Part One: Chapter Nine: Rival

=Percy=

"Who's Annie?" Nico asked me after a few minutes of watching me do work. I looked up at him, he had pulled a chair over from the table and sat across from me. He leaned forwards against the desk separating us and just watched me.

"She was my best friend." I responded. "We got into a lot of trouble together." I smiled a bit. "Her name was Annabeth Chase and she was a Daughter of Athena." There was a log pause.

"So you were a trouble maker before becoming a Pirate?" He wondered, I nodded.

"I lived in New York City, out in the colony's. My mom and step dad still live there but I can't visit much." I explained. "But back when I was younger, Annabeth and I were always together and getting into trouble. We knew that we were demigods so we chased legends, always managing to get caught in some trap and destroying a building or two. There was one time we found our way into the Labyrinth, the one created by the inverter Daedalus." I paused, then sighed.

"Isn't the Labyrinth across the sea?" He mused.

"It's complicated." I noted. There was a long pause.

"How did she die?" He asked, it was a few minutes before I responded.

"My first trip to the sea of monsters." I answered. "The two of us and Tyson had stolen a small boat and went hunting for it, and we found it." I frowned. "It was chance that we made it in, and even dumber luck to have survived Polyphemus's island and saved Clarisse. Annabeth had grabbed the Golden Fleece and used it to distract Polyphemus, it saved my life but she was knocked into the sea..."

"You lost her in the Sea of Monsters." He concluded, I nodded. "How can you come back so often?" He asked me.

"Selfish reasons," I responded. "Hoping that she had washed up on one of the islands, and I can find her again." He nodded a bit, then thought.

"How did you become a Pirate?"

"Oh, that was Clarisse's idea." I responded. "She hated owing me her life to me, so she thought our becoming Pirates would giver her a chance to save my life. I went along with it." I shrugged.

"Jackson!" The girl called out, storming into my room. She marched right up beside Nico and glared at me. "Is he your shield from the door?"

"I doubt anything would shield me from the door Clarisse." I responded. "Is there something you need?"

"We're at the island." She stated.

"That was fast." I mused.

"It's hard not to miss a huge black boat." She shrugged, I stood.

"Do I have the pleasure of walking out the door today?" I wondered, she rolled her eyes.

"Just hurry up and finish your quest. Leo's already working on the other ship." She marched out, I took a moment to watch her.

"She's in a good mood." I noted.

"That's a new one." Nico stood up, I walked around the desk and smiled at him. The two of us walked out of the room together and we found the ship docked at a large island. I looked to the ship next to us in time to see Leo running across the plank set up between the two.

"Uhh, we have company." He stated.

"Piper?" I asked, he nodded and I rolled my eyes.

"Piper?" Nico repeated.

"Someone I pissed off." I shrugged.

"You seem to do that to a lot of people." He noted, I grinned at him before making my way over to the plank between the boats. With the slight leverage, I could see the boat closing in. I could also see the large black ball heading straight for my head. I had about three seconds to do something, before I could think, a wave shot up, blocking the two boats and my head from danger. When it fell, much slower than it rose, the boat was resting on the other side of the black one between us. I crossed the plank and waited for the female Captain to join me.

She took her time, like always and had a boy and girl follow her over. "Piper," I smiled at her. She studied me. "What brings you to the Sea of Monsters?" I wondered.

"Roomers," she responded. "That a rival was coming back here."

"I'm surprised you got in," I said honestly.

"Wasn't without consequence." She stated, I smirked. "Enough chat," she pulled out her dagger, Katoptris, and pointed it at me.

"Three on one, that's a sort of cheating." I commented taking off a ring from my finger, it shifted into my sword Riptide.

"Pirate." She stated bluntly before charging me. I waited until she was close enough, then sidestepped so she stumbled passed me. I grabbed the hilt of her dagger and took it from her. She growled frustrated, I looked at my reflection in her dagger and for a moment, saw myself sinking to the bottom of the sea. I hummed appreciatively, so that's what Rachel predicted.

"Don't just stand there!" She yelled at her companions, the boy started towards me, he was more cautious with his advance.

"Charlie," I greeted him with a smile. He raised an eyebrow. "You know, I have this girl on my ship who doesn't shut up about you." I commented.

"Isn't your entire crew girls?" He asked.

"No, there's Chris, Clarisse's boyfriend. Leo, our repair man, and I picked up a few new members the other day." I smiled at him. "I bet you could find yourself a good girl if you joined me." I offered.

"I assume I would." He agreed before lunging at me. I blocked and backed away, searing clear of Piper, who was glaring at me. "Who all do you have over there now?" He wondered. "I see Thalia and Clarisse."

"Well of course, I wouldn't ditch Annie's best friend, and Clarisse is still trying to repay her debt." I agreed.

"Annie," he repeated, and the way he said her name made something churn in my stomach. I saw him glance at the girl that had been with them. She was now holding a dagger and watching.

"Annabeth," I agreed. "Remember her? She was my best friend, tended to help you with improving some of your-" he lunged again and I dodged again, this time hitting the hilt of his blade with my own, twisted and knocked it out of his hands. "crafts." I finished my sentence.

"Yes, I remember her." I heard an arrow hit the wood behind me and turned to see the girl. Wow she was fast.

"Piper, you really should get someone better at fighting on your crew." I told her. She scowled at me. "Or, better yet, join mine."

"I will not," she lunged and I pushed her to the side. "Perseus Jackson," oh, now she's going to use Charm Speak on me. "You will drop my dagger and let me stab you with it!" I debated with myself for about half a second before letting the legendary dagger fall to the ground. She snatched it up and stood uncomfortably close. I am gay after all.

"Percy!" I heard Nico call out when the dagger pierced me.

"Are you happy now?" I asked her, "winning a point against me?" I gripped her hand, still holding the dagger inside me and pulled it out., through the blooded mirror we both saw the same image again. Myself sinking down into the sea, almost as if I was drowning.

"W-What's t-that about?" She asked in a whisper.

"Prophecy," I responded just as quietly. "It looks like the Fates wont let you kill me here. Hay, do me a favor, when this happens, take them back to our town. Of course, if I don't return. It doesn't seem likely that I will."

"You seem to have accepted your death." She commented.

"Not exactly, I found someone I don't want to be without, I'll fight to live. But if I die, at least I'll be able to see some old friends." I told her. She glared at me.