Percy heard screams. She ran towards the sound and was met with the sight of the Argo II sinking, the entire ship in flames, looking as though it had been ripped to pieces by a giant monster. Her friends, all of them, were being pulled under water by the wreckage; they were thrashing and crying out to her for help, pleading with her to come rescue them.

She dove into the water without a second thought, intent on rescuing her friends, but as soon as she hit the surface she knew something was terribly wrong. She couldn't control the water! She was soaking wet, struggling just to keep her head above the surface. She was still a strong swimmer, though, so she struck out in the direction of her friends. But the closer she got to the wreckage, the worse the waves got. She was being pummeled by them, pushed underwater every time one hit and just having enough time to gasp for air before the next one struck. And still she swam slowly towards her friends.

"Help us!" they begged.

The water was blinding her, the salt stinging her eyes. She was choking, struggling to draw breath. She began to panic, knowing what was going to happen, but her muscles ached, and she knew with certainty that she couldn't go any farther. The water began to fill her lungs as she sank below the surface, the screams of her friends echoing in her ears. She couldn't see, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't move…

She woke with a cry.

It took her a few minutes to realize where she was. She was in her cabin on the Argo II. She was safe, everything was all right. She leapt to her feet and headed up to the deck, knowing she needed air, she needed to breathe. Once there, she buried her face in her hands and she drew in deep breaths, feeling sweat drip down her back. Gods, it had felt so real.

"Are you all right?"

Percy jumped when she heard the voice, but relaxed when she realized who it was. "You're supposed to be resting, Nico" she admonished him, while wondering if she looked as bad as she felt right now.

"Couldn't sleep," he said, leaning heavily on the rail next to her. "Besides, I've been cooped up long enough, I needed some air."

She nodded, taking in the view. After she had found Nico, they had headed back to the giants' central lair. Mr. D showed up, Percy formed sort of a bromace with Jason, and they finally defeated the giants. Now they were back on the ship, waiting for Frank, Leo, and Hazel to get back so they could all go rescue Annabeth. Annabeth. Percy felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach just thinking about her friend, but she couldn't do anything to help the daughter of Athena now. They'd rescue her soon.

Percy came out of her reverie when Nico spoke again. "You and Jason are supposed to be resting, too, you both used your powers so much."

"With great power comes great need to take a nap," Percy paraphrased, smirking as Nico nodded solemnly.

Percy looked out over the rail again, trying to figure out what to say. Should she yell at him first for making her worry so much? Or for being such an idiot? Or for lying to her again? Or for pretending he didn't know who she was?

Finally, just when Percy began to work herself into a fury, thinking of all the good reasons she had to deck Nico diAngelo, he turned to her and said, "I'm so glad you're safe."

Well, shit.

"While I was in captivity, the giants… questioned me." The way he paused made Percy think the giants didn't ask for information politely. "They wanted to know all about the Argo II and her crew, but they were especially interested in you. They asked me all these questions about you, and I was so scared that one day I might just… snap. What if I had? What if I had given in? What if they learned how to hurt you through me?"

"They did," Percy whispered without thinking.

Nico tried to work out what she was saying; panicking that somehow he had revealed vital information to his captors. "What do you…"

"I mean," Percy answered with finality, "that I don't think I have ever hurt as much as I did when I realized you were missing."

It wasn't what she had planned to say. She had planned to yell and scream, accuse and blame. But then Nico had to go say something so… well, so sweet and selfless, and all Percy's plans flew out the window.

See, she was right about demigods and plans.

She turned to face Nico completely, so she could better read his facial expression. He might come off as an emotionless, soulless bastard to everyone else, but Percy had always found it pretty easy to guess what he was thinking.

And the look in his eyes right now said it all.

She put a hand on his arm as he began to lean forward. He was close, his face was so close, and then…

"NICO! You're safe!"

The others were back. Hazel ran forward to tackle/hug her brother, while Frank looked around, trying to figure out whether he should give them some privacy or wait to be introduced. Judging by the look on Leo's face, he was the only one who seemed to notice that Percy and Nico had been standing in a slightly compromising position. His eyebrows shot up to his curly hairline, and he began wagging his finger back and forth in Percy's direction.

Percy turned away with a huff to look at Nico, who appeared extremely uncomfortable as his sister fussed over him. As Percy walked below deck to wake up Jason and Piper, she wondered whether it was coincidence or fate that demigods had such bad timing. She and Nico had been about to… and then his little sister showed up. Percy loved Hazel, honestly, and she knew the girl had been missing her brother, but could she not have waited for five minutes?

That didn't really matter, though, did it? Nico was back, her friends were safe, and they were on their way to rescue Annabeth. She and Nico would have plenty of time during the journey to the Doors of Death, wherever those might be, to continue what they had started.

AN: And then Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. It is sad though, Nico and Percy FINALLY make a move just to get ripped apart again.

Anyways, here we are, at the end of the story. It turned out quite a bit differently than what I had planned, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Thank you all for sticking with this; I hope you enjoyed it!