Percy dreamt about the twin giants about how they were waiting for July first, the Kalends of July, a sacred day for Juno to destroy them. And then there was the jar. The jar that someone was locked inside and that they needed alive as bait for the eight who he assumed were the eight demigods of the prophecy.
Nico.
The container was completely sealed. The air was turning poisonous. Nico's eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. He appeared to be meditating. His face was pale, and thinner than Percy remembered. On the inner wall of the jar, it looked as though Nico had scratched three hash marks with his sword—maybe it had been three days that he'd been imprisoned? It didn't seem possible he could have survived so long without suffocating. Even in a dream, Percy was already starting to feel panicky, struggling to get enough oxygen. Then he noticed something between Nico's feet—a small collection of glistening objects no bigger than baby teeth. Seeds, Percy realized. Pomegranate seeds. Three had been eaten and spit out. Five were still encased in dark red pulp.
But then suddenly the panicky feeling that was building inside Percy was washed away by a wave of calm as his lips tingled and the image in front of him dissolved.
When his eyes fluttered open, he was nearly blinded with a purple light before it faded and he realised that Cressida was kissing him, using her powers to calm him down even in his nightmare as he closed his eyes and threaded his fingers through her hair as he kissed her back.
"Are you ok?" she asked when she finally pulled away. Her face was a little flushed as her hair hung down the right side of her face. She always slept with it out because she knew that Percy liked the smell of it as they usually woke up with her back to his chest and his face nearly covered in her hair. It was strange, but then again, so was he.
"Yeah," he breathed. "Bad dream. Are we there yet?"
She rolled her eyes, her indigo irises bright even in the dark which should've answered his question. "It's the middle of the night Barnacle Brain," she said before he saw amusement light up her eyes. "And I find it funny that you'll be seventeen in a couple months and yet you still drool in your sleep. Books is going to love that."
Percy rolled his eyes as he wiped his mouth and then kissed her as if that was a punishment. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"And what will I get in return?"
"My love."
"Already got it. Give me something else."
"I don't know. What do you want?"
Percy watched as she thought about it for a moment before her face lit up with an idea. "Come with me," she said as she yanked the covers off and jumped out of his bed, not bothering to put her shoes on.
"Where are we going?" he asked as she reached the door.
"After everything, you still have no sense of adventure. Why can't your answer be, Let's go? Or right behind you?"
Percy rolled his eyes. "Can I be right behind you after I brush my teeth?"
She gave him a bored look. "We've been on quests together where neither of us has showered for weeks and I just kissed you with drool on your face for probably the millionth time, but sure, brush your teeth first."
"You're ridiculous," Percy chuckled and it felt good to laugh.
"And yet, you love me anyway."
And with that, she headed across the hall to her cabin.
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When Percy knocked on her door later and peeked his head inside, he didn't see her. "Cress?"
"In here," came her garbled reply as she walked out of her bathroom, a toothbrush in her mouth.
"Oh, so you get to make fun of me for wanting to brush my teeth and you do the same thing?"
"You went and did it and I got insecure. Sue me," she returned before she went back into her bathroom to spit out whatever toothpaste was in her mouth and rinse it out.
"Ok, so, what are we doing?" Percy asked and Cressida walked over to her dresser.
"I have presents for you," she said.
His hands wrapped around her from behind as she pulled the top drawer open. "I told you, I don't need presents," he said, his fingers still ghosting over her skin as if he was still gathering up the courage to touch her.
"Well, not both of them are from me," she said as she waited for him to be the one to make contact. "One's from me and one is from your mom. Which one do you want first?"
"Oh my gods, please tell me that my mom's present is cookies. I know I only realised a week ago, but I've been craving them for the last eight months. And it should be a crime to go that long without my mom's blue chocolate chip cookies."
She laughed his favourite sound. "I completely agree but unfortunately that's not her present. She gave me a bunch of letters she'd written for you over the last eight months."
"And you hid them in your dresser drawer?"
"No. I hid them in my bedside table drawer. My present for you is hidden in here."
"And what is it?" he asked as he gripped her hips and spun her around to face him.
"Now that would defeat the purpose, but I'll give you a hint, it's very similar to the gift you gave me two days ago."
"Oh, you got me a charm bracelet?! Now we can match!" he said with mock enthusiasm, and she laughed as she rolled her eyes.
"Not exactly, you absolute child. Let me show you," she said as she reached underneath a pile of folded t-shirts to pull out a small purple box. "Open it."
Percy opened it to find a gold oval-shaped locket engraved with a trident wrapped in grapevines. "It's us," he muttered as he ran a finger over the engraving and her smile just grew.
"Open it," she repeated, and Percy found the little divot in the side that allowed him to pull it open. There were two pictures inside.
The first one was Percy's favourite photo of Cressida. He'd actually taken it himself the summer they started dating. They were on the beach and playing around with her Polaroid camera. She was standing in the water in denim shorts and one of Percy's swim team t-shirts that she'd knotted into a crop top. The sunset was behind her, making her hair look golden as it flowed over her shoulder and she blew the camera a kiss, only Percy knowing that she'd actually been blowing him a kiss.
The second photo was one he'd never even seen before.
It was just a random day like any other. Percy had come back from school. He was tired and he wasn't looking forward to all the homework he'd have to struggle through. He'd thrown his bag down by the door before heading to the kitchen to get something to eat and then maybe starting on his homework after calling Cressida because that always made him feel better. But he'd walked into the kitchen to find the girl herself, laughing with his mom as they seemed to be baking, their fingers stained blue with food colouring. And instantly there was a smile on his face. He didn't even remember what they started bickering about after he hugged and kissed her hello, but he remembered how it ended. It ended with them throwing flour at each other as they chased one another around the kitchen island. And Percy had always had the sneaking suspicion that Cressida let him catch her. She did, not that she'd tell him. He didn't even know his mother took this photo. They were both covered in flour as Percy held her in his arms, an adoring look on his face as she grinned in his embrace. They looked so happy and so normal. Like a pair of lovesick teenagers. His mother hadn't even minded that they got flour all over the kitchen.
"Cress, I - it's beautiful."
She closed the locket as she took it out of the box and then reached around his neck. "And since you don't have a charm bracelet," she said as she undid his camp necklace and slid off a couple beads. "I figured it could live here," she said as she threaded the locket on and then slid the beads back on. And her fingers brushed his neck as she put his necklace back on.
And the second she was done, her dresser drawer slammed shut as Percy pushed her against it, his hand behind her back to cushion any impact as he kissed her. And when he pulled away, he just marvelled at her.
"I just - I can't believe, you hated me when we first met."
She laughed as she stood up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We were twelve. And I was angry at the world and everyone in it. And you...I've never met someone who made me more angry than you did. Then again..." she trailed off as if she'd realised something.
"What?" Percy prompted.
"From the minute we met, you weren't scared of me the way everyone else was. I think I knew, even then, that you'd be the person who broke through that wall and finally got me to feel something more than anger and hate. I think I was just scared of that."
"Well," Percy said as he pecked her lips. "I for one, am extremely proud of you and how far you've come. I mean, from being a complete outcast to being camp leader? I'd say that's an improvement."
"You know what hasn't improved? Your Positive Thinking Percy Jackson Plans. They sucked when we went to the Underworld and they still suck now."
"And you're still alive, aren't you?"
"But for how long?" she grinned.
He mirrored her smile as he thought about the past. "Can I prove you wrong about that whole sense of adventure thing?" he asked, and curiosity lit up her expression.
"How?"
And he took a step back as he grabbed her hand. "Follow me," he said as he pulled her out of her room and towards the stairs that led above deck, and she had a wicked smile on her face as she happily followed after him.
It was a clear night, and they were so high up that there was no light pollution as an entire milky way shimmered above them, the moon a beautiful crescent in a blanket of stars.
"Ok, you led me up here, now what?" Cressida asked as Percy led her to the starboard side of the ship.
"Now, we're going to pretend like we're not on some dangerous quest with basically everyone in the world out to kill us. We're going to pretend like we're just two normal teenagers in love-"
"Which we are."
"-and we're going to dance under the stars."
Her eyes twinkled like the stars above them at his idea. "Ok," she said as he took her hands. "You're winning me over with that whole adventurous thing."
"Just like my plan to make you fall in love with me," he boasted as he swept her up into the same six-step waltz she taught him almost three years ago.
"Was there a plan?" she asked nervously, and his smirk just grew.
"You will never know."
There was no plan. Unless she wanted to do something, there wasn't a way to make her do something. He just enjoyed annoying her.
"Fine," she huffed. "If you must keep that a secret, will you at least tell me what had you so scared in your sleep that I had to calm you down?"
"I don't...I don't want to ruin the moment," he admitted, and she rested her chin on his shoulder.
"I'm dancing with the boy I love under a million stars, I think we'll be ok."
With a deep breath, he told her everything he'd seen, the giant's threat and Nico being imprisoned. Cressida tensed in his arms at the news of Nico.
"The gods only know how Gaia's forces must have captured him. And we have no idea where they're holding him."
"Somewhere in Rome," Percy said. "Somewhere underground. They made it sound like Nico still had a few days to live, but I don't see how he could hold out so long with no oxygen."
"Five more days, if Nemesis is to be believed," Cressida said. "The Kalends of July. At least the deadline makes sense now."
"What's a Kalends?" he asked, and he felt her laugh against him.
"I'd make fun of you but, I didn't even know the term until Annabeth explained it. The amount of research she did on the Romans was insane."
"I don't doubt that," he chuckled.
"But it's where we get the word calendar from. It just means the first of the month."
"So you're born on the Kalends of August?" he asked and she smiled into his shoulder.
"I guess you could say that. I think Annabeth also mentioned some Roman Hope festival also falling on my birthday."
"I like that," Percy said. "I think it's very fitting that you of all people are born on a festival of hope."
"I don't know about that but, as for your nightmare business, we should probably wait till morning to talk to Hazel and Annabeth about it all."
"Why Annabeth?"
"She hasn't told you yet, has she?"
Percy grew nervous. "Told me what?"
"Nothing bad. She just had a bit of an unpleasant conversation with her mother."
"I take it unpleasant is watering it down?"
"Oh, the son of Poseidon with the water jokes. Hilarious."
"Ha-ha."
"But yeah. It wasn't fun. It's her story to tell. When was the last time you saw your father?"
"Not since...Wow. I guess I haven't thought about it. Not since the end of the Titan War. I saw him at Camp Half-Blood, but that was last August after my birthday."
"That's probably a good thing. The Greek/Roman schizophrenia thing is no joke. My father was a cakewalk compared to Annabeth's mother and - oh!"
She cut herself off as Percy spun her around and dropped her into a dip.
"Ok," he said as she held onto his neck, her hair dangling down as it floated with the cool breeze. "I brought you up here in an attempt to be a romantic boyfriend that wants to make up for eight months of not seeing you, and you...," he paused to peck her lips, "...are ruining it."
Her laugh was a sound he wanted to hear forever, and he knew he was right about her birthday. Her laugh, he'd realised, was a hopeful sound.
She laughed as she tilted her head back, arching her body even more before she looked back at him. "Ok, strangely romantic Captain Nemo," she said. "I promise no more talk of Gaia rising, or nightmares, or the world ending or giants and -"
And he shut her up with a kiss.
"Drama Queen, just dance with me. Our problems are still going to be there tomorrow."
Her nail grazed his skin as she trailed her finger down his jaw. "Gladly. And shall we spend the night in your cabin or mine?"
He considered it for a second. "Yours. Your bed is softer than mine."
"Debateable."
"Just dance with me."
And their smiles were brighter than the stars that they waltzed under.