Chapter 7: Choose
I felt like pissing myself. Everyone started trying to enter the little bathroom and I shut my eyes tightly. I was so scared I couldn't even shadow travel away. I was mentally preparing myself for a long, painful death when Piper shouted over everyone, "OK! Back it up! Nico needs space if he's going to choose one of you as his… um….. Partner in a relationship. Everyone stand against the wall so he can get outside where there's more air." She laced every word with charm speak. Everyone looked a little dazed as they all stepped back into the wall. Even I stepped back from the power of her charm speak. I quickly cleared my head and ran outside to escape. But not even a powerful daughter of Aphrodite could control that much obsession at once. As soon as I had gone ten feet from the Zeus cabin, I became surrounded by demigods.
I saw Percy, Jason, Will, Connor and Travis Stoll, and several others I didn't even personally know. Rachel and Leo were there as well, being held back, as they wanted to kill me. Four people were holding back rachel while Percy had a tunnel of water holding onto leo to make sure he couldn't use fire. One wrong word from me though and they would both be released to help rip me to pieces. At the back of the group I could make out Annabeth, Piper and Drew trying to get through to help me. Will grabbed my arm and said in anger, "You have to choose Nico. Once and for all. Who do you want? Who do you love?" I looked around wildly looking for any way to escape this nightmare. "I- I just- I choose- I mean…." I mumbled, my eyes widening in fear. What was I supposed to do? Who was I supposed to choose? They didn't take my stuttering as a very good answer. All around me their eyes flashed pink and turned red. "CHOOSE!" the word repeated several times, getting louder and louder. I started realizing that it was also happening inside my head as Aphrodite also chanted along. They started moving forward and I began to see red from pain. My mind was on fire from the intensity of emotion around me and Aphrodite crying out for me to choose. Before I blacked out, one name left my lips. The name that started all of this. The name that made me get butterflies in my stomach when someone said it. Before I blacked out, I whispered, "Will."