Something delicious; supreme pizza.
My eyes fluttered and opened to Nico Di Angelo's face; his nose only a few inches from mine. I gasped and pulled back nearly immediately. Nearly. Some part of me...liked the closeness?
"Sorry," He said and rolled back to sit on his heels. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"You didn't scare me," I sighed as I tried to recall what happened and why I was sitting in the middle of a dark forest with the person I absolutely despised. Because I did despise him, right?
"Oh, that's right." Nico's thoughtful voice broke my line of thought.
"What is?" I asked suspiciously.
"Annabeth told me about how you hate being weak," He explained.
"Did she?" I stared at my hands, not meeting Nico's dark eyes. One of my abhorrences was when I felt weak. I tried to sit up and felt a sharp pain stab through my head. Panting, I reached my fingers up to delicately touch my head wound and felt something soft.
I bandaged the cut up so it stops bleeding." Nico edged his way over to me. "Maybe you shoudln't sit up," He added.
"Gods, why does it hurt so bad," I moaned and laid my head back on the ground, closing my eyes.
"You were pretty beat up. You're covered in bruises," Nico's cold finger tips graced my arm. They felt as though they'd been dipped in ice water; maybe left there over night. Not to mention the shock his touch sent through my body; like I was being electrocuted. Yes, I know the feeling. Thalia Grace and I have had our differences. "Sorry," Nico said apologized when I jumped back from his hand.
"It's fine. You're just really cold," I rubbed my arm subconsciously.
"Are you thristy or anything?" Nico asked.
"A little thirsty, I guess." To be honest, my throat was so dry it hurt.
"Here," Nico pulled a bottle of water from his aviator jacket and unscrewed it. I tried to sit up again.
"Let me help," Nico said.
All of a sudden he scooped me up into his arms. While I was there, I noticed what he smelled like. mint, and something else that I could place my finger on. He set me down with a tree at my back so I could sit.
"That was not necessary," I glared at him, my skin tingling where he'd touched. "I'm perfectly capable of walking."
"Wouldn't want you to strain yourself," He smiled coyly at me.
"I'm not going to strain myself," I said and stood. Already, the ambrosia he fed me was working and I was able to stand while only a dull throbbing went on in my head. I retrieved the water bottle and took a long drink, feeling the cold water refreshing my parched throat.
"Now, why're you here?" I asked him. I plopped down on the ground by my tree and wrapped my arms about my knees, waiting for his response.
"I came to find you." He said simply.
"Why? You don't like me."
"I never said that," Nico shook his head.
"You sure don't seem to like me," I said.
"You're the one that doesn't like me," He shrugged as though this didn't bother him. It did, I could tell.
"I never said that, either," I sighed. This conversation was getting us no where. "So?"
