skinny love | solangelo

No Secrets

~Nico

I was trying to keep my fear under wraps. I really was. But past experiences have showed me that my terror was justified. Will could sense it.

His flip-flops smacked against the ground. Even in trying situations, his fashion sense was questionable. Despite myself, I giggled at it. Going to go defeat a minor god in open-toed shoes. Will looked at me, confused.

"Your flip-flops. They're funny-sounding."

He frowned, "Don't make fun of practicality. Flip-flops are a gift from the gods." Will soon grinned after saying so and started humming.

"They're not practical and you know that, Solace." I was thankful that our bantering lightened the tension and I found myself relaxing.

We made our way to where the terrifying-sounding noises came from. Another monstrous roar sounded from the Pegasus stables. Mirroring expressions, we quickened our pace.

Walking through wreckage, the camp looked like a battlefield. The pegasi were whinnying and we could see no campers. Eros was shooting arrows into the stables.

"You can't run from Love!" He growled to no one and I felt it shake into my bones.

Hoping my voice didn't shake, I called for his attention. "Eros!" Will took my hand, tapping his fingers against my whitened knuckles.

The angel-winged man appeared in our vision, grinning like a shark. "Ah," he put his bow onto his back, "Just the person I was looking for."

I was steel, my voice was hard. "What do you want from me?"

"You know exactly what."

I could feel myself pinkening. Either with anger or embarrassment, I didn't know. Eros stalked closer, relishing in my cowardice. Growling, I wasted time. "No. I want to hear you say it."

This time, he addressed Will, talking with an arrow playing between his fingers. "Nico has some secrets," his expression turned from cold to furious in an instant. He snarled, "And there are no secrets in love!" We jumped back as the arrow landed right in front of our toes.

"Come," was all Cupid said, and he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, we weren't in camp. We were out in a clearing in the forest. It seemed too peaceful for the storm raging in my head. Eros smiled, "More private." He started pacing around us. Pacing, pacing, pacing. It seemed like forever we watched him, and suddenly during his fifth rotation, he was gone. There one moment, now he seemed like a figment of my imagination.

I squeezed Will's hand. Cracks in the earth appeared below my feet and I tried calming myself down. Will was pushing bravery into me through our interlocked hands and I was grateful for his presence.

"Show yourself!" I demanded to the empty air. Cackling came from behind us. Will pushed me behind him as we turned around.

"What a perfect gentleman," a catlike voice from came from all around the clearing. We shuffled around again. I released Will's hand and wiped my palm on my jeans. "You know the drill, Nico," said a bodiless voice. "The only way to conquer Love is to face it."

"I don't know what you want me to face! I already told you why I left camp! I already told you I used to like Percy! What more do you want from me?!" My eyes were watering up. I didn't like it.