The Dorky Sea Prince

Chapter 10

Percy's POV

   I was stumbling through the forest. Since when are there so many huge branches and crap here? I rolled my eyes as I tripped over another obnoxiously large branch. I lay there on the ground for a second, wallowing in self pity. I was about to get up when I heard a snicker from behind a nearby tree.

   "Okay, I know you told me he was a dork, but I never expected this," I heard a girl's voice whisper. It seemed to be coming from all the trees at once and I immediately suspected spying dryads. "Really. You fell in love with this dork. He's good-looking, but-" The voice was cut off, the rest of the sentence muffled like someone had put a hand over the person who was speaking's mouth.

   "Ash, now you understand why I'm worried. So can we leave now before he realizes we're right here?" another voice hissed, sounding worried, annoyed, and frustrated all at once. There was small sounds of struggle before the girl's voice returned, louder this time.

   "What's the big deal, Nico? You want him to know you love him, right?" I thought I could hear a smirk in her voice. There was a gasp from a tree behind me.

   "You did not," the voice breathed, sounding slightly panicked, "just say that out loud." I got up, far from pouting anymore, and faced the tree that let out the gasp. "Ash, you bitch!" There was a snicker from the tree beside the gasping tree. There wasn't any person there, but who's to say they weren't invisible or something? 

   I reached out my hand, touching the gasping tree... Or not. Something stood between the tree and my hand, something invisible. The nearby shadows swirled up and surrounded the spot my hand was on, vaguely making a human shape. When the shadows dissipated, I saw the blushing sight of Nico di Angelo.

   My hand was directly on where his heart should be and I could feel his racing pulse to match his flaming cheeks. He looked down at my hand, pulse speeding up even more, then at the tree beside him, which seemed to be hiding laughter. He returned his gaze to me, his cheeks getting even redder. "Percy, I, uh, she didn't mean-" I cut him off, slamming my lips to his.

Nico's POV

   He cut me off. The bastard kissed me and I felt like fainting because damn. I stood there for a second, too surprised to react, until he balled his hand that was on my chest up, some of the fabric from my shirt in his newly made fist. I finally let my eyes close, pressing back. He ran his other hand up the inside of my thigh, stopping before anything - ahem - naughty could come into my thoughts, but my breathing still hitched.

   My hands were still glued to the tree bark, as if I was afraid to use them for fear of what I might do to him in the middle of the woods. I probably was subconsciously. But they un-glued when his lips slid from mine and ran across my jawline, trailing down to my neck. My hands practically flew up to his hair, my breathing almost stopping when he hit a sweet spot on my collar-bone. Hands balling up into fists, I tried my best not to melt to the forest floor, my knees weak from the intensity of his lips.

   As if sensing I was on the verge of melting, he stopped, his lips tickling their way up to mine, but they didn't press or anything. Just stayed there. Our foreheads touched, and I opened my eyes. Percy still had his eyes closed, brows furrowed, but I could see the smile pulling on the lips that were to be the death of me. Pun definitely intended.

   I heard a cough from beside me, and I instantly remembered the fact that Ash was standing not even ten feet away from the scene. Which means, she saw everything. Including Percy's hand, which was still resting on the inside of my thigh. I quickly slipped out of Percy's grasp, my cheeks burning so much, I was afraid they'd catch fire.