A.N Chapter 3! Enjoy and Review.
Chapter 3: So your crush is still obsessed with his deceased ex…- A guide to fucking up a new friendship
After a few months, Lyric was starting to get a hang on this avatar thing.
She was waking up early in the morning, which is a thing that never happened before. She was exercising, another thing that never happened. And to top it off she was starting to become happy. She was happy at Half Blood, a lot happier than she was at home.
But this still wasn't home to her and she still missed things about North Carolina, The oceanfront, always being greeted by happy people, but most of all Ellie who was currently yelling in her ear.
"Hey Lyric!" Ellie said through the phone loudly, Lyric's mom had mailed her things a while ago giving Lyric access to the outside world via her phone and laptop. "How's superhero camp?"
"Ok, one, it's not superhero camp, it's a refugee camp where elementals are trained on how to use their powers. And two, It's going great, I'm really starting to like it here."
"That's great, Lyric!" Ellie exclaimed. "How's everyone?"
"Great, Percy's been training me, so I've been getting better. Will's been teaching me how to play a couple of songs on the guitar and listen to this!" Lyric exclaimed excitedly before turning to Nico. "Hey Nico, How are you today?"
Nico looked up from his book. "Fine. How are you?"
"I'm great!" Lyric smiled. "See El, We're up to small talk! Next thing you know we're going to be sharing trade secrets and painting each others nails."
"That's not happening." Nico replied, rolling his eyes.
"While I'm glad to know Nico isn't secretly plotting your murder anymore. He wasn't exactly who I was trying to ask about."
"What do you mean?" Lyric said, confused.
Ellie sighed loudly into the phone. "I'm trying to ask you about Leo."
"What about him?" Lyric sighed; hoping that playing dumb will get her out of this conversation. It didn't.
"You know what I'm talking about. I mean you obviously like him so how is everything on that front."
"Elle, we both have a lot of work to do and I don't know, a relationship isn't really in my forecast right now."
"I understand but I think the two of you would be good together. Have since the first day of school. Though I didn't know he was undercover and trying to whisk you off to Last Airbender camp but still I think you should go for it."
"I don't think so Elle, I'm really busy—"
"At least try, Lyric."
"Alright, fine." Lyric sighed. "I'll talk to you later, Ellie."
"Love you, bye!" Elle said on the line excitedly.
"Bye." Lyric hung up the phone before falling backwards on her bed and groaning into her pillow.
She heard Nico sigh deeply before asking, "Are you okay?" He said it like it was painful to talk to people about there emotions.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking though." Lyric smiled. "I know how hard it is to care under all that teenage angst."
"I don't have angst just anxiety." Nico sighed. "You know… if you have a thing for Valdez you should just tell him. He's cool so even if he didn't like you back, which I seriously doubt, you guys would still be friends."
"While I appreciate the advice its kind of Pot and Kettle don't you think?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you obviously like Will but you don't speak to him." Lyric shrugged.
"That's because I don't like Will."
"And Denial is just a river in Egypt." Lyric rolled her eyes. "Got it."
"Even if I did like him, which I don't." Nico pointed out which made Lyric use all her will power to not role her eyes again. "Guys like him don't go for guys like me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean guys like him go for the nice people like head cheerleader or student body president. Not the gangly kid with enough angst for a teen vampire novel." He sighed.
"Aw, Nico."
"Stop! I can sense you starting to feel sorry for me so stop it."
"Too late, my pity is setting in." Lyric moved over to sit next to him on his bed. "And you're wrong by the way. So wrong."
"About what?"
"About you not being Will's type." Lyric smiled, nonchalantly. "As the only person in this room that actually talks to him. I can assure you that you definitely are his type."
"…What?" Nico's brain shut off for a couple of seconds.
"Yea, weird I know but Will's totally into that Emo looking faze. He was telling me his celebrity crush is Brendon Urie and not even like now Brendon Urie like early 2000s, I write sins Brendon." Lyric shrugged.
"What?!" Nico was fully alert now.
"I know right, Brendon Urie is way hotter now. I told him that too."
"No, what do you mean? Will likes me?"
"Yea, definitely." Lyric said, getting up to leave. "But it's something you should talk to him about."
"Can—"
"I know you're going to ask me for his number so you can text him, and I refuse, you need to talk. In person."
"You know I hate human interaction."
"Tough cookies." Lyric patted him on the head. "I have training until 5 so when I get back I want full details." She smiled before turning and leaving Nico in a daze.
XXX
"So what's on the menu today, Perce?" Lyric smiled, walking into the training gym. "I almost can fill a bucket of water with my mind."
"You gotta speed you up so… today you're fighting."
"Like fighting you?"
"No, You're fighting me." Lyric heard behind her. She only had a split second to turn and realize it was Leo before a wave of flame was heading right toward her.
"Whoa!" Lyric yelped before kicking out her legs to duck properly under the flames. "What the hell, Leo!" but he was already lunging at her.
"Lyric, you need to protect yourself!" she heard Percy yell from the corner as she used both of her legs for push Leo off of her. She rolled back on her feet and stared at Leo with betrayed eyes but he just looked like he was thinking and analyzing every move she made. It was almost cold the way his eyes met hers for a brief second, he looked at her as if she was not a friend but a threat.
Lyric had a brief second before he lunged at her again. Now, Lyric wasn't in complete tune with her element just yet but when it came to hand to hand combat she was unstoppable. She blocked, kicked and ducked at Leo's advance when suddenly arms erupted in flames again. Lyric felt the same surge of energy she felt that first day with Percy. The pipes in the room burst and soon the room around them was a 3-foot pool. Leo was still advancing with the flames from his hand so without thinking, she made the water ascend and hold his hands, outstretched to his sides. Leo looked at he shocked, she rendered him motionless and powerless without the use of his powers. Lyric suddenly felt powerful, too powerful. So powerful that it started to manifest as joy in her. She felt she wasn't in control anymore as her hands began to turn white. She felt Percy putting a hand on her shoulder and shouting her name, that was enough to put her out of her trance and she caught a glimpse of herself in the wall mirror of the training wall. Her hair was floating up on the ends and her eyes were almost completely gray. She looked over to Leo, who was obviously in pain and now being held by crystalized ice where the water once was.
"Lyric, you need to stop." Percy screamed. "You're hurting him."
That hit Lyric like a gunshot. She never wanted to hurt anyone, especially Leo, who was her first friend there. When she released the hold she had on the Elements it felt like a blow to the stomach and she felt herself fall backward. She looked over at Leo who was lying on the ground looking at his hands that had turned purple.
Lyric stood up, Percy and Leo looked at her in horror. Suddenly she felt like a freak, which was rare since everyone there was a freak. You'd have to be crazy weird for anyone there to look at you weirdly.
"I-I gotta get out of here." She said before scrambling to her feet and practically sprinting out the training rooms.
XXX
"And I swear he looked at me like I was a freak. Like I was an anomaly and a place filled with anomalies. A freak, Ezzy!" Lyric paced up and down the garage where Esmeralda was smiling at her over the toaster she was fixing.
"Listen mija, I wouldn't worry as much as you are right now. When in a fight, Elementals tend to get out of control in order to protect ourselves. Its only nature that this happened, Leo should understand he almost set the building on fire when he started."
"I'm telling you Ez, the way he looked at me wasn't like I was something normal."
"I'm sure you're overreacting." Esmeralda smiled at lyric handing her a container of sliced oranges. She always had a thing about feeding the distraught kids that came to her garage. Lyric thought it was very Hansel and Gretel. "Worrying about my son thinking you're weird is the least of your worries. You should be worrying about visitor's day, is your mom coming? I'd love to meet her."
"Visitor's what?"
"Visitor's day. It's the day when people's mortal parents and friends come. It's tomorrow. Did no one tell you?"
"I guess not, I've gotta call my mom. Thanks for talking to me Ezzy."
"No problem, mija. Whenever you need to talk, you know exactly where I am."
"Alright." Lyric said, with a soft smile before running out the room.
XXX
"I'm telling you Chiron it was exactly the same as last year." Percy paced in Chiron's office while Leo sat in the corner with his bandaged hands. "The eyes, the hair, skin. It was the same thing that happened with Calypso."
"Calypso was a True Elemental." Chiron pointed out. "Are you trying to say Lyric…?" He trailed off; obviously everyone knew where he was going.
"Look Chiron, my dad was a True Elemental. We already know it's hereditary because Atlas was also a True Elemental. We know Lyric is my sister and that I'm not a True Elemental. Why is it such a shock that she is?" Percy was doing that thing where when he's stressed he rambles and tries to belittle people.
"Percy, you need to calm down a little." Leo said.
"Leo, why are you not freaking out?" Percy exclaimed. "She almost killed you back there. Plus you're closest to her and we both know what happened to the last True Elemental you were close to—"
"Shut the fuck up, Perce!" Leo stood right in Percy's face. "You didn't know anything about me and Calypso!"
"Gentleman, please." Chiron said, suddenly in between them.
"Calypso died on your watch, did she not? It was your job to protect her and you didn't." Percy said, over Chiron's shoulder causing Leo to lunge at him again.
"Percy, that was uncalled for." Chiron turned a stern gaze to Percy. "As tragic as Calypso's death was, what happened was not Mr. Valdez's fault."
"All I'm saying is, now we know she's a True Elemental, we can't have Valdez in charge of her watch anymore she needs to be more protected. And I'm sorry Leo, but if you want what's good for her. You'd stay away from her."
XXX
"Mom, I'm serious it's tomorrow. You don't have to come." Lyric laughed.
"I'm already packing my bag sweetie. I'm going to go get Ellie and we'll start driving later tonight."
"You're insane. You guys can't just drop your job and school and everything."
"I haven't seen my child in over 2 months, I think they'll allow me one vacation day."
"Alright then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Lyric smiled.
"See you soon, sweetie." Her mom yelled before hanging up the phone.
Lyric plopped down on her bed and let out a long sigh before looking at Nico. "What about you? Anyone visiting?"
"Who would come? My dad and his new wife who's only 6 years older than me? No thanks."
"You really have no one else?"
Nico shook his head.
"That's unfortunate. You know if you need someone to talk to—"
"Can we not do the tragic backstory thing tonight? I'm hungry and it's dinnertime."
"Yea, let's go eat." Lyric laughed.
When Lyric and Nico walked out of the food line and looked at the table she could see all their eyes on her. She know they were talking about her, they all gave her the same weird look that Percy and Leo had given her in the training room, which means they must've told the others. Nico starts walking to the table and Lyric stops by grabbing his sleeves.
"I'm going to eat in our room." She tells him, he nods before walking to the table.
She's almost out of the dining hall when Piper is in front of her. "Where do you think you're going?" she says.
"I just figured since everyone's looking at me weird I was just going to eat in my room."
"Lyric, don't be ridiculous. Whatever happens you're still our friend and you still have a spot at our table. So come back and sit down."
Lyric was suddenly moving to the table against her will she immediately know Piper had used her charmspeak on her. She sat down at the table and greeted everyone; they all smiled and greeted her back excitedly.
Except for Leo.
Leo was looking down at his bandaged hands and his untouched dinner. When he looked up, he and Lyric were locking eyes. He looked at her sadly before pushing away and stomping away from the table and marching right out of the dining hall.
Lyric's eyes followed him with shock as he left. "What the hell is his problem?"
"I wouldn't worry about it, Lyric." Percy said.
"I'm going after him." Lyric said, pushing away.
"Lyric, I wouldn't—" Piper began but Lyric was already sprinting out of the mess hall.
XXX
Lyric ran after Leo, who walks surprisingly fast. When she caught up to him, she grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around so he was facing her. He looked upset, like he wasn't the sunny confidant that he had been for her these past months. That didn't deter her anger though.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Lyric all but yelled in his face. He looked down at her (because she is significantly shorter than him) with wide eyes. "If this is about what happened in training, I'm sorry, but it's not a good reason to treat me like shit."
"Lyric, just let it go—"
"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be letting go! You won't talk to me or tell me what your deal is what am I supposed to do?"
"Here's a suggestion, just leave me alone." Leo said, coldly. He began walking down the hall again.
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you?" Lyric said, following him.
"Yea." Leo kept walking not turning around. "Listen Lyric—"
"No, you listen, what happened to 'Lyric everyone here is different and no matter how weird you are we'll still be your friend' huh? What happened to that?" Lyric yelled.
"It's not the same." Leo said. "This, us—we're too different and I can't do this. Not again."
"What do you mean again?" Lyric yelled. "What can't you do?"
"This!"
"Well, I'm going to need some specifics." Lyric said, sarcastically crossing her arms.
"Fine you want specifics? You're just like her." Leo all but screamed. "Your smile, your immediate outgoingness, how nice you are to everyone, how you immediately just accepted this life. Even down to you being a True Elemental. You're way too much like her and I can't watch someone I lo—like die again. I won't do it." Leo sped away from her again.
"I am not Calypso." Lyric yelled after him. He spun around immediately and looked at her with wide eyes. Lyric had never mentioned Calypso because it didn't feel right. She hadn't known her and she didn't even know what happened to her. But saying her name was the only way they were going to be on the same page ever again.
"I don't know what happened to her, I don't know what she was like. All I know is that she is not me. And everyone in this camp needs to realize that, especially you." Lyric stepped closer to Leo. "I'm not even going to try to understand what happened to you but I'm going to let you know that nothing's going to happen to me. I know you're scared but I'm going to stay right by your side and that's a promise."
Lyric looked Leo in the eye so he could see how serious she was. She could see the tears starting to form in the corner of his eyes and he said nothing.
He just kissed her.