I woke up when someone shook my shoulder.
"Juliet. You have to get up." A female voice said. I was too groggy to place a name with it. I opened my eyes a little and saw Kayla. Even with messy bed head she was super pretty. I shut my eyes again and rolled over, pulling Nico's coat more tightly around my body.
My eyes snapped open.
Oh, wait. It's not his coat. It's just my blanket. No, his jacket is softer, warmer, and smells sooo good. My sleepy mind didn't comprehend what I was thinking. When I finally understood, I mentally smacked myself. You sound like a gushy girly-girl. I told myself. Just because he trusts you enough to tell you about his past doesn't mean he likes you. I sigh because it's true.I was about to close my eyes again when Kayla pulled my blanket off of me.
"I'm serious!" she said, not bothering to hide her grin. "You have a quest, remember?" A cold lump formed in the bottom of my stomach. How could I have forgotten? As I sat up in my bed my heart started beating fast. I remembered that I had to find Hemera, get her to help, and then defeat Erebos. Simple enough. Kayla saw my panicked expression and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Everyone gets nervous on quests." She reassured me. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, but not everyone gets a quest during their first weeks at camp." All the other campers were more powerful, wise, and trained than I was.
"Actually, you're not the only one." I looked up at her, my eyes wide. "Percy Jackson had to go on his first quest the first few days after he came to camp. He was only twelve." Suddenly I really wanted to meet him. To ask him for advice. To know if he had gotten scared.
Kayla smiled. "Come on. Nico just came by and said they want you at the Big House in half an hour." I nodded, but I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying. I was still having a minor meltdown.
What if I never have the dreams again? What if we can't find Hemera? What if I'm too weak? What if we… die? My entire body filled with fear. Okay, just breathe, Juliet. Breathe. I took a deep breath and stood up. Think of something happy. Immediately, an image of Nico laughing popped into my head. I loved the way the corners of his eyes crinkled and how his entire face lit up with the joy that only a nine-year-old on Christmas day could have. I smiled as I remembered the way he clutched his stomach and threw his head backward when he laughed too hard. And the way he –
"Get a move on, girl!" Kayla suddenly exclaimed, dragging me back to the present. I blushed and turned away to pick out some clothes. I decided to wear a pair of black jeans with a loose, sky blue sweater. As I was zipping up my bag Kayla sat on my bed and leaned towards me.
"So…" She said nonchalantly. "I didn't see you come back to the cabin last night." I froze mid-zip and my eyes grew wide. I tried to explain, but I stuttered terribly.
"Oh, uh. I – we… wait no. Just me! I-I was, well…" Kayla just laughed, but quickly stopped when Will, still sitting in the chair, snorted in his sleep. She grinned at me.
"I know you were with Nico." I looked up at her, the surprise evident on my face.
"Don't tell Will." She laughed again and had to muffle it with her hand. She scooted closer towards me.
"Sooo… what did you guys do?" I looked down to hide my red face. Then I shrugged.
"Nothing, really. Just talked." And held hands. And hugged. And fell asleep together. Of course I didn't say any of this out loud, not when Will and Austin were only a few feet away. I had never had a protective older brother before and it was nice to know someone had my back, but it was also a little annoying and even scary sometimes.
"Mhmm." Kayla said and I knew she was unconvinced. Then, as if she had been wondering this the whole time, she asked, "Is he a good kisser?" If I had been drinking something, I would have spit it all over her face. Instead I just choked on my breath.
"What? No! We didn't- I mean, he's just a friend!" I could feel the heat radiating off of my face. Kayla only smiled mischievously.
"Whatever you say." Then she glanced at the clock and jumped up. "Oh! You've gotta be there in fifteen minutes!" I looked at the clock. 4:46. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I took the quickest shower in the history of mankind and got dressed faster than Superman. Impressive, right? I quickly brushed my hair and braided it. No makeup was necessary; after all I already looked perfect. I looked at my boring hair again and grimaced at the way it swooped perfectly in the braid. I put my hands on my head and frizzed my hair out angrily. Even after messing up my hair and loosening my braid, it still looked too good. I still didn't look memorable. If a guy saw me on the street he would probably think "Oh, she's hot" and then never think about me again. With a final groan I exited the bathroom.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw that everyone was awake. Well, almost. Austin looked like a zombie, but he managed to keep his eyes open. He gave me a sleepy grin.
"Good luck on the quest, sis." Then he engulfed me in a hug. For a second I stood frozen. No one had called me "sis" before. I like it. I hugged him back tightly, glad that someone cared that I was going away. After Austin, Victoria gave me a gentle hug. It was soft and comforting. She smelled faintly of coconut and for some reason it made me feel at ease.
"Don't doubt your powers." She whispered into my ear. When she pulled away I gave her a small smile. Next Kayla stepped in front of me.
"You know, I've never been on a quest before so I can't really give you advice…" She began. "But I can give you this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace. It matched the one that all the other campers wore, but this one didn't have any colorful beads. As she set it in my palm I saw a tiny gold charm. It was a sun. I looked up at her and grinned.
"It's beautiful! Thank you!" She shrugged but smiled.
"Usually Chiron waits until the end of summer to give new campers their necklaces, but he made an exception." I tied it around my neck and looked down at the shiny pendant. It was fairly small so I was surprised by the detail in it. There were swirls, dots, and even some Ancient Greek!
"I love it!" I exclaimed again and everyone laughed. Kayla gave me a quick, but firm, hug and stepped back. When Will came forward I felt a little nervous. After all, he knew that I had stayed out with Nico.
Will folded his arms and looked down at me sternly. He was a few inches taller than me and I felt like a child who had gotten caught with a hand in the cookie jar. I cowered under his glare and I was about to say something when he started laughing. I looked up and saw that his hard expression had cracked and there was nothing but the usual smile. His incredibly blue eyes shimmered with affection, worry, and pride. By now I had completely gotten over how gorgeous he was. Now he was nothing more than my big brother.
He pulled me towards him and in a strong, warm hug. I closed my eyes and melted into his arms. I felt really small suddenly, and frail, but I was glad to know that Will would always have my back.
"I can't believe I'm letting you go on a quest with Nico," Will mumbled into my ear. I was glad that my face was hidden by Will's shoulder because otherwise everyone would have been able to see my red face. "He seems kind of sketchy to me." All the nervous tension in my chest exploded in a laugh. I pulled away from Will and tried to contain my sudden outburst, but to no avail. I laughed so hard that my stomach burned. Austin glanced at Victoria and mouthed the words "Is she okay?". Then Kayla snorted and laughed with me. Then Will. Then Austin and Victoria. I quickly forgot why we were even laughing, but I enjoyed the warm feeling that it put in my stomach.
Once our insane laughter subsided and we wiped the tears from our eyes, I looked at each of my half-siblings. Pride and affection swelled in my chest. I had only known them for two weeks, but I already loved them. A lump formed in my throat at the thought of leaving them. Austin caught my eye and he seemed to read my mind. His humorous, green eyes softened.
"You'll be back soon, sis." He reassured me. He picked up my pathetic blue backpack and held it out. "But right now the world needs you." I took the backpack and slung it over my shoulder. He was right, but it still scared me. I gave them all one last smile before turning and leaving.
The morning air was already warm so I knew it was going to be a hot day. I regretted my choice of wearing a sweater. As I trekked towards the Big House I looked around at the camp, taking in little details that I hadn't noticed before. With a start I realized this was the same thing I had done when I had left my house. I had looked around my room and tried to memorize everything, as if I would never see it again.
You'll come back to camp. I tell myself. It's only going to be a few weeks, at the most. But my self-reassurance was shallow and halfhearted. My stomach growled as I walked up the porch steps. I mentally noted that the second to last step creaked. I pushed open the door and saw Oliver, Nico, Chiron, and a dude with hundreds of eyes all over his body. Nico had been pacing back and forth and was fiddling with his skull ring. When he heard the door close he looked up and his eyes flooded with relief. I noticed that his eyes were dark and soft and I wondered if he was still replaying what happened last night in his mind. I know I was.
Oliver stood up as well and slung his black backpack over his shoulder.
"Took you long enough." He said, but I could see the humor sparkle in his eyes.
"Yeah, sorry about that." I said guiltily. Oliver just shrugged like it was no big deal. Nico's relieved expression was gone and replaced with nervous panic. He strode up to me and grabbed my shoulders.
"Um, Nico?" I asked. I was a little concerned about him. Then he whipped me around so that I was facing the door.
"Okay," He said quickly. "Backpack, check." He turned me back around and I stumbled into Oliver. Nico pulled a bag of slightly smushed lemon squares out of his pocket and handed them to me. "Ambrosia, check."
"This is Ambrosia?" I asked skeptically. It looked so… ungodly. And normal.
"Yes. Now put it in your bag." Nico snapped.
Okay! Sheesh… I slipped off my bag and put it in the small pocket next to my iPod. When I had finished this, Nico started his pacing again. He was mumbling "What else? I know she's missing something…" I glanced at Oliver, but he just shook his head and mouthed "I have no idea".
Nico abruptly stopped walking. He was facing away from me, but he slowly turned around, his shoulders tense. His eyes were wide with quiet frustration. He scanned my body up and down.
"Where's your weapon?" He asked quietly.
Crap.
"Oh, I guess I forgot it. I'll just go get -" But then Nico held his hand up.
"No, no. I'll do it." Annoyance and anger sparked in the back of my mind. Nico stuck his hands in his pocket and stalked towards the door. I ignored how attractive he looked when he was mad. I pretended not to notice the way his bedraggled hair fell in front of his eyes. I especially overlooked the electricity that sparked when his arm brushed mine as he walked out the door. No, I was too angry to notice any of this.
When the door slammed shut, the rest of us stood in silence for a couple of seconds, waiting for someone to say something.
"So, anyways…" Oliver said, hoping that someone else would pick up the rest of his sentence. No one did. It just made things more awkward. Then Chiron's eyes lit up.
"I almost forgot," He said. He gestured to the man covered in eyes. "This is Argus. He will drive you three to the train station."
Train station? Suddenly it occurred to me that I had never even asked how we were going to get to Sunrise, Florida. I mentally smacked myself. Chiron pulled out three train tickets, a wad of cash, and a handful of drachmas. He gave me two of the tickets, one for me and one for Nico, and gave Oliver the final ticket and the money.
"It's not very much," Chiron confessed. "But it should be enough to keep you fed for a week." I nodded in thanks and pocketed the two tickets. Just then the door opened and Nico came inside, holding my mace in his hands. His face was pink and he avoided my eyes. At first I thought it was because he was mad at me, but then I realized that it was because he was embarrassed. But why? He stepped towards me and gave me my weapon. Our fingers brushed and I suddenly forgot that I was supposed to be angry with him. Nico glanced up at me and I caught his eye. I gave him a questioning look and he just gave me a small shrug. I took it as "I'll tell you later".
Chiron clasped his hands together and gave us all a huge grin.
"I believe you are ready to begin your quest. May the gods be kind and help you on your way." Nico scoffed and said, "Since when have the gods ever helped us?" Chiron gave him a stern look. Nico rolled his eyes, but held his hands up in defeat.
"Goodbye, heroes." Chiron said and Argus led us out of the Big House. I thought about Chiron's last words. Was I really a hero? Did I really deserve that title? Oliver walked quickly to keep up with Argus, but Nico fell behind. I remembered that he had something to tell me so I slowed down until he caught up with me.
"So," I said as we walked up the hill. "Is there something you want to tell me?" Nico's cheeks flared pink as he recalled whatever it was that happened. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, no. Not really…" I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.
"Oh really?" We had a stare down, but I won. Nico sighed.
"Fine." He said finally. "When I went to get your mace, I, uh, bumped into Will." Nico glanced at me and something clicked in my mind. This wasn't going to be good.
"Oh." I said flatly, trying not to show how interested I really was. "What did he say?" Nico shrugged, but I could tell that he actually cared.
"Oh, you know." He said casually. "The usual: 'Hey! How are you? The weather's been nice. If you hurt my sister I'll beat you within an inch of your life.'" I nearly choked.
"He said what?" I was so shocked that the easy going, happy Will would ever threaten someone. Even so, it made me love him even more knowing that he was looking out for me.
Nico rubbed the back of his head and stared at his feet. He looked cute when he was flustered.
"Yeah. But don't worry, I told him there was nothing going on between us." My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. Of course there's nothing between us. We're just good friends. Then Nico looked up at me. His eyes were big and round. They looked a little sad. There was something else in them, too. Hope? "I told him we're just friends." My throat constricted as I stared into his eyes. They were so dark, but warm. My heart beat quickened.
"Right. Just friends." I whispered, tearing my eyes away from his. But not before I saw the hope in his eyes flicker and die.
Great. I probably ruined my only chance to tell him how I feel. We walked the rest of the way up the hill in silence. It was a little awkward, but also thoughtful. I sighed quietly.
Why is it that every time we talk it always ends in awkward silence? When did we become so uncomfortable around each other? After a few seconds of thinking, it dawned on me. Ever since I developed feelings for Nico, our conversations had started getting flirtier, and weirder, and ending uncomfortably. It almost seemed like we were growing more distant. After Nico told me how everyone he cared about let him down, I felt like I needed to stay even closer to him. If that means I have to forget about the way I really feel about him, then I'll do it. If my feelings are going to get in the way of our friendship, then I have to do something about it. I set my jaw firmly and clenched my fists. I was determined to push aside my silly emotions and stay friends with Nico.
When we reached the top of the hill Oliver and Argus had already loaded the van and were seated in the front. That meant me and Nico had to sit in the back. I opened the door and was greeted by Oliver's wide grin and a wink from the eye on Argus' elbow.
What was that all about? I thought as I buckled my seat-belt. Nico climbed in on the other side and we set our bags in between us. I felt like our bags represented the barrier that was forming between us so I shoved mine to the floor. Nico gave me a questioning look, but pushed his onto the floor as well. I turned away and looked out the window, but I couldn't keep a smile from forming on my lips. Things between Nico and I were going to get much better.
My grin soon faded, however when I saw Camp Half-Blood spread out before me. It looked just as breathtaking as it did the first time I saw it. I felt a wrenching feeling in my stomach as Argus started the van. I didn't want to leave, I really didn't. I tore my eyes away from Camp, and looked back at Nico. He was already looking at me. There was an expression in his eyes that I couldn't place, but it reassured me. It made me feel like I could rule the world. Like I was unstoppable.
I relished in the warm confidence that filled me. As Argus drove away, I took one last look at Camp Half-Blood, but when it disappeared from view I didn't feel scared. Okay, maybe a little. But with Nico and Oliver by my side I felt like I could do this. Like I actually had a chance at saving the world.
Well, there you go! I appreciate any reviews!