PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || The Island Prince || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: The Island Prince – Like Tarzan, but with Marine Animals

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: m/m, canon divergent, fluff

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Grover Underwood

Summary: Ten years ago, the Jacksons shipwrecked. Percy was the sole survivor, growing up on an island being raised by the marine animals. Until the Argo II crashes there.

The Island Prince

Like Tarzan, but with Marine Animals

It was supposed to be fun. Percy was six years old and his mom rented a boat. She was newly married to a man named Gabe. He seemed nice, acted kind, but something about him still unsettled the little boy. One evening, Gabe was drunk, more drunk than Sally or Percy had seen him before. And it was storming. The storm came so sudden and quick and Sally alone, she couldn't do anything. The last thing Percy saw before he went overboard was his mother's desperate face.

The first thing Percy saw when he woke up again was a soft-blue turtle nudging him awake at a beach. He was disoriented and confused as he looked around. Some remains of the boat were at the beach with him, but neither his mom nor his stepfather were anywhere to be seen. It was just him and the turtle. He was afraid and didn't know what was going to happen with him. When he started crying, the turtle crawled into his lap, nudging him like it wanted to sooth him.

/2 Years Later\

"You know this is useless, right?"

"You are such a negative nancy, Finn", stated Percy with a huff.

"Every morning you come out here and work on this. Every evening you go back to your cave with your head hung low because no one saw it again. I'm being realistic."

Percy wiggled his nose and turned to glare at the light-gray dolphin swimming as close to the shore as he could. Finn was negative. Not realistic. It had only been two years. At least according to the count Percy kept in his cave. He counted the days orderly, because he didn't want to lose track. He was afraid to losing himself in it. He had come to realize that he need this thing, this society thing, to hold onto, because here on the island, time meant nothing. Living in the wilderness, being raised by animals, he started to forget what human society felt like. Sometimes he'd peel a fruit and remember being in a grocery store with his mommy, her putting one just like it in the shopping cart and him complaining that he wanted real sweets like candy. Now... Now he was grateful for the fruit. He was grateful to know what he could and couldn't eat.

"Let the boy do it. Maybe someone will see. He said some humans can fly", commented Stella.

Stella was a star-fish who was very clingy. She was usually attached to his shoulder or he carried her in some other way. She was very encouraging toward his attempts at getting off the island. Finn had been too, once upon a time. The dolphin had tried to get him off the island himself before, trying to swim out, but even with Percy clinging onto Finn, they never made it too far because Percy was a small human child and clinging onto him, he couldn't do it for long, his fingers turned numb and he had to let go. He had nearly drowned three times trying this before Finn told him no for good. No more. He was not going to risk Percy dying. Percy obeyed the dolphin.

Which in itself was a ridiculous concept for Percy. He could talk to animals. In a different reality, he would have been so excited about this. He was like a Disney princess. Now, in this reality, he knew that it had saved his life. Had Shelly the turtle not found him at the beach, not brought him to shelter, not shown him around the island and taught him what to avoid and what to seek out, where fresh water and fruits that were edible were – Percy knew he would have died. He had been six years old and all alone when he had been stranded on this island.

"Think it's good enough, Stella?", asked Percy curiously.

"Yes. Looks good. I'm sure someone will see it", replied the star-fish.

Percy smiled pleased and nodded. "See you tomorrow, guys. Shelly's probably already waiting."

"Get home safely, Percy", said Finn, sounding worried.

Percy gently put Stella down where the water lapped at the beach. Smiling at his two friends and waving at them, Percy ran off into the jungle. He had befriended many animals on the island, or at least the ones he could talk to. He wasn't sure why he only understood some. Finn, who was a dolphin, and Stella, who was a sea-star, and Shelly, who was a turtle. But not the lemurs. Or the bigger predators living on this island, which was an actual problem because Percy had to try not to be eaten alive. Thankfully, Shelly had shown him a place he was safe from predators.

There was a freshwater lake not too far away from the shore, with a waterfall and a mountain. Percy jumped into it and dove deep to an opening. It was the only entrance to a cave behind the waterfall. Predators couldn't dive this deep and hold their breath so long. But Percy could breath under water, so he could dive along until he reached the air-pocket. The cave was higher up behind the waterfall and climbing it up was nearly impossible. The water-entrance was the only good one.

"Shelly, I'm home", called Percy out as he resurfaced.

"How did your sign-making go?", asked Shelly with a smile.

Shelly was a cute turtle, with the soft-blue skin and darker blue shell. She was large, about his entire torso. When he had been still small and first arrived, he could even ride her. Not anymore though.

"Good, I guess. I'm sure someone will see this one and pick me up", declared Percy.

He threw himself onto the make-shift bed. Cushions, blankets, everything he could savor from the crash, he had brought here. There was his small bedding, a suitcase he used as a table, some coconuts he had turned into bowls and other tools he had made himself. Sloppy, awkward, but he had made them and they worked and that was what mattered. If he'd be any better at it, he would have already made a proper knife, but stone-work was hard and he was literally only eight!

"They'll find me and I'll be back with my mom", whispered Percy softly as he curled together.

"Sweetheart...", started Shelly before she thought better of it.

They all knew. Percy knew. His mom probably hadn't survived the crash. But as long as he was stuck on this island, anything was possible. His mom had been saved and was out there, searching everywhere for him and his HELP ME signs on the beach would be seen by a plane and he would be picked up and reunited with his mom, back in her arms, safe again. It kept him going.

/3 Years Later\

At eleven years old, Percy figured it out. He was the son of Poseidon, that was why he understood only some animals – he only understood the animals related to the sea, created by his father or being part of his realm. Happy had told him that. Happy was a hippocampus, which was a fancy word for the horse-version of a mermaid. She looked really cool, she shimmered in all the colors of the rainbow and she could ride really long. With her, Percy tried it again. Getting off the island, like he had tried to Finn. But just like with the dolphin, Percy couldn't hold on that long.

At least now he knew a little more about himself though. And he made new friends, with Happy and her herd of hippocampi. It didn't help him get off the island, but it helped him live on the island.

"I brought you more algae!", exclaimed Happy.

Percy wiggled his nose. He was eating so many things he never thought he would be eating. But at least he was eating. Every time he ate something less than savory, he reminded himself that he could be grateful to even have food on this island. And for having these friends who helped him.

"Thank you, Happy. You're awesome", grinned Percy and took the algae from the hippocampus.

Percy was in the middle of making food. It was one of the ways he kept himself busy on this island. Especially after he stopped making his signs, giving up on someone ever flying over the island. So instead, Percy was training a lot, running and lifting weights (well, what constituted weights), building stuff – like a slide down into the cove. He tended to the hippocampi and other animals around the island, kept fit and busy. He had accepted his fate.

He was the guardian of this island and its inhabitants and he was... okay with that. There was nothing waiting for him on the other side of the ocean anyway. There was no way his mother was still alive and there had never been anyone else. All her family had been long gone and what friends Percy may have had in pre-school five years ago had long moved on. He was fine here. He had new friends here, he had Shelly and Stella and Finn and Happy and others. He was okay.

/5 Years Later\

Percy was floating on the water, face up to bate in the sun. Shelly was swimming next to him, on her shell was Stella. It was a nice, calm afternoon. Percy had spent the morning racing Finn and Happy and was now, admittedly, exhausted. So the plan for the day was to just float here.

"Or not", sighed Percy to himself as a large shadow fell over him. "Strange. The air doesn't feel like rain. I can't... feel the water. Oh well, let's go to the cave, guys."

"Percy. Percy, look up", ordered Stella, sounding oddly excited.

Blinking his eyes open, Percy stared at the... not cloud. Huh. It looked like the bottom of a ship. But that was impossible, because it was in the sky. Furrowing his brows, Percy straightened himself.

"We should... We should go and check that out", muttered Percy warily.

Getting out of the water, he grabbed his robes – self-made out of whatever cloths had survived the crash all these years ago, tied around his waist – and more importantly his weapons. A long knife made of the hard stones, as well as a spear. Shelly swam up to the shore, looking concerned.

"You two should return to the cave for now", requested Percy.

"Certainly not, my boy", chided Shelly. "If these are humans and they want to take you with them, I will come along. You are my boy, Percy Jackson."

Percy smiled softly. Was it weird to have a turtle as a foster mom? Probably. For speed-reasons, he carefully picked Shelly up and put her on the make-shift cart he had built a couple years ago. It had the perfect size for Shelly and served so Percy could pull her along the roads he had flattened throughout the jungle – at least along the paths he most frequently took. Stella still clung onto Shelly's shell as Percy pulled them along toward the beach where the ship was landing. He hid behind the bushes to watch carefully. Ten years ago, he would have been over the moon and immediately ran up to the strangers. Now, he was a grown, young man. Sixteen and knowing better than to trust strangers. They could be shifty, bad guys. Pirates. They had a flying ship – however technology may have progressed in the past ten years, Percy highly doubted it had reached the level of flying ships. Not like a zeppelin or a plane, an actual regular ship with a mast and sail, but it just... flew. For some reason. Something about this was fishy, most definitely.

People left the ship. Humans. Three girls and five boys, though one of the boys looked weird because he had hooves and horns. He looked like Phil from Hercules. Percy smiled faintly at the memory. He remembered watching that movie with his mom as a child. As always, the thought of his mother filled him with bottomless sadness.

"Be careful. Always stay in at least pairs. We don't know if this island is safe", called the blonde girl. "There could be dangerous predators, or even dangerous people on this island."

"People, Annabeth? Really? Look at this place. I mean, we looked at it from above."

"Don't be snarky, di Angelo. Who knows what's beneath the surface."

The one identified as di Angelo rolled his eyes. Percy tilted his head curiously. They were all about his age. Annabeth, another girl, one of the boys and the one that looked like Phil from Hercules were all wearing tacky orange shirts, while the other three wore purple shirts – only the di Angelo one was wearing black. All black. Black shirt, leather jacket, pants and boots. He... stood out.

"And at least three should always remain at the ship. We don't know when they will catch up with us and how they will attack", continued Annabeth after a moment.

"I volunteer to stay at the ship!", called the horned one out.

"Grover, you are literally our best bet at finding food out here", sighed Annabeth. "You're on fruit-retrieval duties, together with... Frank and Piper."

"Uh, actually, I want Frank. I mean, to help. He's strong. Lots of repairs to make."

"Okay, you heard Leo. Frank stays at the ship. Jason too. Reyna?"

"Fine, I will go looking for food. Don't worry, Grover. I will protect you from the wild."

"The wild is the only thing not frightening me", muttered Grover.

Percy furrowed his brows. What strange, weird humans. They seemed organized. They had weapons. They were on the run from someone who may attack them any moment. Best lay low for now. Watch and see. This was his island and these strangers were not going to take it over without a fight. He waited until they returned to their ship to prepare for their exploration, only then did he return to his cave. He made sure to wipe away the traces of his card. He lad long ago built a mechanism for easy transportation of things up onto his cave – a lift, of sorts. Climbing on with the cart (and Shelly and Stella, of course), he pulled them all up and then hid the lift itself inside the cave, just to make sure. A deep frown was etched into his features.

"Why did you not go to them?", asked Stella confused.

"They had weapons and were on the run. They may be pirates, or something else dangerous and bad", replied Percy. "I'm... waiting and watching, for now. If they do or say anything suspicious, or reassuring, I'm sure the others around the island will let me know."

"You're a wise boy", smiled Shelly and nudged him.

/break\

Nico sat at the table in their dining hall, feigning irritation as he watched the others. Being picked as one of the Chosen Seven had honestly been the most obnoxious turn of his life. And that included being put into the Lotus Hotel by his father as well as his sister becoming a huntress of Artemis (by now, the second-in-command of Thalia Grace). When him and his sister had been taken out of the Lotus Hotel by their father back when the Helmet of Darkness and the Master Bolt went missing, to be sent by their father to investigate and return his symbol of power, Nico had still been excited.

The life of a hero, like Mythomagic. Then he saw what war truly meant. What betrayal really meant. He saw friends fall during the following war, was abandoned by his sister in favor of the huntresses. He had never quite been able to get over it, which was why he chose to wear black instead of the camp color – especially since for the longest time, he didn't even get a cabin, despite his father being one of the Big Three! It was an act of protest, in a way.

Then they won the war, together, and Nico expected peace. Just to be kidnapped and memory-wiped by Hera, waking up to meet Reyna and Frank and, admittedly, befriend them. They went on a quest to free Death together, which was quite fitting considering he was the son of Death's king. Him and Frank bonded over Mythomagic, while him and Reyna had formed a deep bond of trust during it.

Turned out the Roman child of the Big Three, Jason Grace, had been memory-wiped and put into the Greek camp, where he went on a quest with Piper and Leo, two newbie demigods. They built a flying ship, Grover Underwood came along as the satyr guardian and came to pick up Nico, Frank and Reyna. Together, they were the seven half-bloods chosen by the Second Great Prophecy.

Alas, things had not gone as smoothly as expected. Leo got possessed and attacked New Rome, the Romans got really angry and attacked the ship. The damage was too great to carry them over seas, so they had been desperately searching for an island to land on, preferably without tourists on it, so they could restock water and food, as well as do their repairs.

Today, they had sent a small team of three – Reyna, Grover and Piper – out to see if there was food or water on this island, while Annabeth retreated to try and form a plan how to continue from hereon out. Nico, Jason and Frank had the honor of helping Leo with repairs, or for now assessing the damage and measuring how much wood and supplies they'd need.

"Did you have luck finding food?", inquired Annabeth once everyone was gathered.

"Yeah. We... found a... garden", replied Piper slowly.

"That's good, so actually edible food?", asked Frank and perked up.

"No. You don't get it. We found a garden, a man-made garden", replied Grover a little distressed. "We followed a path there. Like. Again, a man-made path. There's people here is what I'm saying."

"Mh", grunted Annabeth with a thoughtful frown.

Nico rolled his eyes. Not that he actively disliked Annabeth – during the years Bianca had still been at camp, her and Annabeth had been basically best friends, so what Nico felt was more like brotherly annoyance toward her too. She just... shouldered too much. She was always under the impression that she had to do everything alone. And Nico got it. He really did. She had arrived at Camp Half-Blood with three friends – Thalia Grace, who had 'died' (read: turned into a tree for years), then when 'resurrected' she only stayed a few months before joining the hunt of Lady Artemis, Luke Castellan, who ended up betraying camp and her during the Titan War, and Grover Underwood, who had spent a long time away to search for Pan. Then she befriended Bianca, who also left for the hunt. Luke was dead. Nico, who had been the hero of the Great Prophecy and become kind of her co-leader at camp, or at the very least a valuable and reliable protector of camp, got abducted for months. So yes, Nico knew why she thought she had to do everything on her own, because the past showed that in the end, she was left hanging.

"For now, we eat and rest. We need guards, because we don't know if the people here are dangerous. Four people sleep, four people guard. I think we should take four hour shifts. We can work out the schedule during dinner. But we need a night's rest before we can explore this island properly. Tomorrow at dawn, now it's too late and dark anyway", stated Reyna firmly.

Annabeth turned to look at her in wonder. Nico smirked. It was one of the reasons he liked Reyna so much; she was strong, both in body and mind. She was a born leader. She was definitely who Annabeth needed at her side during this quest. Another capable leader. Nico had never been that. He never wanted to be the leader, he hadn't even really wanted to be the hero after a while. And Jason? He was a bit of a hot-head who was more focused on missions than leading. Which, Nico couldn't fault him for – many demigods were soldiers, followers, mission-oriented. The pressure of being the son of Jupiter wasn't exactly helping. And while there were some initial problems between them, Jupiter and Hades, Greek and Roman, but it was slowly getting better.

"That... is a good plan", nodded Annabeth and sat down slowly.

"Food. Food sounds like a good idea", interrupted Frank and set the table.

/break\

"We can't all leave the ship", stated Leo. "If we all go, whoever is on this island may just use the opportunity to take over said ship. So, at least two should stay back to guard the ship."

"Not it", stated Grover, earning surprised looks. "Oh, I control the wild. I will rather take my chances fighting someone out there in the jungle than here on the ship."

"I'll stay with Leo and protect them. Uh, the ship, I mean", offered Frank.

"Grover with me, Piper with Jason, Reyna with Nico. We split up and comb our way through the island. Follow those... paths you said exist here, they should lead us to whoever lives here."

Reyna grinned and nudged Nico as they split up. There was one path, a bit hidden, leading away from this beach and they had followed it until the first road split into three. Grover and Annabeth headed toward where the group had found the garden yesterday, saying that the path had continued beyond. Piper and Jason headed left and Nico and Reyna headed right.

"What do you think we're going to find?", asked Reyna, sword securely in her hold.

"Whoever it is, I doubt they're dangerous. They had a vegetable garden", pointed Nico out. "No big defenses or watch-tower to ensure safety, no walls or fences."

"Mh, true", mused Reyna. "Still, we shouldn't underestimate them."

Nico hummed in agreement as they ventured further into the jungle. It was beautiful, though it was not Nico's kind of climate. He preferred the chill of the underworld, really. A nice, snowy mountain.

"When this is done – and by 'this' I mean the war – I am taking a vacation somewhere cold", grunted Nico. "Antarctica. Canada. Greenland. Somewhere with snow and no quests."

"Sounds like a plan", chuckled Reyna fondly.

"Fresh water", stated Nico suddenly, pointing up ahead.

And even before they could fully see the size of the lagoon, they could hear the waterfall. This one, Nico had to admit, took his breath away. It was gorgeous, the way the jungle opened for the lagoon, the water being so clear they could see the bottom, see the fishes and shells on the ground, the waterfall was causing a small rainbow. And in front of the lagoon... Nico blinked a couple of times. Now that was a six-pack. And those arms. Sun-kissed skin wrapped around tight muscles. The boy, about Nico's age but maybe half a head shorter so maybe a bit younger, was only wearing what looked like a make-shift, dark-blue toga, held together by a belt made of vines and decorated with pearls and shells. His black hair was laying over his right shoulder in a thick braid, shells and pearls also woven into his hair. His features were sharp and his eyes like the ocean they had flown over, blue and green and endlessly deep. They took Nico's breath away.

"You see him too?", whispered Nico. "I'm not having a heatstroke and imagining pretty things?"

"No, Nico, he is not a gay fantasy. I don't know what he is, but he's real", replied Reyna dryly.

Nico cracked a grin at that. He had pretty much known he was gay since he was a kid, but had tried to hide it for a while. Bianca was a steady presence who had helped and, at camp, Nico had quickly befriended Will Solace, who had been very openly gay from a young age. They had helped him settle with his sexuality and the other friends he had also made the whole thing easier on Nico.

"So you figured out I live here. I was considering letting you run around like headless chickens for a while, but where's the fun in that?", asked the boy with a mischievous grin.

"Hello", called Reyna out. "We come in peace."

"Says the girl with the giant sword wearing armor. Sure", chuckled the boy. "So, you wanna do this right now, or do we wait for your friends so we can get it over with quicker? They should be on their way already, because on this island, all roads lead to Sally's Falls."

Nico frowned and turned toward Reyna, letting her decide what to do. Though Reyna looked as lost. Theoretically, the boy was right. They, especially Reyna, didn't look very non-threatening. However, one of the first things Nico had learned was to not lower his guard and drop his weapon in front of who may be a dangerous enemy. The nice old lady from the garden shop could very well turn out to be Medusa – and the cute pretty-boy in front of the lagoon could very well be a monster in disguise too. Because whatever he was, he did radiate power, Nico could feel it.

"We'll wait. They're close by", stated Nico after Reyna nodded at him.

He could feel them coming close. One of the skills he had honed. He could feel other people's life-force – it was easier with people he knew, or when he knew what he was looking for. Piper and Jason were the first ones to reach them, both immediately drawing their weapons when they saw the pretty boy with the lance in his hand and the sword on the belt around his hip. And oh. Maybe Nico should have spotted the weapons earlier, but in his defense abs. Hey, he was only a poor seventeen year old who hadn't had a boyfriend in nearly a year – thanks, Hera, for that abduction!

"Hey there. How about we all put our weapons down and sit down to talk", offered Jason.

"Mh... See, there's six to eight of you and one of me. So how about only you drop your weapons?"

"Can't do that", grunted Piper. "Not if you're staying armed. We're better trained than that."

"See but, you should", offered the boy, not looking intimidated, not even when Annabeth and Grover emerged from the underwood. "Because as I just said, there's only six of you."

"What? You think we should drop our weapons because you will overpower us?", asked Piper.

The pretty boy just smiled indulgently at them and moments later, Grover was screaming and falling into a hole in the ground that had been cleverly covered by leafs. "Yes. Because I have the home-advantage here and you shouldn't underestimate that."

Piper huffed and charged ahead, now feeling threatened by him. Jason immediately stepped up with her and the next moment, both of them were dangling in a net made out of vines, hanging in the trees. Annabeth glared and seemed more on guard now as she approached closer.

"So you built some traps. Clever. We still outman you", stated Annabeth firmly.

The stranger heaved an exhausted sigh (the kind Nico heaved when Bianca was being 'I'm older and wiser than you'-patronizing). "You're not listening, blondie. I have the home-advantage."

He spread his arms and stepped back. Onto the lagoon. Not into, onto. He was literally walking on water and as he raised his arms, the water rose on either side of him and reached out, grabbing Reyna, Annabeth and Nico in a vice-grip. Water, liquid, gripping them, holding them.

"W... Who are you?", asked Grover startled as he climbed up out of the hole.

"I'm Percy. I'm the guardian of this island. And you're intruders. Now stop underestimating me. If you're being good and drop your weapons, I'll let you go."

The others exchanged looks, as far as they could see each other, and after a long moment, they obeyed and dropped their weapons. Grover carefully knelt down once he was out of the hole.

"Uh... We're... sorry for intruding... Lord Percy?", offered Grover slowly.

"Lord Percy?", echoed Piper with a doubtful look.

"I mean the guy is literally walking on water", hissed Grover. "Either he's a fresh water deity of this lagoon, or he is, as he just called himself the 'protector of this island', the actual protector god of this island. Like... Like Lady Rhode of the island Rhodes."

"So what, this is... Percy Island?", questioned Jason. "Doesn't sound very godly."

"Percy is short for Perseus, fyi. And you guys know I can hear you, right?"

"...Okay Perseus does sound more... Graeco-Roman godly", admitted Piper after a moment.

Percy just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and one eyebrow raised in a sassy way and Nico felt himself falling just a little bit. Which probably wasn't a good idea if this was truly a god, because falling for gods, statistically, never ended well for mortals or demigods. No falling for the pretty, sassy god. Even though pretty and sassy were absolutely his type.

"So, you guys done sneaking around my island with your weapons drawn threatening me and stomping my friends' homes?", asked Percy pointedly, raising the water just a little higher.

"Yeah! Totally done with that. See, I'm Grover. Uh, may not have reached you out here, but I'm the Lord of the Wild. Took over from Pan after he... passed", replied Grover hastily.

"...That doesn't sound right but I don't know enough about the world outside my island to debunk it", muttered Percy thoughtfully and lowered the water, putting Reyna, Annabeth and Nico down.

Annabeth glared and wrung her hair out, though she refrained from commenting. If this was a god, she knew better than to anger him. The last thing they needed was the god of this island opposing them. They really needed to rest here. Regroup, restore and repair.

"We... request your permission to stay on your island. Only for a few days. We're on an important mission, but our ship was badly damaged. We need wood to repair, we need food and water", stated Reyna calmly. "We are in no condition to make it to our destination."

"Be more respectful of the island", demanded Percy. "You were trampling all over yesterday before you found my path. The paths are there for a reason, so the animals' homes are not broken or disturbed. I had some complaints about broken nests. Don't make it a habit."

"...We will, Lord Perseus", promised Reyna and bowed a little.

"And keep your weapons on your ship. You will not need them here. Weapons provoke. If you provoke them and they attack, then that is your fault", warned Percy.

"Uhm. You have weapons", pointed Jason out.

Percy raised one unimpressed eyebrow. "It's my island. And I use them for carving and climbing."

"...Climbing?", echoed Nico confused.

Percy smirked at him before throwing his spear at the nearest tree, half-way to the very high growing branches. He jumped out of his stance right up to grab the spear, held onto it and rolled twice before using his momentum to swing him up onto the branches.

"...That was sexy", whispered Nico dumbstruck.

"Please don't", requested Annabeth disturbed. "Your crush on Apollo was already bad enough."

"I was like twelve", hissed Nico flustered. "And Apollo was a lot!"

"You are strange. Very strange", noted Percy from up on the branch before jumping down swiftly and landing elegantly. "But yes. I use the spear for climbing. Stay on the paths and you will be safe, don't do anything stupid. There are predators out here on this island."

"Will do. Thank you, Lord Perseus", said Grover with a bow.

/break\

"Lord Perseus, huh? Suddenly gained godhood, or so I've heard."

"Shut up, Finn", grumbled Percy and splashed the dolphin with water. "What was I supposed to do? These weirdos came to the conclusion I'm a god. There's eight of them. With actual, non self-made weapons. They think I'm a god, they leave me alone and listen to me."

"Good point", noted Happy and nudged Percy.

Percy smiled, patting the hippocampus' flank. "I just want everyone on this island safe from them."

"Them?", echoed Stella doubtfully. "But Percy, you know you are a them, right?"

"What does that even mean?", asked Percy confused.

"What Stella means is that you are a demigod, just like them. You have spent the past ten years on this island waiting for someone to pick you up and bring you home and now that they arrived, you don't... seem to want to leave", noted Shelly gently.

Percy turned to look at his turtle foster mom, running a gentle hand over her shell. "This is my home. You guys are my people. I'm not like them, they're strangers, their customs and society are foreign to me. You guys are my family, I... I'm not leaving."

"That's okay, my boy", assured Shelly. "None of us want you to leave. We just worry."

"Nothing to worry about", replied Percy before diving deep.

Happy immediately followed him, excited for a ride. Grinning at the hippocampus, Percy climbed onto her and held on, letting her guide him. For the next hour or so did the two simply race through the ocean. It helped Percy take his mind off of things. What he had said was true. He... had no desire to leave. His whole life was here. His family was here. He had no one left in the human world, so why would he return there – what would he return to.

"Feeling better, Percy?", asked Happy.

"Yeah. Thanks, Hap. That was exactly what I needed", grinned Percy.

He pressed his forehead gently against hers for a moment. "Wow. I've never seen a hippocampus before... I... Wow. It's beautiful. Gorgeous."

"Excuse you", grunted Happy offended.

Percy turned to look at the boy on the cliff watching them. "She is not an it. How would you like being called an it, human? Her name is Happy."

The boy nodded awkwardly and cleared his throat. "Apologies, Happy. I'm... Nico. Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Mh... so the human does have manners", mused Happy.

She slowly swam up to the cliff, allowing Nico a closer look. His dark eyes sparkled with excitement. Percy followed Happy before climbing up onto the cliff with Nico. Curiously, Percy tilted his head and looked at the human. It had been so long since he last saw another human.

"Oh my gods you're naked!", exclaimed Nico suddenly in a high pitched voice.

Percy frowned confused and looked down himself. "Yes? I was just swimming. Do you... swim with your clothes on? That seems impractical."

Shaking his head, Percy got up and walked away from Nico, hearing the human make an absolutely miserable sound. What a truly strange creature that one. Turning some, he looked at Nico.

"You want to come along or keep staring at me?", asked Percy curiously.

"Oh. Uhm. Where are we going?", asked Nico as he scrambled to follow.

"The garden. I'm giving you provisions for your people", replied Percy.

"Thank you. And uh, sorry for taking without asking yesterday."

Percy grinned. Nico was cute when he was looking so sheepish. Nico decidedly tried to keep his eyes on Percy's face, whenever they strayed down a little, the human would blush horribly. Very cute. Percy tilted his head and watched Nico as he led the way.

"You came to spy on me?", asked Percy bluntly. "It's okay. I get it. Stranger, powerful, better keep an eye on him. I'm keeping eyes on you guys and your ship too. If you cut down any trees that are lived on, you're in a world of trouble, by the way."

"We're being careful about that, you already warned us", assured Nico. "And... yes. I... was supposed to... you know... keep an eye on you."

The two of them reached the garden and Percy picked out things that could be easily made to preserve and last. He made Nico help him and the two talked softly. It was actually kind of... pleasant, though after a short while, Percy suddenly froze up.

"Everything... alright?", asked Nico slowly.

"No. Gather the fruit and follow me", ordered Percy seriously. "A storm is about to hit us and it's a massive one. We need to seek shelter. I hope for your friends' sake they're at your ship."

Nico obeyed, though he was clearly confused. "A storm? You... know that?"

Percy gave him a pointed look. Immediately, the son of Hades shut up and hastily followed. Let's not anger the god by doubting him. Nico looked confused as he followed Percy to the lagoon. Half-way there, the rain started hitting and it started hitting hard. Nico looked up and his eyes widened. The sky was pitch-black, the wind was starting to pick up.

"And now?", asked Nico, trying to hold onto the fruits.

Percy grabbed what looked like a bag made out of leafs and vines and put their fruits in it. He then took Nico's hand and pulled him toward the lagoon. Before he could be pulled in, Nico dug his heels in. He was not feeling like going for a swim and his leather-outfit was heavy, his steel-cap boots alone would drag him to the ground. He was not a fan of swimming in general – realms of the Big Three and all of that. Percy turned toward him and frowned.

"Come on. I can keep you safe, but you need to trust me on this", prompted Percy.

"Great, now I'm Jasmine", whispered Nico under his breath. "Take me to the magic carpet."

Percy gave him a confused look for a moment before pulling Nico into the lagoon. Nico tried to keep his eyes open and stared at Percy, hoping the god knew what he was doing. Percy smiled encouragingly at him and did something with his hand. Slowly, a bubble was forming in the palm of his hand until it was large enough to cover his head. When Percy gave him the thumbs-up, Nico did the most insane thing – he took a breath. And he could. Percy had summoned him an air-bubble. Staring at the gorgeous, still naked boy, Nico clung onto his hand and let Percy pull him along. They swam beneath the waterfall, deeper and deeper until they reached a hole in the wall. Percy led him through it and then up, up and farther up until they surfaced in an... indoor lagoon? It was like a small lake inside a cave. Nico looked around in awe, there were sparkling stones and luminescent algaea everywhere, lighting up the cave. Nico continued gaping while Percy climbed out.

"Shelly, I'm home. I brought a stray", called Percy out.

"Sh... Shelly? Is there another god here?", asked Nico intimidated.

"Mh? No. Shelly's my foster mom. She's a turtle", replied Percy amused.

"Your foster... No, actually, that checks out. Zeus was raised by a goat", muttered Nico to himself.

He followed Percy deeper into the cave, wondering what to expect from a god's home. It... was not what he would have expected, even though he had no idea what to expect.

There was a pillow and blankets pile in the corner, where what looked like a ripped-up sail was pinned up like a curtain. A very old suitcase was standing in the middle, used as a table, with coconuts and what looked like cracked plates and glasses on top of it. Nico frowned confused as he continued looking around while following deeper in. Percy was ruffling his hair off with a towel before throwing it at Nico. Then, thankfully enough, he put on some clothes. Or, well, the blue cloth he was using as a robe. It was at least something, because naked Percy was getting to him.

"Sit down, get comfortable. I think this storm is going to last a while", noted Percy.

He then threw himself onto his pillowed bed. A blue turtle came walking up to him slowly.

"Uhm, hello Miss Shelly, thanks for having me", offered Nico awkwardly.

Percy laughed at something that... the... turtle said. Nico just stared, while Percy picked the turtle up and placed her on the pillows next to him. After a moment, Nico approached and sat down on Percy's other side, feeling just a little strange and out of place. To distract himself, he kept looking around. It was odd. It didn't look very godly. His eyes caught a picture on a small, slightly broken box next to the bed that was apparently used as a makeshift nightstand. The picture was of a pretty brunette woman holding a black-haired boy with bright-green eyes in her arms. Nico frowned. It was water-damaged and an edge was torn off, but the boy...

"You're not a god", whispered Nico softly. "You're... shipwrecked. You're Tarzan."

"I'm who?", asked Percy confused.

"Uh. Story about a guy who got stranded in Africa as a baby and then raised by gorillas. Only that you got raised by... a turtle", offered Nico, motioning at Shelly. "But... the things you can do."

"I'm a demigod", admitted Percy after a moment. "Son of Poseidon, hence the talking to water creatures and controlling water and sensing storms."

On cue, lightning lit up the cave through the curtain of running water. Thunder rumbled loudly. Nico sure was glad Percy had sensed that storm because that seemed to be one devastating storm.

"Why did you lie?", asked Nico curiously.

"I never said I am a god", shrugged Percy. "I just... never disagreed with you on it. You guys jumped onto that conclusion all by yourselves. And what was I supposed to say? No, I'm just a mere demigod like you guys, though there is eight of you and one of me and you're armed to the teeth."

"...Okay you make a good point there", admitted Nico. "We... may have come off as a bit intimidating. Sorry about that. We're just... in the middle of a war."

"A war? With whom?", asked Percy intrigued and scooted closer. "I have... no idea what's going on in the world. I was six when my family... when... It's been a while since I had contact with humans."

"That's... How long?", asked Nico slowly.

"Ten years", shrugged Percy. "So yeah, six year old me wasn't really... connected with the world."

"Okay. There's a lot you have missed", chuckled Nico and got more comfortable.

Percy turned around a little and folded his arms under his chin, looking up at Nico expectantly. For the next three hours, they just talked. Nico talked about the Titan War and now the Giant War – he even talked about his own life, being born in Italy, living in the Lotus Hotel. In return, Percy told Nico about the island and his life on here, how he met Shelly, Happy, Finn and Stella, how they had raised him, how he had adapted to the island and tamed the panthers.

"How do you tame panthers?", asked Nico doubtfully.

He was laying on his back, arms behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Percy next to him laughed and shrugged before rolling onto his side to look at him properly.

"I literally control water. All water. Including the water in beings. I can control them, freeze them if I concentrate hard enough. That put the fear of the gods in them. They've been... leaving me alone since then, at least", shrugged Percy. "I was... nine, I think, when that happened."

"You are... fascinating", whispered Nico in awe, staring at Percy.

There was a charming blush on Percy's lips and Nico found himself eager to talk more, to spend as much time with Percy as possible. Percy stretched out, scooting closer to Nico.

"Tell me about your friends", prompted Percy. "You told me how you met them and about the missions, but... what about them? Their personalities, why you trust them, such things."

Sighing softly, Nico also rolled onto his side so they were facing each other. They were so close and the atmosphere was nearly romantic. Nico tried not to think on that and instead focused on talking. In the end, they talked through nearly the whole night, through the entire storm.

"I think... it's time for you to go", whispered Percy reluctantly. "Your friends may worry."

"Right. Right", nodded Nico, not wanting to leave. "I... can see you tomorrow, right?"

"I have no plans of leaving the island", quipped Percy with a small grin.

He got up and walked over to some kind of strange construct. Nico followed him after getting the bag of fruits they had collected earlier. He watched in surprise how Percy pushed the large cart-like thing out of the cave through the waterfall. It was held up by something.

"You... built a lift", whispered Nico in awe. "You're amazing."

"Thanks", grinned Percy. "Figured you may prefer this method of getting down. See you tomorrow, Nico. And... please... don't tell your friends the truth? I just..."

"I get it", sighed Nico and shook his head. "I promise. I understand, you have no reason to trust any of us. Thank you, for saving me from the storm. And... good night."

/break\

Over the next couple days that they stayed at the island, Nico spent a lot of time with Percy. He wasn't really good at building stuff, so he was happy to have Leo direct the others while he took the 'watch the god'-duties. So far, he had kept his word and not told anyone that Percy wasn't a god. What was the harm in the lie, really. He understood why Percy had lied and didn't trust him.

"You're leaving, huh?", whispered Percy as him and Nico watched the others on the beach.

The two were sitting on top of the waterfall, overseeing the whole island, including the beach. The others were nearly done with the ship. Percy was right. They were going to leave under the blanket of the night come evening. Nico... didn't want to leave. He turned to look at Percy.

"Come with us", whispered Nico softly. "I... like... you. I don't want to leave you here. You're human, as nice as I'm sure your animal friends are, you belong with humans. You belong at Camp Half-Blood with us others. You and me... we... could spend more time together."

He blushed. Percy smiled when he saw the blush, but he still shook his head in reply.

"This is my home, Nico. They aren't animals, they're my family", whispered Percy. "I don't... belong with humans anymore. Your people already make me uncomfortable enough. I... vaguely remember New York. The thought alone is... terrifying at this point. It was so crowded and loud and the smog... I can't. This island is my home, I'm not leaving it. Even though... you, I will miss."

"Can... I kiss you, before I go?", asked Nico tentatively.

His hand was covering Percy's hand, both sitting so close their legs and arms were pressed against each other. Slowly, both of them leaned in, until their lips touched. It was soft and gentle. Percy closed his eyes, to savor the moment and to avoid the tears. Because no, human society was not something he wanted to return to, but... he was going to miss Nico a lot, even if it had only been a couple of days. Talking with Nico was so easy and so good.

/6 Months Later\

Percy had had a long day of searching for pearls and algae. Long diving was exhausting, so when hours later, he returned to his cave, he was just tired. He collapsed onto his bed, hugging Shelly close, when something grunted beneath him. Frowning he turned, just to yelp.

"Nico! What—How?!", exclaimed Percy as he scooted off the other demigod.

"I'm the son of Hades. I can... travel through shadows. Your cave has a lot of shadows", replied Nico with a small smile. "I missed you. Now that the war is over, I wanted... to see you again and then I realized. No wait I can. I can come and go whenever I want. Or, whenever you want me to. But yeah, we... won the war, we rebuilt our homes and... I decided I could use a vacation... if you'll have me for... a few weeks... or longer. I don't know yet. I figured I'd just come here and we'd take it one day at a time, or something. I really didn't think past 'I want to see Percy again'."

"Oh", whispered Percy in awe before reaching out to cup Nico's cheek. "I... missed you. I was really worried about you. Wait. You jerk. You've been done for a while already and only come now? You should have visited as soon as you won so I could know you survived!"

He slapped Nico on the chest lightly, making the son of Hades laugh. "I'm sorry. I just... I was really busy. A lot of my friends got hurt. Didn't die, no one close to me died, but... it was still a lot."

"You... really want to stay? With me?", whispered Percy unsure after kissing Nico softly.

"Yes. I mean, if the island life gets to me, I am literally two steps away from Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter. I can visit my friends for weekends, or just go to Italy and get pizza for us when the... sea food becomes too much", grinned Nico. "Which reminds me. I brought something you may remember from the human world that I love a lot and want to share with you. First... date?"

He held an odd paper bag with a large yellow M up. Percy frowned, squinting at it. Something about it was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. Nico got the food out of the bag and handed Percy a burger – and the moment he bit into it, he remembered.

"Oh my gods I miss meat", gasped Percy. "You're going to bring so much food here for me. I have been on a strict fruit and algae diet for ten years because no sea food for me because I can talk to them and I've grown too fond of the other animals to actually hunt them."

Nico laughed and kissed Percy's cheek. "My kind of guy. Impressed by Happy Meals."

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: Based on a request by Dandelion's Lollipop. I hope you enjoyed it! And if a part of it seemed familiar, I did tease this story on my tumblr (come visit me at takaraphoenix)! ;)