Clio, Part 3 - Love and War

"What are you thinking?" Annabeth said softly, her voice echoing throughout the dark woods. She glanced at Percy, who walked beside her, holding her hand. "Taking Cassy along for this quest is a really bad idea." They stopped in the path where they had been walking and looked at each other. Annabeth took advantage of Percy's silence and pressed on.

"You heard that prophecy. This quest is dangerous and taking her along is risky."

"Risky…" Percy blinked and looked up from his silent contemplation.

"I'm concerned, Percy. Concerned that either she'll get hurt or you'll get hurt trying to help her." But Percy shook his head.

"I know why you're concerned, and I'm concerned for the same reason. But it just feels right. It feels like she's supposed to go with us." Having said this, Percy sighed and closed his eyes, relieved. "We've got enough to worry about with this quest, Annabeth. So just accept this decision. Please?" He put both his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Percy, I just don't think it's safe to…" he gently tucked her hair behind her ear and brushed her cheek lightly with lips. I stood paralyzed, behind the tree, my heart beating fast. Then Percy smiled again. His beautiful, carefree smile.

"You're not listening." He lifted her chin delicately with his hand. He put his cheek next to hers and whispered "Trust me." I felt my face grow hot as I watched her smile. I never liked Annabeth's self-righteous, know-it-all attitude, but in this moment I truly hated her. But of course Percy would pick her, the smart little daughter of Athena. Percy, who doesn't even notice I'm in the room. Percy, who I thought was different. But I guess I thought wrong. He treats me just like anyone else would treat a daughter of Hades…as if I weren't there.

"I don't want her to—" She began to argue, but then suddenly she giggled, as he gently kissed the side of her neck. I inhaled sharply as she pressed her lips to his. Then she flung her arms around his neck, and his hands reached for the small of her back. They moved with each other perfectly, in almost a circular motion, and I felt anger boil inside of me. I closed my eyes and turned around, my head spinning.

Without realizing I found myself running back through the woods from the spot, silently but swiftly. I ran, eyes closed, until I ran straight into someone tall. I fell to the ground, my shoulder aching from the collision, and looked up to see Seth, with a finger over his lips, signaling for silence. He pointed wordlessly towards a clearing up ahead. As we crept closer, I could make out Castalia, her golden hair catching the moonlight, carrying her bow back towards the cabins. I also saw a shady figure walking behind her. Nico.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered to Seth.

"Shhhhhh! I came looking for you and Nico because the cabin was empty. Where have you been?"

"Never mind that. Look." I pointed at Nico.

"Cassy." Nico whispered. I sighed. Cassy is so predictable. She jumped about two feet in the air in shock and in less than a second she had an arrow fitted in her bow, pointed straight at Nico's face.

"Oh, Nico. You nearly gave me a heart attack." She said, catching her breath and lowering her bow, "What are you doing out so late?"

"I could ask you the same question." He said. Why did he have to be so creepy? I mean, I'm a hades kid and I'm calling it creepy.

"Well I—" Cassy began, but Nico cut her off.

"Don't do it." She looked at him warily.

"Do what?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Cassy. Don't go on the quest with Percy and Annabeth. Let someone else do it. I'm sure plenty of people would be happy to—" But Cassy was shaking her head.

"I can't do that Nico. I have to go." I bit my lip, unsure if I could keep watching, "I have to be there."

"No you don't, you want to be there. But you're barely even trained. What's out there is a thousand times worse than what's within these boundaries. You have to believe me."

"Nico, I do believe you, I just…I feel like this is what I'm suppose to—"

"NO, IT'S NOT." He shouted. Cassy flinched, but continued speaking through her teeth, eyes closed.

"I feel like this is what I'm supposed to do. And it's really none of your concern whether I go or not." Her eyelids flashed open, suddenly fierce.

"None of my concern? Cassy, I …I lo—" His looked away, struggling for words "Cassy I lost my sister on a quest just like this. I can't…lose you as well." He stared at the ground fixedly.

Tears welled up in Cassy's eyes but she blinked them away. "Nico, I'm really sorry. I have to go."

"No you DON'T!" As he said it, a crack in the ground opened up, spewing a red flame only inches away from where Cassy stood. But as soon as it appeared, it had gone. Cassy leapt back several feet and stared at Nico, horrified. She began backing away slowly.

"Cassy, don't—" But it was too late. As soon as he made a step towards her she ran.

I closed my eyes, feeling my pain and Nico's swirling together into a large knot in the pit of my stomach. When I opened my eyes I saw Nico's defeated figure, kneeling on the ground, his hands covering his face. Then he spun around and stared straight at the concealed spot where Seth and I stood. I read the anguish mixed with anger, swelling in his pale face before he slowly turned and walked back, away from the cabins, into the night.

Seth and I didn't say a word on the way back to the cabins. When we reached them I slowed down and Seth took the hint and walked past me. Once he was out of sight, I leaned against a tree by the edge. Hot tears trickled down my face for a brief moment until I wiped them away. It's none of my business who Percy decides to kiss and who he doesn't. It's not as though I didn't know he had a girlfriend.

The first day I saw him, he was helping some Demeter kid who was being bullied by Clarisse. I admired his character then. He introduced himself to me on my first week at camp, one of the very few who did so after I was claimed by Hades. I appreciated him then. But when Cassy accepted me, when she reached out and made me her friend, Percy became a part of my life. He occasionally chimed in with helpful advice or a funny joke when I had those long cabin talks with Cassy. He'd help us both in archery class and he and Cassy taught me how to dive. It should have been apparent to me before that he was only there for Cassy.

Cassy, Cassy, Cassy.

Why is everything always about Cassy! What's so great about her? Sure she's nice and she wants to be friends with everyone, but I don't see how that's a reason for everyone to like her too! I mean she's not even smart, like Annabeth. She's too dim to notice half the guys at Camp Half-Blood want to date her, and she's too stupid to think badly of anyone, or even think at all. She's all into "leaping without looking" and waiting for Percy to come help her when she falls. She's headstrong, but without the brains. The little blonde airhead is too wrapped up in her own little world to see that Nico is in love with her, and too self-centered to stay and not get herself killed. And what kind of brother is Percy, putting her in danger like that?

I wish I had never come to Camp Half-Blood and I wish I had never met her or Percy. I'd rather be out there getting eaten by a monster than to stay here and get eaten alive by all this bitterness. But I guess that's the curse of a Hades kid, or maybe just my own personal curse: having a heck of a lot to be bitter about.

I punched the tree trunk with all my strength, letting out a tiny cry of pain as it scraped my knuckles.

"Clio?" My eyes flew open and focused on a solitary figure by the campfire. Cassy's puzzled expression made me want to punch the tree again.

"Cassy." I said, with a curt nod. I could see her worried expression turn into a frown.

"Is something bothering you?" She walked closer as if to sit down next to me, putting her hands in her pockets and tucking a piece of her hair behind her ears.

"There is now." I said coldly, watching her face fall with pleasure. She paused for a moment and then straightened up.

"Then I guess I'll leave you." She said, disappointed. I rolled my eyes.

"Please." I said, adding as much dislike into the word as possible.

"Good night." She said delicately. The anger that had subsided moments before flared up inside me. So she was going to act all innocent and polite now? She looked at me for several moments and slowly walked away without another word. I felt sick inside, yet satisfied by the image of her crest-fallen face still lingering in my head. I kept my gaze in the opposite direction until I heard her footsteps on the stairs to her cabin. Then I got up and walked down the other way towards Hades' cabin.

Seth was laying on the bed with his knees up, throwing darts at the ceiling.

"I hope you poke your eye out one day. It'll teach you a lesson." I walked over to the table and hung my jacket on the chair.

He smiled deviously. "I wouldn't feel too safe if I were you. I have terrible aim."

"Oh I know." I said, turning around, "You prove that every day in archery class."

He laughed. "Hey, it's hard to look good when you're next to Cassy."

As soon as he said that, the anger rose up in me again. It's such a shame, too, because Seth always made me feel considerably happier. A few moments passed by.

"It is." I said tersely, and turned around again, my eyes tearing up. I heard Seth sit up on the bed.

"Is there a problem?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course not. I'm only standing in her shadow every moment I'm with her. And now I'm in her shadow when she's not even here."

"Aw come on, Clio. We Hades kids are always in the shadows no matter who we're with." He laughed, sounding relieved. I rounded on him.

"I should have guessed you were a fan, too. You don't mind hanging out with her all the time because you get to flirt with her."

"Come on, Clio, that's not fair. I'm just saying you should be used to it by now, that's all. I don't think this is a problem with Cassy, it's a problem with you."

"No, it's not. I'm just sick of her happy-go-lucky, I-get-everything-I-want-by-batting-my-eyelashes attitude. She thinks she can stomp on anyone's toes when she feels like it, and—"

"Clio, you're being ridiculous. You and I both know Cassy is nothing like that." He stood up angrily.

"So now you're defending her? Let me guess, you're in love with her, right? Just like everyone else in this whole camp. Just like Nico. Do you want her to stay too? Do you want her to be safe and sound and leave Percy and Annabeth to go do the dirty work themselves?"

"Clio, STOP IT." Seth shouted. I'd never seen Seth shout before. "You're acting like a jealous, immature little child." I took a step forward.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Seth glared at me without saying a word. "So I really am the only person left in this camp who isn't completely in love with Cassy."

"You're wrong there. Clarisse hates her guts. But then Clarisse is just an angry, bitter, human being who has nobody's respect." I glared at him angrily, "If you want to be like her…" He sat down on his bed again, and resumed throwing darts at the ceiling.

I grabbed my pajamas and closed the bathroom door behind me and began changing. My eyes felt so dry from all the crying that it hurt. When I was done, I walked outside and turned off the light. Climbing into my bed, I pulled the sheets up to my nose and turned towards the door, unable to look at Seth. I couldn't remember ever fighting with him like this. If Seth was mad, and Nico was mad, and I had just treated Cassy like filth…who else did I have left? I closed my eyes and concentrated hard on not crying. Before I knew it, I'd fallen into a dark, turbulent nightmare.

...

And there's the next chapter I promised!

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