His eyes slowly opened. It must have been late afternoon because he saw the yellow-orange haze on the wall from the window. The minute he woke up, he felt pain all over his body, especially his chest. He moved his fingers, and they responded. He tried to sit up as best he could, but he could only get halfway before he fell back down.
"Danny?" said a female voice he knew all too well. He turned his eyes to the side and saw the girl of his dreams: Alicia.
"Ali," he said, glad to see her. She came up to his cot and brush a dread away from his face.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"You're at camp. An group of campers found you and...the others," she said. Danny sniffled a little.
"Were they taken back here for their shrouds?" said Danny.
"Yes, they were. You were in very bad shape when they found you. They said if you hadn't been found for another few hours you wouldn't have made it back," said Alicia. Danny looked near his bed on a coffee stand. His headband was on it, washed and cleaned but the red tinge still present.
"That was your blood, wasn't it?" she asked softly.
"Not just mine," said Danny. He tried to sit back up again, but he couldn't get all the way. Alicia helped him up, using her hands on his back and the back of his head. When he got up all the way the covers dropped down to reveal he had bandages wrapped around his chest, torso, and one of his arms. He felt his legs and from mid-thigh to ankles there were bandages too.
"I'm sorry what happened to them," she said, her hand on his brow.
"It's all my fault. If I'd been there, I could have saved them all," he said, his head in his hands.
"Danny, you took on a god," said Alicia. "No one could have done it."
"How did you know?" said Danny.
"You talked in your sleep," she said.
"You were here the whole time by me?" he said.
"Yes, I can't think of being anywhere else when you're like this," she said. Danny felt warmth course through his body when she said that.
"How long was I out?" he asked.
"Nearly a week. You had very severe wounds, but for some reason you still lived. Chiron said that was a miracle," she said, sitting on the bed beside him, one of her hands clasped with his.
"How long have you been here?" said Danny.
"About two weeks. Chiron called our group and said we needed some R&R," said Alicia.
"I'm glad you're safe," said Danny, smiling at her. She smiled too.
"Is there anything I can get for you?" she said.
"Yes. Can you get some dirt?"
It took him two hours to heal enough to the point where he could walk properly. Alicia helped him out of bed, his arm around her shoulders so that she could help support him. Once his feet touched the ground, he felt immensely better.
"Can you walk on your own?" she asked.
"I think so," said Danny. Tentatively he let go of her and found he could stand on his own. Cautiously putting his foot forward, he found he could walk. He was in a camp shirt and jeans, which covered the bandages, save for the ones on his hands. Alicia stayed close by him just in case. The first place he went to was Gaia cabin. He looked inside and saw the cabin was clear, none of the sheets ruffled to suggest someone was here.
"My family's still gone?" he asked.
"Yes," said Alicia. He sighed. He'd hope at least one member were. It would reassure him that at least one was away from fighting.
"How many other campers are here?" said Danny.
"About forty. Half of them are healing though," said Alicia. So basically, the camp population was sparse.
"Where's Chiron at?"
"He went to go and recruit some of his kin from the wild. Mr. D's gone too. One of the senior counselors is in charge," said Alicia.
"Which one?" said Danny.
"Jamal from Hephaestus cabin," said Alicia. He knew Jamal since he was a little kid since his parents were his friend. He would stop by every now and again to check on them.
"He's not in the war?" said Danny.
"Chiron needed him here for this," said Alicia. Danny nodded and the two went off to the dining pavilion. It was mostly deserted save for a nymph and three campers at other tables. Danny felt so hungry that he almost didn't give an offering to his Olympian parents Zeus and Gaia. Once that was done, he and Alicia sat together. Since Mr. D and Chiron were gone and there was barely anyone there, so it didn't matter. They had brisket, olives, grapes, bread, cheese, and the bottomless drinks. Danny only asked for water, but ate his food as if he were starving. Once he was done he waited for Alicia to be finished. When she was the two conversed as usual.
"How was Boston when you left?" he asked.
"It was hectic. We were attacked by Valkyries the day I left," she said. Danny's eyes grew wide. He knew who they were, warrior women who selected heroes who'd died nobly on a battlefield to live in the halls of Asgard. They were said to be the fiercest fighters in all of Norse legend.
"How was it?" he asked.
"We got torn to pieces. We nearly had to evacuate the city until some reinforcements got in," she said. She motioned to her arm, where a cut mark was. He hadn't noticed it before.
"I got it from one of them. She was about to club me over the head with a mace before Reese came and blocked it." Danny was still looking at the cut as if it were poisoned.
"It's fine Danny, I'm up here," she said, her pointer pulling his chin up to look at him eye-to-eye. Danny just looked, but his eyes were telling her everything.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Still he didn't answer. She instinctively led him back to his cabin once they got up off the table. Once inside he sat on the edge of his bed, looking down at the floor. She sat by his side.
"Tell me," she said softly. He took a deep breath before he looked at her and answered.
"I can't protect anyone," he said.
"Yes you can," she said.
"HOW? You almost got killed in an alleyway, my team's dead because I wasn't there, and you could have died too. Where was I at? I was buried beneath a ton of rubble completely useless," he said, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Danny, please. You have to let go of those things. This is your fatal flaw remember," she said, her hand rubbing his back. His fatal flaw was feeling he was helpless. He had told her about it in April when she discovered Gerald's fatal flaw.
"I know, but I can't help it. Do you know what caused it?" he asked.
"You've never told me," she said. He sighed again.
"It was when I was eight...
Danny, Gerald, and June were outside playing in the backyard of there house as Danny Sr. and Katie were watching them. The three kids were having fun playing keep away with a beach ball. Currently Gerald was in possession, meaning he had to run away from his younger siblings and hold onto the ball as long as possible. June caught up to him and knocked the ball away from him, the ball rolling into the hedgerows marking their property boundary.
"I got it," said Danny Jr. He ran over to where the ball had disappeared into the shrubbery, looking in it to see the many colored variation design of the ball. As he peered in closer, a hiss sounded from it. From out of nowhere, an explosion of snake heads reared their heads at him, five in total. Danny hurriedly backed out and began running from it as the monster stepped out from the bushes and chased after him.
"Mommy! Daddy!" yelled Danny. Danny Sr. and Katie saw it, looks of pure fear etched around their faces. Quick as a flash the two adult demigods' weapons were out. They started running towards him. A head from the hydra knocked Danny onto the ground. He tried to get back up again, but the same head knocked him back down onto his back. Danny froze in pure fear when he saw the hydra heads descend on him, ready to get fresh meat before five arrows went through the middle of each head and a spear embedded itself in the heart of the creature. The creature fell onto its back and dissolved into dust. Danny and Katie ran to their son, cradling him protectively in their arms.
"And that's what happened. Ever since then I've wanted to always prove myself to show that I could be more than just a regular demigod," said Danny.
"But you are Danny. You have the combined lines of Zeus and Gaia and you took out the elite warriors, and you have me," she said, her eyes shining. At once Danny's eyes retained their vigor when he looked back at her. His hand caressed her cheek as he searched her eyes with his own. Without even realizing what he was doing, he kissed her. The kiss was soft, but in an instant it got heated.
Suddenly, as her hands started to go into his shirt, he stopped and got off her. She looked at him, wondering why he stopped.
"I don't think I should, not with these on," he said, indicating to his bandages. She immediately understood, but pulled him back onto her to resume kissing him. She wanted to feel nothing but him in her arms, and he granted that to her.
The rest of their day was spent with them walking hand-in-hand around the camp. Danny desperately wanted to Iris-message his family, but he didn't know where the camp stash was, and there weren't any campers from Hermes cabin to help him. He knew if he earth traveled a monster, or even worse a Norse enemy soldier, would target him and though he was strong enough to handle himself, he still knew he needed more time to recover.
Alicia was making sure she and him spent as much time with each other as possible, a thing they both readily enjoyed to the best of their ability. They only seldomly made out with each other, now mostly having conversations or snuggling together. The only time they showed anything of a sexual nature was one day when he and her went to his cabin, locked the door, and made out for two hours, going down to just their bottom pair of underwear. Danny had one last bandage on his chest, and he said when that was gone they would commit fully to each other.
As Danny was practicing against dummies in the practice room, he had a visitor in the form of a familiar centaur.
"Glad to see you on your feet again so soon Daniel," said Chiron.
"It's good to see you too Chiron. Is my family okay?" he asked.
"They're fine. They've been attacked too, but it's only been minor injuries from what I've heard," said Chiron. Danny relaxed a little, glad to hear this news.
"You are also to go back into combat," said Chiron.
"Why so soon?" Danny asked.
"We've had many casualties on the front lines, and we have very few replacements. You're wounds have healed up nearly completely as well. You'll be assigned to the Pennsylvania frontier. Thankfully your mother and father are not too far from your position. It would be wiser to keep you closer together, which is why your brother and sister will join you there soon. Their ship is heading up to New York," said Chiron.
"Why couldn't they earth travel?" said Danny.
"The Norse enemy will sense their presence in the area if they did, and they would stop at nothing to kill them the moment they feel it. In secret is better. Seth will also be there to. If they cut through Pennsylvania, our forces in the North will be cut off. The loss at Detroit was devastating for us. After it fell, so did Chicago. The lands from Illinois to Ohio is lost to the enemy. If the enemy head down the Mississippi, we'll be further cut," said Chiron.
Danny sighed. "When will my borther and sister get there?"
"In one week. Their voyage must be done in secret," said Chiron.
"Okay. I'll get my things ready. Can I spend one night with Alicia though?" he asked. Chiron thought for a second, and nodded. Danny thanked the centaur and walked to his cabin. When he was in he began packing his things.
Alicia came by a few minutes later to see him getting clothes and his weapons into his backpack.
"You're leaving?" she asked.
"I have to go back fighting Ali," he said.
"But your wounds just healed?" she said, sitting down on the bed near him.
"I know, but they need my help. If not, we can lose this war," he said. "And I can't let that happen?" She looked at him for what seemed like a long moment before she hugged him tightly. At first he was startled, but then he returned it.
"Please don't get yourself killed," she whispered to him.
"I won't. I'll come back," he said.
"When do you have to leave?" she asked.
"I leave tomorrow," he said. "Probably in the morning."
"Okay," said Alicia.
"In fact, you can come to my cabin later on tonight if you want," said Danny.
"I'd like that a lot," she said, kissing him softly before setting her head back to his chest, his arms around her.
(11 PM)
Turning in for the night, Danny got into his bed, wondering where she was. The answer soon came to him when he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he said. She walked in, wearing a jacket over her pajama shorts, which were a pair of cotton shorts that exposed a great deal of her thighs. Once in she looked at him with a sexy, yet somewhat mischievous look before she took the jacket to expose her brown tanktop, all fabric and showed a good amount of cleavage. Danny only slept in a black wifebeater and his boxers. She came into the bed, making sure to straddle his hips before she pulled the covers over them and turned the lights off, putting her glasses on the nightstand right next to them.
She rested into his body, his hands soothing her.
"You know, we still never got to do something that day," he said.
"I thought you'd never ask Danny," she said. Even though it was dark, the moonlight aloud them to see each others' facial expressions. Each one was smiling. Without a second thought they were kissing.
She was the first to sigh into the kiss and he took that time to slip his tongue inside her mouth. Her hands ventured down to his chest, feeling his pecs as his chest rose and fell with his breathing. His hands were around her back, rubbing it as well as her sides. They slowly ventured closer to her chest before they enveloped her breasts in a soft touch. She sighed lovingly into his mouth, glad to have his warm touch back there. His hands kneaded her breast like they were softest dough and he the careful, patient baker. He knew how she loved for him to rub her breasts, rubbing her right breast in counterclockwise circles while her left breast went in clockwise circles.
Her eyes closed shut as she lost herself into the world of pleasure Danny was sending her as she was beginning to slip into it, she felt his hand slip two fingers into her cold. She moaned louder than she thought she would as she felt him rapidly move them in and out of her core. As she was straddling him as she moaned from his treatment, he flipped them over, capturing her lips into a kiss as he fingered her to the point of near orgasm. He would move fast and rapidly so that she was clenching the sheets and moaning loudly, and when he felt she was ready to cum, he slowed down just enough for the feeling to go away, then start up again.
He kept this up for five minutes, in which his fingers became dripping wet from her arousal and her body heated up so much it was like he was clutching an inferno of flames.
"Danny!" she moaned loudly as his finger hit her G-spot. She could feel her climax right on the doorstep.
"Make me cum Danny," she whispered to him hurriedly. He nodded and vigorously moved his fingers into her. This proved too much for her.
She yelled as her walls tightened around his fingers. His hand instantly became wet from her juices as her nails bit into his shoulders. She fought to catch her breath as he moved his fingers slowly inside of her before taking them out and licking her juices off. She tasted amazing as always. He kissed her heatedly as she sighed into his mouth.
Danny reached over to the drawer next to his bed and took out a small square foil package.
"You brought a condom this time?" she asked. He nodded, showing her the condom wrapper. She read the label.
"Trojan XXX Ecstasy?" she said.
"Gerald said we would definitely like this," he said as he stripped out of his pants and underwear, his shirt long gone. Alicia's tanktop was also on the floor as she stripped out of her now soaked panties. Danny slid the condom down his member, feeling the texture of the condom. To his surprise, when it was fitted on, he couldn't even really feel it.
"That's odd," he said.
"What?"
"I can't even feel it on there," he said. She giggled a little and pulled him in closer to her, kissing him passionately. They fell back down on the bed together as they feverishly kissed each other. When they let go, lust was etched all through their eyes. Alicia made the first move, but instead of getting on her back, she got on her hands and knees, her butt sticking up to Danny.
"I think you know how I want it tonight," she said in the sexiest voice he ever heard, making his member become steel hard. He grinned the grin he inherited from his Dad when it came to matters of sexual intercourse, taking her hips into his hands and putting his member at the front of her flower. Alicia gripped the sheets tensely as she waited for him to enter her. She felt his lips trail from her lower back, up her spine, and to the nape as his hands rubbed her hips and grasped her butt for a second, making her moan with desire. He sat up, his hands back on her hips as his tip started tp push in.
"Alicia, what's my favorite quote?" said Danny.
"What?" she said, confused out of her mind why he was asking her this.
"You've been around me to know what my favorite saying is. So what is it?" he asked, teasing her entrance with his member. She thought for a moment, trying to remember what it was. Then she remebered, grinning to herself about the many meanings of the phrase.
"Ummm, divide and conquer," she said, still grinning.
"Correct," he said. Without warning he thrust his entire member straight into her. She screamed from the feeling. Thankfully his walls were soundproof. Without a second thought he began to thrust into her hard and fast. The feeling was just as Gerald said, like nothing was there.
Her moans echoed throughout the lonely cabin as their moves were in sync with one another. Danny rammed his member home in her, fulfilling his desired needs long kept under lock and key. The way he moved in her tight, wet cavern as if he couldn't get enough of it. His groans and light moans were eclipsed by Alicia's yelling and her moans. She moved back into his thrusts so that at times his entire member fit inside her, almsot touching very intimate parts of her womanhood. Her nipples slid across the sheets as he vigorously humped her, making the stimulation near unbearable.
"Danny!" she yelled as she felt her arms turn to jelly from his assault from behind. He was so deep inside of her it nearly hurt, nearly. It felt so great it was like she was trapped in a void where she could feel nothing but that. Finally her arms gave out and her head rested on her forearms, bending her down more. This caused her opening to open up more. Danny felt this and hammered more into her. She could feel the very tip of his manhood teasing her cervix. Her fingers clenched the sheets for dear life as she felt another orgasm on the rise. Her walls closed on his member, making her even tighter. Danny wanted to slow down, but the feeling was just too good for him to endure. He could feel his climax steadily approaching as well. His two hands grabbed her breasts, squeezing them and making her moan even louder. The sound of skin smacking skin, his member invading the deepest parts of her core, and of their moans, groans, and pants echoed throughout the room.
Alicia felt she was ready to go over the edge, and it didn't take long for her to finally let loose.
"Danny!" she yelled as her walls clamped onto his member and her orgasm set off. He slowed down, feeling he was ready to go off as well. Alicia felt this.
"Danny, it's alright," she said, moving back as the aftershocks of her orgasm were wading down. Danny let loose on her before he came as well. His member pulsed, filling the condom with his seed as he groaned from it and held her by her waist. She loved the feel of his arms around her. They were panting now, reveling in the aftermath of their heated encounter.
"You think you can go one more round tonight?" he asked. This shocked her since she would mostly ask this.
"Yes," she said. He took his member out of her and discarded the condom into a nearby wastebasket. She turned around and got on her back, opening her legs for him. He put on another condom and placed the tip at her entrance. He looked back up to her and his breath caught in his throat. She looked so beautiful, the way her eyes gleamed into his. His hand went from her belly to her cheek cupping it. She smiled her sweet smile, his lips tenderly kissing hers. The rest of this night wouldn't be wild sex, it would be making love. As he kissed her, he slipped inside her. She sighed into his mouth when he was firmly in. He set the tempo slowly. They both moved together, her moving her hips up to him as he sunk deeper into her. They always looked at each other as they movedf into the other, never once taking their eyes off the other.
They stayed at this pace for what seemed like hours, days even. They didn't care, they kept at it, never once taking their eyes off the other as they gleamed with utter love and devotion not seen before. Danny leaned down to kiss her yet again, speeding up slightly. She felt this and wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her feet together. As they kissed he sped up, showing her his love for her and only her. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest and feel his member penetrating her just the right way.
"I love you," she whispered into his ear.
"I love you too," he said back as he sped up till their skin was smacking together again. Danny felt his orgasm on the rise as his seed started to form up in his shaft. He looked down at her and the look in his eyes told her what she needed to know. With strength he didn't know she possessed, she flipped them over till she was on top. Danny was truly astounded, but he wasn't complaining. She rode him fast, her hands balancing herself on his chest. His hands went up to her breasts, tenderly caressing them as she rode him faster and faster, moaning loudly and panting as she moved down on him. Danny helped her out by thrusting up to meet her, groaning or even moaning as they continued. Alicia knew she couldn't hold back for long, and she knew Danny couldn't either.
"Danny, cum with me!" she yelled. This set off his climax as they both moaned loudly and climaxed at the same time. Her walls clenched on for all their worth as his seed flooded the condom yet again, him thrusting up for every pulse he felt. His hands on her breasts clenched for a minute before relaxing and moving to her waist. When her orgasm died down she fell forward, kissing Danny heatedly. He reveled in it as her tongue and his slid together, massaging the other so gracefully. When the need for oxygen was apparent, they ended the kiss, sighing in contempt as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Gods, that was undescribable," said Danny.
"Same here. You always feel so soft to me," she said, rubbing her cheek on his chest. He felt something he never felt before as he held her and she held him. A single tear came from his eye before he realized it as his eyes watered. He wondered why he did that, but then a greater, warmer feeling came over him. It wasn't her body heat, but something inside him. He had felt it before the first night they had sex, but it was smaller. This time it was like a roaring feeling. As he pondered, he remembered what it was. It was what his grandmother had called the 'Gift of the Earth.' When a child of Gaia had found their true love and consumated their relationship, he/she found increase performance in everything, and the feeling of endless loyalty. It was rarely, if ever, broken unless one of the partners died.
"Alicia?" he said.
"Yes Danny?" she said.
"I love you," he said in the most passionate way he could. She knew this wasn't one of those strong emotion "I love yous," it was the real thing. She had felt this the first night too.
"I love you more," she said. He chuckled a little.
"I love you more than Olympus itself," he said. She giggled, coming up and kissing him again. She fell asleep in his arms as they were entwined, naked and in complete harmony.
(Morning)
Alicia was the first to wake up. Looking over at the clock on the wall, still shaking the sleep out of her eyes, she saw the time.
8:04
Sighing since she knew what today would bring, she looked back down to see Danny still sleeping peacefully. She couldn't but help admire how cute he looked as he slept, a few of his dreads hanging like bangs over his face. She made a mental note to remind him to keep some like that. Her hand lightly caressed his cheek, the stark contrast with their skin tones evident. While Danny was a light tan complexion, but still enough to tell he was of African-American origin, her skin was milk chocolate. One of his eyes, then both his eyes, opened up to see her over him. Without warning he flipped them over till he was on top of her.
"Nice wake up call, but I think mine is better," he said. She giggled, staring up at him with his brown eyes.
"What time do you have to leave?" she asked.
"10," said Danny. He looked at the clock. They both had an understanding when he captured her mouth into a kiss.