Music of the Gods

Short Stories by UndeniablyMe

A/n: I know, I know, I haven't updated this story in a long time. Poor little thing, but I hope it-- and all of you-- can find it in you to forgive me. :D And so, not to bore you with pointless authoress notes, we'll move onto to the actual story.

See you at the bottom. :D

-UndeniablyMe

You And Me-- Lifehouse

Juniper trembled and felt the tears start to well up in her eyes. Grover looked sad, desperately so, and begged her not to cry, but she couldn't help it. Her heart was breaking and it was so human of her that it was making her scared. How could he do this to her? How could he actually be leaving her to go off on an adventure that he might never come back from?

"Juni, please don't," Grover said, moving in and putting his arms around her. Juniper allowed the contact, grabbing desperately at his shirt and burying her face in it, shaking worse than ever.

She breathed in his scent, committing it to her extremely long memory, vowing to never forget it. Grover smelled so wonderful, like the streams and wild meadows that he and her had so often walked together. She shook even more and a few tears overflowed from her eyes, remembering everything that was so firmly Grover. If he never came back, the world would be a darker place without him.

"Ah Juni, don't cry! It'll be okay," Grover said, rubbing her back comfortingly, but Juniper wasn't his girlfriend for nothing. She heard the tremors in his voice and felt the world trembling not just from her shakes. Grover was just as afraid as she was. "I'll be with Percy and Annabeth and T-tyson. They'll keep me safe."

Juniper pulled back to look him straight in the eyes, not missing how he stuttered over the name Tyson. He was afraid of the Cyclops, and she knew that very well. The horrors of his past were still fresh in his memory and the cyclops, even though it was friendly, did nothing to soothe those things.

"And what if they don't?" Juniper tried to challenge, her soft voice stumbling over the harsh words that were almost impossible to summon about Annabeth and Percy. She had met both of them and bonded quite quickly with Annabeth. She knew that they'd both readily give their lives for Grover and that, if worse came to worse, they could keep him safe.

It just was though, that Juniper would rather that it didn't come to the worst possible. The thought of Grover out there, her Grover, made her frightened.

"You know they will," Grover said, attempting to be brave. "We'll come back safe Juni. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Juniper snapped, pulling back from him, feeling hurt. "Don't promise me you'll come back when you don't know if you will. You don't know Grover, you don't! And it's killing me!!"

The wood nymph pulled even farther away from Grover, hiding in the shadows of her tree, shaking worse than ever. Grover sighed, looking for a moment, so vulnerable that Juniper regretted ever having said anything to hurt him. She was back at his side in a flash, putting her thin willowy frame up against his and holding him tightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she said, more green tears splashing from her eyes. "I just... I'm afraid Grover! If you don't come back I'm not sure what I'll do! It's just so far down there... And there aren't any trees..."

She sniffed and Grover sighed, putting his arms once more around her.

"I know Juni, I know," he said softly, resting his head against her untameable mane of green hair. "It's the same way I'd feel about losing you... But you got to understand. It's my dream to find Pan! And here's my chance. It's calling me, June. He's calling me, and I've heard him. I can't give up on him. I just can't. You got to let me go..."

Juniper suppressed more tears and held him even more fiercely.

"If I didn't want you to go you wouldn't," she said, walking backwards and pulling him back with her towards her tree. The branches extended towards them, threatening to trap Grover beneath them. "I'd keep you here."

Grover gave a small, very sad smile.

"Yeah, I know," he said, giving a little bleat of humorless laugh. "But you won't. I know you. You'll let me go."

Juniper stared at him with her mossy green eyes, as if daring him to challenge her and try to run, before crumpling and leaning against him again.

"I don't want you to go."

Grover nodded and sighed again.

"I don't really want to go either," he said, trying to be as honest as he could, but still holding back slightly. He didn't want her to think he was really afraid. "But I have to. I know I do."

Juniper eyed him, looking slightly angry that he'd be so hasty to leave her, before nodding.

"Come back to me, if you can," she said, more tears welling up in her eyes so that it almost blurred her vision. "And if you don't, I'll... I'll..."

The truth was she didn't know what she'd do. And she didn't want to think about it either.

"One day at a time, Juni," he said, leaning down and giving her a shy kiss on the cheek. Juniper blushed a bright green; Grover had never so much as held her hand before. "I'll be back. Percy and Annabeth will make sure of that."

She nodded, for once feeling jealous over the blonde haired beauty that was Athena's child. It wasn't fair she got to go somewhere that she couldn't.

"Ah, June," Grover said, reading her mood easily. "Don't worry about me and Annabeth. Percy's all over it..." Or, actually, not.

Juniper allowed her fears to be alleviated by Grover, letting the jealousy fade away into nothing. Nymph emotions weren't as deep and complex as human emotions were and only one could dominate at a time. And, with Grover's gentle remark, it was dusted away into an oblivion.

"Don't forget about me," Juniper said, feeling the tears drip down her face. "You know... if you meet other nymphs or... stuff... down there..."

Grover grinned and gave another bleat of laughter.

"Don't worry, there's no chance of that. There's no one quite like you, Nymph."

Juniper nodded, gave him one final hug, and then watched him walk from her little meadow, feeling more tears stray into her eyes.

"There's no one like you either!" she called to him, just before he walked out of her sight. Grover turned around, gave another grin that made her heart flutter, before walking away.

And Juniper, who's heart really did seem broken, fled back to her tree, and wept.

He'll be back, she told herself, shivering inside her safe haven and holding herself as tightly as she could. He promised. It's going to happen, I know it.

But, holding herself, didn't feel at all like being in his arms and the thought of never getting to be held by him ever again was something very dark indeed...

He'll be back, she thought to herself. He promised.

A/n: Surprise! It's a Juniper/Grover chapter. I know I've been focusing a lot on Annabeth/Percy ones, so I thought, heck, it's time from Grover and Juniper to get the spotlight. I hope you like this one, it was a favorite

Well, that's all from me. Thanks to everyone who reviewed before! You all made my day and I hope this update was worth waiting for! :D

-UndeniablyMe ;)

P.S. Don't forget to review!!