Chapter 8: ILY and The End of the Quest
Nico's POV
"What happened to you?" imagine my shock when I saw my girlfriend walk out of the hotel. She had dark circles under her eyes; her eyes were rimmed with red, like she'd been crying. She stopped walking in front of me and glared at me. Then, she hugged me. I heard sniffling. "Hey…" I said, patting her back. "What is it?" She pulled away from me and looked me in the eye. "I'll… I'll tell you when the quest is over." She wiped a tear from her cheek and turned to climb in the car. Annabeth passed me. "Hey, Annabeth, what happened to Dyls?" She turned to look at me. "Just let it go for a while. She'll tell you later on." I just stood there, staring at Dylan through the windows of the van. She just sat there, arms crossed, her eyes drawn to the ground. Suddenly, Percy was beside me. "Come on, man. Let's go."
Two hours had passed, and Dylan was pretty quiet along the way. I suddenly wished that this stupid quest was over. Whatever it was that was bothering her, I need to know. Like, ASAP. I've never seen her so downcast before, and it's driving me crazy. She was mostly staring at the road or running a hand through her dark hair. Her acting so innocent is killing me. (Though I do think that she looked so beautiful, even with the eyebags and the red eyes.) Fine. I thought. We'll talk about this later. And slipped on the iPod headphones.
Next thing I know was that we were in a parking lot at some huge place, and Dylan was trying to wake me up. "Nico, I know you're awake. Can you please get up now?" She said. I groaned. "Well, you asked for it." Her palm connected with my face, and I was sure that there were red lines on my face to prove it. "Ow!" I cried out, my eyes flying wide open. "Now you're awake." Dylan said. I turned to face her. Her eyebags were gone, and her eyes were back to normal. "You think?" she smiled, and then started to get up. I grabbed her arm. "No. you are not going anywhere without telling me what's wrong!" She faced me and took a shaky breath. "Fine. You wanna know? I'm going to Clarion Ladies Academy."
My breathing tightened and my heart felt like lead. "What? Why?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. She looked me straight in the eye. "Nico, don't get me wrong, I like you and would grab every chance I would get to hang out with you, but I need to show my dad and Aunt Carly that I can be responsible, smart and ladylike. I promise, I'd go to camp as soon as it's the holidays, or you can stop by if you're not busy." She said. In response, I inched forward and hugged her. She was surprised, but she soon wrapped her arms around me. "Just take care of yourself. For me. I'd beat myself up if you get hurt." I whispered into her ear. She gave a small laugh. "You act like I'm gonna do something stupid." She said. "And with all those Aphrodite chicks running after you. They'd probably be flirting with you every minute of the day without me knocking their lights out." I pulled away and raised an eyebrow. She laughed again. "Just kidding." Then she grabbed my hand and opened the door. "Now, let's go, Annabeth and Percy is probably waiting for us now."
Dylan led us to a barren area. "What are we doing here?" she whipped around and opened her mouth to speak, but once again, she was interrupted by loud thumping. We stayed rooted to our spots, and that's when a Cyclops in a baby blue tux came into view.
He looked terrible, and he was carrying two figures who looked a lot alike. Dylan gasped beside me. "What's wrong?" I whispered. "Can't you see it? That's Mom and Katie!" She hiss-whispered back. I studied them carefully. Same black hair. I couldn't tell what eye color they had, because they were passed out. But judging by the green light flickering around the other woman, I could guess that she's Demeter. But the other one… "Polyphemus." Annabeth said, jarring me away from my thoughts. Percy gulped. Polyphemus sniffed the air. "I smell tasty demigods!" he dropped the two figures on the ground, then started walking, probably looking for us. He was about ten feet in front of us when Percy said. "Confuse him. Scatter. On my count. One… two… three, go!" we bolted through different directions, and Polyphemus roared with rage. I didn't know why, but what Dylan told me echoed through my head over and over again. I'm going to Clarion. I froze, thoughts racing through my head. Dylan's words. Her in a dress. The expression she had this morning. "Nico! Nico! Watch out, you dummy!" it was Dylan's voice, but it sounded like she was so far away. I turned at the last moment. I saw Polyphemus, armed with a javelin and was about to send me a few feet in the air. Then, the butt of the javelin hit me in the chest and sent me ten feet behind. My head hit something hard, and something warm was running down my jaw. I tried to stand up and fight, but I was dazed and my vision was starting to fog up. My chest and my whole body ached. Then, I passed out from the pain.
Dylan's POV
"Nico! Nico! Watch out!" I tried to warn him, but it was like he didn't hear me. What could be bothering him? The next thing I know, he was sprawled out on the ground. He was bleeding. This image sent anger coursing through my veins. I charged up to Polyphemus, stopping at his foot. "Hey ugly!" he turned around, and I dodged his foot to avoid getting crushed. "Who are you?" he rumbled. I got an idea. "Nobody, that's who!" I yelled back. He bent down, his one milky eye boring into me. He yelled with rage directly at my face, and the stench of lamb's meat stung my nose. Eewww. This made me even angrier. He stood up and picked up his javelin. "I will kill you, nobody!" he bellowed. He stabbed downward, the tip landing a few inches beside me. He pulled it out of the ground and started stabbing. I dodged each one but one stab grazed my leg, tearing my jeans open. The cut wasn't deep, though. "These are designer jeans!" I yelled in fury, and he stabbed again. One more grazed my arm. "Oh… it's on now." I said, barely audible to Polyphemus. I yelled, and thick tendrils about as big as him exploded out of the ground. Percy jumped out of the way. "Whoa!" he said. "Sorry!" I replied. With one flick of the wrist, the tendrils wrapped around his ankles and wrists, binding him. The more he struggled, the tendrils wrapped around him tighter. I climbed up his chest. "You kidnapped my mom and sister, threatened the life of my friends, and hurt my boyfriend. And with that, you're gonna pay. He gulped. He knew that even when he responds, more will wrap around him. I raised my dagger, aimed straight at the area where his heart is supposed to be, and with as much force as I can gather, stabbed downward. He yelled in pain, and I pulled out my dagger. He exploded into dust all over me, covering me from head to toe. Percy and Annabeth were staring at me, eyes wide. "The blessing of Demeter…" Annabeth muttered. "You…You killed him." Percy said, gaping at me. I dusted myself off. I suddenly remembered Nico.
When I got to him, I felt the urge to faint. Nico was paler than usual, his hairline sticky with blood. His pulse was weakening. "Gods, no." I muttered, adjusting Nico so that his head rested on my lap. "Nectar! Come on!" Percy handed me Nico's canteen, and I trickled some of it into his mouth. A little bit of his color came back and his pulse got stronger, but he's still passed out. My heart felt heavy. "Do not worry. The boy will be fine." A voice said behind me, and I whirled around. Demeter was standing behind me, and put a hand on my shoulder. I let out a muted gasp. "Mom?" She smiled. "Yes, Child. You would be better if you start your journey on your way back today. Another day and your, ah, friend might be in trouble." The way she said it made me blush. "But-"I started, but she cut me off. "Your half-sister is in the car, and Percy should be back soon to help you with-""Nico." "Yes, Nico." She stroked my hair one last time. "I should get back to Olympus. And, remember, my child that you have done well and made me very proud." At that, she disappeared.
The drive back to camp was nauseating, and Percy didn't even have a stop-over. We struggled to get Nico up the hill, and believe me; Nico is heavier than he looks. After getting him in the infirmary, I dragged Will Solace from his cabin into Nico's room. "Alright, Will. Work your magic." I said, crossing my arms. He dusted himself off. His lips started moving in a silent prayer. Then, he pulled out a roll of bandages and started wrapping it around Nico's head. Another second later, his bruises started fading and his normal color came back. "Alright, Dylan, Nico's fine now, but he may need two more rest days. He should wake up anytime soon." He said, getting up. "Thanks, Will." I replied. He walked out of the room, leaving me with an unconscious Nico.
Nico's POV
When I woke up at the infirmary, my head was throbbing, my body ached, and my mouth felt dry. Someone placed a straw in my mouth. I sipped the liquid, and I immediately felt better. I tried to sit up, and a voice said: "Hey… you need more rest. Just lie down." I looked at where it was coming from. "Dylan." She smiled. "Glad you remember." I sat up, and I felt woozy. A second later, my vision focused, and Dylan had suddenly moved to the side of my bed. She was wearing and orange camp shirt, short denim shorts and Converse sneakers. Her hair was tied in a loose side-ponytail, and even though she never touched a make-up kit, she looked gorgeous. "Told ya you need more rest." I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Are you really serious about the Clarion thing?" She sighed and pulled out the scrunchie that was holding her hair together. "Yes, Nico. And I don't like it, but I have to." I stared at the wooden floor. I felt her move closer to me. Her hand gently pushed my chin up so I was meeting her eyes. "Don't worry, I won't cheat on you or do anything to hurt you." She took a deep breath, and continued. "I love you, Nico di Angelo. And don't even think of cheating on me, because if you do, I swear, I'll skin you alive when I get back." I felt her hand work its way slowly towards the back of my neck. She leaned in so close that our foreheads were already connected. I smiled slowly. "Whatever you say, Dyls. I love you too." Fine. Tell me we're going too fast, since we're still both… young, but I somehow knew that I would never find a girl like her again. No other girls can fit in the crater she left in my heart if she doesn't remain faithful. I also figured that if I cheated on her, each and every plant near me would suddenly come to life, trying to kill me. But I would never do that. I love her, and she loves me back. Her mom's Demeter, who doesn't like my dad very much for kidnapping Persephone, and who knows what she might do to me for hurting her daughter. I suddenly felt Dylan's lips press against mine, and I was surprised for a second, my eyes wide open, but I snapped out of it and closed my eyes. Boy, I really was going to miss her. My mind seemed to melt right through me. I wrapped my arm around her waist. Yeah, I could get used to this kind of thing every day. "Hey Dyl-"I broke away from her, mildly irritated. Guess what? Percy was at the door. His face was now beet red and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "What?" I asked, a hint of irritation in my voice. Dylan punched me lightly on the arm. She sighed. "Yes, Perce?" "Um, Chiron sent me to get you for archery. You're five minutes late…" He said, studying the floor. "I'll be there in a sec, Thanks." She replied. I swear Percy was trying hard not to run. He closed the door behind him. "So… I guess I'll see you later." I said, a grin plastered on my face. She gave me another kiss. "Sure. Now, get some rest, if you want to be out of that bed tomorrow afternoon." She stood up, walked to the door and shut it firmly, leaving me alone. I smiled again and lay back on my bed. I closed my eyes, still brimming with happiness.
Percy's POV
Well, this is embarrassing. I am so stupid sometimes. Hell, I didn't even consider knocking. I burst into Nico's room, only to see him wide awake, sitting up, and kissing Dylan. I wonder if this is how people feel when they see Annabeth and me, alone, in my cabin. When Dylan trotted out of the infirmary, I developed a sudden interest on the grass. I heard her laugh. "It's okay, Percy, I won't beat you up." She said. I gathered up all my willpower to look up at her. "So… finally said the three magic words, huh?" she looked at me skeptically. "How'd you know?" this time, it was my turn to smile. "Please. I have Annabeth, remember?" slowly, she began to smile. "Ohhh… I see…" she held out her fist. I bumped it with mine. "So how's the Big-brother thing going?" I shrugged. "Fine, I guess. You'll meet Cole when you get to archery." I looked at my watch. "Yeah, I gotta go. I need to pick up Sydney from arts and crafts." I started walking towards the arts and crafts cabin, giving a backwards wave to Dylan.
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