"Hey, amor," Leo's voice cut into Crystal's internal conflict. 

Oh, sweet Zeus, why is he so perfect?

"Oh, hey!" Crystal squeaked, trying to act like she was cool and not in fact thinking about him.

Leo offered his arm, grinning widely. "You hungry?"

Crystal returned the smile, forgetting about every worry and linking her arm with his. "Famished. Let's eat!"

_________________________________________

So maybe Crystal wasn't as hungry as she thought she was. Usually, a warm slice of banana bread was one of Crystal's comfort foods. The subtle banana flavor along with the sweetness of the chocolate chips always made her worries melt away, but sitting around the table, with all of the seven demigods, made her lose her appetite. Crystal quietly sat in her seat, listening as the group compared notes about their experience getting the supplies. Beside Crystal sat Leo, nearly inhaling his slices of pizza. 

"So where are we heading now?" Leo asked, mouth full. 

Crystal shifted in her chair and set down her fork, the half-eaten food long forgotten. "Well, what we did was a quick repair. If we don't land again soon for full repairs, we won't make it over the Atlantic."

"I saw some eagles over the city," Frank said. "The Romans aren't far behind."

Percy swallowed his blue pie. "Which means we need as much distance as possible."

"Is it possible to go back and reason with them?" Piper's face was riddled with guilt. "Maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeaking."

Jason grabbed her hand. "It wasn't any of our faults."

Crystal nodded. "What happened was a way to drive the camps to war. If anyone is to blame, it's Gaea."

Even the name left a bitter taste in Crystal's mouth. She desperately wanted to scream 'Hey everyone! My mother is the woman who's hellbent on raising the giants and overthrowing the gods. Also, did I mentioned I've known for a while? Surprise!'

Yeah, no. 

Crystal chewed in inside of her cheek. She had no idea when the time was right. Crystal worried about what Nemesis said to her. 

"... pay the ultimate price..."

"I've been seeing things in my knife."

Piper's sentence caught Crystal's attention. Has she been seeing visions too? Crystal's mind flashed to the two visions she saw. Maybe Piper had seen them as well. 

"Like what?" Crystal asked.

"They are kind of confusing, you know? They don't make much sense," Piper said. "The images are fuzzy but I think I saw two giants, possibly twins."

Okay, so maybe Piper's visions were slightly different. 

Annabeth set down her fork. "Ella's prophecy mentioned twins."

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome," Percy recited. "Annabeth, that has to be you."

Crystal let out a long breath. "I suppose now is a good time to mention that I've been seeing things too?"

All seven demigods turned their attention onto her. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. 

"It's not often," Crystal explained. "It only happened twice, but they were pretty intense."

"What happened?" Percy asked before taking another bite of pie.

Crystal tugged at a curl, leaning back in her chair. "A war. Demigods and monsters fighting each other. I can't exactly remember everything, but there was a giant explosion in the sky. After that, it went black."

"What happened in the second one?" Annabeth asked.

Crystal had a hard time meeting the gaze of her friend. For so long, they had told each other everything. Annabeth was there for her during hard times and vice versa. She had a right to know. 

"It happens in some kind of cave, I think? I'm not sure where. And there's so much chaos and noise, it was hard to focus," Crystal turned to Annabeth. "You were falling into some sort of chasm. I-I tried to help but I couldn't. Percy went with you. I'm so sorry."

A thick layer of silence fell over the group. Crystal picked at her jeans, feeling guilty for hiding the vision from such a sisterly figure.

"Crystal," Annabeth finally spoke. "Don't feel bad. You just saw some things, it may not even be real. It's okay."

Crystal nodded and let her curls fall over her face, hiding behind them in shame. The demigods continued to discuss Ella's prophecy and what it could mean. A calloused and warm hand was placed on her thigh, in an attempt to comfort her. Crystal looked up in shock, only to see Leo's attention turned to the conversation going on. A small smile crept to Crystal's face as she grabbed his hand, gently squeezing it. 

"If we want a chance to win, we're gonna need the gods," Frank said. 

Leo suddenly stood, releasing Crystal's hand. She secretly missed the sudden loss of contact. "We need a place to land, the ship still needs repairing. 

"Where?" Hazel asked. 

"It would have to be near a city, for supplies," Annabeth said. "And somewhere where the Romans have difficulty finding us."

Piper suddenly brightened up. "How about Kansas?"

Crystal wanted to sleep, she did. However, every time she was about to fall asleep, Coach Hedge would bang on the doors, yelling at them to go to bed. Crystal rolled over on her small, makeshift bed. The bed was put together last minute since Crystal was, well, a last-minute passenger. Leo had tried to make it as comfortable as possible, and it was, but Crystal had a hard time falling asleep in it. She laid there for about an hour, tossing and turning. Sighing, she sat up and rubbed her face. Crystal pushed off her covers and quietly climbed out of bed. She passed by Annabeth, who was peacefully sleeping the night away. 

The door quietly slung open and Crystal stepped into the dark hallway. Goosebumps formed on her bare arms almost immediately. Even though the rooms were designed to adjust the temperature to the liking of the occupant, the hallways were not. Crystal crept down the hall, passing by Coach Hedge's room. Loud snores drifted from the cabin, signaling that the satyr was fast asleep. Crystal continued and eventually stopped in front of a different door. Soft light peeked out from the opening underneath. She raised her hand to knock but hesitated. Taking a deep breath, Crystal gently tapped the wood. 

"Leo?" Crystal whispered, cracking open the door. 

He was awake, she knew that, but that still didn't stop the feeling of guilt for bothering him. A look of surprise and confusion graced his face. Leo sat on his bed, in a simple white shirt and sweatpants. Small parts littered his comforter, a telltale sign he was tinkering with something. 

Leo set down the trinket in his lap, concern laced in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"May I come in?"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course," Leo brushed aside the metal pieces, clearing a space for Crystal to sit. 

Crystal silently closed the door behind her and made her way to the bed. The room was much cooler than hers, probably because Leo automatically generated more body heat. Crystal crossed her legs, placing herself at the foot of the bed. She picked up a small gear, turning it over in her fingers. 

"I couldn't sleep," Crystal explained. "I don't know why."

Leo began fiddling with his trinket again. "I understand, I can't sleep most nights either."

Crystal silently watched him, handing him a piece whenever he asked. It was impressive, the way his nimble fingers moved almost instinctively. Leo finally finished his work, slipping it onto a chain and presenting it to her. It was a necklace, made of tiny gears and random scraps screwed together. The jewelry was simple but that's what made it beautiful. (Here is the link to the necklace if you guys are curious. Picture it without the jewels.) 

"For you, amor," He smiled. 

Crystal's heart fluttered. "Me?"

Leo nodded, clipping the necklace around Crystal. No one had ever gifted her anything, much less make one for her. She couldn't stop the wide grin from stretching across her face. Crystal threw herself onto Leo, who grunted in surprise to the sudden contact. Unprepared for the force of her body, Leo fell back against his bed, dragging Crystal with him. They laid there for a while, not wanting to break the moment. 

"I like you." 

Crystal's pulse quickened at Leo's words. Even though Annabeth had told her about his crush on her, hearing it from him made the butterflies in her stomach go crazy. 

"I know," She responded. "I like you, too."

A comfortable silence fell over the pair like a blanket. The warmth of Leo, along with the gentle rocking of the ship, lulled Crystal to sleep.

__________________________

A/N: OH SHIT Y'ALL THEY FINALLY ADMITTED THEIR FEELINGS!!

Now, don't hate me, but they still aren't a couple yet. That's coming soon, but I'm a fan of slow-burn relationships. I hate when I read fanfics and the couple immediately falls in love and starts dating within the first chapter. I didn't want the relationship to be forced, but to build it on an existing friendship. This way, it keeps not only the readers interested but also me.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this fluffy little chapter! Catch you guys on the flippity-flip!