Fate was an extraordinary thing.
And despite their worries about Annabeth, Percy made a promise, and they were doing this for her. It was actually quite easy to forget what else was happening with their ADHD.
They held hands as they navigated the winding streets, dodging cars and crazy Vespa drivers, squeezing through mobs of tourists, and wading through oceans of pigeons. The day warmed up quickly. Once they got away from the car exhaust on the main roads, the air smelled of baking bread and freshly cut flowers.
And Percy was a perfect gentleman.
He'd wanted to buy her a flower but was pretty disappointed when he realised that they didn't have any Euros to spend. At least until Cressida pulled out the purple card her father gave her from her boot.
"I thought you left that in Long Island," Percy had said and she shrugged before she handed it to him.
"I thought I did too. But it appeared in my cabin last night after you fell asleep. I think Papa knew I'd need it," she said by way of explanation before he paid for the flower - a single rose that he presented her with. Cressida blushed as she took it, smelling it before he took it back, snapped the stem and tucked it behind her ear.
They went from place to place, each store and market equally as enticing and beautiful as the last. Some sold wine, others jams, flowers, bread, and just about anything else they could imagine.
Percy however, tugged her over to this little touristy stall that was covered in merchandise with the Italian flag on it.
And he'd found a tiny charm that he insisted he had to add to her charm bracelet to commemorate their first trip together and the fact that they made it to Italy.
Cressida had blushed again before speaking to the stall owner in Italian as she asked about the price and translated it for Percy to pay the man. He said thank you the way she'd taught him to and then happily attached the charm to her bracelet.
It felt like she was floating as he kissed her. She was standing in the city of Rome, in Italy, with the guy she loved. And for a split second, everything was perfect.
They were pulled apart by the vendor saying something else that made her smile grow.
"What did he say?" Percy wondered as she looked up at him.
"That the reason he wanted to have a stall like this was so loving couples like us could commemorate their adventures together. We've made his day by coming here."
Percy just kissed her again, before they both thanked the man and continued on.
The card then paid for some sodas that they sipped on as they walked through the streets of Rome, Percy with his arm around her as they simply enjoyed the moment, pointing out different things that caught their eye to one another.
As lunch rolled around, they found this cute little café near the Colosseum, with tables that looked over a river.
Even though it was noon, the place was empty. They picked a table outside by the river, and a waiter hurried over. He looked a bit surprised to see them—especially when they said they wanted lunch.
"American?" he asked, with a pained smile.
"Si," Cressida answered.
"And I'd love a pizza," Percy said.
The waiter looked like he was trying to swallow a euro coin. "Of course, you would, signor. And let me guess: a Coca-Cola? With ice?"
"Awesome," Percy said. He didn't understand why the guy was giving him such a sour face. It wasn't like Percy had asked for a blue Coke.
Cressida, however, had laughed at the scene before she ordered some fancy pasta and opted for a lemonade to go with it. The waiter's smile seemed a little more genuine at that before he hurried away.
"What's so funny?" Percy asked and she smiled at him.
"Well, firstly is that Italians don't put ice in their drinks. And I think Annabeth said that they eat a little later in the day. Not to mention that they only do pizza for tourists," she answered, and he just shrugged.
"Oh." Percy shrugged. "The best Italian food, and they don't even eat it?"
Cressida laughed again. "I don't think many other Italians share the same opinion. And I wouldn't mention that in front of the waiter."
"Whatever," Percy said before he leaned around the table and slid Cressida's chair closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder as their fingers tangled together and they stared out Rome.
While he'd love to do nothing but stare at her for hours on end, this was nicer, to just be closer, to be together in the warm Italian sun.
And while Cressida felt so at peace that she was tempted to doze off, Percy was plagued with more of his insecurities.
She sighed. "Stop feeling guilty," she admonished. "So what you lost the fight? Swords can't solve every problem. Annabeth told you before that strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes. And it was your idea that saved us. Your Positive Thinking Percy Jackson plan worked."
In spite of himself, Percy smiled. "How do you do that? You always know what I'm thinking."
"Because I know you," she answered as she squeezed his hand.
"And you like me anyway?" he blurted, and she tilted her head up to look at him as it still rested on his shoulder.
"And I love you anyway," she said before pouting her lips and he was more than happy to oblige. "But you can't carry the weight of this entire quest on your shoulders. Because, unlike me holding the weight of the sky, that's impossible. That's why there are eight of us, Barnacle Brain."
"I missed you," he confessed. "For months. A huge chunk of our lives was taken away. If I lost you again—"
"And I wish we could get back that time," she said, cutting him off. "And I don't even know if we can make up for lost time after this quest, but do you remember what I said to you that night we sat on the roof of my cabin, ate grapes and watched the stars?"
His smile was small. "That we were savouring whatever moments we could before Kronos threw everything he had at us and we probably died."
"I'm sitting at a café overlooking a river in the middle of Rome with the boy I love. So can we just, savour this?"
His hand slid up her jaw to cup her face as he lowered his lips to hers, softly, lovingly.
"We can definitely savour this," he agreed, and the waiter picked a perfect time to bring over lunch. He looked much calmer and apparently decided to forgive Percy the clueless American and Cressida the less clueless but still clueless American.
Cressida thanked him before asking if he could bring them some water in perfect Italian to which he nodded. And when he came back, he nodded towards the river and said, "It's a beautiful view. Enjoy, please."
Once he left, they ate in silence. The pizza was a bland, doughy square with not a lot of cheese. Maybe, Percy thought, that's why Romans didn't eat it. Poor Romans.
Cressida had laughed at him before feeding him a few bites of her pasta that was exquisite.
"Ok, why does yours taste like it was made for the gods and mine tastes like uncooked dough?" he asked after his widened at the explosion of flavour after the first bite.
She laughed again. "Because I told you, Italians don't like pizza. Want another bite?"
He just held his mouth open as she rolled her eyes and fed him another forkful.
"We could just get you your own pasta," she suggested as she took her own bite and then gave him another as he opened his mouth.
"But having you feed me is so much better," he said as he held her wrist and made the fork fly through the air before it landed in his mouth.
"You are such a child," she said but there was nothing but smiles between the two of them before Percy tugged her onto his lap and they took turns eating her pasta, Percy's pizza laying abandoned on the other side of the table. They didn't need to talk at all as they simply enjoyed each other's company.
It was perfect.
It was absolutely and utterly perfect.
But like every other perfect moment in their lives, it ended.
Percy had been about to feed Cressida a bite of pasta when the fork froze centimetres from her mouth.
"I swear to the gods if you put that in your mouth," she warned as she turned to him, but his eyes weren't on her. They were on something by the river.
"No, but...I hate to ruin the moment, but just please tell me that's not Annabeth," he said, and her eyes widened as she turned to where he was looking.
Annabeth was standing on the banks of the river talking to a very elegant-looking man and woman. And they watched as their friend handed over the letter and the bronze disc that was the map, and it clicked.
"That's Tiberinus. The god of the Tiber River. Annabeth was supposed to give him that letter from Chiron's brothers."
They were both on their feet now, pressed against the railing of the outdoor balcony. As they watched them talk.
"I wish we could hear what they're saying," Percy said and Cressida's eyes landed on a single man who was sitting near the bank by himself as he fed some ducks.
"Wish granted," Cressida said as she let fire form into her hand before she blew it and Percy watched the little fireball hit the man who was sitting nearby, Cressida's eyes aflame as she gave a single command, "Listen."
And it was as if his ears were her own as she heard Annabeth say, "But what about my friends? How long would I be away from them?"
The woman laughed sweetly. "That depends on you, Annabeth. Your friends will be confronting the giants. Their way is made clear in the knife of your friend Piper. They have less time than they realised to save your friend inside the jar."
Annabeth took a shuddering breath as she shouldered her backpack. "I'm ready."
The woman smiled at her. "Come, Annabeth, my dear. We will show you where your path starts. After that, you're on your own."
And Annabeth climbed onto the back of the scooter with the man and the woman as they disappeared into the streets of Rome and Cressida released the man from her control.
"What happened? What did they say?" Percy asked as he saw the worried look on her face and she simply grabbed his hand.
"We have to go! I'll explain on the way! We're already running out of time!" she blurted rapidly before they broke into a sprint away from the café and he didn't question it as he followed after her.
But boy was he worried when she told him what she overheard.