The Sea Prince (Percy Jackson and Avengers crossover)

10

~Percy~

After showing Nico and Will two free rooms, I pulled Annabeth with me to my own. Everyone at camp had long since given up trying to stop us sleeping together, since they realized when we were with each other, the screams stopped. 

Yeah, me and Annabeth both had nightmares of the Pit. Really, all we needed was each other to know that we were safe. After like, three days back at camp Annabeth had started sleeping in the Poseidon cabin. No one argued, because I doubted they could sleep through the night because we'd wake up screaming unless we were together.

So I pulled Annabeth to my room happily, and boy. I didn't want to admit it, but I'd missed her so so much. With her there, laying by my side and breathing peacefully, the ever-present lines on her face gone, she looked like an angel. 

That night was the best sleep I'd had in a long time.

~Steve~

I was surprised when Percy wasn't waiting for me to wake up this morning. Then I smiled to myself a little, thinking of the scary blonde he seemed so happy with. He was probably getting a good rest for the first time since he'd arrived.

Almost every night, Percy would hide himself away in the pool room, saying being near the water helped with the dreams a little. Whatever the case, it had seemed to work, just a little. We'd all eventually gotten used to his screams, and began sleeping though it. So that's probably why I didn't notice when he didn't wake screaming last night.

Percy wasn't in the kitchen, but the dark boy, Nico, was. He had his head resting on one hand, and was messing with something on the counter.

"What're you working on?" I asked him curiously. He jumped and turned around, then seemed to relax a little.

"Just a sketch. Helps clear my head sometimes, though they aren't that good."

"Can I see?" I asked, moving to the fridge to get some eggs.

Nico hesitantly turned the sketchpad around, showing me a beautiful depiction of a girl with frizzy hair and a kind light in her eyes. 

"My sister," Nico told me quietly, not meeting my eyes. "Hazel. She's away in California right now. I keep thinking about her. So I was working on this."

"That's really good," I told him truthfully. "I like the way you expressed the light in her eyes. I always mess up the eyes when I try to draw people. Random nature things and still life pictures are more my strong suit."

Nico seemed to relax just a little bit more, his dark shell maybe melting a little. "It's all about the shading, and the eyebrows actually. Eyebrows are surprisingly expressive." He advised. I nodded to myself.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

There was a pause, then, "You're the guy that got stuck in ice, right?" Nico asked cautiously, quietly.

I nodded. "Went down in the 40s when we were still at war. Woke up not too long ago. It's strange, feeling like I missed so much."

Nico nodded in understanding. "Tell me about it."

"You too?" I asked, very surprised.

"Yeah. Early 40s, like you. Before the war though. Hazel's from the same time. She should actually be older than me, but... it's complicated."

I was incredibly confused. How had this fourteen year old boy lived in the 40s? How had he gotten frozen? What about his sister? What was going on?

"Nico?" A voice asked behind me. I turned to see the blond, Will, I think, walking over. "Did you get any sleep?" He asked, his voice authoritative.