I ate quietly, half-heartedly listening to Piper's dream about being eaten by katoblepones.
The daughter of Aphrodite had just woken up and was quite chatty, but I'd been up all day and felt emotionally exhausted. It also didn't help that I kept thinking about Leo.
What was he doing? What was he thinking? Was he still angry at me?
I sighed dejectedly, picking at the last of my shrimp fried rice.
"What's wrong, Peri?" Frank asked beside me with kind eyes. "You're usually fired up after killing a monster."
When he said fire, my heart squeezed, and the image of Leo yelling at me covered with flames popped into my mind. He might've been trying to frighten me, but all I saw was a boy in pain.
Pain that I'd caused him. How could I be so foolish and insensitive?
Hazel snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Helloooo? Earth to Peri. Have you got a concussion or something—"
"I'm fine," I rose to my feet. "Just tired."
I dumped the remnants of my meal into the fireplace, saying a quick prayer of safety to my father and our friends in Tartarus. As I stared into the roaring flames, Leo remained in my thoughts. I gripped the golden platter in my hands and headed out of the dining hall.
"Oh, Peri, you forgot to put your plate back—"
"No, I didn't." I said over my shoulder. "Night."
I marched downstairs confidently and stopped in front of Leo's door. There was no way he was going to ignore me this time. I'd stand here all night if I had to. I put my ear to the wood but didn't hear any sound from the other side. Before I could psych myself out, I pounded on the door like I was going to break it down and didn't stop until it swung open.
And there he was.
That curly mop of hair I'd come to love was messy and wild as if he'd been tugging on it. Leo's brown eyes were reddened and puffy, obvious signs he'd been crying. His white tee was tear-stained, too. My chest ached at the sight of him.
Leo's thick brows furrowed into a frown. "Why're you banging on my door like the damn police?"
Shit. I didn't think I'd get this far.
I shoved the golden platter forward into his chest, forcing him to take it. "You haven't eaten all day."
He nodded curtly, and retreated further into the dark room. I stood in the doorway awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.
"Well?" Leo's voice echoed from inside. "You gonna come in or what?"
At first, I thought my mind was simply playing tricks on me; my ears must've been hearing what they wanted to. Still in slight disbelief, I entered Leo's room, shutting the door behind me. He sat on his bed, already digging into some colorful dish that filled the air with a spicy aroma.
I sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed, twiddling my thumbs. This was my first time getting a good look around his room. It was pretty much identical to the others, although there were a few things here and there that stuck out as being distinctly Leo's. His green army jacket was tossed in one corner, the warm weather most likely keeping the garment decommissioned. Small, half finished projects covered his dresser. There were a few crumpled papers and miscellaneous items strewn about the floor, perhaps scattered about in a rage.
A rage that I had caused.
Leo's anger must've subsided since then, but guilt sill ate away at me like termites to a log cabin. I'd come to apologize, so I should stop beating around the bush. I opened my mouth to begin, but was interrupted by a loud belch from the boy beside me. Surprisingly, it brought a smile to both of our faces, and I could feel the tension in the room lift slightly.
There was a soft clang of metal as Leo placed the once again empty platter on his bedside table. "That hit the spot."
"I figured you'd be starving," I hummed, eyes still wandering around the room.
I wasn't sure if it was because I'd never taken in the surroundings before or because I couldn't bear to meet his gaze. My sights fell on a small photograph lying on the floor by my feet. It was singed badly, but I could still make out the beautiful face of a woman with dark curly hair and a fun loving smile. She was holding a happy little boy with the same curly hair and pointed ears that I'd grown so fond of.
"Wow, was this your mom?" I asked. "She was so beautiful... You look just like her."
"Yeah," Leo's voice hardened, and his hands clenched. "I was serious when I said to stay away from me. I'm dangerous—"
Irritation bubbled inside of me. I was so sick of hearing that. Who the hell did he think he was? Who the hell did he think I was? I'll show him. With a burst of magical and physical energy, I shoved Leo back and pinned him down to the bed. My dagger was at his throat in an instant, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to let him know that I could. His big brown eyes stared back into mine.
"You seem to have forgotten," I breathed, "I'm dangerous, too."
Leo didn't say a word, his eyes seemed to pierce into my soul.
"Am I scaring you?" I asked.
"No," he replied, moistening his lips.
"Good. You don't scare me either. So don't push me away. I'll decide when I've had enough."
"You're right," he sighed heavily. "I just... didn't want to hurt the person I love most again."
"L-love?" I repeated.
I removed the dagger from his neck, placing it carefully atop the golden platter. Our eye contact never wavered for even a second, and the air became charged with that familiar tension once again. But it was so much more than that strange heat I felt inside when we kissed each other. I wasn't the smartest girl, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why he was always in my thoughts, in my arms, in my heart. And a smile spread across my lips to know that he felt the same way.
"I love you too, Leo," I said before the moment could be lost.
No sooner had the words left my lips was he pulling my neck down to capture my lips with his own. This kiss felt like a culmination of what both of our hearts had been screaming nonstop, what we had both been trying to deny ourselves. After confessing our true feelings, it was like a head spinning first kiss all over again. Gods, we should've said those three little words a long time ago.
No, this moment is perfect all on its own.
When we broke apart for air and Leo's hands began to wander, I remembered suddenly where I was. I was in a boy's room, on a boy's bed, on top of said boy, with only a thin pair of cotton panties keeping us apart. A shaky breath escaped my lips as my body reacted like it always does when we were too close. Warmth, electricity, and was that... wetness? I didn't pee myself did I? What the hell?! I've gotta go check before he feels—
Leo's hands gripped my hips just as I tried to lift myself off of him.
"Where do you think you're going?" He purred softly, that mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I've still gotta make it up to you."
I swallowed thickly. "I-I'm the one who came here to apologize."
"Yeah, but I was the one who was acting like a jerk."
"Can't argue that fact—" I squeaked in surprise as Leo flipped us over swiftly, and now I was the one pinned down to the bed. His hands gripped my wrists, my arms above my head. His knee was between my legs, inching them apart.
This was not how I expected any of this to go when I knocked on his door!
But my heart was damn near pounding out of my chest with excitement and above all else love for this boy, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about how he planned on making it up to me. So I relaxed against the plush mattress, enjoying the feel of his body pressed against mine.
"What are you going to do?" I asked innocently.
"I'm gonna make you feel good," Leo said simply.
I shivered at his words, feeling his hands travel from my wrists to gliding down my arms then my waist, stopping at the hem of my skirt. His eyes flicked up to my own, and there was something dark and carnal there that I'd never seen before. Surprisingly, it brought the face of one of the strictest nuns at St. Mary's to mind, and the word she swore would damn all us teenagers to a fiery eternity.
Lust.
I never really believed that mumbo jumbo they'd preach. In fact, the word excited me then, and it excited me now. My legs spread wider, and I gasped audibly when Leo's palm connected with my underwear.
"Fuck," Leo groaned out. "Is this why you were trying to run away? You didn't want me to feel how wet you are, huh?"
He started rubbing my clothed center up and down, eliminating any chance of me responding. Instead, a blissful sigh escaped my lips at the friction he was creating. His thumb pressed against a bundle of sensitive nerves, and I shuddered.
Leo had been playing close attention to my face and caught my reaction. "You like that?"
"Yesss," I hissed, closing my eyes to focus on the pleasure building in the pit of my stomach.
"That's right, baby," Leo encouraged, rubbing at my core faster. "I want these panties fucking soaked."
I mewled and moaned, falling victim to his ministrations. Working with his hands for so long must've really paid off, because it wasn't long before my legs were shaking. The pressure in my lower belly was like a loaded spring ready to burst at any second. Gasping, I tried to warn him that I was going to explode if he kept this up, but it was hard to form coherent words.
"You close already?" Leo's voice was like silk right about now. I'd do anything he asked of me. "Go ahead and let go, baby, come on and give it to me."
My hips lifted involuntarily, and I moaned his name over and over as waves of pleasure racked my body. I'd never felt such an intense ecstasy, and stars danced in the corners of my vision. For a brief, amazing moment there was no quest, no war, nothing except he and I.
When I came down from my insane high, Leo was kissing my face. He pulled back with a satisfied grin.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Gods, yes," I replied with a dreamy smile, snuggling into his warmth. Within seconds, I had passed out.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
I sat up with a start, feeling movement beside me. I was startled at first until I recognized Leo's silhouette and remembered that I was in his room.
"That sounded like Hazel," he said just as another shrill scream echoed out from her room.
"Definitely Hazel," I confirmed, snatching my dagger from the nightstand and rushing out the door after Leo.
Thankfully, we were the first two out in the hallway so nobody caught me coming from Leo's room. How embarrassing would that be? We busted into Hazel's room expecting a monster, an eidolon, ya know something dangerous. We didn't expect to see Hazel screaming her head off about a farting weasel. The others filed in shortly, swords at the ready, but I waved my hand dismissively.
"False alarm," I pinched my nose. "Just a funky weasel."
"It's not a weasel, it's a polecat," Hazel corrected from where she stood on her bed.
"Yeah, but how'd it get here?" Jason asked.
"And why is it farting so much?" Piper pulled a disgusted face, and I couldn't even blame her.
"Ugh who cares," I grunted in annoyance. "I'll just kill it—"
"No!" Hazel said quickly. "No, you can't kill it."
Leo and I exchanged a puzzled glance. Then his eyes darted down to my lips, and his face twisted into a perverse grin. I rolled my eyes, fighting a dirty smile myself. It was so thrilling having our own sexy little secret. With the chaos of a new day ahead, I wondered how long we could keep our little secret.