserve it. I'll meet you there, someday.

-Prince of the Sea

I sighed carefully placing the paper back onto the desk, I closed my eyes for a moment then found black ones staring back at me when I opened them again. I felt a blush rip across my face, "I-I thought you were sleeping." I commented, he leaned against my desk, blocking a quick escape from jumping over it.

"I was," he agreed. "I woke up about a half hour ago." He told me. "You looked quite upset a moment ago, what were you reading?" He wondered, picking up the paper. I tried to grab it from him but he just held it out of reach. "Who's Annie?" He asked.

"Nico, please don't." I asked.

"You seem to miss her," he commented, picking up another few letters. "These all to Annie?"

"Nico-"

"They are." He said, I grabbed the papers from his hand, well accept from the one that he was keeping away from me. He moved away from me and I hid the letters in their normal spot. "You waiting for her to come back or something?" He wondered.

"She can't." I responded, falling back into my chair and pressing my hand to my forehead.

"Then why haven't you given anyone the first mate position?" He asked. "I mean, surely if she can't come back then you would've trusted someone else to take it." I didn't comment. "She must be coming back if you haven't given the spot away."

"She's dead, Nico." I stated, getting him to shut up. "I killed her." There was a long pause before he walked back over and put the paper back on the desk.

"I doubt you killed her. You're the loyal type right?" He commented.

"She's dead because of me either way, what does it matter?" The statement was rhetorical.

"There's a huge difference." He responded, he pulled my hand away from my face and I was forced to look at him. "I'm the son of Hades, remember? I know these things." I stole my arm back from him and looked away. "We need to talk." He told me.

"About the other night?" I mumbled.

"That, and you've been avoiding me." He agreed.

"I've been avoiding the conversation, not you." I disagreed. "This is my room, after all and here we are."

"Is sarcasm the only form of communication you know how to use?" He wondered.

"I've learned that it's the best way to cope with things." I looked at him and he studied me, he wasn't mad, irritated, but not mad.

"You said I was your treasure." He recalled. "We're all your treasures. I don't exactly like that. It's like you're saying you own everyone on this ship."

"I do, in a sense." I mumbled.

"None of us are your property." He stated.

"I believe that you and your friend are, currently, my property." I countered, he glared.

"Yet you offered me the position of first mate." He retorted, I stayed silent. "I can't figure you out." He admits. "You want me as your property but you run away after the two of us have sex. You offer me the position of First Mate but in that letter, you said you were saving it for Annie, a dead girl from your past. You're serious but a play pranks on gods. And to me, you want to live, but you're always seeking a new death. I've never met anyone that contradicts themselves more that you do."

"It's funny, a lot of us Pirates do that." I put in.

"Don't blame it on being a Pirate." He glared at me. "There are plenty of them on this ship and none are like you." There was a long pause. "What exactly do you want?" He asked me. I didn't respond, making him growl in frustration and get up to walk across the room. "You are the most frustrating person I have ever met. I can't believe I could fall for someone like you."

"What?" The statement shocked me. I was on my feet and slowly moving towards him.

"I fell in love you with you, moron." He stated, as if the topic had been long since agreed on. "At first I didn't know what to think. Why did I do that, what was going on in my head? And when you started ignoring me I had loads of time to think. Hours, endless hours before and after Clarisse's fighting lessons. Then dinner's with Silena, she just confirmed it more, she could tell, her mom is the Goddess of Love." I grabbed his arm, turning him towards me. "But what do you want, Percy?" He asked desperately, I felt any sort of fight I had in me crumbling.

"I want you," I mumbled softly. "That's why I took you, I wanted you." His lips pressed against mine and I could feel a build up of emotions explode in my head. It was a heated kiss, one of those desperate kisses, that one partner would use to try and convey all of their emotions. It didn't end until he was pinning me to the bed, and I had tears running down my face. I tried to hide them, I'm the Prince of the Sea, most feared Pirate on the seven seas. I don't cry.

He wiped them off of my cheeks, "tu sei bella." He whispered to me and it took me a moment to figure out what language it was. My Angle knows Italian.