Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Rick Riordan does.

Choosing Love

Chapter 3

Leila let those words sink in. She had to love him; otherwise everything would've been for nothing. But standing there in his arms, she was sure he loved him. She broke apart from him. "I should go, Dean."

"Why? You don't have to go back to the Hunters anymore. You're free at last!" Dean smiled. "Come do something with me! I'm bored!" Leila hesitated. Here her love was standing and there wasn't anything holding her back.

"Alright," Leila agreed. She grabbed his hand, aware that everything seemed like it was speeding around her. "What are we doing?"

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"Hi, Leila!" Mary bounded up to Leila in a swift leap. "Guess what?" Leila raised her eyebrow.

"Aren't you forbidden to talk to me?" Leila asked quietly but the sneer was there. Her anger with the Hunters certainly hadn't worn off, not even for the nicest hunter.

"Well, Nikki said not to but I didn't see why we couldn't be friends," Mary murmured. Her face brightened. "But you didn't guess! Lord Apollo sent a note and it said Lady Artemis would be here the day after the solstice!" Mary squealed with delight. Leila frowned. Only two more days until I get smashed, Leila thought sourly.

"Come on, girls, we need to get back into practice," Nikki ordered. "Apollo's Cabin just left so we have the place all to ourselves." Nikki turned to sneer at Leila, "You can come to, Half-blood, just don't get in our way." Nikki grabbed her quiver of arrows and slung it over her shoulder, in a heartbeat she was gone. The rest of the Hunters filed out with her, ignoring Leila completely.

"Nice shot, Phoebe," Helen grinned, smacking Phoebe a high-five. Phoebe had split Helen's arrow right through the middle on the cork dart board. Leila stood behind all of them as they used the camp's archery equipment for their own use.

"That was awesome, Phoebe," Leila tried, without success, to warm up to her former sisters. Her anger was gone and was replaced with remorse as the Hunters went on with life without here. They seemed happy without her and that made Leila bite her tongue. She wanted them to miss her. She thought the Hunters would be sad that she chose the boy and not them. But they acted like she wasn't even there. Phoebe spun around and glared at Leila.

"No one here wants your opinion, Half-blood," Her lip curled. "You're a daughter of Athena. You belong with them." She pointed to the group of Athena's kids who were doing their chores. Leila's hands formed fists but that was all the anger she let Phoebe see. "Maybe Leila will fit in there," Phoebe continued.

"I don't think so, nobody likes her!" Helen whispered back loudly so that all the Hunters would hear. Snickers filled the group and Leila rolled her eyes and sauntered off so they didn't see how hurt she was.

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"Lady Artemis!" Nikki cried happily. "You're alright!" Nikki looked around. "Where are Zoë and Bianca? And why are you here, Thalia?" Nikki's cheeks reddened slightly when Artemis replied:

"Thalia is the new lieutenant of the Hunters. Zoë and Bianca fell in battle." Her eyes clouded slightly. "Never mind that, we'll discuss it in a moment. Leila Peterson." Artemis' voice stayed the same, calm and soothing but underneath that there was a ripple of fire. Leila stepped forward nervously. Artemis wasn't in her girl form. She was in her woman form.

"Lady Artemis," She greeted quietly. Artemis gazed down at Leila, her eyes meeting Leila's and then they flickered.

"Hello, Leila," she murmured quietly. "Is it all true? Everything Nikki said?" Thalia had her lips pursed and her arms folded across her chest. She wore the silver circlet on her head that signified she was second-in-command. Leila wanted to scream at her and say she was hardly a Hunter and had no opinion whatsoever in the matter. But Thalia was there and standing like she knew everything.

"Yes, it is," Leila chocked out. That was all she could say. She wanted to give her view on things but her voice wouldn't let her.

"I say banish her to Hades! Tie her to a tree and leave her there! I think—" Nikki was interrupted.

"Enough, Nikephoros Horatio," Artemis said sharply, using Nikki's full name. Her tone suggested that he matter had been brought up at least one hundred times. Her eyes stayed on Leila the whole time though.

"Nice name, Nick!" Alana giggled.

"Zip it! No one here goes by that name anymore." Nikki hissed; it looked like she could say more on the subject but she let it drop because Artemis was speaking again.

"I think you're already punished enough, Leila Peterson," Artemis murmured softly. "You have already lost your friends and family and you are about to have a baby whose father doesn't care about you." A what? Leila frowned. She looked down at her stomach. It was bulging or anything. It looked normal. And what about Dean? Dean said he loved her. Artemis must have the wrong boy. Dean loved her. He said he did.

"A few months." Artemis murmured. "Since you are carrying a child, you are no longer welcome with my Hunters." Artemis looked around the Cabin. She shimmered down into her child look. "Alright, pack up, girls; I'm thinking Canada will be a good place to hunt. Leila, get your things and leave the Cabin." Leila nodded, it was impossible to say anything with her eyes staring at you with disappointment. Leila didn't pack anything into her bags but simply grabbed everything and left. A baby? How could she have had a baby? She was only thirteen. She dropped her stuff outside Athena's Cabin and then ran off to find Dean. He was holding a bow and arrow when she found him at the archery area.

"Dean," Leila snapped. "Is it true? That I'm carrying your baby?" Dean shot the arrow onto the board.

"Like I know," Dean mumbled. "Anyways, I love you, Leila, you and only you." Dean flashed a brilliant smile. Leila grinned. "Baby or no baby, you'll always be mine."

"I love you too, Dean," Leila murmured, hugging him. Dean wrapped his arms around her and cradled her gently in his arms. Leila giggled, something was vibrating.

"Oh, have to go," Dean said suddenly. He hesitated for a moment. "Chiron wants to see me." Dean stalked off, pulling his cell phone out and talking into it. "Yeah, be there in a moment." Curious to meet Chiron and ask if she could stay here, Leila stalked off after him. He made his way back to camp and then stopped and turned towards the forest. Leila looked around. Why would Chiron be in the forest? Leila wondered silently. She followed him silently through the trees, her years of being a Hunter paid off. She was as quiet as a cat stalking a mouse.

"Hey there," Dean murmured. Leila froze, wondering if he caught her. But she sighed in relief when he turned towards the person in the tree. The thing jumped down from the tree. It was another girl. She was about the same age and height as Leila except she wore her hair down loosely and not in a ponytail for when she was hunting. The girl had green eyes and leaves in her hair from being in the tree.

"Hey there, Dean," Leila silently gasped as the two embraced each other in a hug. "Good to see you." She girl giggled. "I never thought a daughter of Demeter would ever fall for the son of Apollo." Leila watched in disbelief as Dean grinned and pulled her closer for a kiss. Leila's eyes narrowed angrily when they broke apart.

"I'll always love you, Kelsey, you and only you."

You said that to me too! Leila snarled in her head. "I love you." But this time it wasn't Leila saying it. It was Kelsey. Leila moaned and ran away before Dean and Kelsey could notice she was spying on them. When she got to a part of the forest where it was quiet, she sat down and bit her lip. She hadn't cried for over five-hundred years. She wasn't going to start now. Not for some loser.

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A/N: Sorry if you liked Dean and wanted him to have a happy life happily ever after but I decided it would be better if he wasn't the perfect guy for her.