Hello

Chapter 8

"Third time in a row, I can't believe you keep beating me." Nico laughs, sitting with his legs crossed right at the edge of the platform while Percy floats in the water with his arms crossed on top of his little island. They are playing a strategic card game, Nico had called it, with rules far too complex for Percy to memorize completely. He's not sure if Nico is letting him win, or if maybe he's actually kind of good.

Percy makes a small, pleased sound at the back of his throat and lets Nico shuffle the cards again. When Nico had come in unusually early this morning, Percy had been afraid something, somewhere had gone wrong, but as it turned out Nico just wanted to keep Percy some company – more than the usual three words they had time to exchange.

"How are you doing this?" Nico leans forward, the grin on his face way more prominent today than it has been over the last few weeks they interacted. "Tell me your secrets." It's obvious that Nico is only teasing, but Percy finds himself laughing and blushing nevertheless. Even though the island is right in between them, Percy moves forward just a bit. After having seen Will fall into the tank and hurt himself, Percy is always a little weary when anyone walks or sits close to the edge – better be close so he can prevent the worst.

Nico's cheeks go pink too, but Percy has a feeling it's for an entirely different reason than his own blush. Percy decides it's probably for the best not to dwell on that.

"Can I ask you something?" Nico murmurs all of a sudden, staring at the cards in his hands instead of anywhere near Percy. Since Nico can't see him nod, Percy hums lightly, hoping it will have the same effect. When Nico looks up after all, he's worrying his lower lip between his teeth like he's afraid whatever he's got to say won't bode well with Percy. "You understand our language, you can write it...I, um, I've heard you sing it." Nico scratches the back of his head a little embarrassed, even though Percy should be the one who feels that way. He's still a little sore about the incident where the whole centre ended up watching and listening to him sing... Taking a deep breath, Nico finally gets out his actual question: "Why don't you speak?"

At some point, Percy probably should have expected this question to come. Right now, it takes him entirely off guard though, and he shakes his head frantically when he remembers the shame and ridicule that came with his first attempts. There is nothing that will make him forget that feeling.

Nico frowns. He doesn't grin, or laugh, or belittle Percy's obvious discomfort, instead he's just looking at him curiously like he's trying to figure out what it is that has Percy so scared.

After Nico leaves – the question pretty much ruined Percy's mood – Percy spends most of his day in the water. He floats just under the surface, looking out at the few rays of sunshine filtering through the glass dome above, and pouts.

Of course, he wants to talk. If communicating wasn't such a hassle, Percy doubts he'd ever shut up. There is so much he has to say, so much he wants to ask, so many answers he can give; but writing everything down with wet fingers and faint pencils that never really fit into Percy's clawed fingers is almost never worth the effort.

He wonders if, maybe, his kind wasn't made for speaking human words, that their vocal cords are different and not equipped to emit the same sounds. Percy remembers a time when he lived in the ocean, when his kin sang with the whales and mimicked the dolphins to animate them to play. They didn't only live under the water's surface though, some hunted above, sang above, rested above. They lazed in the sun, and they talked then too. Percy remembers stories of sailors lured onto islands and into shallow water, to play his mother used to say in sharp tones. Somehow, they must have understood each other... Percy doubts he could seduce anyone to swim with him with Morse code alone.