★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖕𝖙:
THEY'LL NEVER KNOW
YOU THE WAY THAT
I DO

★ 。／｜＼。★

LET BELLE PREFACE this by saying that she had never done remotely anything rebellious in her life. Camp Half-Blood had its set of rules and she always followed them. However, after dating Percy for almost two years, his troublemaker personality rubbed off on her just the tiniest amount. That's why she wasn't that scared to do what she was about to do. Besides, they were almost seventeen. Coach Hedge also wasn't exactly intimidating. As long as they managed not to get caught, they would be fine.

She stood outside his cabin. It was about three in the morning. Belle had allowed herself and Percy to get a couple hours of sleep, and had also allowed enough time for the rest of the crew on the Argo II to settle in. Taking a deep breath, she put her hand on the doorknob and opened the door quietly.

Belle tiptoed inside, only to find Percy peacefully sleeping. She softly smiled at his relaxed state. His hair was messy, and it made butterflies erupt in her stomach. She slowly walked up to his bed and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Percy," she whispered, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Hey, Perce. Wake up."

His eyes fluttered open, and his hazy sea-green ones met her sparkling blue ones. At first, Percy thought he was still dreaming. He'd spent weeks dreaming about Belle when he'd lost his memories — she was the only person she remembered from his past. Percy blinked, making his vision clear, only to realize that she was really there in front of him.

Even though they had been reunited for two days, he still couldn't believe it. She was here, and she was real. Belle's short brown hair rested at her shoulders and her blue eyes were bright. He remembered the first time he had really noticed her eyes. It was when they got paired up by Quintus (or Daedalus) for a game that included killing scorpions to get golden laurels. He had accidentally scared her when she was reading. Belle had jumped and her eyes had widened, making them looking like miniature oceans. He had sworn he had never seen a shade of blue so beautiful.

"Beauty?" Percy asked. "What's happening? Are we there?"

"No," Belle answered. "It's the middle of the night."

"You . . . you sneaked into my cabin?"

Belle nodded proudly. "Yeah. I've never done anything like this before. It's . . . exciting in a way."

Even through his tired state, Percy smirked. "Rebel Belle. I never thought I'd see the day."

"Shut up. Anyways, I thought since we haven't had any time alone together that I could show you my favorite place on the ship. You up for it?"

Percy got up from his bed. "Yeah, just let me brush my teeth."

Belle reached up and ruffled his hair a little. "Your hair's cute like this. I'll be outside."

While Percy went to go brush his teeth, Belle leaned against the wall outside with his arms crossed. Percy didn't take long. It was only about two minutes later that he came out of his cabin and looked down at her.

"Ready?" Belle questioned.

Percy nodded. Belle held out her hand and Percy slipped his into it. She immediately began to lead him downstairs to the second deck of the Argo II. They passed the engine room on their way. A sphere of Celestial Bronze had pipes and tubes jutting out of it and cables snaked across the floor and up the walls.

"How does that thing even work?" Percy inquired.

Belle shrugged. "I don't know. Only Leo and Annabeth can operate it."

"Well, that's a surprise."

She smiled. "Come on, Aqua Boy. We're almost there."

Belle continued to lead him to her location. They passed the supply rooms and the armory. Finally, at the stern of the ship, a set of wooden double doors opened into a large stable. The stable smelled of fresh hay and wool blankets. Just like the ones at Camp Half-Blood, three empty horse stalls lined the left wall. On the right wall there were two large empty cages.

And for the reason Belle liked this room so much: there was a twenty-foot square of glass in the center of the floor. The night landscape passed underneath it. It was mostly dark countryside with some illuminated highways here and there.

"This boat has a glass bottom?" Percy asked.

Belle laughed slightly while grabbing a blanket from the nearest stable, spreading it on the glass floor. "Come sit with me."

She settled down on the blanket. Percy sat next to her. The two of them relaxed on the blanket, watching the world go by below them.

"Leo put stables on here so Pegasi could easily come and go," Belle explained. "The thing he failed to realize was that Pegasi prefer to roam free. That's why the stables are always empty."

"What do you mean by easily come and go?" Percy questioned. "The Pegasus would have to make it down two flights of stairs."

Belle gently knocked on the glass. "These are bay doors."

Percy's eyes widened. "We're sitting on doors? What if they open?"

"Then we'd fall to our deaths. But I highly doubt they'll open."

"Fantastic."

Belle chuckled. "I like it here a lot. It gave me a sense of peace when we were flying to California. Every time I looked down, I had hope that you were out there somewhere. Maybe not directly below me, but not far."

"What did you do all those months I was gone?" Percy questioned.

"Searched for you and talked about you a lot," Belle admitted. "Especially to my friends. I'm pretty sure all of them were tired of hearing how much I missed you. It was really bad the first couple of months. But then I sort of became . . . numb, I guess."

Percy frowned. "I'm sorry, Beauty."

Belle shrugged. "Don't apologize to me, apologize to my friends for hearing me ramble about you. Although I kinda feel sorry for them, 'cause they'll never know you the way that I do."

Percy put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. He didn't say anything for a long time.

She looked up at him. "I really missed you, Percy."

Missed you. That really didn't cover it, did it? Belle's feelings of longing for Percy were raised to an extreme after he disappeared.

"Beauty," Percy began hesitantly. "Demigods can live their whole lives in peace at New Rome."

She nodded slowly. "I saw families standing outside. And I know that you probably don't regret your time at Camp Jupiter, but Camp Half-Blood—"

"I know, I know. But I couldn't help but notice that so many Demigods were living there without fear. Kids were going to college, couples were getting married, families were getting raised. Camp Half-Blood doesn't have something like that. I kept thinking about you and I and how someday, when this war with Gaea and the Giants is over . . ."

Belle's cheeks flushed a light shade of red once she realized what he was insinuating. "Oh."

Percy shook his head. "It was just a thought that kept me going. Forget I said anything."

"No," Belle replied, gazing into his eyes. "Percy, that's so sweet, and I would love to stay with you in New Rome. It would definitely be hard staying away from Camp Half-Blood, but as long as it's you and I, we can do anything." She sighed. "However, that might be a little hard right now. If we can't repair a relationship with the Romans, I don't think they'd ever accept us back."

"Yeah, I guess." Percy then sighed. "Also, I was having a nightmare when you woke me up."

He then began to tell Belle about his dream about the twin Giants, Ephialtes and Otis. The Giants were planning the destruction of Rome on the Kalends of July that included the crew of the Argo II dying. Belle's heart just about snapped in half when Percy described Nico di Angelo being imprisoned in a large bronze jar, which was what the Giants were using to lure the eight Demigods in.

"Nico's being used as bait for us," Belle murmured. "He must have been captured by Gaea's forces, but we don't know where he's being held."

"Somewhere underground in Rome," Percy added. "The Giants made it sound like Nico only had a few days to live, but I don't know how he could survive with no oxygen."

"Well, Nemesis said five more days, which is the Kalends of July. Now we at least know what the deadline is."

"Kalends? What's that?"

Belle shook her head with a small laugh. "Now, I'm no Annabeth, but Kalends is the Roman term for the first of the month. That's where the word calendar comes from. But . . . you're right. Nico can't possibly survive that long. We definitely have to tell Hazel."

"Right now?" Percy questioned.

"No, I don't want to to tell her in the middle of the night. We can wait until the morning."

"One more thing," Percy continued. "The Giants mentioned something about a statue and a talented friend who was guarding it. And this friend scared Otis. Anyone who can scare a Giant . . ."

Belle stiffened, concern for Annabeth raging through her veins as she stared down at the dark hills. "Percy, have you seen or gotten a sign from Poseidon lately?"

Percy shook his head. "Uh, no. Not that I can remember since . . . wow. The last time I saw him was at Camp Half-Blood at the end of the Titan War in August. Why? Have you seen Demeter?"

"No, I haven't seen Demeter. But Annabeth and I . . . we saw Athena." Belle took a deep breath. "It was a few weeks ago before we sailed on the Argo II. It's not my full story to tell, but it wasn't good, Percy. I've only met Athena a handful of times but she really didn't seem like herself. Maybe it's the schizophrenia from the Greek / Roman schism that Nemesis mentioned. I'm not sure, but she said some pretty hurtful things. She didn't really talk to me, but she told Annabeth that she failed her."

"Failed her?" Percy responded. "But . . . it's Annabeth. How could she ever—?"

"I don't know. There's something telling me that . . . that Annabeth's encounter with Athena is somehow linked to the Prophecy, and I have a bad feeling we can't help her this time." She looked up at Percy and gave him a sad smile. "Wisdom's daughter walks alone."

Percy pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sure it'll all work out."

"Well, this evening suddenly took a turn." Belle leaned up and kissed him again. "No more talking about bad things until morning. We've both had a bad couple of months and we're finally back together. That's the important thing."

"So let's not talking about Gaea rising, Nico being held hostage in a bronze jar, the world literally ending, the Giants—"

"Shut up and hold me, Aqua Boy."

Percy obeyed. Belle rested her head against Percy's chest and stared down at the dark hills again. Ultimately, with the combination of being in Percy's arms again, the drone of the engine, and the dim light, Belle felt her eyes grow heavy. Before she knew it, she drifted to sleep, not knowing the consequences they would face in the morning.

⭒ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☆ ⭒

"OH . . . YOU ARE in so much trouble," a boy's voice said.

Belle's eyes fluttered open. She sat up glanced around groggily to see daylight coming through the glass door. Percy was sitting up as well, looking just as tired as her. Belle looked over to see Frank standing there, wearing a Vancouver Olympics t-shirt with a Roman Centurion badge on it (which Belle found kind of sad), dark cargo pants, and running shoes. He wouldn't even look at them.

"What . . .?" Percy asked, rubbing his eyes. "Oh, we just fell asleep."

"Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped," Frank replied. "We've been scouring the ship. When Coach Hedge finds out — oh, Gods, you've been here all night?"

Belle's eyes widened and her face began to burn bright red. "No, Frank, we just came here to talk and we accidentally fell asleep. That's all that happened."

"We kissed a couple of times too," Percy revealed.

She glared at him and smacked the back of his head. "And you are not helping."

"We'd better . . ." Frank stammered, pointing to the stable doors. "Uh, we're supposed to meet for breakfast. Would you explain what you did — I mean didn't do? I mean . . . I really don't want that Faun — I mean Satyr — to kill me."

Frank ran away. Belle shook her head and stood up, walking back to the cabins of the ship with Percy behind her.

Once everyone was dressed and finally gathered in the mess hall, it wasn't as bad as Frank had feared. Jason and Piper were mostly relieved. Annabeth kept laughing into her hand. Leo grinned the entire time and muttered, Classic. Classic. occasionally. The only one who seemed scandalized was Hazel, probably because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Belle or Percy's gaze. Coach Hedge, on the other hand, went completely ballistic.

"Never in my life!" Coach Hedge exclaimed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples in the process. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach, come on, it was an accident," Belle insisted. "All Percy and I did was talk and then we fell asleep.

"Besides, you're starting to sound like Terminus," Percy added.

Coach Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll — I'll terminus you, buddy!"

"It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

"Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Belle Adair, I thought you had more sense—"

Jason cleared his throat, cutting Coach Hedge off. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

When they began to have a war council with dougnuts, Belle didn't even blink an eye. Back at Camp Half-Blood, serious discussions with the senior counselors were held around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room of the Big House, accompanied by crackers and Cheez Wiz.

Percy then told everyone about his dream — the twin Giants planning to kill them underneath a parking lot with rocket launchers and Nico di Angelo being trapped in a bronze jar with nothing but pomegranate seeds, slowly dying from asphyxiation.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico . . . Oh, Gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel nodded in response. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."

"You mean Persephone," Belle recalled. She then paused. "My sister? Half-sister? I don't even know. Let's move on from that. Go on, Hazel."

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel explained, sounding very nervous. All of the silverware on the table was starting to move towards her as well. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

"The Giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth cut in. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked at everyone around the table, and Belle could see her confidence was slowly crumbling. "Won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled through a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank reassured her. "But how long do we have before . . . uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel answered miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

Belle raised an eyebrow. "What is a death trance? It doesn't sound very enjoyable."

"It keeps him from consuming all his air. Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."

"And he has five seeds left," Percy announced. "That's five days, including today. The Giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome—"

"That's not much time," Piper finished. She then put a comforting hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the Prophecy mean now. Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death. Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for angel."

"Oh, Gods," Hazel muttered quietly. "Nico . . ."

Belle stared down at her plate. She had first met Nico di Angelo at Geryon's ranch in the Labyrinth, and at first, he hadn't liked her very much. They even got into an argument that Percy had to stop. Belle had quickly got over that and told him she wanted him around at Camp Half-Blood. She even argued with Hera how Nico had a place at Camp. Plus, had helped them a lot when they got to Daedalus' workshop and in the Battle of the Labyrinth. Not to mention him showing up when they needed more reinforcements during the Battle of Manhattan. However, he had tricked Percy into going to Hades' palace. Despite that detail, Nico definitely didn't deserve to slowly die of suffocation in a bronze jar. And even though they hadn't known each other for that long, Belle didn't like to see Hazel upset.

"We'll rescue him," Percy promised Hazel. "We have to. The Prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."

"That's right," Piper agreed. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."

"He can tell us where the doors are and how to close them."

Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."

"Uh . . ." Leo trailed off, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "One thing. The Giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Hazel looked at Leo incredulously. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico . . . he knew about both Camps, right?"

"Well, yes."

"He's been going back and forth and he didn't tell either side."

Jason sat forwards with a grim expression. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

Hazel got to her feet. "I don't believe this. He's my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"

Frank put his hand on her shoulder in effort to calm her down. "Nobody's saying that." He glared harshly at Leo. "Nobody had better be saying that."

"Look, guys," Leo began. "All I mean is—"

"Hazel," Jason interrupted. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as . . . well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."

Hazel's arms shook, and suddenly, a silver platter shot towards her and hit the wall, splattering scrambled eggs everywhere. "You . . . the great Jason Grace . . . the Praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you . . ."

She didn't say anything else. Hazel stomped her foot and stormed out of the mess hall.

"Hazel!" Leo called. "Ah, jeez. I should—"

"You've done enough," Frank shot back.

He got up to follow her, but Piper raised a hand to stop him. "Give her time."

"You're kidding, right?" Belle questioned, looking in between Jason and Leo with anger flashing in her eyes. "It's like you guys don't think before you speak. That was so insensitive. Nico is dying in a bronze jar and you're telling her you don't want to save him."

"Insensitive?" Jason asked incredulously. "I'm just being cautious!"

"What would you do if it was Thalia?" Belle argued, and Jason went silent. She then looked to Leo. "Or Nyssa, or any of the kids from the Hephaestus Cabin? Because I'll tell you if it was any of my siblings, I would want to help them just as bad as Hazel wants to help Nico."

The room went silent. Belle leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"I'll go talk to her," Frank insisted after a long moment of tense silence.

"No," Piper replied. "Let her cool down first. Trust me on this. I'll go check on her in a few minutes."

"But . . ." Frank then huffed. "Fine. I'll wait."

A whirring sound then came from up above, and Leo looked up. "That's Festus. I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there . . . uh, assuming we know where to land."

Everyone looked to Percy.

Jason raised an eyebrow at him. "You're Captain Salt Water. Any ideas from the expert?"

Belle detected a little resentment in his voice. Maybe Jason was still mad about their duel in Kansas. Putting a son of Jupiter and a son of Poseidon together in a fight would lead to them wondering who was stronger. She slightly rolled her eyes and shared an exasperated look with Annabeth.

"I'm not sure," Percy admitted. "Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge."

"On it," Leo responded and then raced for the stairs.

"When we land, I'll scout around in Atlanta. Frank, I could use your help."

"You mean turn into a dragon again?" Frank inquired. "Honestly, Percy, I don't want to spend the whole quest being everyone's flying taxi."

"No. I want you with me because you've got the blood of Poseidon. Maybe you can help me figure out where to find salt water. Besides, you're good in a fight."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Frank's face. "Sure. I guess."

"Great," Percy continued. He then looked to his girlfriend, who seemed very irritated. Percy realized it was probably best to get her off the ship for a while before she became more angry. "We should take one more. Belle—"

"Oh, no!" Coach Hedge exclaimed. "Young lady, you are grounded."

Belle's head snapped over to him. "I'm sorry?"

"You and Jackson are not going anywhere together! I'll go with Frank and Mr. Sneaky Jackson. The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Belle doesn't break any more rules!"

"This is going to be so much fun," Percy said. He then grabbed Belle's hand and pulled her up before she could say anything. "Come on."

He brought them to a secluded part of the mess hall and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Listen, I know you're mad, but can you do me a favor?" Percy asked. However, she didn't meet his gaze. He sighed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Hey, look at me."

Belle looked up. Her blue eyes met his sea-green ones. Percy placed his hand on her cheek. Belle let out a breath of content and leaned into it.

"What's your favor?" she asked quietly.

"To not kill Jason or Leo."

She chuckled slightly. "No promises. If they get on my nerves again I might just have to break out Sunflower." Belle then reached up and gripped Percy's wrist. "Be careful, okay?"

"I'll come back to you." Percy leaned down and kissed her softly. "Promise."

Percy then let go and walked off back to Frank and Coach Hedge. Belle rested her shoulder on the wall and crossed her arms, watching Percy interact with them. She had somebody to cheer up, and it wasn't herself. With a small sigh, Belle pushed herself off the wall and walked in the direction of Hazel's cabin.

— [ ♡ ] —

I actually like this chapter 🕺🏼💃🏼

yes I did use lyrics from drivers license as dialogue in this. no I do not regret it.

and what we're not gonna do is ignore how DANIEL SEAVEY AND FRANNY ARRIETA CONFIRMED THEY'RE DATING ON VALENTINE'S DAY. NO I WILL NOT STOP TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT'S BEEN TWO DAYS AND I'M STILL FREAKING OUT

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !