A/N: Sorry for forgetting, but I'm kind of swamped with school. I can barely write anymore. I just don't have the time. I'm always tired when I get home.
"Do you want to come with me to California today? To New Rome?" Nico asked Elsa casually. He'd helped her to work up the motivation and strength to go shower, and then get dressed. He'd made her bed, and flipped her pillow over. She looked much better once she'd showered and gotten dressed.
Fresh. Composed.
The way she wanted to appear.
Though, anyone with a trained eye or good observation skills could tell that there was something wrong. Usually, Elsa wore light colors, often blue and white. She'd show a little bit of skin at least. But today she wore black and blue, and her skin was pretty well covered.
Nico made Elsa drink the hot chocolate in the cup he brought, and then eat the bagel he also brought. He promised her that they'd get more food in New Rome, and have brunch together, perhaps with one or more of their friends.
Elsa, of course, thought of Calypso, and protested for a moment until Nico told her that he'd tell her if that's what she wanted. She shook her head at this suggestion and insisted that she be the one to tell Calypso. Nico took a good long look at her to make sure that she was okay to do so. You couldn't tell that she'd been crying, at least. She looked kind of sad and her eyes had a faraway look, but that was the only thing besides the outfit difference, which Nico hoped Calypso wouldn't notice. He reluctantly agreed in order to protect her.
The two set off to search for the aforementioned girl together. They eventually found her sitting by the lake, reading a thick book titled Before I Fall.
"Calypso," Elsa called out to her gently. She forced a pleasant smile upon her face.
"Elsa!" The other girl stood up, smiling at her. She frowned upon seeing Elsa's attire. "Is something wrong?" She looked to Nico.
"No, no." Elsa shook her head. "There's nothing wrong."
"We were just going to go visit my sister in California. You know, New Rome?" Nico explained.
"Ah, I see." Calypso nodded.
"I just wanted to let you know where I'm going to be today." Elsa informed her softly.
"Alright. Thank you, Elsa. Nico." Calypso smiled at them once again before going back to the book, likely leant by Piper. She'd told Elsa that she and Piper had become friends as well.
"I'll maybe see you tomorrow." Elsa offered before Nico led her away.
"You did great." He assured her once they were out of earshot. He turned to face her, and cupped her face with his hands. "The only thing she noticed was your change in wardrobe." He then hugged her. Elsa buried her face in Nico's shoulder, just resting her head there. She let out a breath, and he rubbed her back soothingly. "It's okay, Elsa. I'm here."
"I'm broken." She lifted her head. "How could anyone love someone who's broken? Not Calypso. She's used to strong and amazing heroes. I'm not a hero. I'm… I'm broken. I'm all messed up inside." She hung her head in shame, stepping away from him. Nico lifted her chin with his fingers to make her meet his eyes.
"Elsa, you're not broken." He told her gently. "Yes, Khione did break you more than once. But we're putting the pieces back together. You're one of the strongest people I know, Elsa. You're like a phoenix; rising from its ashes after burning. You are a hero. Anyone who has gone through anything remotely like what you did… That is a hero. You killed three immortals in one day, and you were just barely fourteen years old. Yes, you still have healing to do, but I will be there for you every step of the way. I love you. You know that. Saying that nobody could love you because you're broken… That's absolute bullshit, Elsa. And you know this. Stop beating yourself up for things that are out of your control. None of this is your fault. Your fate was decided the moment you were born. You are one of the bravest people I've ever met. That did come from you going through things that nobody could go through, but by my standards, that just makes you a hero." Nico pressed his lips against her forehead, and hugged her again. "Everything's going to be okay." He promised. "You're going to be okay. I've got you. Come on, let's go." He wrapped an arm around her, and shadow traveled across the country to Camp Jupiter.
Elsa steadied Nico once they arrived. He took her hand once he was steady again.
"Let's go see Reyna. Haven't talked to her in a while." He suggested. She nodded.
"Yeah, sounds good." She murmured. He led her around, knowing that if she were to try to navigate on her own, she'd just wander around, and possibly sit down somewhere and cry.
The two friends found Reyna inside the principia with Frank. Before going inside, Nico had allowed Elsa a moment to compose herself.
"Nico!" Reyna looked up with a smile. "Elsa! What a nice surprise!"
"Hey guys!" Frank smiled at them as well.
"Nice to see you again, Reyna. Frank." Nico greeted both of the praetors. "We both needed a little getaway."
"Especially me." Elsa spoke up. She chuckled nervously. "I'm kind of having a rough time right now." Reyna raised an eyebrow, noting the look in Elsa's eyes and the dark color scheme. She knew something was wrong.
"Frank, do you think you can handle everything for a little while?" She asked, standing up.
"Yeah. Take all the time you need." He sensed that Reyna wanted to talk to Elsa and Nico alone. He didn't question why, and stayed out of their business, which both Nico and Reyna were grateful for.
"Walk with me?" Reyna requested, leading the way out of the principia.
"I'm going to go find Hazel." Nico stated, letting go of Elsa's hand, and nudging her towards Reyna. He gave her a reassuring nod. Reyna understood that he wanted her to talk to Elsa, who really seemed like she needed a hand in the figurative sense. "I'll be back later." He promised. Elsa didn't watch him go. She just looked down to the ground at her black and white shoes.
Reyna guided the younger girl to a bench. She had a soft spot for Elsa and her story. To Reyna, Elsa was the epitome of strength and living with inner demons. She had been tortured by her godly parent, and then grown from that to become an immortal; promised godhood on her eighteenth birthday. One of the things that Reyna really admired was the fact that Elsa was like a phoenix; rising from the ashes. Her condition rose and fell, slowly becoming stronger and stronger, even when she had her moments of weakness. Reyna understood that even a year and eight months after she had been truly set free, Elsa was still battling her memories. Usually, Nico was able to do the trick with comforting her. This time was strange, because Elsa had never been brought to Reyna by Nico to help him with her.
"What happened?" Reyna asked softly, slowly placing an arm around the smaller girl. She had shown Elsa that she was making a move to do this.
"I finally found my soulmate." Elsa whispered, her voice scratchy. "Her name is Calypso. She's the Calypso." Reyna's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.
"Did she reject you?" Reyna asked. Elsa shook her head.
"I didn't tell her. We… We're friends. But… I don't know how and when to tell her." Elsa confessed. "I have to sometime. But I'm afraid that she will reject me."
"Aphrodite told you that Calypso was going to be your soulmate, right?" Reyna checked. The blonde nodded, confirming what the brunette already knew. "Then why wouldn't Calypso love you back?"
"She said that she's sworn off relationships." Elsa sighed. "She's been forced to fall in love with too many people, and she's sick of the broken hearts it gave her."
"Perhaps she'd make an exception for you?" Reyna asked. "Once you explain that you're in love with her. A lot of people might not have even considered it, you know. Especially if Calypso's been dating boys." Elsa thought for a moment.
"You might be right." She said.
"Don't worry, it could be worse." Reyna assured her.
"How?" Elsa asked.
"Well, it could be that the one you're in love with is in a happy and loving relationship." The daughter of Bellona smiled sadly at the young queen.
"Who?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you that." She shook her head sadly. "Just remember… They say that if it's meant to happen, it will happen. But sometimes you have to wait for the right moment to give it a little push. If Aphrodite, herself, made you fall in love with Calypso, considering her promise… Then Elsa… It is meant to happen."
"Thank you." Elsa replied sincerely. She'd needed this type of comfort. Woman to woman.
"Come on," Reyna jerked her head in the direction of the civilian area. "How about I buy us some gelato?"
A/N: Elsa's outfit is on the Polyvore. Sorry if there is any OOCness. I just realized that there might be a bit of that in here. Oh well.