Hiya!
Next chapter for you here! It's not too long, but I hope you like it anyway, and don't forget to
r-e-v-i-e-w!
I only own my OC, nothing else.
Enjoy!
~thegirlwiththetrident
Chapter six: At the lake
They met as arranged at four, at the side of the lake.
Penelope looked slightly flushed, but that only made her eyes shine brighter.
"Hey there magic girl!" Leo called, grinning at Penelope, who grinned back.
"Have a nickname already, do I?" she asked and they sat down on the grass.
"So tell me" Leo said, enthusiastically. "How was your day?"
Penelope smiled before she answered. "It was pretty good. Everybody's been really nice, especially Annabeth. And class with Chleo was...interesting."
Leo waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't and he felt awkward asking.
"How was yours?" she asked him then, and he hesitated, twirling a bit of grass between his fingers.
Should he tell her about his work on the Argo II? About the second Great Prophecy?
It seemed like a big thing to entrust somebody with whom he'd only known for two days.
Annabeth had told her about Percy, and Hera switching Jason and him to unite the two camps, but she hadn't really explained what the goddesses' ultimate goal had been. Should Leo tell her?
It didn't seem like a very sensible thing to do, they hardly knew her after all.
But then again, how could Penelope be untrustworthy, if she couldn't even remember her own past?
"Okay. I was building, er, stuff" he finally answered, and he knew that it was obvious he was hiding something.
"Building what?" Penelope laughed, but when Leo didn't answer, her face fell, although she tried to hide it.
"I'm sorry Leo. I know that you guys have secret stuff going on, and that I'm an outsider here.
Please, I wasn't trying to be nosy." she looked away towards the lake, but not before Leo hadn't noticed a watery sparkle in her turquoise eyes.
"Don't worry about it, magic girl. I know you weren't trying to be nosy, there's just some stuff I can't tell you – yet." Leo's voice was softer than usual, but she still didn't look at him.
"And you're not an outsider" he added "Hey, anybody who's had his memory wiped is like a VIP around here!"
This made her laugh and they changed the subject, Leo telling her about the different monsters in the woods and talking about capture the flag, which they would be playing that night.
At the mention of the game, Penelope shifted uncomfortably.
"What's up?" Leo asked her.
"Nothing, it's just...I've heard the Hecate cabin is really good at that game, especially with Athena and Apollo as their allies, like tonight. What if I do something to mess it up?"
Her face looked so cute when she worried, Leo had to smile a little.
"Well, if you mess up, your siblings will turn you into a frog and the Athena kids will then feed you to one of their owls while the Apollo kids sing a death march." he said this very seriously, and for a moment Penelope looked genuinely worried before Leo cracked up again and she hit his shoulder.
"Leo! That's not nice!"
"Aw, come on Pen, you should've seen your face!"
She grinned in spite of herself and then said. "I like it when you say that."
"What?" Leo asked, still chuckling.
"That name. Pen. It's not so long, but not as childish as Penny."
"Yeah, well, it fits you" Leo said, and he meant it. Although Penelope was a good name for her, it was quite long. And Penny just wouldn't work here. So for Leo, Pen it was.
Just then, there was a shout behind them.
"Hey, Valdez! Where've you been?"
Both of them turned around to see Jason and Piper strolling towards them, holding hands.
They sat down next to Leo and Pen and Piper smiled at them.
Jason, with a concerned expression on his face, looked at Penelope and asked "Have you remembered anything yet?"
Leo was about to tell him that Penelope didn't have to talk about it if she didn't want to, but she spoke before him.
"No, nothing so far."
Jason frowned, sympathetically. "I can relate, believe me. But don't worry, I got my memory back eventually, and it even turned out for the best that I lost it, for a bit."
He glanced at Piper at these words, who smiled and blushed.
"So don't beat yourself up about it, okay? And if you ever need someone to talk to who understands, well, you know where my cabin is."
Leo felt a twinge of jealousy at that, but dismissed it.
He was far more impressed at how well Jason had chosen his words, offering comfort and support without sounding too pitying.
It was no wonder Jason was a leader.
Penelope smiled at him, grateful. "Thanks, Jason."
Then she asked, lightly, "So, who are you guys playing with tonight?"
"Well" Piper started. "Zeus' and Aphrodite's cabin have an allegiance" she wiggled her eyebrows at Jason "and also with Demeter and Janus. What about your cabin, Leo?"
"Er" Leo said, realising he hadn't set up any allegiances yet, what with all the stuff that had been going on.
"Leo!" Piper chastised him "It's your responsibility as head counsellor to take care of these things!"
Leo turned very red at that, and the other three laughed.
He joined in, joking "Well, I bet Ares' cabin will be happy to help us"
and they all laughed some more.
It felt good to be sitting there with the sparkling lake beside them, a group of friends that looked like they hadn't a care in the world.
How wrong that image would soon prove to be.