Rounding Second Base

Before long, I came to a simple, but obvious, realization.

Damn, I need a tour of this place.

Serpentine corridors of immaculate design twisted and turned like my old nemesis… the Labyrinth. I shuddered in recollection, which didn't help my shaking hands or straining arms.

We didn't pack that much, did we?

As I attempted to gather my bearings, a pale nymph rounded a corner to the intersection; a bottle cleaner in one hand, a brush in the other. I recognized her as the nebulae who helped Katie. With fleecy white hair traveling down her back and eyes near identical with Annabeth, I couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of nebulae. Save for her petite build and pointed ears, one could almost assume she was human.

"Hi. Um, would you happen to know where Piper's room is?" I asked, arms shaking from the bags' weight.

Lost in her own world moments before, the nymph jumped back upon hearing my words. Her cheeks flared as she smoothed her chiton.

"Hello, Master. She is just down the corridor to the right. Three doors from the intersection. Do you require any other services?"

Other services?... Oh… Oh!

"What's your name?"

Her luminous grey eyes went wide. "Oh, um… my name is Nimba." She backed away with a bowed head.

I set down the bags and put my hand on her shoulder. "Nimba. Don't call me Master; call me Percy. But I do have a favor to ask. Could you tell the other nymphs to gather and meet me in the front atrium tomorrow morning?"

She nodded at breakneck speeds. "Yes. Right away Ma… Per… Master…" She recoiled with puckered lips, as if acid were dropped on her tongue. "Do you need any help carrying the luggage? You look rather tired."

In almost any other circumstances, I would have accepted her offer in a heartbeat. My aching limbs tried arguing in favor of receiving help. However, I decided that Piper and I would be best if we were alone.

"No thank you, but I appreciate the offer." I pondered for a few seconds. "You know what? For the rest of the night, I want you nymphs to enjoy yourselves. Spend your time at the pool or something like that."

I kissed her forehead, which may have shorted a circuit in her brain. After gaping at me for a few seconds, she nodded her head and bolted back the way she came.

With weary eyes, I returned my attention to the luggage. Though I needed to stretch my shoulders beforehand, I managed to carry them once more and walk the few extra steps to Piper's room.

Upon arriving, I knocked on her door. A few grunts and curses later, Piper's face greeted mine.

"Percy!" She flung herself into me with arms wide open. I stumbled and tripped over her luggage, yet she refused to let me go. Rather, she held on tighter.

"You're back a lot earlier than expected."

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Thanks to a magical fish-horse, a centaur, and an armless statue, we managed to finish a lot faster than anticipated."

With a small hum, she extracted herself from me and pulled me up. After picking up one of her bags, a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Well, I 've got no complaints. Could use some help putting away my clothes though."

Without hesitation, I nodded and picked up her remaining bags. She led me into her room without another word.

Her room was fairly simple to be honest. Spread out walls with floor to ceiling windows let in a great deal of afternoon light. A large four post bed dominated the center. Along the edges, numerous dressers and cabinets offered room for storage. The far corner contained a small lounging area, complete with bean bag chairs. By my standards, the room needed more personality; something Piper could take care of with her newfound free time.

Piper smirked at my gaping expression. "Like the room?"

I closed my mouth and turned to her. "Looks great, but I prefer the company."

Her jaw dropped. "Wow, you're getting pretty bold."

I shrugged. "What can I say, you're easy to talk to, plus you're easy on the eyes."

She blushed, but continued pulling her camp clothes out of her duffel bag. Reminded to do the same, I set my bags on her bed and opened them.

Annabeth and I were thorough with our collecting. From everyday clothing to formal wear to armor, nothing was overlooked.

After about ten minutes, I pulled up a lacy piece of purple fabric. A blush crawled to my cheeks once I recognized it as lingerie.

Once again, Piper caught me staring and glanced at what I was looking at, at which point she snapped her attention elsewhere. We continued our work in an awkward silence.

When we finished, I broke the peace. "How are you feeling?"

Her lips curved downward, eyes sagging. "Better than before… I'm still trying to adjust to everything. Talking to you last night really helped." She picked her head up and smiled at me. "Seriously, thank you for that."

From what I recalled, I said very little to her. Most of the time, I spent listening.

"You don't have to thank me for that. You're my friend. We all have our problems, so we all have to be there for each other."

Her lips curled in the positive direction. "Maybe. But I'll still find a way to thank you, whether you like it or not."

Smiling, I shook my head. On the note of thanks, another task brought itself to the forefront of my mind. Upon finishing with her clothes, I asked her to follow me. We made our way to the bean bag chairs.

I sat her down, reached for the leather bag around my waist, and handed it to her. She frowned, but took the bag and unzipped it. Fingers shaking, her lips trembled the moment the glossy photos appeared. They reflected in her watering eyes. She shuffled through the pictures with a tearful smile.

"I can't thank you enough for this," she said, her voice tremulous.

"That's not all," I said.

I took the leather pouch from her lap and pulled out the necklace. She stifled a gasp. I motioned to hang it on her neck, to which she held up her hair without hesitation. The suede cord hung around her neck, complimenting her eyes, which shone a pale blue.

Between her forefinger and thumb, she held the stone, eyeing it like a long lost pet. One final tear of joy trailed down her face before she locked her eyes with mine.

I couldn't tell you when it happened. For a few seconds, she held my gaze. A few breaths passed between us. At some point, she leapt from her chair and crashed her lips into mine, sending me back into another bean bag chair.

Passionate, desperate, wet… There's countless ways I could describe her kissing. She straddled my lap and pulled my hair to deepen the kiss. A moan flitted through my swelling lips in response. Biting my lips, she tugged me flush against her body as hot breaths exhaled from her nose. My idle hands took her flanks into them, caressing and squeezing her soft muscles.

After a delicious minutes of lip locking, she pulled away and yanked my shirt off. For a few seconds, she took in the view, half drooling. Too long was the wait before she moved again, but oh so worth it. Her fingers flitted down my chest, massaging scars long since healed. Eyes locked on mine, she pulled away and kneeled before my spread legs. I gulped.

With a lick of her lips, she rose, lathering her warm tongue along my torso: trailing the outline of my abs, nipping my chest, biting softly at my collarbone, only to drag her tongue along jugular, and kiss my jaw. No part of my body was off limits.

Straddling me, her lips parted as she neared. With her tongue already peeking from between her lips, I didn't bother wasting a second and met her with my own. Pressed together in a slippery bout of wet dancing, our tongues twisted and flicked the other, never quite ready to part from the embrace. Handfuls of skin were rubbed by both of us, be it her groping my back or me sliding my hands beneath her shirt to rub her lean belly. So smooth. So tender.

A soft whimper fled her throat, fingers curling into my hair. "You," she whispered, "you can go higher."

I pulled away with worry in my eyes. "What?"

She stripped off her shirt in a single fluid motion. My mouth watered as her buxom breasts strained against her black sports bra.

"Well, they're all yours."

Reaching forward, my hands neared the lovely curves of her chest, only to falter halfway.

"Are you sure?"

A soft hand took me by the wrist and pulled it to the top of her lean belly. Finger by finger, she let my hand slide beneath the spandex barrier between us. Supple skin met my fingertips as my hand slipped into her sports bra.

"Oh," she whimpered, her head turned away.

Gingerly as I could, I curled a few fingers of my remaining hand under her chin and turner her face to mine. "Do you want me to stop?"

Flushed in cheeks, like rusted bronze, she shook her head and pressed her forehead against mine. "No." She pulled away with affection glowing in her eyes. "J'ai envie de toi."

I recoiled, caught off guard by her words. My fingers pulled from beneath her sports bra, which resulted in a frustrated whine. "Was that… French?"

Her eyes widened in realization. A hand clamped over her mouth as she pulled away, the rust on her bronze cheeks spreading to the rest of her face. "I'm sorry," she mumbled through her fingers. "It just… happens."

"Hey." I pulled her hand away from her mouth, but she refused to meet my eyes. "Do you realize how sexy that was?"

The color in her eyes shifted from blue to green. Ears perked up, she returned my gaze with one of shock.

"Besides, I can do it too." I cleared my throat and put on my best smoulder. "Le growl."

She snorted, slapping her hand over her mouth. Unlike before, her eyes shone with mirth as she stifled her laughter. "For both of our sake's, don't ever do that again."

"On one condition." I brushed a finger over her cheek. "You do it more often."

A bashful smile tugged on her lips. After tucking her hair behind her ear, she eyed me while biting her lips. "Je peux le faire."

I shook my head. "I didn't understand a word you just said, but that still sounds lovely."

She smiled coyly. "How about this one?" Her tongue ran across her lips. "Embrasse moi."

My head rattled once more. "No clue."

She dipped her head, taking my chin into her hand. "Let me give you a hint."

Her lips pressed to mine, separated only when her tongue slipped from between them. Pulling and plucking at my lips with hers, she pried my mouth open to slither her tongue past my teeth. Massaging. Caressing. Her soft tongue danced beautifully across mine, eliciting a lusty moan from my lips.

Once more, her hand took hold of my wrist and pulled it towards her supple breasts. Unlike before, she didn't hesitate to slip my hand beneath the pliable fabric. Spongy flesh filled my palm with its warmth. A small nub brushed the calloused skin of my palm, drawing a delicious whimper from the wild beauty it belonged to. So soft a sound, but so clearly heard.

Every second of the way, she slipped and twisted her tongue with mine. Soft growls and lurid moans flitted from the lips of both. Teeth tugged at the delicate skin of my lips, prismatic eyes daring me to return the favor. So I did.

"Oui."

The soft word left her mouth despite her trapped lip caught between my nibbling teeth. Said lip grew red and swollen, letting me suck on it all the greater.

Eyes rolled up and hips grinding into me, she dragged her nimble fingers across my back. Her hands finished their trip, circling around to my chest before sliding down my abdomen.

My hips bucked against hers, excited as her hand approached. A sweltering heat developed between our mashing pelvises. Lost in our bliss, we let the moment carry us. Our moans became our music, and our locked lips, the composers.

My lips fell to her neck, suckling along her pulse point as her hands inched further down. Bronze skin turned purple as I pulled it further into my mouth, leaving a darkened splotch along her throat; and through every moment, she whimpered a moaned a beautiful symphony in my ears.

"Ne t'arrête pas!"

I pulled away, unsure of her words.

She whimpered, eyes in tears as she pushed her neck closer to me.

"Please don't stop!" she begged.

As if I could deny her, especially as her fingers slipped beneath the hem of my pants. Warm fingers enclosed around my engorged erection.

With a groan stuck in my throat, I latched my lips to the tender skin of her throat. Smaller hickies colored the path of my suckling mouth, drawing nearer to the space above her collarbone.

Her nimble fingers stroked along the length of my cock, hidden away from prying eyes. Warmth flooded my groin with every pump, driving me to coat her succulent flesh with dark hickies.

If only things lasted longer...

"Piper hun, where are the—"

In a single moment, everything went silent. Hands all over one another and panting, every detail gave no room for excuse as the intruder took in the sight before her.

"Wow, Piper. Taking Percy before his girlfriend can? I knew you were a slut, but I didn't think even you could be that desperate."

Coated in a fresh layer of sweat and flaring skin, Piper grabbed her nearby boot and hurled it towards the smirking demigoddess.

"Get out of here, Drew!"

Murderous intent shone in her eyes. If not for my free arm wrapping around her, I carried no doubt of what she would do to her sister. Said sister ducked beneath the soaring boot and scampered off, leaving her unfinished question unanswered.

Piper trembled above me, her temperature rising. Eyes, boiling with rage, glanced to meet my own. She yanked me into an angry kiss, pulling away with a nip of my lips. I shivered from the sudden lack of warmth, but peeled myself from the chair as well.

Tears in her eyes and face in her hands, she sobbed. I hate to say it, but she looked beautiful even when in tears. Gentle as I could manage, I wrapped my arms around the weeping beauty from behind and hugged her close.

Sushes and soft coos joined her crying in my efforts to calm her. Every second of it, she nuzzled the side of her head into my shoulder.

I couldn't help but think back to what Aphrodite said a day prior. "I think I may see more than just a physical relationship developing between you two."

Truth be told, she was right. Maybe I was initially a rebound for Piper, but something told me we would have ended up in the same situation regardless of the harem.

As I moved to press a kiss to the top of her head, she turned her head and caught me with a kiss of her own. Her shoulders relaxed, her breathing steadied. She twisted in my arms and straddled my lap, pressing her head into the crook of my neck.

"After dinner, wait about thirty minutes, then come back here."

To show my approval, I pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

Outside, the afternoon sun shone brightly, cluing me in to the general time of day. Only then did I realize what Drew was asking. The nymphs should have been at the pool, which put every other duty on hold, including dinner.

Relaying the realization to Piper went as well as could be expected. She sighed and pulled herself off my lap. With how depressed she looked, I couldn't bring myself to leave without giving her another kiss. After I did, I turned to the door and made my way towards it.

"Percy!"

I turned back to Piper. "While I'm not complaining, I think you might need this." With a smirk on her face, she held up my shirt.

Taking into account that she only wore a sports bra, she wasn't in any state to judge. Still, I returned to her, grabbed my shirt, and hugged her once more. With an evil smirk on my face, I slipped a hand beneath the back of her bra and trailed it around to the front. She squeaked the moment I grabbed her breast, but didn't pull away.

When I finished my groping hug, I tugged on the shirt and made my way to the door. All the while, I couldn't help but think one thing.
'This girl is not going to just be my concubine. She's earned much more than that.'

Unlike my previous attempts, I managed to find the kitchen after only two tries. When I arrived to the kitchen, my suspicions were confirmed. It remained devoid of any life, and more importantly, food. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I scrambled to put together something for everyone to eat.

"Having a tough time?"

Startled, I whipped around to find Katie smirking. Little did I realize, I knew almost nothing about cooking, shameful as that may be.

"Maybe. Think you could help me out?"

She laughed. "Depends on the kind of help you need." She wrapped her arms around me from behind and whispered. "I can help in several ways if you want."

I shuddered and pushed her off of me. "As much as I appreciate that offer, we need to get some food made for everyone tonight."

She grumbled, but scanned the kitchen. "Where are the nymphs? Shouldn't they be here?"

My shoulders slumped. "I told them to go to the pool tonight. Didn't consider we hadn't eaten yet."

She snorted. "You are really trying too hard with this whole 'be nice to everyone' thing."

My shoulders dropped further. "It's just that…" I sighed. "I don't know when they last actually had time for themselves. I know how Greeks can be with their slaves. To the gods, even my father, they're probably that and nothing more. So I wanted them to enjoy themselves."

She eyed curled her lower lip. "I'm impressed. This isn't some facade to get them in bed. It's all natural."

Unsure if I should be offended or proud, I stared back without any further comment.

"Well—" she clapped her hands "—if we're gonna make some food, best to get it done now. How good are you behind the stove?"

I hunched my shoulders. "I can make a pretty good grilled cheese…"

She clapped her palm over her face and sighed. "Okay then… Wait for just a moment." She turned to the walk-in fridge and shuffled inside of it for a few seconds. When she walked out, a wide variety of vegetables and herbs formed a small garden in her arms. "Get this chopped up into thin strips. Except for the tomatoes. Save those for the end."

"Um… I'm more of a meat guy."

She plopped the greens on the counter. "But Piper isn't. Plus, you could use some real cooking experience."

Unable to form an argument, I carried out her order without question. If my inexperience wasn't blatant enough, she had to remind me to clean the vegetables before I started cutting.

Sometime in, she made an effort of distracting me. Not by nagging me or criticizing my chopping skills. Rather, she whispered words of her future plans with me once I get her in bed.

"And as you lodge yourself deep in my throat—" She rubbed the front of my pants while hugging me from behind. "—I'll massage these throbbing balls until you blast your hot, creamy load into my stomach."

My hands struggled to hold the knife. On more than one occasion, I almost took off my fingers. "Please, this isn't the time for this. Aren't you busy with your end?"

She glanced towards the sizzling beef and tofu strips on the burner. "They've got a little while to go. Though we can definitely work with a nice vinaigrette."

As if she never spent any time groping me, she returned to her tasks while I finished with mine.

When all was said and done, we laid out platters of immaculate tacos with plenty of options for toppings. The scent of food drew the girls in before we could ever announce dinner was ready. Each and every one of them sat down and helped themselves to the food.

"Once again, you managed to impress me," Katie said. "If you ever want to take me up on my offer, you'll most likely find me in the garden." She pressed a kiss to my cheek and joined the others.

Despite how good the food smelled, I was not going to eat without Annabeth. The girl in question strolled in moments later and claimed my lap for her own. Piper came in shortly after and sat down next to me, taking special care not to draw attention to herself. Whispers of our activities passed between the others when they saw the hickies on her neck.

Annabeth kissed me. "This is pretty good. Who was the cook this time?"

Katie piped up. "That would be Percy and myself. He had no clue about what he was doing at first, but once he was given a direction to work with, he was pretty reliable."

Annabeth laughed, "Sounds about right. Absolutely clueless would describe this Seaweed Brain perfectly."

I shrugged sheepishly and kissed her, leaving a smear of vinaigrette on her cheek. Enjoying the brief calm, I rested a palm on Piper's thigh. She hooked her foot around my leg, but said nothing. As before, the moment was squandered. This time, by someone calling my name.

I turned to the speaker. "Yes, Zoë? What's up?"

She cocked an eyebrow and glanced towards the ceiling before shaking her head. "When are we going to address the elephant in the room?"

Though I wanted to comment on her usage of figurative speech, the dread of the conversation at hand took any joy from it.

"I know, I know." I sighed. "When should this whole 'excruciating pain' thing start taking effect?"

"About two weeks," Annabeth said. "Give or take a day, according to what I read about it. It varies depending on the size of the harem. You can't expect one person to sleep with fifty women in a couple days. From the amount of people in this one, I count eighteen if we include the nymphs, he should have about two weeks before anyone who doesn't… grace his loins… starts feeling the effects of the curse."

I gave that some thought. "We'll gather everyone to talk about it the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I want to learn the grounds and formally meet the nymphs."

"Are you sure that's all you've got planned for them?"

I turned towards a smirking Thalia.

"Ha ha, no. I don't have any intention of forcing myself on them."

She shrugged. "Okay. Just so you know, they have the same curse we do. And as nymphs, when their pain starts, it'll be even more unbearable than it is for us."

I clapped my hand over my face and groaned. Of course I'd have to sleep with them too...

"Thanks for the warning. But we'll try and have something figured out in two days. If not, then we'll be open to suggestions. Because I want to make this clear. I didn't want any of this—"

"Oh, for the love of all that is good, please stop saying that!" Rachel interrupted while slamming her head on the table, rattling everyone's plates and probably giving herself a concussion at the same time. She picked her head up and glared at me with a tired expression.

"Dude, none of us are blaming you for this. And we get it. You don't want this. Pretty much all of us were there when it happened. Take it from the Oracle, I knew this was going to happen, and you have nothing to be ashamed of! Now stop moping about it and actually act on your position!"

Along with the rest of the girls at the table, I stared at Rachel, stunned by her words. I shook my head to refocus and took a look at the faces of everyone around the table.

"Is that how you all feel? Are you all really willing to just take this as it is?"

To my shock, almost everyone nodded their head. There were a few who remained impassive, and Hazel fanned her red face with her hand.

"Okay," I said. "Well if you guys are that open to this, I'll see if we can get this over with as quickly and in-awkwardly as possible. Also, I am not going to push myself onto anyone. Even those who might deserve it."

Right on cue, everyone from Camp Half-Blood shot a look at Drew. She returned some of the glares, but mumbled to herself and put her head on the table without any further comment.

With that conversation out of the way, we all dug in to our five star tacos. When people started leaving, I waited for Piper to do the same. Once she did, I hauled Annabeth into the kitchen to help me clean up.

One of the benefits about being a son of Poseidon, washing dishes was second nature. I had everything spotless in a matter of minutes, courtesy of about seven or eight tendrils of water that helped me clean while Annabeth put all of the extra food away.

"Annabeth?" I called.

She poked her head out from behind the fridge door. "Mmm?"

"So I was with Piper earlier today and—"

She swiped her hand through the air, effectively cutting me off. "I don't need the details of what you do with the other girls, Percy. I'm just glad that I get to have you tonight." A mischievous grin crawled onto her face.

"We were interrupted by Drew. Piper wanted me to come over after dinner so we could finish where we started."

As expected, the grin vanished with a brief look of anguish, followed by one of deep thought. "How far did you get?"

I tilted my head. "Didn't you just tell me that you didn't want to hear-"

"I know what I said, but you've made me curious. So how far did you get?"

After relaying the events from Piper's room, Annabeth took a small stroll into the fridge for a cooldown session.

"Jeez, she blue balled the crap out of you two." She pressed her hand to her chin and hummed to herself."You know what, go and get her. Most of this stuff is clean, so I'll finish up and head to bed afterwards. Just know that tomorrow, after your little tour and meet n' greet with the nymphs—" she slinked over and whispered into my ear "—you are mine. Don't you dare make any plans after because we have a lot of time to make up for."

I stared at her, dumbstruck. How did I get this woman in my life?

"Well," she snapped. "Get going before I change my mind."

As if I needed to be told twice. I ran over, picked her up, spun her around in the air and kissed her hard as she giggled. "Love you, Wise Girl."

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain. Now go get your new mistress."