The Daughter of Crossroads (Percy Jackson / HoO)

Chapter 4

["Tell me, magic girl, tell me everything about yourself."]

Chapter 4

"No," I say starkly, narrowing my eyes. 

He just laughs, as if I'm playing the game as well. I watch his shoulders bounce with each chuckle... scrutinize would possibly be a better word. Once he catches my bland gaze, Leo continues to behave in the same way without any regard to my distaste.

"I'm going to take a nap now," I decide, extending my legs and turning to lay on my shoulder, facing away from Leo.

Although I can no longer see him, I can sense that he's smirking with a certain smugness Leo could only have. "I'm going to wait for you to wake up now," Leo mocks me playfully. 

"Seriously?" I groan, repressing the urge to throw every pillow stacked at the foot of my bed at him. "If I tell you what happened, will you go away?"

Instead of responding immediately, like I've come to expect, Leo prances over to the bed next to mine and descends onto the bed in an almost sexual manner. Almost. He nods vigorously, a childish desperation coming over him.

"Well, I saved Nico Di Angelo's life," I begin as I lift my head. 

He tilts his head to one side, brunet curls falling in front of his eyes. "How?" 

"Mortal CPR."

 Leo twitches slightly. "Damn, I never paid attention in that class. Something about screaming 'SIR, ARE YOU OKAY?'" I suppose normal people would stop at that point, but Leo is keen on creating a scene. "YOU," he pointed at an empty bed, "CALL 911 AND GET AN AED!"

"And the scene is safe," I add, recollecting my freshmen year mandatory gym class. "Because no saving lives during a gang fight, of course."

"Claro," Leo nods. "Tell me the rest."

"And I zapped him to life with my majorly screwed up hands. Ta-da. End of story."

"Bull. You missed the part about distracting cyclopses." 

"Eh, just made the giants think that they were tripping on acid. Nothing huge." 

Leo smirks. "You make it sound like it's easy."

"It's not easy, it's just freaking screwing up my life," I bark indignantly, my family instantly coming to mind. "I need to go home," I state again. 

"No can do, sweetie," Leo says with a deep sigh. I can see it all then, the pain and remorse and regret all buried beneath senseless jokes and a cocky smile. It's the way his voice almost trembles thinking of the word 'home.' I can't help but wonder what would happen if I asked him about his parents. 

Regardless, I press onward. "You can't make me stay here."

"Nah," Leos shrugs. "Not really something I can do. Maybe thinking of more giants swarming your house will do better."

My heart stops for a moment, my face goes entirely pale. 

He realizes his mistake. "Shit, sorry. That was harsh. Sometimes I don't know what I'm saying until after I've been slapped across the face." 

Leo winces, as if preparing for that moment. I remain in my place, staring at him incredulously. "I'm caught between wanting to slap you and kick you in the balls simultaneously or simply electrocuting you," I admit, my voice eerily calm. After a long silence, I say, "Not today, at least." 

His shoulders release tension, and he seems to be catching his breath. "I would've chosen electrocution," he mutters. 

"Ah, men," I sigh. "You'd do anything to protect your balls, wouldn't you?" 

He clears his throat, giving me a wary look. "The giants probably left after you," Leo says quietly. 

"God," I murmur, burying my head in my hands. Guilt racks over me. For my sisters. My step-mother. My entire family in the hands of monstrous creatures, who knows what happening to them. The worst is knowing that they deserve nothing, that they're innocent. Taking them would be an obvious method of gaining leverage over myself and anyone who could be an ally. 

Leo seems to catch onto my thoughts. "We don't know for sure if any of them have been taken. But, it looks like they haven't been."

"It's been two weeks," I hiss through gritted teeth. "If you don't know that, what do you know for sure?" 

Before Leo can reply, a cool, yet fragile voice fills the air. "Leo, Chiron wants to talk to you," Annabeth says upon entering the infirmary. She glances in my direction with disdain, her eyebrows scrunched in scrutiny. 

"Do you need to talk to me about something?" I inquire, my voice light. 

She shakes her head. "Just," Annabeth begins, tucking a tuft of blonde hair behind her ear, "do not think that you are in the right threatening people like that. We're nearly in a time of war and cannot afford this sort of hostility. I don't care who it's toward or whether they deserve it, we can't divide ourselves even more." 

I blink, the words sinking in. I hadn't thought about the depth of this predicament, and the lives at stake due to its existence. Still, there's a frailness to Annabeth's stormy gray eyes. A pain yet to meet its resolution. "Furthermore," Annabeth continues, "Leo's only trying to help you. Hades, he's the most annoying person I've ever come across, but you have to learn to accept him." 

After a moment of silence, I meet her stony gaze. "Tell me where I can find Nico." 

Annabeth smiles faintly. "Get some rest," she says gently, but it still seems as if she wants to add something. 

Before she leaves, she presses a cube similar to the one Nico had consumed earlier in Evanston. I swiftly throw the food aimlessly and rip my covers off of me. Spots cover my vision, but determination fills my veins as I get to my feet.

I forgot how much I loved the sensation of grass between my toes. Of course, I was only a child when I used to run through sprinklers with dirt caked onto my feet. Somehow, this makes me relax slightly, but does not prevent me from continuing my trek to find Nico. 

Kids sporting bright orange tees with "Camp Half Blood" etched across the center pay little attention to me. Men with horns sprouting out of their heads and furry, animal-like legs don't even seem to see me. 

I don't even find myself fazed at this point. 

Strawberry fields lie to my left, where several kids and goat-men are plucking the berries into tightly woven baskets. To my right, other kids are rather invested in a game of volleyball. 

If I had known better, I'd say that it's just a normal summer camp where kids and goat-men go to have a good time. I cross a small stream with a brisk jump and advance past the strawberry fields. A large, dome shaped building captures my attention briefly, seeing as the sound of clanging swords is evident from a few feet away. I finally see a wide array of cabins just past the dome, my eyes instantly averting to the one with a blood red roof. 

I begin to step towards it as a hand clamps onto my shoulder, finger nails digging into my skin. "What the Hades have you done in Chicago?"