Naomi sat by the window in her cabin, hugging her knees and watching the thunderstorm outside. Chiron had requested a storm as there had been a drought for the past three weeks and the strawberries were beginning to die. A flash of lightning made her jump and squeeze tighter on her knees; it was very cold. It was also very early- Chiron had hoped it wouldn't wake too many demigods up and seeing as they needed the daytime to get activities done, having the storm at night was more convenient. It hadn't failed to wake Naomi up, though; she had always been a light sleeper. Her fingers drummed on her legs and she hummed, keeping track of the raindrops sinking down the window pane. The thunder cracked again, louder this time. Sighing softly, she rested the side of her head against the cold glass.
"I'm not the only one awake, huh?" a voice remarked behind her. She turned her head to look at the speaker, jumping slightly, and murmured,
"Hi, Leo."
"Can't sleep?" he guessed.
"Storm woke me up." She replied quietly.
"Right. It's pretty manic out there, huh?" Leo grinned, stepping forwards. "Want me to stay?"
"How did you even get in here?"
"I flew in on a magical unicorn."
"Very funny."
"So do you want me to stay?"
There was a pause. Naomi's face felt hot.
"Yes please." She said very quietly. Leo seemed to hear her, because he hoisted himself up on the other side of the windowsill and swivelled round to face her, now mirroring her position sitting on the sill. He flashed a cocky smirk at her. He received a small smile in return. Lightning struck, illuminating the entire cabin in a harsh white glare for a moment. The two half-bloods shielded their eyes. "When we asked Zeus for a storm, we didn't mean an apocalypse." Leo muttered. Naomi giggled.
"It's so cold!" She complained in a whisper. Her hands were still drumming on her knees (she couldn't keep still because of her ADHD). Leo reached forward and grasped her left hand. "Whoa, what are you doing?" she said, shocked.
"Just trust me."
"Wha- Oh my gods, Leo you're warm! How are you warm?"
"I have the power of fire!" Leo whisper-sang. His other hand burst into flames.
"Oh my gods." Naomi breathed. She leaned forward, towards his hand. "Is this rea- oh!"
In the fire, little fire balls jumped up and down. She could see images in the fire- Thalia's tree with the Golden Fleece glittering below it, Jason and Piper clutching each other laughing, Leo's mother smiling with the same mischievous glint in her eyes that had been passed down to her son, the whole camp gathered round the fire toasting marshmallows. Everyone was happy. It made her happy to see the images, more comfortable. "Wow..." she mumbled. "That's some power you got there." Leo lifted the side of his mouth in a half-smile.
"You think?" He whispered.
"Well, I don't know if my opinion counts for much, but yeah. Leo, your pyro-kinesis is wicked." Naomi grinned across at her companion. Leo blinked blankly back at her.
"Pyro-kiwhatnow?" He said. She sighed. She knew she was a child of Athena, which meant she was smart, but it wasn't like everyone else was dumb...
"Pyro-kinesis: the control and/or immunity to fire." She drawled. "Do your research, I do mine." She added to a shocked Valdez.
"Okay, I know you're the daughter of Athena, but seriously? How do you enjoy learning words like that? I settle with lug wrench and syncopater well enough." He replied. She smiled, exhaling through her nose in a small snort. The rain fell harder.
"At this rate, the strawberries will have floated away in a flood." Naomi muttered. The lightning struck again, blinding her temporarily.
"Be careful." Leo mumbled. A blush spread across his cheeks. She realised her hand was still in Leo's, but she left it there. It was nice, after all, to have someone near you when you felt all alone. They sat in silence, watching the thunderstorm. At least, Naomi was watching the thunderstorm. She didn't notice that Leo was watching her and quickly looking out of the window when she turned her head.
Well, she did notice. She just pretended not to. An idea blossomed in her mind, and she smirked to herself.
"Hey, Leo?" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I want to tell you a secret. Come here." just as she'd planned, Leo leaned forward. "Come closer!" she whispered impatiently. He leaned further towards her. "Close your eyes." she instructed. Leo followed obediently. Before she could change her mind, she went in and kissed him. A blush spread across her cheeks. She knew because her face felt hot. His eyes snapped open. His own blush grew as he stared wide-eyed at her. "I like you. That's my secret." Naomi whispered, smiling shyly.
"I kind of have a secret too, you know. Don't tell anyone." Leo replied quietly.
"Oh yeah?" She looked up at him. He kissed her again softly, his hand tipping her chin up so their lips could meet.
"I like you too."