Cabin 13

62| A Dash of Gay Panic

Nico was sleep-deprived. 

No, Percy's skin wasn't  smooth as marble nor his hair black blotting ink like the night sky. But his vision was blurring, and the evening ocean scene behind the sea demigod was ethereal. His body lay sprawled out on the main deck, one arm over the side, fingertips barely skimming the water. 

Nico slumped further down, leaning into the wheel he was supposed to be manning. The sun was going down, darkness seeping in at a rapid pace. They were the only two still above deck, the rest discussing plans down below. Unfortunately, the pair had found leaving the boat unattended—even for a bathroom break—wreaked issues. 

Nico steered and Percy made sure they still had a ship to steer. Every so often the water threw a bit of a tantrum he had to deal with. Not to mention the mental map Nico currently navigated with proved to be completely nonsensical and demanded constant focus. His eyes, and only his eyes, could find the glowing blue path just beneath the surface of the water. It swerved and appeared to take them in loops but deviating, even slightly, from it got them lost. Experience proved that fact. So far, they'd added six hours to their journey by trying to cut corners. Another, convenient, addition to Nico's mental GPS was the countdown to arrival. Though perhaps discouraging. 

3:12:06

"What's the time?"

"Five minutes less than the last time you asked."

Percy groaned. "I'll be dead before we even get there."

"What, the ocean finally win?"

"Boredom."

He rolled his eyes. 

Percy pushed himself up on his elbows, glancing over to him. "You on the other hand look like you're about to pass out. Did you get any sleep before we left?"

Nico pushed his face into his arm, hiding a grimace. Did he sleep last night? No. A certain blond lapdog had woken him in the night. A certain conversation in the hotel hallway had kept him up. And watching a certain occurrence between the pair in the hotel pool from his room window threw away any chance of sleep at all. Stupid Percy Jackson.

"No."

There were a few minutes of silence as Percy laid back down and Nico kept his eyes on the glow. The tension seemingly dissolved. Unlike with the others, he could catch his breath in these pauses. 

"Neeks?"

"15 minutes less than the last time you asked."

"Not that."

Nico raised his head. "What?"

"The girl we're going to rescue, she was my girlfriend?"

"Still is."

Another bout of silence.

"Why can't I remember her?"

"Because when Annabeth died..." He hesitated. "You went off the deep end. Piper used Charmspeak to make you forget. Turns out she's still alive, but Piper has no idea how to bring your memories back."

Percy's hand returned to the water, his fingers gliding through it. "Those memories. Annabeth. With her, I was someone else?"

"Yeah. You were happier. Kinder." He shrugged. "She dulled your edges. Kept you on the right track."

"So then what was it like before? Between you and I."

He didn't like where this was headed. How did he even answer that? Different, yet at the same time almost entirely the same. 

Nico shrugged. "You didn't pay me much mind."

He stopped, blinking. "No?"

"I was something more of a little brother, I think," he finished with a grimace. 

Percy laughed. "Step-brothers hopefully."

"Shut up!" He sighed, staring back out onto the water. 

The sea seemed calmer now, a gentle salty breeze brushed through his hair. The sun was just beginning its downward descent, turning the sky into soft tints of purple. 

"Back then, I had feelings for you that went unreturned." 

It was only silent a moment, which was plenty of time for Nico to regret his words. 

"And now?"

"Things are different now. You're not my type."

His eyes cut to him with a grin. "I find that  hard to believe. Come on, I'm everybody's type, Neeks."

Nico scoffed. "Don't get an ego just because you stole Piper's boyfriend."

Percy pushed himself back up, looking at him curiously. "You were watching us last night. From the window."

He froze, eyes snapping to meet Percy's gaze. How on earth—

"You shouldn't spy on a son of Poseidon while he's in water. Heightened senses and all."  He shrugged. "So, wanna explain yourself?"

He'd rather drown. 

Nico's entire body froze up. Mind a blinking cursor. The only thoughts upstairs consisted of wishing he were anywhere else. The Underworld was sounding just peachy right about now.

"No?" Percy pushed himself up. "I can't help but speculate," he continued, stalking closer to the helm, "that perhaps that kiss of ours back at the hotel maybe... changed your mind on some things." 

Nico's gaze immediately cut into a glare. "That's ridiculous," he bit with a scoff. 

"Then do help me understand," he drawled, lazily leaning up against the wheel. 

"The two of you are wild cards," Nico said, avoiding Percy's smirking eyes. "Leaving you unsupervised is asking for trouble."

"So you did watch the whole time. To, uh, supervise, that is."

Nico could feel the grin stretching on his face. The insinuation made him want to squirm. Yes, he'd seen it all. Or at least understood what went on when his shame had forced him to look away. 

"Did you like what you saw?" His voice was a low whisper now. 

If they'd been on land, he would have cracked open the earth—though he wasn't sure if that impulse came from wanting an escape himself or craving to drag Percy into the depths of hell. 

Nico was slipping, his perception tilting.

"Guys! What's going on?"

No. The boat  was tilting.

He cursed, throwing Percy off the wheel. Wrenching the ship back onto the glowing pathway in the water, his mind scrambled. They'd almost veered off course. Again.

Will frowned, leaning in the hatch leading below deck. "Guys? What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing." Nico shook his head.

Percy let out a small groan, laid out on the wood of the deck. 

Pulling himself up, Will walked up behind him, focusing on the horizon ahead. "What's our time?"

"It'll be another two and a half hours."

Will nodded, before peering down at Percy. "Should I stay up?"

Catching his eyes, fervently, Nico nodded. He tensed, shying. "I mean, might help keep me awake." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And him focused."

"Boring," Percy huffed.