MΛЯK ӨF ΛƬΉΣПΛ

LUCIA COULD FEEL THE COLD PRESENCE and hear the ghostly whispering when she focused her ears. Stories of phantoms and tortured souls had always freaked her out. But feeling them close and personal was a whole other ballgame.

Right then, she also got the gut sense that they were still present, she just didn't know how to make them go away.

When Piper was done explaining what she was thinking, the others looked at her uncomfortably.

Up on deck, Hedge sang something that sounded like "In the Navy" while Blackjack stomped his hooves, whinnying in protest.

Finally Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.

"I've met eidolons," Hazel said. "In the Underworld, when I was...you know."

Dead.

"So..." Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might have invaded his scalp. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or —"

"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Lucia said morosely.

Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true—"

"We have to take steps," Piper interrupted. "I think I can do this."

"Do what?" Percy asked.

"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. She laced her power into her voice. "Everybody stay seated and listen."

"NO!" Lucia shot up so fast, her chair fell back behind her. She stumbled, her back hit the wall. And her heart slammed against her ribcage.

Everyone's attention turned to her. But only Piper could speak.

"Lucia? How-? Wh-are you alright?"

Lucia avoided eye contact, especially Annabeth and Percy's. She reached into her hoodie and took out her iPod. It was simply good luck that she had it on her this time. Quickly she took the headphones and placed them into her ears. "Go on..." She stayed with her back pressed to the wall, refusing to look forward.

Piper looked hesitant, but she met the other's eyes, one person at a time.

"Eidolons," she said, using her charmspeak, "raise your hands."

Lucia heard it as a mumble through the loud riff of Bohemian Rhapsody. She wasn't too sure even with an eidolon inside her if charmspeak would work. But this was the only way she was capable of trying.

There was a tense silence.

Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to—?"

His voice died. His face went slack. He raised his hand.

Jason and Percy did the same. Their eyes had turned glassy and gold.

Hazel caught her breath. Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the other wall. Lucia then felt safe enough to take her headphones off.

"Oh, gods." Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. "Can you cure them?"

Piper looked like she wanted to whimper and hide under the table, but she didn't. She focused on Leo.

"Are there more of you on this ship?" she asked.

"No," Leo said in a hollow voice. "The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live again."

"Not here, you won't," Piper growled. "All three of you, listen carefully."

Jason and Percy turned toward her. Seeing all three boys like that seemed to fuel Piper's anger.

"You will leave those bodies," she commanded.

"No," Percy said.

Leo let out a soft hiss. "We must live."

Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"

Leo turned toward him. "You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment."

Lucia wasn't sure what that meant, but Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking. "I—I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"

"Frank, don't." Hazel rose.

Next to her, Jason drew his sword.

"Stop!" Piper ordered, but her voice quavered. It was obvious that she was rapidly losing faith in her plan. She'd made the eidolons appear, but what now? In the back of Lucia's mind, she could almost hear Gaea laughing.

"Listen to Piper." Hazel pointed at Jason's sword. The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand. It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair.

Percy growled inhumanly. "Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead."

Lucia reached toward him as if to restrain him, but Hazel waved her off.

"Listen, eidolons," Hazel said sternly, "you do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her."

She turned toward Piper, her expression clear: Try again. You can do this.

Piper gnawed at her lower lip and looked beside her, Annabeth gave her the same look, the brunette took a deep breath in.

She seemed to have mustered all her courage. She looked straight at Jason.

"You will leave those bodies," Piper repeated, even more forcefully.

Jason's face tightened. His forehead beaded with sweat. "We—we will leave these bodies."

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew."

Leo and Percy both hissed in protest.

"You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted.

A moment of tension—she could feel their wills fighting against hers. Then all three eidolons spoke in unison: "We promise on the River Styx."

"You are dead," Piper said.

"We are dead," they agreed.

"Now, leave."

All three boys slumped forward. Percy fell face-first into his pizza.

"Percy!"

Annabeth helped Lucia grab him.

He raised his head with a miserable moan, marinara sauce all over his face. Lucia snorted at the sight, she grabbed a napkin and smeared the sauce off with a napkin.

Piper and Hazel caught Jason's arms as he slipped out of his chair.

Leo wasn't so lucky. He fell toward Frank, who did not attempt to intercept him.

The boy hit the floor. "Ow!" he groaned.

"Are you all right?" Hazel asked.

Leo pulled himself up. He had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a 3 stuck to his forehead. "Did it work?"

"It worked," Piper said with confidence. "I don't think they'll be back."

Jason blinked. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"

"I think you should just invest in a helmet." Lucia quipped

The group laughed, exhaling all their nervousness.

Piper's confidence hadn't wavered. "Hey, Lightning boy. Come with me? Let's get some fresh air."

༄

DURING NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, LUCIA WOULD HAVE easily been able to fall asleep. The sun was down and the nightlights in her room were bright enough to keep her from feeling unwell. But she kept tossing and turning. That night, there was a pressure in her chest that made it difficult to do anything but stare at the ceiling. 

In all honesty, she was afraid of what she would see in her dreams. Whether it was a memory of the past or a vague prediction of her future. The point of the matter was that she didn't want to deal with it tonight. She wanted a break, and she didn't want the next day to come by so fast. She was already feeling like the days were slipping from her fingers. And they hadn't even left the United States yet. She knew staying up did nothing to slow down the inevitable. But it gave her time to...just breathe.

She was conflicted in bed. She tried convincing herself to not break the rules. But sometimes, like now, she felt like a little risk could be exciting.

Lucia rose from her bed. Her feet hesitantly touched the tiles of the floor.

Coach Hedge won't find out She heartened, I'll be gone like twenty minutes max. And if I fall asleep, I'll wake up early and sneak back, yeah. yeah, that works!

She made her way outside to his cabin. It was almost three in the morning. That meant it was dark out, so Lucia willed herself to glow. She was dim enough to not wake anybody up but bright enough to leave the tiniest shadow in front of Percy's door.

She put her hand on the doorknob and turned it quietly. Lucia tiptoed on the creaky floorboards to find him sleeping. His face was pained, and Lucia frowned, he was probably having a nightmare.

She snuck closer and sat on his bed. Her light radiated off him, allowing her to see him through the darkness. He had a bad case of bed hair and drool dribbled down his chin. He was rambling in his sleep.

"Suns out, drool boy," she whispered, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Wake up"

His sea-green eyes met her violet ones. At first, Percy thought he was dreaming and asleep. He muttered something, and Lucia giggled.

As his vision cleared, and her laugh reached his ears, he realized she was really there.

She was standing by his berth, smiling down at him. Her violet eyes were bright with amusement.

"Wh—what's going on?" He asked. "Are we there?"

"No," she said, her voice low. "It's the middle of the night."

"You mean..." Percy's heart started to race. "You sneaked into my cabin? At night?"

Lucia rolled her eyes. "This is not the first time I've done something like this don't act so surprised. Plus, we'll both be seventeen in a few months. You can't be that worried about getting into trouble with Coach Hedge. He's not even intimidating."

"Okay but, have you seen his baseball bat?"

She became shy, "Listen...you don't have to. I just thought we could take a walk. We haven't had any real alone time together. I want to show you something—my favorite place aboard the ship. Believe it or not, it's not the sickbay.

Percy's pulse was still in overdrive, but it wasn't from fear of getting into trouble like Lucia thought. "Can I, you know, brush my teeth first?"

Lucia poked his chest. "I'm not kissing you until you do, Drool boy. Also, brush your hair while you're at it."

༄

LUCIA AND HE CREPT DOWNSTAIRS TO THE SECOND DECK, which Percy hadn't explored except for sickbay.

She led him past the engine room, which looked like a very dangerous, mechanized jungle gym, with pipes and pistons and tubes jutting from a central bronze sphere. Cables resembling giant metal noodles snaked across the floor and ran up the walls.

"How does that thing even work?" Percy asked.

"No idea," Lucia muttered. "Annabeth is the only one besides Leo who can operate it. I just like to chime in whenever they start arguing. Annabeth is really funny in Spanish."

"That's reassuring."

"It should be fine." Lucia shrugged, "It's only threatened to blow up once."

"You're kidding, I hope."

She smiled. "Come on."

They worked their way past the supply rooms and the armory. Toward the stern of the ship, they reached a set of wooden double doors that opened into a large stable.

The room smelled of fresh hay and wool blankets. Lining the left wall were three empty horse stalls like the ones they used for pegasi back at camp. The right wall had two empty cages big enough for large zoo animals.

In the center of the floor was a twenty-foot-square see-through panel. Far below, the night landscape whisked by—miles of dark countryside crisscrossed with illuminated highways like the strands of a web.

"A glass-bottomed boat?" Percy asked.

"It's even better in the morning," Lucia grinned, she grabbed a blanket from the nearest stable gate and spread it across part of the glass floor. "Sit with me."

They relaxed on the blanket as if they were having a picnic, and watched the world go by below.

"Leo built the stables so pegasi could come and go easily," Lucia said. "Only he didn't realize that pegasi prefer to roam free, so the stables are always empty."

Percy rubbed his head in the spot where he got whopped by Blackjack's hoof, "What do you mean, come and go easily?" he asked. "Wouldn't a pegasus have to make it down two flights of stairs?"

Lucia rapped her knuckles on the glass. "These are bay doors, like on a bomber."

Percy gulped. "You mean we're sitting on doors? What if they opened?"

"I guess we'd plummet to our deaths." She spoke nonchalantly, "But they won't open. Most likely."

"Awesome."

Lucia grinned. "You know why I like it here?"

"The lighting?"

"Partly, but no." She admitted, "Do you remember our first kiss?"

"In Hephaestus' forge?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"No, the one before that." She hummed out the story. "My dad had died recently—You begged your mom, and saved up money in that Nemo box you used to use as a piggybank; All because you wanted to take me to the planetarium. You only had enough for two tickets so she waited outside. And you did it because I told you I hated nighttime, but I always wanted to see the stars. They were the real light in darkness but—they never appeared in New York City.

"Except, I started crying right before it started because Agatha told me that if I disobeyed and went with you, she would take away my night lights." She took a deep breath in, "I was terrified. You tried so hard to help me but you didn't know what to do. Then the show started. The stars were under our feet. The constellations all shimmered so brightly. I felt like I could touch the world."

She took a deep breath in, "Even though I slept with the lights on that night...That was the first time I ever felt brave. And so, I kissed your cheek..."

His mouth fell open. "You remember all of that? That was almost ten years ago?"

"I remember everything."

"Are you okay?"  He inquired, "I saw how you reacted to Piper, and yesterday when you mentioned...Nemesis."

"Yes," Lucia answered, "Memories sometimes, they just...haunt me."

"I know." Percy held her hand. He began to draw circles on her palm.

"But I feel brave." She admitted, "I do Percy. I've survived this far and I just won't, won't let it be for nothing...I deserve to be happy. We do. We all do. These people, Already, each of us has endured so much. We're brave, good people."

Lucia's voice cracked, and tears spilled down her cheeks. She got lost in her thoughts. "I'm a good person, right?"

Percy's eyebrows knitted together, he captured her face in the palms of his two hands. "Gods, Luz, of course, you are...You are too good sometimes."

"I don't know about that." Lucia sniffled, "I get angry..."

"So?" He shook his head, "We're all angry. The sun can warm and burn at the same time, y'know? It's natural."

Doll-like eyes looked up at him, "That was a good analogy."

"Don't look so surprised,"

A smile fell on her lips, "No, I just meant...I love you. I needed to hear that."

Lucia took out her camp necklace, strung with her colorful clay beads for each year at Camp Half-Blood. Now there was something else on the leather cord: a pearl Percy had given her before he disappeared. He said it was only fair she got her own pendant to match his seashell. Admitting that, the way it glimmered, reminded him of her. He'd brought it from his father's palace at the bottom of the sea.

Lucia continued, "Isn't it crazy how long we've known each other? We were kids, Percy. Can you believe that?"

"No," he admitted. "So...did you know you liked me from that moment?"

She smirked. "Yeah sure, Kelphead."

"Okay, fine."

She leaned over and kissed him. They both sighed at the contact.

When she pulled away, her voice was breathless. "I missed you, Percy."

"I—" His voice drawled, "I kept myself alive almost solely thinking of you."

Lucia opened her mouth to respond,

"Luz," He interrupted hesitantly like he was trying to build up his courage. "in New Rome, demigods can live their whole lives in peace."

Her expression became guarded. "Reyna explained it to me and Annabeth. But, Percy, you belong at Camp Half-Blood with us. That other life—"

"I know," Percy said. "But while I was there, I saw so many demigods living without fear: kids going to college, couples getting married, and raising families. There's nothing like that at Camp Half-Blood. I kept thinking about you and me...and maybe someday when this war with the giants is over..."

"Oh." Lucia's golden aura brightened, she wrinkled her nose in embarrassment. "Sure, just out me like that,"  She murmured with a blush, butterfly wings flapping in her belly.

Percy returned a smile, he reached out to smooth out the wrinkles in her nose.

"First, we have to repair things with the Romans—" She huffed in disappointment, her light dimming. " the two sets of demigods have never gotten along. That's why the gods kept us separate. I don't know if we could ever belong there...but, I guess we can hold out hope."

Unfortunately, that got them thinking about the gods, and the war they were facing.

"I was having a nightmare when you woke me up," he admitted.

He told Lucia what he'd seen. Even the most troubling parts didn't seem to surprise her. She teared up when he described Nico's imprisonment in the bronze jar. She got an angry glint in her eyes when he told her about the giant's plan to destroy Rome which would include their painful deaths as the opening act.

"Nico is the bait," She hissed, "Gaea's forces must have captured him somehow. But we don't know exactly where they're holding him."

"Somewhere in Rome," Percy said. "Somewhere underground. They made it sound like Nico still had a few days to live, but I don't see how he could hold out so long with no oxygen."

"Five more days, according to Nemesis," Lucia said. "The Kalends of July. At least the deadline makes sense now."

"What's a Kalends?"

Lucia explained. "I picked up Roman vocabulary from Annabeth and Jason. It means the first of the month. That's where we get the word calendar. But is it possible for Nico to survive that long? We need to talk to Hazel."

"Now?"

She hesitated. "No. It can wait until morning. I don't want to hit her with this news in the middle of the night."

"The giants mentioned a statue," Percy recalled. "And something about a talented friend who was guarding it. Whoever this friend was, she scared Otis. Anyone who can scare a giant..."

Lucia gazed down at a highway snaking through dark hills. "Percy, have you seen Poseidon lately? Or had any kind of sign from him?"

He shook his head. "Not since...Wow. I guess I haven't thought about it. Not since the end of the Titan War. I saw him at Camp Half-Blood, but that was last August." He frowned, "Why? Have you seen Apollo?"

She didn't meet his eyes.

"Not since the talent show" she admitted. "But—Annabeth saw Athena...I was with her, and it wasn't good. She didn't seem like herself. Maybe it's the Greek/Roman dissociative identity disorder that Nemesis described. I'm not sure. She said some hurtful things. She said she had failed her."

"Failed her?" Percy had disbelief written all over his face. Annabeth was the perfect demigod child. She was everything a daughter of Athena should be. "How could she ever—?"

"Of course, Annabeth didn't! her mom is just being a—," Lucia hissed. "Never mind...But, on top of that, I've been having nightmares of my own. They don't make as much sense as yours..."

Percy waited, but Lucia couldn't share any more details.

She knew he wanted to make her feel better and tell her it would be okay. Lucia knew that he wanted to fix everything for both of them so they could get a happy ending, And after all these years, even the cruelest gods would have to admit they deserved it.

But Lucia had a gut feeling that there was nothing he could do to help her, other than simply be there. Whatever was coming...was coming.

Lucia managed a faint smile. "Some romantic evening, huh? No more bad stuff until the morning." She kissed him again. "We'll figure it out. I've got you back. For now, that's all that matters to me."

"Right," Percy said. "No more talk about Gaea rising, Nico being held hostage, the world ending, the giants—"

"Shut up," she ordered. "Just hold me ocean eyes."

They sat together cuddling. Percy's heart thumped under her as she lay over his chest.

A bit of time passed just like that, and the only sound in the room was their quiet breathing.

Even when Lucia forced herself to shut her eyes, she didn't manage to fall asleep. So she gave up and stared at the stables mindlessly. Her body shifted slightly.

"You're awake?" He asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Yes." She frowned,

He whispered, "Remember, no bad things tonight, Princess. You deserve the rest. "

She looked up at him and nodded, but her eyes looked distracted.

Percy's thumb held her chin and anchored her back to the present.

Goosebumps formed across her skin when his hand went to the nape of her neck, onto her shoulders, and down to her hips.

He gripped her with a gentle firmness. The grip only became firmer as she moved closer, her heart was beating out of her chest when she fluttered her eyes shut.

She sure couldn't think of anything else now.

"Luz?" His voice low.

She never felt hotter.

"Can I kiss you..." He exhaled sharply,

"You better, Kelp head."

His lips pressed to hers sloppily and in an act of blind fervor.

Lucia didn't know what had taken over Percy, this kiss felt almost foreign since it lacked its usual innocence. But she didn't mind it. Not at all.

His nose prodded her chin up to have better access to the skin underneath. Lucia hummed as kisses fell on her exposed shoulder, and ran up her neck to trace the edge of her jaw. When she felt his heavy breath fan her ear, he faltered.

He froze, raising his head to look at her in concern, "We can stop, I mean, we should stop...right?"

Lucia grabbed his pajama shirt by the collar and made a fist. She pulled him to her, slamming her lips onto his hungrily.

Percy let out a low groan against her mouth and she smirked into the kiss.

She pulled herself into him. Onto him. Her body pressed his against the blanketed glass. For a moment, she took a breath, and he chased her lips. His chest rose and fell rapidly.

They looked into each other's eyes one last time. He set his forehead against hers and nudged her nose up so he could have access to where he wanted to be.

Their lips parted then slipped together again, all as they fumbled to take off each other's clothes.

The drone of the ship's engine, the dim golden glow, and the euphoric feeling of being together...

made it the best night of both their lives so far...

A/N: ...oh hey there, so that happened. okay but real talk haha i've always had this scene planned like this and it came out a little more detailed then I intended, i'm kind of worried it's tooooo detailed. I realize it's not mature but it's still up there. So if you guys want me to add a content warning, or dial it down, please just let me know. ANYWAYS. Hope you enjoyed.