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Luke had been sailing on the Princess Andromeda for weeks, already. His crew wasn't restless yet, but he knew better than to think that was going to continue for much longer.
They needed to reach land, and they needed to do so quickly. Before Kelli decided to do something… unsavory. She thought Luke hadn’t noticed the way she had been eyeing the new
Maybe after they docked, he’d let her hunt some poor Greek. Maybe. As a treat.
That is, if they ever docked.
The sky grew darker, suspicious on account of it being midday, and dry season. The further they sailed, the darker the sky became, turning an ugly coal-grey, enough that Luke could almost smell the sulfur.
Fog began to shroud the ship, but no one said anything. Seemingly, no one could. The air was thick with humidity, and it got stuck in Luke’s throat, making him clench his jaw. One thing was for sure: something wasn’t right, here. The fog became thicker, so thick Luke couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face.
Anything except for the light.
Up ahead, Luke thought he saw a lighthouse, his relief brief but noticeable. Brief, though, because it became more and more clear that it was not a lighthouse the closer the Andromeda got to it. Whatever it even was.
Maybe not it. Maybe him.
A… glowing, bright.
Familiar and unfamiliar all at once, godly and human, but like no nymph or nereid Luke had ever known. He was… well, he was certainly something. Luke wanted to get closer— no, he had to get closer, needed to get closer. His feet moved by themselves, like magnets being dragged to iron. The boy noticed and smiled at him, though Luke had no idea how he saw anything in through the mist. The smile made Luke’s face feel hot, even though he’d had much raunchier gestures done at him, and had barely batted an eye at those.
This boy, this god, very likely, was making Luke question even his piracy.
His piracy—? No, hold on a minute, Luke needed to snap out of it. He had seen beauties of all kinds in his time as a pirate, gods and mortals alike, naiads, nereids, nymphs and dryads, but none had ever made him question. Something didn’t feel right. No matter how beautiful this boy was— and he was very beautiful— this didn’t make any sense. He wasn’t even singing, so Luke knew he couldn’t have been a siren (not to mention the lack of bird features.)
So what was he? Who was he?
Well, perhaps Luke should go over there and ask him…
No!
No, he was being manipulated again. Somehow, some way, the boy was manipulating him into going closer, and any creature that wanted a pirate to come so close to it, who was willing to do whatever it took to bring said pirate over to him— that wasn’t a creature that a pirate wanted to be around. Luke needed to turn around, he needed to get out of there, out of the ocean, far away from brackish waters, before he—
“Come closer,” the boy spoke with his entire body, beckoning him closer, eyes sparkling and his smile radiant.
Luke had never considered himself weak. In fact, he believed his willpower was one of his greatest attributes.
“Please, won’t you come a little closer? I only want to see you better, this fog is making it so hard…” his voice carried to Luke’s ears like a choir.
Luke was a very weak man. So very, very weak.
He climbed onto the bow of the ship, years on the sea making him familiar with it and his equilibrium not a concern. The closer he got to the boy-siren-god-nymph-lighthouse creature, the more he felt his stomach dropping. He felt honest to the gods butterflies in his stomach. He didn’t know if that made him more or less afraid. He was leaning towards the former.
Actually, he was leaning forward on the figurehead, almost stepping off in his eagerness to get closer to the object of his desire. As much as he wanted to get closer, he wasn’t going to risk actually jumping in with the shark.
The boy pouted at how Luke didn’t fall in, but quickly schooled his expression into an easy smile.
“I’m Percy,” he says sweetly, leaning up, but not getting up. Strange, considering how he wanted Luke to get so much closer. If Percy got up, he’d be close enough to touch Luke. So why didn’t he?
“I’m— I’m the captain of this ship,” Luke says, faltering for a moment. Though Percy didn’t look like any fae Luke had ever seen, he could never be too careful. Not when Percy looked just about ready to eat him alive.
Percy smiled wider, revealing his all-too-perfect teeth, and laughed.
“And what is your name, brave ship captain?” He crooned, resting his cheek in his palm. Luke swallowed. “I promise it’ll still be yours, if you tell me. I only want to know the name of the man brave enough to sail my waters.”
Luke’s words failed him for a moment, and he turned redder. Boy, was he glad that none of his shipmates could see him now.
“I’m… Luke. My name is Luke,” he answered after an awkward pause, because he’s an idiot.
Percy looks at him kindly, though, seemingly without a trace of malice in his gaze.
“Luke…” he rolled the name around in his mouth, as if savoring the taste of it on his tongue. “And what have you brought with you, Luke?” He questioned, his tone interrogative but playful. He eyed the Andromeda figurehead. “Pretty ship. Intricate design. Is she new?”
“Just well-kept,” he said, swallowing. “I’ve been sailing on her for years.” Percy hummed noncommittally, slipping into the water smoothly and swimming around the Andromeda.
“And what do you have on this pretty ship of yours? Gold? Jewels? Ooh, perhaps exotic things from lands beyond?” He looked up at Luke expectantly, as though Luke should have already sent down a basket of gold at the mere sight of him. And maybe Luke should have, but he was only just realizing that.
“I… no, not gold. Or jewels or anything you’d deem valuable, I’m afraid,” he said, followed by a nervous chuckle, finding himself strangely small in the presence of Percy. Percy narrowed his eyes, his ever-present smile fading. Luke was suddenly very interested in bringing that smile back. He had to think quick, lest Percy get bored of him and… somethinghappen.
“But I do have a, uh…” he trailed off. Was he seriously going to do this? He shouldn't right? It would be supremelystupid, right?
“I have a lightning bolt?” He offered. Percy's eyes glow, and the smile returned, stretching in a way that showed off his gorgeous dimples and oh— Luke found himself able to breathe again. The brightness Percy had been emitting, which had dimmed as their conversation went on, now came back full-force.
“A lightning bolt?” He repeated with glee. “I've never been offered a lightning bolt before. Show me,” he reached out a hand gleefully, like a child at Christmas. Luke really shouldn't but…
He took out Zeus's lightning bolt from his leather bag, feeling it crackle in his hands. Percy watched in awe, his pupils dilating. Luke reached down, leaning over the Andromeda figurehead to give Percy the lightning bolt. Percy leaned up, grabbing onto the bolt, but before Luke was ready to let go, he pulled both the bolt and Luke down with him.
A terrified yelp escaped Luke as he was pulled down into the cold water, but Percy only laughed and caught him in his arms, along with the bolt. Holding both Luke and the bolt in his arms, Percy grinned wickedly.
“Yes, I think this is the one,” he declared. The fog began to clear, as did the sky, and Percy pressed a hard kiss to Luke’s cheek, pulling him along to a shallower pool of water between Percy’s rock and a few others.
It was only after noticing the glimmering scales under the water and the lack of legs next to Luke’s own that he realized something very, very important. Perhaps, in hindsight, he should have known this day would come eventually, and if not one, another type of creature would have claimed his life. He didn’t expect this sort of claiming, but he supposed it was only fair. There were worse outcomes out there, truly, because…
Luke was now engaged.