Sea Green Eyes

Chapter 17

After that, Cressida headed for her cabin as Percy followed, shutting the door behind him and not caring about anyone else because he had a feeling that everyone knew that they had a lot to talk about.

Her cabin was very reminiscent of her cabin back at camp. It was cosy. Her bunk was covered in purple sheets, and a nightstand with her iPod and a picture of her brothers resting on it. There was a desk with books and more pictures scattered on it along with a dresser and another door that he imagined was to her bathroom. The ceiling of her cabin was dotted with stars from a small projector on her dresser and Percy recognised Zoë's constellation.

"Why are you defending Leo?" Percy asked and she just plopped onto her bed as she sat to face him.

"Because he's my friend. Why are you so angry at him?"

"Because he fired on my friends."

She took a deep breath. "Percy, I get that you've been with the Romans for a week and that's great because they kept you alive, but whatever Leo did, I know it wasn't on purpose because I've known him for over 6 months."

"Why does it sound like you don't like the Romans?"

"I don't not like them. Then again, I can't exactly form an opinion on people I met for five minutes before they tried to kill me."

"My word isn't good enough for you?"

"Don't give me that. You know I trust you," she snapped.

Percy furrowed his brows. "There's something more," he deduced. "The real reason you don't want to like the Romans. What is it?"

Oh, how she hated that he could see right through her.

Cressida bit her lips as she yanked off her boots and pulled her legs up to cross them. "You."

He was even more confused. "What do you mean me?"

She started fidgeting with her bracelet and Percy moved to sit next to her, his hand on her back. "Hey," he said softly as he hooked his fingers on her chin and turned her face to his. "Talk to me."

And their hands linked together as she took another breath, her eyes on their hands as she began to speak.

"You were at their camp for a week, and you just seemed so in love with the place. But what about our camp? Our home?" And her eyes sparkled like the jewels her father called her as water pooled in them. "What about our friends? Your mom? I guess I just never thought that after everything we went through to find you, it never occurred to me that you wouldn't want to come back."

The breath she inhaled through her nose was sharp as Percy held her face and kissed her. It was hard and deep and full of nothing but love as she gripped his forearms and her back hit her bed.

"What was that for?" Cressida panted when Percy finally pulled away and her eyes opened.

"Listen to me," was all he said, equally as breathless as he leaned on his one arm, his other on Cressida's hip. "I'm going to be honest, Camp Half-Blood will always be home, but Camp Jupiter has some things that we don't, and it just got me thinking. There's a university that demigods can attend there. They can live safely and grow up and have a life. And I want to...I guess it doesn't matter too much anymore."

Her hand slid up his jaw and rested on his cheek before her core burned as she leaned up to peck his lips. "You were planning a future for us."

"Not that -"

Her fingers drifted across his lips as she stopped him from talking. "Percy, I just don't want to lose you again."

His eyes widened. "So, you're telling me that if we somehow reconcile with the Romans, you'd be willing to move there and go to university and have a life with me?"