Captain Jackson

Chapter Twenty-nine

Percy

After hours of hiding or playing Go Fish, they finally arrived and the great city of Athens, home of the crazy fiery elf.

"Listen up everyone," Percy shouted to the excited crowd. "If you go off the ship go in groups of two or three. If you below the age of twelve make sure you leave with someone older. We leave tomorrow evening so be sure you make it back before then. Those below twelve I'd prefer that you come back before eleven". And with that, he walked away from the wheel and towards Nico.

"Are you ready to get your sword?" Percy asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hades yeah I am" Nico all but shouted, bones seeming to vibrate with his excitement.

"Well come along then," Percy said again throwing his arm around Nico's shoulders.

They walked in mostly silence down the doc and the road next to it. All in all, it only took around ten minutes to get to their destination.

Nico was about to open the door when Percy stopped him. "I think that I should go in first".

"Why?"

Percy didn't say anything for a moment having flashbacks of all the times he almost died because he opened that door.

"Well?" Nico questioned waving his hand in the Captain's face.

"I was almost decapitated once" was all Percy said before slowly opening the door and assessing for danger.

After a moment, without something exploding or catching fire Percy entered the shop. The shop was fairly dark. There was grease still on the floor from one of Leo's earlier projects and the front desk was empty. Looking to his right he saw Festus seeming to purr from the spot he was curled up on the ground. Apparently, the building easy way bigger than Percy originally remembered, that or Festus was smaller.

"Leo?" Percy called as Nico stepped into the room.

"One moment" A voice from the back shouted before several crashes were heard. A second later Leo appeared with grease smeared all over his shirt and face, his goggles pushed into his curly brown hair.

"Percy, what are you doing here? My father came here yesterday telling me if I were to see you I was supposed to turn you over to the gods. What did you do this time?" Leo demanded leaning over the desk.

"I swear I didn't do anything this time. It's not like that one time, I can promise you", Percy laughed.

"That one time?" Nico asked.

Percy answered, watching Leo catch on fire in shock at the new person he didn't see until then. Surprisingly Nico didn't say anything to the unexpected light show. "Oh yeah. Well this one time, a couple years ago I thought it would be funny to steal one of Hera's peacocks from her temple in Argos. Anyway, despite being her favorite demigod"

"Heaven only knows why" Leo Interrupted.

"I was hunted down for a week, so instead of keeping the bird, I put it back. I still think I'm Hera's favorite though" Percy mused.

"Well, your an idiot" Nico laughed shaking his head and wondering how this fool had not died yet.

"Oh yeah, Leo this is Nico Di Angelo son of Hades. Nico this is Leo Valdez son of Hephaestus" Percy introduced.

"Nice to meet you!" Leo exclaimed shaking Nico's hand, "So Hades huh? He must really KILL the mood at your parties. Haha, get it Kill because he's the god of the dead".

Leo laughed so hard he broke into tears, Percy doing the same after a moment. Nico, on the other hand, didn't look very amused.

A grin broke across his face before he said, " Yeah well now we're BURNING daylight. Percy promised me a sword".