Seven P.M.
Sunday, November 15th
The Great-Yet-Not-So-Great Early Birthday Present

Dear Leo,

Happy early birthday to me. My birthday is tomorrow. The day I turn nineteen.

I wish I could spend it with you.

It's been months since your death, but I refuse to believe what Nico said.

There's still a chance you're still alive.

Today has been a rough day, especially with Will growing up. His hormones must be changing, because he's been having a lot of mood-swings lately.

Earlier this evening I was called to the Big House, but me, being a girl who doesn't get in trouble much often, it scared me at first.

I remember those nights where you would tip-toe into the Apollo cabin, trying to persuade me to go out sneak out for a night. You're lucky I barely have any sisters.

Looking back, I wish I hadn't been such a goody-two shoes, and taken the risk.

It was dark outside when I entered the Big House, but I realized they didn't call me because of me, but because of my little brother. He sat in a chair next to Nico di Angelo. I wondered why he was here.

Nico fidgeted in his seat, twisting the scull ring on his finger.

"Will..." I sighed.

"Uh, hi?" He glanced up at me nervously, the color draining from his face.

I took a seat next to him, Chiron walking around the room with books filling his hands.

"What happened?" I asked.

"It appears your brother was caught fooling around in one of the cabins with another demigod, instead of being around the campfire."

"And...?" It didn't seem wrong. It was only Nico, I'm guessing. It's a boy and another boy, I doubt they would do something together. My baby brother wouldn't do such a thing. They're just really close friends.

Chiron briefly stared at me, as if realizing I didn't know something. "We have a strict policy on-"

"No!" Will raised his hand to interrupt Chiron. "I apologize, but I want to tell her myself... please."

Chiron stared, but eventually nodded.

It struck me as odd. Will's behavior lately has gotten strange.

"Cynth..." he mumbled my nickname and turned to face me. "C-can we go outside and talk?"

I've never seen Will so serious... He reminded me of Mom, when she said we couldn't go outside to play, because of the monsters.

Will dragged me through the dark to the docks, trembling as he took a seat, his feet dangling. "Well?" he said in a shaky voice. "Aren't you going to sit?" He joked, attempting to keep the mood light and calm.

I took a seat next to him of course. "Alright, what did you want to say?"

Will clenched his fists in his lap, his eyes squeezed closed, and his hair falling into his eyes.

It took me a moment to realize that he was crying. My fourteen year old brother was crying.

"Will..."

I placed an arm around his shoulders, bringing him into my embrace.

I wished you were here to help, Leo.

Raising a brother is hard. Especially since I started when I was nine, and Will was four. He barely remembers Mom.

Will cried into my shoulder, not hesitating to hug me. "You promise you'll never stop loving me?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Will. I'll never stop loving you like family."

He eventually calmed down.
He didn't look me in the eyes when he admitted what he was.

"Cynthia... I-I'm bisexual."

Those few words I never expected him to say. It kind of overwhelmed me.

My brother liked boys too.

"Is that why Nico was in there?"

Will gave me a hard unreadable expression. "You're acting as if it were morally wrong."

"Answer me, Will."

He didn't say a word. Meaning, I was right.

"Dammit, Will. You are not seeing that di Angelo kid anymore, okay? That kid isn't a good influence on you," I muttered. "When I gave you the talk about girls, that applied to boys too."

A few tears escaped his eyes. He lifted an accusing finger at me, he voice seeming to go deeper. "This is why I never told you! You wouldn't accept me for who I really am."

He began to stand up, making me stand up too.

I accept it, I only don't approve of Nico. But obviously I wasn't going to tell him that. It would anger him more.

"How long have you been with Nico?" I asked.

Shock crossed his face. "What? How..."

It was actually a guess, but no one would overreact like that if they weren't a thing.

"Answer me," I growled.

"... Since August," he admitted bitterly.

I felt betrayed, hurt at the most. "And you never told me?"

They've been together for nearly three months, and he couldn't trust me enough to tell me.

I shook my head. "You're grounded for a week."

"What? No!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "Did I ever ground you for liking Leo?"

"You can't ground me," I said, irritated. "That's different."

"How is this different?" he almost yelled again. "Because I like boys?"

"No. You're grounded because... you never told me." I pressed a hand to my throbbing forehead. "I expect you to trust me. I raised you nearly your entire life. You're not allowed to see that kid either."

"But-"

"Stop, before I double your punishment to two weeks," I said. "Go back to cabin seven. I'll see you in the morning."

Will huffed in frustration. "I don't care that you raised me," Will said with a shaky voice, holding back the tears. "You're not Mom, and you never will be."

He took off running before I could say anything.

Later the night, I found Will hidden under the blankets on his bed.

I tried to get him to come out, but he didn't. Maybe... maybe if you were here, Leo, I wouldn't have been so uptight about the situation.

I'm prepared for any other situation, but this.

I feel like I might have been too rough on Will. Although he shouldn't have been out with Nico when he was suppose to be by the fire.

I really need you, Leo. Right now at this moment. I tried talking to Percy and Jason through iris messages, but it isn't the same. Jason's too serious, while Percy is too carefree and lacks experience.

I thought about Annabeth, but she would have most likely given me a book on how to deal with homosexuality and families.

Then I thought about Piper, but she's really not the type to give out advice.

I hope tomorrow is better. I wonder if Will bought me a gift for my birthday tomorrow. I doubt it, considering that he's mad at me.

Who knew raising a teenager could be so hard.

Lately, I've been working with mortals to gain money for Will's clothes. I might take him shopping later this week for new clothes. I don't think he knows about my job.

Wish me luck, fire boy.

I love you, Valdez,
Cynthia Solace

Hey guys! I'm kind of diving into things quickly.
Poor Will :/

Ok, just to get this straight...

This is going to be a book filled with the struggles of Cynthia that she faces, but she's writing to Leo at the same time, recounting what she faced that day(or week.) You get me?

What do you guys think?
-A