Darkness & Sea Go Hand-in-Hand [Hiatus]

5

"So where are we now?" Annabeth asked, eating half a blue cookie. "We're kinda getting low on food."
She gestured to the bag of cookies, only five left.

Percy, who was looking ahead, answered "We should be near Florida or Georgia right now. We might reach Mexico or Texas by tonight or tomorrow morning. After that, we should be able to go on land. 'Journey by sea half the way until it's safe on land,' right?"

"Hopefully this food lasts us until then," Nico said. "It's pretty cheap in Arizona, depending where you get the food from."

"If there's still dangers and Arizona wasn't the right 'half way' we thought," Percy suggested. "I'll just go find some undersea monster we can eat."
Nico and Annabeth both stared at him like he was crazy.
Which he kinda was.
"Just a suggestion. You know what they say; Desperate times call for desperate measures."

As Nico leaned over the boat, touching his fingers to the surface of the water, Annabeth scooted next to Percy.

"Perce, we need to talk." she whispered, not wanting Nico to hear.

Percy, his eyes darting to Nico for second, looked at the ocean. When he turned back to Annabeth, she nodded.

"Hey, Neeks," he said as he began leaning over the boat. "Me and Annabeth need to talk about something. We'll be back in a moment."

Looking at the two, then the water, Nico nodded.
"Just...don't take too long. I don't wanna waste time."

Nodding, Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and pulled her into a bubble underwater that he made.

"So what is it, Wise G-"

Annabeth pressed a finger to his lips.
"Percy, I think we should...we should..."

Percy tilted his head a bit, brushing a hand through Annabeth's hair.

"I see how you look at him, Percy. You should..."

Percy raised an eyebrow, a blush spreadin across his face.
"Annie, what do you mean? Look at who like what?"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

Percy sighed.
"Okay...Maybe...Maybe I do kinda like him..." he shook his head. "But you are my girlfriend, Wise Girl. My best friend. I-"

She pressed her hand against his mouth.
"And I think we should only be best friends. If you like him...go for it. I'll support you, Seaweed Brain."

Crossing his arms, Percy shook his head.
"I'm not sure, Annie. I don't want you to hurt. And what if he rejects me? I don't even know if he's into guys!"

Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder.
"Then ask him. And if he doesn't like you, you and me can still get back together, if you want."

Sitting back against the bubble, focusing as not to pop it, Percy thought about it for a second, then shrugged.
"So...just friends, now?"

Annabeth nodded.
"Just friends."

After a moment, he scratched the back of his head.
"Honestly, I was kinda trying to think of non-painful ways for breaking up, but that was pretty quick."

She laughed and kicked his shoulder lightly.
"Ya, but that just means just a few seconds more to confess."

Percy looked up at the bottom of the boat; which rocked a bit, just as Nico's sword fell into the water.

"Oh no..." Annabeth mumbled, just before Percy controlled the water to surge them and Nico's sword upwards onto the boat.

That's when the two spotted what made the stygien sword fall:
A flock of stymphalian birds.