Part Two: Chapter Two: A Storm
=Nico=
I sighed as I watched the sea behind us. We were ported, we've been here for three days and it's likely that we would stay longer. The Hydra was always dancing with noise, no matter the time of day so the small escape I could get was on my boat, looking out over the sea. We had ported here because Selina had gone into labor, she and Charles were sent off to see some of the Apollo children so their child would be born safely. Naturally it had taken some time for the child to be born, now we were making sure that Silena and Charles had a safe place to stay. The sea was no place for a newborn. I had escaped to my ship after visiting the new house the two of them had, it was large and filled with more rooms then they needed but they insisted that we had a place to stay if we ever ported. Even then, the house was in my name. I had paid for it with some of the loot we stole, now most of that loot was hidden in the house. Safe under the watchful eyes of Charles and Silena Beckendorf.
It was raining, something I had gotten used to over these last two years. I hadn't realised that when traveling with Percy the sea was always calm, never stormy or rageful. Naturally his powers had kept it that way, to protect the ship and those who dwelled in it. But after he had vanished into the sea, the storms raged, the sea was harsh. It was almost as if Poseidon was angry that his son was gone. But I tried not to think of that too much. He wasn't gone, just missing. My hair was sticking to my face, my shirt was clinging to my chest, I had discarded my jacket after porting. Currently it lay safe and dry in my cabin.
Two years. My heart ached with the thought, two years ago today we had left the Sea of Monsters and started our fools quest to find our missing captain. To think, such a thing would be marked with a birth. It seemed impossible. How much has changed in these years? The crew had grown but several stay inland on voyages so it doesn't feel like it's grown any. We've traveled to places known and unknown to the globe, stolen treasures and made a new name for the Huntress, a new name for myself. "A storm's coming," the voice hardly startled me as Annabeth Chase materialized next to me. "Hurricane maybe. Or a typhoon."
"Wrong place in the globe for that." I commented glancing at her she gave me a smile. Annabeth was one of the few people I couldn't read. She masked herself well but you could always count on her for information. She doesn't hold anything back without reason.
"You never know with the Ocean." She responded, her smile fading and a serious expression settling on her face. Her gray eyes were stormy, her blond hair held up in a ponytail. Lightning struck across the sky momentarily lighting her up white. "Poseidon likes to keep us guessing." That I couldn't disagree with, the god of the sea was unpredictable. Some Days it seemed like he wanted to help us find his one and only mortal son while most of the time it seemed like he wanted to kill us for losing him. We stared at the storm for some time before silently deciding to head to my cabin for food. We talked about traveling plans, the crew was divided between trying to find the magical island of Ogygia or explore the Sea of Monsters. We had done both before, Leo was determined to find the island again and gather some of Calypso's possessions. Now that she was freed of her prison she traveled with us, but was often homesick. And even if we've explored the Sea of Monsters time and time again we kept going back to search for Percy.
"What was that?" She silenced me and stood, after a moment I heard footsteps above. The unmistakable sound of horses trotting on wood. Annabeth pulled out her dagger and I grabbed hold of my sword, we got up and walked towards the door. Outside it was still storming, but through the glass I saw a figure of someone running across the deck and down the stairs. We moved out of sight of the door, staying on either side of it. The necklace around my neck felt heavier than usual, but I ignored the feeling. The door opened but no one entered, I couldn't see Annabeth now that she was hidden. "Child of Hades, I know you're here." A woman's voice spoke out. "You and your friend, step away from the door. We're here on a… diplomatic mission." I waited for Annabeth's move, slowly she came from around the door. Her dagger was held in a position for easy defence. Her eyes told me to move further back in the room, I did. Keeping out of sight of the door then stepping out behind a pillar. The girl at the door was holding her own sword in a defensive position.
"Your friend, why did they run below deck?" Annabeth demanded. A different voice answered her, the girl looked behind her and lowered her sword, then moved out of the way so he could be seen.
"He was carrying a box of valuables that can't get wet. I told him that there was a room on the third landing next to the brig he could store it in." He answered. I knew the room he was talking about, it had been locked for the extent of time I've been aboard this ship and no one seemed to pay attention to it. When I asked about it, Thalia answered that the room's always been locked, it's never been opened.
"That room's impossible to enter." I stated.
"It is, if you don't have the key." He agreed. Thunder rumbled above us. "Naturally I have the key, seeing as this is my ship." It took me a moment to understand him, his ship? Some mystery guy appears in a storm and states that this is his ship? Annabeth didn't seem to understand him either. Before I could demand to know who he was lightning lit him up, before his features had been shielded with the rain and darkness. He hadn't stepped close enough to the room for the light to hit him. But now I saw him, light peach skin. Sailor's clothes, dry messy black hair which shouldn't have been possible. It was storming out. Then his eyes, striking sea green eyes that shifted like water from green to blue. The sword fell from my hands and the necklace grew heavier. As the light faded he smirked.