Chapter 4: Visitor's day AKA Ellie comes save the day with her magical hippie ways.
Lyric woke up the next morning early and ecstatic, two things she never was. It didn't matter though because she was way too excited to see her best friend.
Everyone who knew Lyric and Ellie knew that they didn't go anywhere without the other. The longest the two had been apart before this was when Ellie took a vacation to Yosemite for a week and did nothing but call Lyric the whole time she was there.
Soon after she was showered and dressed, Lyric got a text from Ellie telling her they were outside. Lyric looked over to Nico.
"Hey, wanna come with me to get my mom and Ellie from the front?"
"No, I wanna lay in bed all day."
"Nico, Come on, you can't be sour all day it's unhealthy."
Nico gasped, offended, "I'll have you know, I've been sour my whole life not just today."
Lyric rolled her eyes. "All right I'll bring you a bagel or something." Lyric said, heading toward the door. She heard muffled thanks as Nico face planted back into his pillow.
Lyric walked down the hall with a huge smile on her face. People passed by her and made offhand comments about how unusually chipper she was this morning but she didn't care she missed her mom and best friend. She couldn't contain herself.
That is until she saw Leo.
She stopped cold in her tracks and looked at him, waiting for just the slightest acknowledgement but he just kept walking by, not even sparing her a glance.
Since he had kissed her in the hallway, she'd been on radio silence with him. He kissed her and walked away like nothing happened, then proceeded to act like she didn't exist. And that annoyed Lyric beyond degree but she held her tongue because two could play at that game.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Lyric was going to have a good day; Leo wasn't going to ruin this for her.
Lyric walked outside to see her mom and Ellie laughing about something. Ellie had her back to Lyric, so she held a finger to her mouth for her mom to know not to say anything. She moved behind El and just plucked her on the ear because She knew it was the one thing Ellie hated.
"Ow, What the—LYRIC!" Ellie said turning around angry only to see her best friend smiling widely. Ellie launched herself at Lyric like the first day of school that seemed like years ago rather than months.
"El… personal space." Lyric grumbled, secretly pleased.
"God, you're still the same. Let me look at you." Ellie said, pulling back and holding Lyric at arms length. "God, you look great. Your aura is a lot…brighter." Elle smiled.
Lyric shook her head and smiled back at her best friend. She always thought her friend was a bit crazy with the aura and astrology bullshit, but this time Lyric thought she was right. Since she had started at the camp she felt a lot…lighter. Like she was hiding a part of herself her whole life and now that part has surfaced, she felt free.
"It's nice to see you too, Elle." Lyric smiled. "And you, Mom." Pulling away from Elle and crashing into her mother.
Her mother blew a breath as the wind was knocked out of her. "Missed you too, Elisa."
"Mom…" Lyric sighed. "I'm cool here so it's Lyric."
"I think the name I gave you at birth is pretty cool…" Lyric's mom rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, I can't have this argument today. You guys wanna see something cool?"
Lyric closed her eyes and concentrated on the water in the lake next to them. Suddenly she felt the familiar roar in her eyes swiftly replaced with a high-pitched scream. Lyric opened her eyes to see Ellie standing there soaking wet.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I thought I had it." Lyric exclaimed.
"That was awesome!" Ellie smiled. "You're an X-Men!"
"I wouldn't call it that, but pretty cool, huh?" Lyric smiled.
"Well, I'm going to go to the hotel so you guys can hang out without me cramping your style." Lyric's mom smiled. "I'll be back tonight so I can spend some time with you, alright?"
Lyric then suddenly remembered just how cool her mom was. "Of course!" Lyric hugged her. "See you tonight!"
Elle and Lyric smiled at each other before hugging yet another time. Lyric then suddenly realized she is now soaking wet. "Come on, Let's go change."
XXX
"This building is so cool…" Ellie says as Lyric kind of has to herd her into her room like she's a baby sheep. She knows Ellie gets easily distracted, and get lost just like she did her first week.
"Yea, I'll show you around it later. Lyric said when they finally got inside the room. "Change first." Lyric laughed.
Ellie stopped cold and looked at Nico. "In front of him?" She asked cautiously.
Nico looked up from his pillow, "Trust me, nothing I want to see."
"Oh yea." Ellie turned looked him up and down and smiled. "Same." She said before turning to enter Lyric's closet.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nico said, Offended.
"She doesn't mean it like that, she's gay." Lyric said, rolling her eyes at El. "I mean she's still rude but she's also gay."
"Stop trying to label me." Ellie calls from the closet. "I appreciate all beauty in the universe."
Lyric rolls her eyes again. "Okie doke, El."
Ellie emerged from the closet in one of Lyric's old band shirts. "So, Nico… Lyric won't spill any beans about her and Leo—"
"Because there are no beans to spill." Lyric pointed out.
"Don't interrupt." Ellie replied, playfully pushing Lyric over while she sat on the bed next to her. "Lyric told me about your crush on your neighbor. Tell me how that's going?"
Nico lifted his head and squinted. "One, that was none of Lyric's business to tell." He said, narrowing his eyes at Lyric.
She shrugged. "Sorry dude. I tell El everything."
"And two, nothing's happening and nothing will happen between me and Will. He's not into me."
"That's a lie and you know it." Lyric pointed.
"Yea, how do you know?" Ellie tilted her head at him. "Have you asked?"
"I mean, no but I just know." Nico pointed out.
"Ok, I'll go ask." Ellie said, standing up.
"What? Wait Ellie, no—" Nico said but Ellie was already heading outside toward, the door next to theirs.
"Just a second." Ellie heard when she knocked. She was suddenly face to face with a blond boy with the bluest eyes she's ever seen. His Aura was bright, and soft like birdsong, very much different from Nico who had an aura that was a very dark but soft mauve.
"Wow, you are hot. I should've known." Ellie said, staying a firm believer in that your first impression of somebody should always be the first thing they know when meeting you.
"I'm sorry, who are you?"
"Oh, right. I'm Ellie. Lyric's best friend." Ellie extended her hand to Will who shook her hand immediately.
"I'm Will." He smiled. "It's nice to meet you, I've heard… stories."
"Nice to meet you too." Ellie smiled. "I'm only here to prove a point."
After Ellie had been gone for 10 minutes it was safe to say that Nico was definitely freaking out.
"Seriously, Lyric. What could she possibly be doing?" Nico asked.
"Knowing Ellie, literally anything." Lyric said, not even looking up from her phone. "I've learned to just go with it."
They both were interrupted by the sound of laughter entering the room. Will and Ellie had suddenly brightened the room with there sickening optimism.
"Hey guys." Ellie smiled. "This is Will I just met him."
"We know you just met Will, El." Lyric said.
"Yea, we knew him before you." Nico chimed in.
"Well, I know you know him, silly." Ellie said, while she sits down next to Will on Lyric's bed. "You're the one with the big, fat crush on him."
"Excuse me?" Nico said, angrily. Everyone could see the shadows in the room getting angrier.
"Ellie, not cool." Lyric chastised.
Ellie blew a breath. "Calm down, Peter Pan. He likes you too. He just told me he's had a crush on you since you and Percy brought him to Half-Blood."
Nico calmed down. "Really?"
"Yea." Will said, quietly. "Which I told you in confidence so thanks for that."
Ellie shrugged. "What happens in dark will soon see light. That's a proverb, meansI don't keep secrets sorry. Well, I think you two have a lot to talk about and I want to see more of the camp. So no need to thank me now, Will, I have a good feeling you'll be thanking me later." Ellie stood. "C'mon Lyric. I'm starving." With that she was out the room like a force of nature.
"I'm really sorry guys, she's always like this." She said, running after Ellie. Leaving Nico and Will with confused looks on their face.
XXX
"This place is amazing." Ellie said, once they were out the room.
"Ellie, that wasn't cool. I knew Will and Nico liked each other too, but I also knew they were going to figure it out."
"Well, now they figured it out faster what's the problem with that?" Ellie said.
"I guess that true. But you shouldn't meddle in people's lives."
"Alright I won't." Ellie said as they passed a corner, only to see Annabeth sitting in the hall crying. "After this one."
"Ellie no—" Lyric exclaimed. But she was too late Ellie was already sitting next to Annabeth.
"Hi, I'm Ellie, Lyric's friend." She said, looking at Annabeth sympathetically.
"I'm…Annabeth?"
"I'm sorry, Annabeth." Lyric said, finally catching up to her. "Ellie can't control herself. We will leave you alone if you want."
Ellie held up a hand. "That's a lie. I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."
"I don't really know you…" Annabeth said.
"But you know Lyric." Ellie shrugged. "Besides what reason do you have not to tell me. I'm a stranger who will probably not have a lasting outlook on your life."
"I suppose that's true." Annabeth said, taking a breath. "My boyfriend doesn't want to tell his mom we're dating."
"Percy's never told his mom you guys are dating, that's ridiculous." Lyric said, sitting on the other side of Annabeth.
"Who's Percy again? Your half-brother?" Ellie asked.
"Alleged half brother." Lyric emphasized.
"I wish you two would stop say alleged. You do realize that you look exactly alike?" Annabeth questioned.
"Not the subject at hand." Ellie said. "Why doesn't he want to tell his mom, how long have you been dating?"
"We've been friends for years but we just started dating 5 months ago. His mom thinks it's dangerous for Elementals to date that's why he hasn't told her." Annabeth sighed.
"Bit hypocritical, considering she married one." Lyric pointed out.
"Yea, but Poseidon led a dangerous life that's why she likes to keep Percy safe and under her thumb." Annabeth sighed. "I shouldn't be talking like this. Sally's really nice, it's just I can't help but think Percy is ashamed of me in some way."
"Where is he?" Ellie asked.
"Last time I saw him was in the Café with his mom…" Annabeth trailed off as Ellie sped away from them.
"Jesus, I'm sorry Annabeth but I gotta go after her. " Lyric said, running after her friend, which seemed to be becoming a trend this morning.
"Jesus Ellie, wait." Lyric screamed from behind her but Elle was already speeding into the café.
Ellie scanned the room as soon as she walked in and stopped at the raven-haired boy, automatically assuming it was Percy because he had the same intense eyes as Lyric. She stopped at their table and tilted her head at him.
"Can we help you?" Percy asked.
"Yes actually." Ellie smirked. "You're Percy, right? The one dating the hot blonde who's currently crying in the hall?"
"Christ Elle, you don't know where anything is stop speeding off." Lyric exclaimed, finally catching up to her. "I'm so sorry Perce, I need to get her a leash."
"Dating?" "Annabeth's crying?" Percy and his mother asked at the same time.
"Yea, we ran into Annabeth in the hall she was pretty upset." Lyric explained.
"Yea, it's because you didn't want to tell your mom you were dating. Which I don't understand because if I was dating her, I'd tell everyone."
"Ellie!"
"Why didn't you tell me about Annabeth?" Percy's mom asked.
"Well, I know how much you don't like me dating Elementals and—"
"I never said that. Sure I said I shouldn't have dated one but that was mainly me trash talking your father." Percy's mom grabbed his hand. "I never want you to feel like you can't date whomever you want. Nor do I want you to feel like you ever have to lie to me, ok?"
"Yea, I know mom. Sorry."
"Go talk to her." Percy's mom ordered Percy; she then turned to Lyric and Elle. "Now, I didn't get the chance to introduce myself, but I'm Sally."
Lyric was about to take the handshake when Elle cut in. "Hi, I'm Elena but you were probably going for Lyric's hand right? Considering you and her mom had kids by the same dude?"
Lyric glared at her and shook Sally's hand. "Hi, Lyric."
"Now is it true?" Sally asked. "You are Poseidon's?"
"Well, you can't really take a paternity test on a man who's disappeared but evidence points to yes."
"Which makes you a True Elemental, like Percy was telling me?"
Lyric scratched the back of her head, awkwardly. "Uh, yea, I guess whatever that means."
"Means you're very powerful and dangerous but it also makes you a massive, massive target. Once The Council figures out who you are, you won't have long before you have to fight. Please take your training seriously, because now your life depends on it. Calypso meant a lot to Percy, as much as you mean to him. I can't bare the thought of him losing another friend much less, his sister." Sally said, with a serious face. Her voice was soft but her words felt like bullets. She was absolutely right, Lyric didn't have long she needed to be focused on not dying, not whether a boy likes her.
"Thank you for the advice." Lyric said genuinely.
"Not a problem." Sally smiled. "Now you may want to go find your friend, she kind of ran out of here while we were talking.
"What?" Lyric turned next to her and she was right, Ellie was gone.
Lyric ran out into the hall, but she was nowhere to be seen. She thought back on Sally's words. Was she really as powerful as everyone was making her seem? There's not a lot of information on True Elementals since the only one everyone knew was Calypso and she died tragically. Lyric couldn't help but think she'd have the same fate if she wasn't careful. Sally was right. Lyric needed to focus, and strengthen and fight so she could win.
But right now, she needed to find Ellie.