Chapter 1: Menacing Relationships
Edited: December 7, 2012
Burly eyes, tinted the strangest combination of cerulean and lavender, peered up at him with admiration and want, which filled Leo Valdez with a foreign sensation. He didn't even move or speak as she meandered closer to him and situated herself in front of him, beaming invitingly as she wrung her wrist around her hand. A light blush layered her high cheekbones, but the blush on her cheeks grew more violent as he stared at her. She cleared her throat and peeked at him from behind her thick eyelashes while swiping away her raven locks. Her timid behavior drew him in, especially because he had never met a daughter of Ares that was so shy and feminine. She was gorgeous, simply stunning in every manner. The simple fact that was there with him, acting timid and blushing whenever he caught her eyes intrigued him. She moved closer to him and gripped her wrist with more strength, which caused him to frown. He didn't know why he wasn't acting like he normally did, but he was alright with it.
"Hello, Leo," she said and her voice wavered a bit as her eyes met his. Roseate appeared on her cheeks, warming and adding color to her creamy skin. "My name is Dayea Drakos."
She grinned up at him and didn't say anything as she played with the twigs under her feet. Leo's mouth ran dry the instant she looked back at him and smiled warmly, reminding him of the warmth he saw exchanged between couples. Dayea didn't seem disturbed when he didn't say anything in return and just watched her; she seemed as if she preferred the silence between them, which was only interrupted by the campers' footsteps. It was nearing night time, but he wasn't going to sleep yet. He had to work on the Argo II so it would be finished in time. Dayea frowned when he stood up and patted down his clothing from all the dirt he had collected; he scowled when he noticed there was dust over his clothes along with soot and grime. No wonder Dayea wasn't saying anything to him. She probably thought he was a slob. He glanced at her and was surprised to see her rising with him.
"I just wanted to say that I really admire you. Leo, you do so much for the camp, and I hope you understand that it is appreciated. Many people, myself included, recognize you for your hard work and not only Jason and Piper," she stated, making the corners of his lips twitch upwards. He hadn't realized other thought of him that way; he always thought they admired Jason, who was brave and courageous, and Piper, who was beautiful and Jason's girlfriend. It felt nice yet strange to be thought of highly, especially from Dayea. Leo didn't know why but he felt something intense for Dayea even though he hadn't said a word to her. He could feel something twisting his chest from the inside, making him feel warm and loved — something he hadn't felt in a while. She leaned forward and gingerly kissed his cheek before hugging him.
"I hope we'll meet again," she whispered in his ear before sauntering away from him with her hair whipping behind her. He watched as she disappeared in the distance and waited until he could no longer see her before walking away. What had just happened?
How had she known where he was? This was his secret place, and no one ever knew where he went after dinner. Leo didn't know how she knew, but he couldn't bring himself to feel worried or even alarmed because she seemed so innocent. She was like an angel — bright and trust worthy, always making everyone feel better about themselves. A sigh escaped his lips as he walked toward the Argo II. He wanted to see her again, and he was going to do everything in his power to get to know her.
One Month Later
The past month had been wonderful for Leo and filled with mirth and memories of a certain raven-haired-girl, who made him do everything in his power to keep her jovial. She was an angel like he had predicted because she always helped others and tried to keep them satisfied with themselves; she helped the younger campers with their tactics and waited patiently for them to progress, always making sure they were never harmed by the levels the camp made for them but always making sure they understood the risks the real world provided for them. Everyone loved her, especially his friends, who he had feared would influence and take her away from him. Thankfully that hadn't happened, but he still feared the day she would finally say she didn't actually love him and had only dated him to be with his friends. He didn't know what he would do if she wasn't with him, but he knew it wouldn't be pretty.
Leo didn't even know if he could live without her because they did everything together. He ate breakfast with her every day despite the rules, practiced camp activities with her after eating, went on a short date, ate lunch with everyone else, worked on the Argo II even though all she did was entertain him and pass him his tools, eat dinner with the other campers, and then go to bed. She occasionally snuck into his cabin and vice versa whenever she felt frightened; she was afraid of the creatures that lurked inside her mind, and she had even fearfully confined in him one day. After that day, he had promised her he would always be with her and protect her from her nightmares, which had earned him a passionate kiss.
"Leo, where are you?" Dayea inquired, trudging silently in his work place.
"I'm working on the Argo II," he replied with a foolish, lopsided grin on his lips.
He stepped out of the Argo II for a second and was surprised when he saw her shoulders were slumped and tears stumbled down her cheeks. Abruptly, he jumped from the ladder and quickly enveloped her in a hug, which made her quiver and cry even more than before. She murmured something he couldn't hear under her breath, so he pulled her back and was astonished when he saw her eyes were bloodshot and dark bags littered her under eyes, which seemed nearly dead. Her lips trembled and jutted as she sniffled and swiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Do you love me?" she asked innocently, peering up at him with her large, tearful eyes.
"I do," he replied, wondering what that had to do with anything.
"Are you sure?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow while sniffling and wiping her tears away. He nodded once more and kissed the side of her face before pulling her to his chest. She burrowed her head in the crook of his neck and smiled when he kissed her cheek and rubbed her back. Dayea grinned and knew in that instant that Leo was hooked, nearly addicted with her affections.
"Would you be willing to do anything for me?" she questioned once she pulled back. He frowned and caused his eyebrows to furrow at that question. Where was she coming from?
"I would be willing to do anything for you, Dayea, even die for you," he answered easily. Her fingertips caressed his face before lingering on his cheeks and then traveling to his chest. She stared at him with an strange expression that confused him.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, causing her to chuckle and lightly trace his facial features. She shrugged her shoulders and stood on her tip toes, leaning upwards so she could place a kiss on his lips. Dayea kissed him and he eagerly responded when she intensified the kiss and tangled her hands in his hair. He gripped her waist firmly before caressing her cheek and stroking her. She pushed him back a bit when she ran out of air, but she left her forehead on his, admiring his obedience. Leo didn't know what he had gotten himself into. Her love was like a drug, poisoning him and infecting him negatively without him knowing. He couldn't stop because he was addicted to her; she was everything he desired and more. She was the perfect girl for him.
"We should go out," she decided. He glanced at the Argo II worriedly and tried to shake his head and say no, but she clutched his hand firmly. Her eyes widened when she noticed he started to drag his feet and refused to move away from the Argo II.
"I thought you said you love me," she said.
"I do but I need to finish the Argo II. There isn't much time, Dayea," he responded, tightening his hold on her hand when she tried to get away from him. Her eyes expressed her silent fury, and he flinched when she smacked his hand away from herself and stalked away.
"Don't expect me to come back," she exclaimed as she slammed the door behind her, leaving him to wallow in self pity. He couldn't stand seeing her anger, watching her trudge away in disappointment, noticing she was disappointed in him. What kind of boyfriend was he? Immediately, he bolted out the door and looked for her. He found her walking toward her cabins with Travis Stoll trailing behind her. His eyes scanned Dayea before he walked alongside Leo's girlfriend, who barely paid him any attention. Unadulterated anger spread to Leo's body as he watched Travis shamelessly flirt with his girlfriend. How dare he!
He didn't know why he did it, but Leo dashed toward Travis and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He hurtled him backwards, causing him to stagger onto the ground, where Leo pushed him onto and kicked him. Dayea simply stared until she noticed Travis started to fight back and punched Leo's face. She gasped as he stumbled but caught himself, clutching his face with his free hand. His entire body trembled from rage, but he didn't stop because Travis wanted his girlfriend.
"Come on, Valdez, everyone knows you can't do it," Travis taunted, gripping his abdomen and swaying slightly on his feet. Dayea ran toward Leo and held him back as he charged forward. Her gentle touch soothed Leo and lulled him into a peaceful state, especially when she leaned forward and kissed his bruised cheek. It throbbed violently and hurt when she caressed him, but he didn't let it show. Leo glowered and narrowed his eyes at Travis, who seemed quite shocked at Leo's abnormal behavior. Dayea was starting to affect him, influencing his mind and making him start fights — something he never did. Dayea smirked as they sauntered toward Leo's cabin; she was finally starting to see how he reacted to others around her.
Three Days Later
Jealousy entered his system once more when he noticed the male population of Camp Half-Blood silently observed Dayea from afar, always watching her as she laughed and flipped her hair whenever she was around him. He noticed they turned around whenever she sauntered beside them, and they always made excuses to be around her. Leo knew they wanted her because she was special; she proved to be different from all her siblings because she wasn't as inconsiderate or insensitive as them. He loved her sensitivity and how she always listened to his problems instead of shrugging him off.
Dainty fingertips intertwined their fingers with his, causing his head to snap in her direction, making him frown and take his hand back. It wasn't Dayea but Rachael Mates from the Aphrodite cabin; she was stunning like all her siblings, but she was different. She was likable and fun to be around, but she constantly nagged him on his relationship with Dayea because she admired him. Rachael wanted Leo to notice her instead of Dayea, who she believed wasn't better than her. He untangled himself from Rachael, but she gripped his hand even tighter than before and moved closer to him.
"Rachael, can you let go?" he asked, growing more nervous by the second. He didn't want Dayea to get the wrong message and break up with him all because of Rachael, who refused to see how in love he was with Dayea. She was his everything, and she couldn't stand that.
As Leo turned around, he heard silence all around, which was odd because it was lunch time. He whiled around and found foreign eyes staring back at him with such sorrow that he wished he could comfort her. His mouth ran dry in the instant because he finally noticed the situation he was in. His eyes darted from person-to-person, and he could tell just by looking into their eyes that they thought he was having an affair. A nauseating sensation crawled up his throat the instant he saw her step backwards and then run out of the dining pavilion. He shook Rachael off his arm and sprinted after his beloved, who was gradually slowing down and tripping under her feet. Leo reached her in no time, especially because she stumbled onto the ground and tried to scramble onto her feet but couldn't. Tears blurred her eyesight, and he instantly regretted ever making her feel that way. It hadn't been his intention, but it seemed as if it had been.
"Dayea, it wasn't what it seemed. I'm sorry if it seemed that way, but it hadn't been my intention. I don't want to hurt you because I love you. Please forgive me," he said hurriedly. She raised her head and glowered at him before punching him in the stomach. He grabbed her arm as she threatened to hit him again and pulled her to his chest. She burrowed her head in his chest and wept silently to herself.
"Do you promise that you never betrayed me?" she questioned, peeking at him with teary eyes. He nodded and rested his chin on top of her head.
"I don't want you to talk to Rachael ever again."
He stiffened and didn't say anything when she turned around expectantly and gnawed on her bottom lip. She raised an eyebrow challengingly, waiting for him to agree with her. When he didn't, she untangled herself from him and tried to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist and turned her around. He stood on wobbly feet and stared at her with a determined gaze.
"I won't talk to Rachael ever again," he promised, making her smile and hug him with all her might. She reached up and gingerly kissed him before lengthening their kiss. He responded reluctantly but was soon reminded about her affections for him. Leo lost himself in the kiss and didn't even remember that he hadn't worked on the Argo II in a while, that he had fought with Travis, and had just promised his girlfriend that he wouldn't talk to one of his friends. He didn't even realize that Dayea was slowly starting to change him for the worst.
Three Days Later
"Your friends don't appreciate you as much as I do, Leo," she stated knowingly, passing him his tools. He tensed but tried to fix the navigation system on the Argo II without failing. His hands trembled from over exertion, but he stifled his exhaustion by simply nodding and trying to get her truthful words away from him. It was true; his friends didn't appreciate him or even paid attention to him anymore. They always spent time with each other or the other cabin leaders but never with him. He always felt lonely at night when he wasn't with Dayea and had time to think about everything that had happened during the day. His friends barely talked to him anymore, but he always thought it was because they were too busy. Now, he could finally see what had been there all along. They didn't want him because all he was to them was a tool — something they could use and then throw away. His heart clenched at that thought and tears blurred his eyesight, but he merely sniffed and worked on the Argo II.
Dayea stepped in front of him and caressed his face before resting her forehead on his. Her warmth soothed his pain and took all his uneasiness away from him. She leaned forward and allowed her lips to hover above his, teasing him and driving his crazy until he leaned forward and kissed her. She pushed him back when she started to feel dizzy from the sensations that overwhelmed her, but he didn't even notice. He felt empty on the inside, but when he was with her, he didn't feel anything but love for Dayea.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you, too," she whispered before departing and leaving him with an empty feeling. She had successfully made him have a profound feeling of loneliness in his soul. He never wanted to talk to Piper and Jason ever again.
Two Days Later
"Leo, I—we can't continue dating. I really do love you, but I don't think we're right for each other."
Agony ripped through his chest, which rapidly heaved up and down continuously, mimicking his unsteady breaths that fanned in front of his face. He licked his chapped lips and blinked minutely to remove all of his clouded thoughts from his head. Leo's fingertips twitched beside him before quickly caressing the side of her face. She flinched away from his firm grip and retreated from his quivering figure. Dayea ignored his whimpers as she sprinted away from him because she couldn't bare to see his pain. She had thought it would be easy, but it hadn't been. Inside of herself, she could feel something breaking along with his heart. He wasn't the only one who had been affected, but it had to be done. She was a negative influence on him, and he was too pure for her to ruin. His innocence wouldn't be tainted by her blackened soul.
She wandered away from Leo and restricted herself from checking on him by wringing her wrist and eyeing the figure that stood in front of her cabin — Travis Stoll. A slight grimace twisted her lips, but she tried to act jolly as he neared her and watched her intently. He didn't say anything and she didn't either, but he seemed to know the pain she was passing. Abruptly, he leaned forward and embraced her non-romantically while rubbing her back to comfort her.
"It'll be alright," he said as he pulled back and wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She whimpered but nodded at her best friend, who seemed to know everything about her. He knew her deepest secrets, and he even knew why she was the way she was. Travis didn't judge her and just listened to her, which other people found hard to believe; he was an amazing demigod, and he reminded her of her brother who died.
Travis pulled her away from her cabin without knowing that danger loomed behind the corner, watching them from narrowed eyes, glowering at the couple who had betrayed him. Leo couldn't believe she had traded him for Travis Stoll. His heart was nearly damaged beyond repair when he noticed she loved Travis more than him, but his heart leapt when he realized that Travis was the problem. If he could eliminate Travis, then he could have Dayea back. A mischievous beam contorted his facial features with an uncertain eeriness that would have repulsed Dayea. Leo would murder Travis when he was alone.
When Travis strolled toward his cabin, he noticed eyes scorched his spine and threatened his very being. He swallowed the lump that constricted the back of his throat before quickening his pace and trying not to feel menaced by an unknown being. Swiping the sweat from his face, he halted and nearly shuddered when he heard inconspicuous footsteps meandering behind him. He whirled around and bellowed when he was thrown back. Darkness engulfed his entire being but not before he saw Leo Valdez. He tried to reason with Leo but the maliciousness inside of Leo was too great. A panicked scream escaped his lips for the last time before he was placed in a deep slumber — one that lasted forever.
The instant Leo killed Travis, he felt an awful sensation settle at the back of his mind, but he barely paid it any attention because he was exulted. Dayea was finally his! He waited until the news reached her before he approached her and comforted her. She crumbled in his hold and held him tightly, wishing that her best friend was still alive. Thankfully she had Leo, who she knew would repair her.
"You're a wonderful friend," she murmured inside his ears. "I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. I had my reasons at the time, but ever since Travis' death I realized I should protect you instead of harming you. I apologize for my actions."
"It's fine," he replied. "I'm glad I have a girlfriend as caring as you."
A brief smile touched her mouth before it receded. She stared inside his eyes and noticed his pupils were dilated and seemed almost dead — but alive at the same time. Dayea noticed how his grip on her waist tightened and how his eyes constantly narrowed. She realized she has tainted him unintentionally and had made him possessive. His hold tightened almost painfully over her grip, making her cry out. There was nothing worse than a menacing relationship, especially when it was only beginning.
Thanks for reading and please excuse any mistakes. I really enjoyed writing this, and in no way is this defaming Leo because he's my favorite character. I just wanted to write something like this, which I don't think has been written. Please check out my other stories on this website and on Wattpad, which is called The Untold Story of Titania Cosmos. Have a great day!