"That was badass," Percy exclaimed as he led his girlfriend through New Rome, their hands joined. "I mean, no one, including me, has the guts to say no to Reyna. Then again, you knocked over the Lord of the Underworld, told off the queen of the gods probably more than once and shoved Artemis to the ground. So, I'm not surprised. But still, Reyna-"
"Ok," Cressida interrupted. "We're alone together for the first time in almost eight months and you really want to spend it talking about another girl?"
Percy came to a screeching halt. "You're right," he said as he turned to her, specifically the smirk on her face. "I'd much rather spend it doing this."
And her smile was giddy as he leaned down to kiss her. And everything was simply ok again.
And when he pulled away, Percy was studying her face as if he was trying not to forget it again.
"Are you ok? Like really ok?" Percy asked her as her fingers gripped his toga.
"I-I'm just...I'm just really scared that now I've found you, I'm going to wake up and you'll be gone again. I can't do that again, Percy. That was one of the worst days of my life was waking up, and you being gone and not knowing what happened. And then Chiron tried to convince me that you left and..."
Her voice broke as Percy pulled her into a hug, wishing more than anything that he could erase her pain, any of it; all of it.
"Cress, I would never leave you. I wish I could take it all back and undo all the pain you felt in the last eight months. But I can't. But what I can do," Percy said as he pulled back. "I can promise that I'm never going to vanish like that again. Because if Hera or another god or monsters or mortals or mythical creatures or anything else wants to kidnap me or take me away, they've got to take both of us, because I will never be separated from you like that again. I swear it on the River Styx."
Her eyes widened. "Percy you can't -"
"I can and I did. I don't care about the loopholes or the consequences. I may not have been awake for more than a week but from the second I woke up I knew something was missing. And now that I have you back, I don't feel that way anymore."
"Wow. You are way better at this reassurance thing than I will ever be," she exhaled, and Percy just grinned.
"I don't know by what miracle you agreed to be my girlfriend, but I figure I have to keep you happy for you to keep taking pity on me. Which reminds me..." he trailed off as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue box. "We both went on quests without each other, which was definitely a first, but if there's one tradition I will never break, it's this one." And he pulled the lid off the box to reveal the charm that sat inside.
And Cressida's jaw dropped as her insides melted.
"You...But how?"
His grin grew. "It's a Canadian maple leaf," he explained as he took the charm out and slid the box back into his pocket. "On the way to Alaska, we stopped at Frank's grandmother's house for a night in Canada. And don't ask me how she knew who I was or who you were, but she gave me this and she said that I would know what to do with it when the time came. And now, I know, that this belongs... right here," he said as he fastened it onto her bracelet. And ten charms turned into eleven.
"I love you."
Percy froze.
He was right. That's what she'd been about to say on the scroll. He almost couldn't believe it.
"Are you kidding?" he answered, and she rolled her eyes. Only he could answer a love declaration with a stupid question and make her love him all the more for it. "I thought that after everything with Miranda and Castor, I'd have to like beg and plead and jump through hoops to get you to admit that you love me," he said, and she shoved him back as he laughed. "Because I've been in love with you probably since we met, though I probably only realised it when Aphrodite spelled it out for me in that limo two years ago."
"Then why didn't you say anything?!"
"The same reason why you lied to me on Olympus about our first kiss. I never thought in a million years that you'd feel the same way. I mean, have you seen you? You are way out of my league. I was lucky to have you as a friend and there was no way I was going to risk that."
"Of course, I lied to you! We were fourteen. I wasn't about to admit that I had a crush on you when I wasn't completely certain you felt the same way."
"Well," Percy said with a smirk as he yanked her to him by her hips. "Does me saying that I love you too make my feelings clear enough for you to put your heart on the line?"
She twined her arms around his neck, every touch of her skin on his set his nerves on fire. "Hmm, I think you need to be a little more clear than that."
"Oh, I get to kiss you. Yay!" he said like a little kid before their lips met again. "Gods, your kisses are like magic," he said between kisses.
"God of pleasure's daughter, remember?" she replied.
"I'm starting to, but I think I need another kiss to completely remember."
"Oh, before I forget, I have a present for you as well, but it's on the ship. There are actually two."
"I keep telling you, I don't need presents from you."
"Yeah, but you do and say all these nice things for me and -"
"Cress," he interjected. "I don't need any of that. I just need you."
"See! You're just proving my point."
"Ok. How about we get back to the point of this tour?" he said as he gripped her hand again and they began walking.
"Fine. And while you're at it, you can tell me that idea you had that made you look as nervous as when I almost joined the Hunters."
Percy went beat red again.
"Well," he said after taking a deep breath. "I was thinking-"
And Percy was cut off as the ground shook and they grabbed each other for balance.
"What the hell was that?" Cressida asked.
Percy looked over to the ship. "I think it fired on the camp."
"That's impossible. Leo would never-"
Cressida was cut off as the Argo II launched a second volley. Its port ballista fired a massive spear wreathed in Greek fire, which sailed straight through the broken dome of the Senate House and exploded inside, lighting up the building like a jack-o'-lantern.
"Di immortales! I have to get on that ship," Cressida said before Percy grabbed her hand.
"I'm coming with you," he said.
"But -"
"But nothing. Never separated again, remember? Let's go."
And their tour - not that there'd been much of one - was scraped as they went running for the ship, hand-in-hand.