'This place is protected by an enchantment. No monsters can ever reach here,' Luke explained. The boy nodded vaguely, allowing himself to be supported by Luke's strong arms as they swam towards the bank. 'It's a safe haven for us companions of the gods.'

The boy pulled himself out of the water and up to the ground, Luke steadying him up with a hand on his lower back. He was still shivering, Luke noted silently, when he asked, 'You're a companion of the gods?'

'Along with the creatures living on this island. The Fortunate Isle was favoured by the gods enough that they often came here to rest and hold parties, accompanied and attended by the nymphs and satyrs. Lately they were not here much, so the outer part of the island became infested by monsters and occasionally, humans,' the last sentence was an indirect accusation, although Luke meant it to be a tease.

The boy glared at Luke, before abruptly facing the other way.

Strange.

They began to move towards the cove, the boy walking along the bank as Luke swam to catch up. The lake was eerily silent. After all, this was the first time a human set foot here in hundreds of years, so it would be quite a shock to the islanders. Understandably, there were no nymphs in sight.

'Y'know, I never asked why you're looking for the Cove.'

'I'm looking for the treasure. Obviously.'

Brat. 'Obviously there are other treasures that won't cost you your ship and your crew.'

'Would it be so hard for you to not get on my nerves, just for once?'

'That's an actual reasoning, Cap'n. I see no point in taking great risks of sailing through cursed waters and struggling in a mythical, dangerous island only to have it end like… this.' He gestured in emphasis of the boy's condition.

That touched a nerve.

He could see how the boy struggled to refrain himself from punching him right there and then. But all he received was not a fist to his face, but a compass on his hand, roughly shoved onto his palm. It was a small pathetic thing, the metal dented on the side, the chain rusted beyond compare. Looking at the boy, whose arms were crossed with a scowl on his face, Luke found the knob and clicked it open.

The face of the compass was an empty expanse of faded white, its needle a kind of metal Luke suspected to be bronze, the framework intricate and complicated. There was no direction written or drawn. He wondered if it could even work with such bizarre machineries.

Though there was one thing that sparked his interest. 'It's pointing to me.'

'It's broken. It was a gift from my mother. I've been surviving all these while following wherever it pointed to,' The boy seemed to noticed Luke's grin and snapped, 'when it's working anyway.'

'What a thoughtful lady, giving such a… charming gift.'

'She's a goddess, what do you expect.'

'Oh, I can tell you what I exactly expected, because my father's a god, too.'

Silence descended upon them, as the boy gave him a funny look, his eye narrowing at him in an adorable glare. 'You're a merman.'

'Okay, I believe we had a very rocky start. We should probably start over again.' Their beginning felt like a joke when Luke thought about it. He held his arm up and offered his hand to the boy. As the handshake was received with reluctance, Luke nodded at the boy. 'You start.'

The boy sighed. He sat down on the edge of the bank, and Luke found himself swimming closer. 'Ethan Nakamura. Son of Nemesis,' he paused for a heartbeat. 'Pirate captain, treasure hunter. Survivor.'

Ethan. Luke tried out the name. It sounded nice on his tongue.

'I'm Luke Castellan. My dad's Hermes. He once got himself hitched with a sea nymph, which happened to be my mother. She's kind of mad now, and my dad is up on Olympus minding his own business and forgetting that he has a son.' Well, the look on the boy was unexpected. Luke guessed his bitter sarcasm surprised him. 'I was born on this island by the way, the nymphs being kind enough to raise me. But now I travel the seven seas, I occasionally steal from sailors, and I survive.'

Ethan scoffed. 'Guess we're not so different, after all.'

'Oh, and lately I also happen to be interested in pirate captains, too. Especially the ones who fell into the water a lot and needed saving every time. That's the difference.'

You could say anything you want about Luke being a terrible flirt, but the look on Ethan's face was gold. Blushing a pretty shade of pink, he splashed the water on Luke's face before stalking off grumbling.

xxx

The sun was sinking further down the horizon, the intensity of its rays casting glimmers of light to dance on the water's surface. The nymphs, no longer wary of Ethan because of his association with Luke, appeared out of their hiding places to enjoy the afternoon glow. The dryads danced around in their pretty autumn dresses, while the naiads lazed around in the water, occasionally greeting Luke and playfully teasing Ethan, cooing and giggling over how "cute" he was.

Excuse him. Ethan Nakamura was never cute. It defied the foundation of his life principles.

And that rascal Luke. He could not believe someone had the audacity to say that to him, to flirt with him, especially for someone who had just known him for a few hours. Ethan felt his cheeks warming again, and he dug his nails deeper into his palm.

Cute. What a pile of codswallop. Percy called him that once and Ethan extended his night duties for two additional nights. Alabaster chuckled at him after hearing that and Ethan had told him to shut up. When he said that it was true, Ethan had told him to join Percy.

Sadly enough, these creatures were not a part of his crew. They should thank the gods.

They reached to the edge of the lake that was connected to the Cove. The water there was a deeper shade of blue, clustering moss of every colour decorated the walls that served as the gateway to the Cove. There was no more space for foothold, much to Ethan's dismay. He wondered how the lovers managed to meet each other at the cove hundreds of years ago.

'In case you're wondering, the lovers used to bathe together here every night they met.'

'Stop reading my mind.'

Luke looked at him as if he was crazy, before laughing his damn laugh.

The Lovers' Cove, as insinuated by its name, was a place of lore, of a tale of two lovers. One was a man whose ship was stranded on the island, the other was a naiad whose spirit was bound to the waters of the Cove. The man, a merchant on his way to trade in faraway countries, had to wait for his ship to be repaired, a process that took ten days of their voyage.

The young man had been venturing further into the island, solely out of curiosity, when he discovered the lake. It was a beautiful place, and he saw the gods holding a grand feast by the bank, their celebration tended by magical creatures, nymphs and satyrs alike. It was an impressive sight, but what impressed him the most was the beautiful young naiad accompanying the goddesses, attending after them as they swam in the lake.

Even the goddesses paled in comparison to her astounding beauty.

They fell in love when the man helped her retrieve her stolen precious jewel. They sought for one another secretly at the Cove, meeting up for ten continuous nights, confessing their love and living in their desires. However, the man failed to show up on the eleventh night, having to continue his duties as a merchant and resuming his journey. The naiad was devastated. She wept for months until the water of the Cove turned murky and shallowed, left carelessly unattended.

The gods, having realised what had happened, were not pleased. Not only did the naiad associate herself with a human, such was a forbidden act, she also failed to carry out her duty as well. They transformed her into a spring of water in order to restore the Cove. Not entirely cruel, her spirit was kept in her jewel, hidden together within mounds of gold and silver in a protective enchantment, locked away from eyes of the unworthy, concealed away from men.

Ethan was about to change that. The gods were not exactly unified, and someone had carelessly (or purposely) dropped a map offering an impressive detail of information on how to retrieve the jewel, its value so great that it was beyond the prices of diamonds worn by Victorian queens.

The compass had led him, from years of being a servant boy, a sailor, up until he resorted to a life of piracy, to the map, and to this very moment.

Luke had resurfaced from the water again, his arms spread, beckoning Ethan to get into the water. Again and almost immediately, he felt the urge to make a face. Most probably a glare. He couldn't explain which part of Luke, from that almost-permanent smirk on his lips, or to the cocky eyebrows he's sporting, or his brassy confidence, annoyed Ethan the most. He only knew that he had to resist, he had to show disinterest, because there was something inside him that was flaring, rapidly growing, something that he hadn't felt for years.

And he could not let that happen.

Why? He would deny it with all his heart, but unfortunately, he was afraid.

But Luke's arms, his sculpted strong arms, looked so welcoming. It seemed to be promising something, though Ethan couldn't find the exact reason why. Even the Cove itself was not as such. Beyond it was a cavern half-submerged underwater, the exact location as to where the treasure was kept. Its darkened mouth was sealed shut, and Ethan found himself faltering.

'The naiads wouldn't let you pass this easily if it wasn't for me, y'know.'

He just can't shut up, can he?

Ethan jumped, trying to avoid Luke's hold, trying to prove that no thanks, I can handle this on my own, when he lost his footing and found himself struggling to stay afloat again. Luke was there in less than a second, steadying him up, his arms finding their way around Ethan's waist.

Not again. He managed to embarrass himself for the umpteenth time, and it was with that same creature over and over again.

For the better part, Luke did not comment. He looked at Ethan strangely, tilting his head yet again before looking like he decided against it. 'It' being something Ethan would never know, but he suspected something unpleasant. Probably some bunkums about how he, a pirate captain, was being foolish jumping around in waters he never knew about, or his considerately large ego. He felt his cheeks warming again; they often did lately, and it was not making things easier.

The waters surrounding the Cove were deathly silent. Not a nymph nor any creature was within its vicinity. It was probably a taboo for them; the naiad responsible was ultimately punished after all. In the middle of the cavern's mouth was a single darkened spot, where drops of water drip down in regular intervals. As they approached, Ethan could make out a platform raised underwater, its top a rough version of a bowl, where the water, in a deep pearlescent shade, rippled in different colours.

This was described in the map down to the last detail. Ethan knew what he had to do.

Hand not quite letting go of Luke's arms, he fumbled over the pocket of his pants and retrieved the treasure they had stolen from the city where the brigantine hailed from. The merchant was said to have died from a surviving Roman city, and his few last possessions were kept there over years. Until Ethan's crew came.

'You have it?' Luke's voice was one of wonder.

'Yes, the reason why we were chased by the legion,' he felt his throat tighten, 'and why our ship crashed on the reef.'

The treasure was really not a treasure at all. It was just what Ethan liked to call it. It came with a fancy wooden box ornamented with gemstones, its bolt a fancy and utterly infuriating thing to be unlocked. When the crew discovered it, they had expected gold, or at least some precious stones, but none had expected a cooking utensil.

Well, not really. A silver knife with a piece of paper, its faded surface written in Latin words of, 'to be paid with blood.'

The knife, now clutched tight in Ethan's hand, was slowly unsheathed. For the littlest moment, he looked at Luke from the corner of his eye, his heartbeat pacing up as hesitance slowly returned. To his surprise and relief, Luke nodded. His arms around Ethan's waist tightened. Hope seeped through him just from that little gesture.

He cut his finger. The blood traced a path of crimson as it trickled down Ethan's palm and into the unlikely bowl below, casting another cloud of crimson slowly dissolving into the water. They both held their breath.

The world became red for a second. And then the cavern opened.

Luke met his eyes, and he nodded. Taking a deep breath, they began to dive. Though Luke had let Ethan go, there was always that hand on his lower back, comforting and reassuring. It was a bit anticlimactic when he thought about it. One moment they were bickering, and the next, Ethan could feel how Luke became a source of assurance.

Underneath the water was an impressive sight. Impossible spirals of sea corals grew in kaleidoscopic hues, tall kelps swayed in shades of green, while sea urchins and seashells scattered the bottom of the cove. The sunlight casted a multicolour glow, illuminating the cove in a brilliant radiance, the water soft and welcoming to their touch.

Ethan glanced to his side, and was greeted by a much brilliant sight.

Luke, as he had noticed, was in his element when he swam. His tail swished with considerable power against the current, blue scales gleaming under the filtered light of the sun. His hair was a halo of gold around his head, his eyebrows furrowed in focus as they dove under the mouth of the cavern, looking thoroughly rough yet magical all the same.

Looking thoroughly beautiful too. Something flipped in Ethan's stomach.

They reached the surface and into the cave. As Ethan coughed out water, clean air blissfully filling his lungs in ragged breath, he took a look at the surroundings. The legend revealed itself before him. Under the soft glow of a mysterious light, mounds of silver and gold scattered from the walls of the cave up to the banks of the water. Precious gemstones, swords and spears made from valuable metals, chests upon chests of treasure, everything was a pirate's dream.

In the middle of the cave flowed a spring of clear water, streaming down a path into the water of the lake down below. It was the naiad, or what was left of her. According to the map, the jewel would be placed in an array of small stones, in perpendicular to the spring. Residing in a small throne of its own.

Ethan saw no jewel.

'Wait a minute.'

He climbed onto the bank into the mounds of gold. This was wrong. The treasure was there, the spring was there, even the array of stones was there, but he couldn't see any signs of the jewel. The symbol of the naiad's love, in which her spirit was embodied in its depths to lay in rest. The jewel, that was more valuable than any amount of gold or silver there.

The map couldn't be lying, would it? Or could it be that someone had arrived before and claimed it?

Ethan was frustrated. Luke swam closer to the edge, a concerned look etched on his face. Ethan went over the whole cavern, kicking away emeralds and rubies, turning over bronze chests filled with precious silk, and found nothing. He remembered his crew, his crashed ship, everything that was in vain from his foolish treasure hunt, and he then remembered his mother, and her stupid compass, and everything that he sacrificed for.

His life was still not in balance. And when would it be? He was a pirate, a robber and a criminal wanted by countless organizations and entities. His ship was gone. Even this countless amount of gold, he couldn't possibly carry it out all at once without his crew. His crew, now lost in the sea without their captain. Unknowingly trapped into this problem and laid to waste because of this fruitless mission. While he, forever trapped on this island, would also suffer the same fate.

The accursed compass felt heavy in his pocket. Could it be that this wasn't the place that it had pointed all along? Or could it be that he was the one foolish enough to follow its rusted needle, and not creating a path of his own? Ethan felt like he was being weighed down by all the gold there, his chest heavy, his infuriation thickening. He sat down by the bank, and retrieved it from his pocket.

He clicked the compass open. It was still broken, its needle idle in a fixed direction.

He threw it into the water and cried.

'Hey, Ethan, what's wrong?'

'It's over. We're getting out of here.'

'But the jewel?'

'It's not here, Luke. Everything that I did, that I pursued for years, ends here,' he let out a heavy sigh. 'I give up.'

Luke put a hand on his lap, and gave it a gentle squeeze. 'There must have been another way –'

'No. Luke, listen.' He slapped the hand away. 'There's none, and I've been fooling myself into thinking that there is one all along. I swear to the gods that when I saw that map, I thought the jewel would change my life and give it balance. And this compass pointed into everything that coincided with the map and I was so sure that the jewel would be the answer I needed. And now it's over. The gods must be laughing at me now.'

Luke was scowling. Ethan was a little surprised but he scowled back. Not that merman trying to prove that it wasn't all for naught. Ethan had enough.

The merman, rudely enough, dove back into the water and splashed Ethan in the face. Great. Now that he was left alone, Ethan could wait until he die here. His bones would be a warning to other questers that this, all this, would be the end of their foolishness too.

That would be nice, if he thought about it.

Surprisingly enough, Luke emerged again from the water, and shoved his compass roughly into his lap. 'You need to listen to me.'

Ethan stared at him.

'You know what, damn the gods,' Luke said. 'You are your own person, and you are the one who will find yourself balance. Listen. If you think about the one who will change you, the answer would be yourself. Why would you trust the gods? They can't even win any war without heroes helping them.

'You don't owe your mother anything. You're capable of surviving just by yourself all these while and this compass was not even the one who decided for you. It was you who decided to follow it. It's entirely your choice. Look at this, it's not even –' Luke abruptly stopped as he clicked the compass open. The upcoming words would be a mystery to Ethan and Luke would never talk about it afterwards.

Because both of them saw it.

'… It's pointing at me.'

'It's broken.' Ethan was about to dismiss it when Luke shifted slightly to the left. The needle followed. He swam farther away to the right. The needle shifted all the same, exactly at the direction of Luke. The merman swam close to Ethan again, his lips parted in wonder. Ethan felt a flash of irritation. 'It's impossible.'

'What are you afraid of?'

'Gods. I am not afraid.'

Luke somehow was closer than before, his blue eyes unblinking and sure. Ethan found himself unmoving, enraptured by the merman's physique, his chiselled face. His eyes found Luke's lips yet again, and was dumbfounded of how enticing they were, wet and chapped from seawater. They moved as Luke said, 'Don't be.'

Their lips met in a soft kiss.

Ethan couldn't find himself resisting, because suddenly, everything just clicked right. He desperately wanted to move away, but Luke's hands, gently resting on his thighs, were like anchors, mooring him firmly to the ground.

It tilted his scale just right. It balanced.

When they broke apart, he found himself still breathless. Luke was still close, his eyes unblinking, staring into Ethan's with an intensity like no other. Not even his enemies had the courage to hold his gaze this long. He felt his cheeks warming up again, his hands crawling up to cover his face.

'No,' Luke said in a daze and blinked owlishly, his hands holding off Ethan's. 'You look pretty when you blush.'

There was a sudden clink, and Ethan pushed Luke away, blushing madly and looking for the source of the noise. There was, thankfully, no one. Glancing at Luke, who was grinning brightly, he mumbled, 'This is impossible.'

It was so half-hearted that the merman laughed. Ethan was about to shush him off and get up when Luke was right in front of him, his lips gracing a smile as he whispered, 'It's not. We have all the time in this world to know each other. And we have the time to fall in love too.'

Love was a strong word, but Ethan couldn't find another one as a substitute.

'But only if you wanted to, of course,' Luke whispered again. He nudged Ethan's nose with his own. The boy felt his stomach clench, his heart on the verge of bursting into a multitude of emotions. Every little gesture Luke did resulted in those series of reactions and Ethan couldn't find himself to fathom it, nor to resist it.

There was a glimmer of light, momentarily disorienting them both. When he searched for the source of it, seemingly to be behind him, Ethan saw it.

The jewel, in the most beautiful shade of blue, was there. When it was not supposed to.

xxx

Luke had never felt this happy for such a long time.

His father abandoned him, his mother went thoroughly insane, and he was left to grow up parentless. The nymphs were good companies, but they were not really good mothers. He felt the thirst to have someone with him, and him alone, for a long time. Someone who would be the source of his happiness, like a mother does, someone who would share his laughter, like a father does. Someone he would do anything for, like a lover does. Someone he could wake up next to every day, someone for him to protect and cherish for the rest of his life.

Of course it was impossible for Ethan to even sleep with him underwater, but to protect and cherish him? Luke would gladly volunteer.

And there he was then, shivering in front of him, clothes half damp and half ruined, looking utterly beautiful. When Luke kissed him, he expected him to resist, to push him away. Not for him to be so docile and willing, with which Luke would be happy to comply. His lips were as soft as they looked, pleasant to the touch. Very cooperative too, in an almost eager way. Poor boy had probably never kissed anyone in his life.

Luke was about to kiss him again, kiss him senseless and breathless, when the jewel appeared.

What a rude show-stopper.

Ethan stood up, much to his dismay. He walked over to the spring, almost running until he stopped near the jewel. There was hesitance in his steps as he approached it, and for a second, he glanced at Luke. Luke waved his hand to continue, too tired to even argue. The pirate captain picked the jewel up, and it came off the array of stones with a clink.

The effect was immediate.

The spring stopped flowing. The lake darkened, its once clear water murky and clouded with filth. He could sense that the naiad's rejuvenating life force slipping away as it was separated from the spring, now a pathetic trickle of water. The Cove was now reliving its legend; it slowly died again.

For a second, Luke was rendered motionless. He waited for what Ethan would do next, because the boy was a pirate after all. He could leave for all he care, the jewel was in his possession now, after all. What value would a tiny cove hold, against a jewel with the rejuvenating life force of a naiad? A gemstone more precious than gold? And what value do even Luke, a mere merman, hold against its powers?

The pirate was always one with hesitance. It drove Luke insane. But Ethan, to his relief, returned the jewel back on its place. The place returned to its normal state.

He returned to Luke, sighing heavily as if the presence of Luke enough was wearisome as it was. Luke found himself smirking as he tilted his eyebrows teasingly. His heart though, was thundering madly, so relieved that Ethan had chosen him over the jewel. Releasing his breath, Luke chuckled at Ethan's scowling face as the pirate clicked the compass open again.

The needle still pointed at Luke. Unsurprisingly, this time. 'I knew it. I'm stuck with you, that's how terrible my luck is.'

'Cut me some slack, will you?' He closed the distance between them, and plant a kiss on the corner of Ethan's lips.

'If you're going to be with me for the rest of our pathetic lives, at least kiss me properly.' Gods bless him, this boy still had the nerve. Though Luke couldn't really complain, could he? He stuck his tongue at Ethan before drawing the boy close with a pull of his waist, and kissed the pirate senseless.

As Ethan unravelled himself before him, Luke's heart was a garden of contentment. He was happy that Ethan had found the balance to his life, and Luke was even happier that it was he himself too.

x Epilogue x

His crew, miraculously, stranded on the same island.

They had eyed him suspiciously when they found their captain with a merman, lazing around under the warmth of the sun. Ethan tried to remove Luke's head lying on his lap, desperately trying to remove himself off this embarrassing situation, and failing tragically. Because naturally, Luke wound his arms around Ethan's waist and wouldn't let go.

Percy was the one to burst out laughing. 'Our captain is so…'

'So what, Jackson?'

Percy hid behind Piper, whose kaleidoscopic eyes were still wide with wonder.

'Adorable.' Luke's voice was muffled. Ethan hit his head, smirking as he heard another muffled 'Ow!' He could see his crew bonding with Luke already. Another addition to his crew of misfits. So much for being the balance of his life.

The compass, its needle a permanent direction, was still in his pocket. Ethan couldn't say it was broken, after all.

Because his heart was the compass, and it would always point to him.

End

Author's Note: Reviews are much appreciated! Thank you for reading!