Nico di Angelo, Flowers of Death

Chapter 28

Ambers POV

It felt like a sickness. Slowly crawling atop my skin, cautious and delicate, as it consumed me. I sole thought pounded in my head, silencing everything else.

My mom is Persephone.

I finally figured it out, I suppose, who my godly parent was. I let out a slight sigh of relief once I truly processed that it wasn't Hades.

But was Persephone any better?

She was cruel, heartless and just terrible. How could I live with her as a mother, then again, I did grow up with my not so real mom. I'm sure I would be able to handle Persephone.

I couldn't see why she had so much of a problem with Duncan.

In fact I could barely see anything, the moon was hiding behind the black clouds that surrounded the camp, and the stars barely shone. Everything had a gloomy effect, and it made me a little jumpy.

Maybe I shouldn't have come in here alone, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Yet now, with this creepy vibe it produced.

The snapping of branches made me jump, large goosebumps formed on my arms. I shivered in the cold air.

Again another branch broke, I could hear the movement of what sounded like a person.

"She must have come this way, see how the branches are bent" I heard Nico's voice exclaim.

"Let's just find her soon, I feel like I'm about to pass out" came Leo's voice, he sounded in pain. I debated on running away or going to them, I did neither.

I just sat, rights where I was. Allowing them to get closer. Finally they brushed away the branches and saw me sitting.

"Amber" Leo spoke. I didn't move. Leo ran over to me, Nico not far behind. Leo practically picked me up to give him a hug.

As I wrapped my arms around him I could feel him squirm in pain. I pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Leo what happened to you" I questioned.

"What happened to me? What happened to you" he said looking me up and down. I blushed, I hadn't really realized how short the front of this dress was until now.

"Amber are you okay" asked Nico from the side of me. I turned to face him and Leo at the same time.

"Physically I'm fine" I gave him a quick hug, I felt so protected by his arms. In the mere seconds I had in his embrace I dreaded him releasing me.

"I don't suppose you could explain what has just happened" Leo spoke, I shook my head slowly.

"I was hoping one of you could" I stated, glancing between the two of them.

"See I can understand why you were able to kill the grass but you changed Amber, grew younger and older, and that light you shot at us-"

"I did not shoot it at anyways" I cut Leo off. Glaring at him, I never intended for that to happen, for any of it too.

" Persephone isn't just the goddess of flowers and pretty little things she is also the goddess of young life, in other words youth" Nico explained.

"So that's why you changed ages, but the light"? questioned Leo.

"I don't think it was a light" Nico stated.

"No it was some form of energy, like the same as when I travel, through the flowers"  I added.

"Right, remind me to think of a cool name for that later" joked Leo. I faintly smiled at him.

Leo always new exactly what to say to make me smile, no matter how I felt. I truly loved him, as my friend.

I glanced at him again, just in time to watch his face scrunch in pain.

"Leo is something wrong" I asked him, he smiled at me opening his mouth probably to reassure me. Only his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed on the cold wet ground.

"Leo!" I screamed, running over to him, dropping to my knees to be closer to his limp body. Nico quickly placed a finger onto his neck to search for a pulse.

His eyes slowly met mine, I begged for him to tell me that beneath his fingers was a beating heart. But in the empty pit that seemed to consume his mocha eyes, there was no hope.