skinny love | solangelo

Nothing

~Nico

What the hell was that? I stormed out of the clearing, huffing the entire way down to the infirmary.

Without regard to the people in the lobby, I yelled, "Kayla Knowles!" I waited in the dead center of the room, waiting for the green-haired girl to rush out, eyes wide.

"Nico? What are you doing?!" She admonished, "You're going to give me a heart attack, even though I'm not sure I can actually get one!" Without answering her question, I motioned for her to follow me outside of the building. With an aggravated expression, she did so.

Once outside, I pulled her over next to the edge of the forest. I made sure no one was around and said, "How do you feel about Mason?"

In an instant, Kayla's expression softened and when she spoke, her voice was quiet and mellow. "How do you still feel about Will?"

A frustrated growl started in my throat. "No, no! This isn't about that! How do you feel about Mason?" An unreadable expression crossed her face and the emotion in her eyes was conflicted.

"To be entirely honest, I don't know. I'm not sure if I like him, but Will does, so I'm okay with Mason for now." Kayla sighed and put her hand on my shoulder. "I know you don't like him, but Will is gonna be okay."

I swatted her hand off me, as well as her pitying expression. "No, he's not. Mason is charmspeaking Will in love with him. Mason basically confessed that to me."

Kayla's eyes grew wide and wary. "Wait, what? What do you mean basically?" Her face took on a defensive look.

Twisting my fingers together, I explained. "Mason came into my cabin a few days ago, hinting how Apollo campers are easy to charmspeak. He told me he was going to break Will's heart."

Kayla started punching her palm, engine revving up to go tell off the son of Aphrodite. "Oh, that little slimeball... I'm going to destroy him!"

"No, wait!" I said, pushing on her shoulders. There was a fire in her eyes and she looked like she could've destroyed every monster in Tartarus. "I already talked to his sister, Piper, who's head of the cabin. She says there's nothing we can do."

"Well," she started, faltering, "Well then there is nothing we can do. What else do you know?"

I wanted to bite my tongue and run. "Mason told Will h-he loved him." Swallowing, I averted my gaze to our shoes. Kayla sucked in an appalled gasp.

She made an attempt to calm herself, closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath, but it obviously didn't work as she almost yelled, "Death to Mason!" Fortunately, it was an "almost yell", not a "full yell", so only a few people heard her, but politely ignored.

Once more pushing her shoulders back, I questioned, "What should we do? You said there's nothing, but there has to be something I can do!" Now it was her turn to swipe off my hands, and she raised a finger to her lips in thought as started walking in an erratic circle.

I watched as her eyes lit up comically, only to fall as she scraped the idea. After a few moments of this, I grew frustrated. "What is it?"

Kayla jumped as if she forgot I was standing there. "I was sorta thinking we could go to Aphrodite? But I hardly think she'd care to hear about something like this. Other than that, we've just got to let Will go through it."   She bit her lips, "Never mind, scratch that Aphrodite thing."

"That's... That's actually brilliant?" I said, a bit astonished, a bit nervous, a bit wary. The last time I was near a "love" god, I was forced to come out. I swallowed those painful memories, and remarked, "The problem we have is how to get to her."

Kayla's eyes widened as she stopped pacing and she pointed behind me. In between the trees, a light slowly formed into the shape of human. She was tall, blonde-haired and blue-eyed. Her smile was like sunshine. Aphrodite.

"You should know not to use names so sparingly." She grinned, sharklike, and a slight Southern accent was in her lilting voice. Kayla looked towards me, fearful and apprehensive.

I gulped and looked to the goddess. "Hello, Aphrodite. We have a problem that might concern you."

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AhhhHHHHHHhhhHHHH what am i doing??? this is the 20th chapter also!