Keeper Of The Lost DemiGod Camp

Well, this changes things.

What Nico meant by training me, he meant cutting and beating the living crap out of me. I might be over exaggerating, but it sure as heck felt like it. He brought his sword down, and once more I was too slow to bring up my daggers to block it gaining another scratch.

"Come one, Sophie!" Nico sighed "Do I need to help you again? You said you actually wanted to fight and not practice posture." He held his hand out to me and I shoved it away pushing myself to my feet, it was true, I was tired of Nico teaching me how to stand and block. Then kicking out my knee or ankle, or round-house kicking me, etc.

"Maybe," I panted "If you actually taught me something without kicking me, or you know. Scratching me, I might be a little easier to work with." He rolled his dark eyes as he sheathed his black sword and cross his pale arms over his black t-shirt "Back to square one then? Too much for you?" I gritted my teeth as I spat "I am not as fast as you, Di Angelo. Take it slow, I am new at this." I rubbed the painful knot in my stomach and Bronte shot me a wary glance, I waved him off.

"Ok," Nico said "Remember how to stand?" I nodded standing with my legs apart and bending my knees slightly and with a flash, the silver and gold daggers appeared in my hands the cool chains wrapping around my forearms.

Nico nodded and unsheathed his sword and moved more slowly as he brought his sword down, I was actually able to stop it this time, causing a clank to join others around us. The pace began to gain and my dagger slipped from my hand and Nico's sword collided with my face so hard I fell to the ground my vision going white for a second, and the knot in my stomach making my mind blur.

"Sophie!" A familiar crisp voice said, I smelled copper and tasted cent on my lip. Reaching up to my face fumbling with the chains around my wrists warm liquid ran down my hand and I looked at it, the crimson liquid rolled down my forearm and onto the chain and I could feel it move down my face like a warm tear, my cheek burned and ached as the ball of infliction in my stomach doubled in size.

"Sophie, look at me." The accented voice said grabbing my cheek roughly, wincing I met Fitz's teal eyes adrenaline rushing through my veins prickling my skin like lightning. "Are you alright?" Fitz asked as he reached up to my face and pulled his hand back the grey gloves now having a dark stain on the thumb.

Nodding I shifted the sword back to leather straps, Fitz grabbed my chin before I could stand and he spat "What the hell Nico?!" He glared off to his left, I grabbed his wrist as I said "Its ok Fitz, I'm ok, I just had a bad hold on my dagger." Fitz looked back at me as he said "He cut to the tissue Sophie, maybe he didn't mean to. But he nearly did the same thing with Keefe."

"Listen," Nico started and Keefe interrupted "No." He squatted behind Fitz frowning as he winced saying "Fitz, you weren't kidding." Frowning I reached up and felt my cheek again, it was slippery but I felt what seemed to be a string, Biana walked over and gagged before looking away. Percy cringed as he sighed "I'll go get Magnus."

"No!" I yelled shooting to my feet, suddenly I felt cold and pale my head spun and everything went black.

My head hurt like I was hit by the flying ship I had been on for nearly a month. Groaning I sat up and someone said "Hey hey hey!" I felt someone push on my shoulder and I grunted trying to shove them off and peel my eyes open at the same time "Sophie, breathe it is just me, Bronte."

Peeling my eyes open I saw his dark blue eyes, and he nodded pressing the back of his hand against my forehead he looked at my cheek and shook his head. "Damn demigods, don't hate me, but I am glad you passed out. Your infliction was growing past the point of your control, and I wasn't close enough to help. No, Magnus hasn't healed you, you still have some tissue hanging from your face." I cringed and Bronte nodded cleaning red off his hands "I clean the blood off, Nico is sleeping outside your door by the way."

"What?!" I asked looking at him wide-eyed, he smirked "I think he feels bad." He laughed, but his smile faded as he sat on the counter and said intertwining his hands together "I need to talk to you about something Sophie, please don't say anything that will make me cry." I frowned but sealed my mouth closed and nodded, he jumped off the counter and walked over to my window.

He shook slightly and his voice did also as he whispered barely above a whisper his back to me "I-I you--I can't." He collapsed against the wall sliding down it, I frowned walking over to him and grabbed his hand "Ok, but if you need me. I'm here." He looked up his eyes seemed to be breaking as a tear rolled down his face.

"Bronte." I whispered pulling him into a hug, he hugged me back as he said "It was so wrong, I-I'm a councillor, Sophie." This seemed to confuse me more but he kept rambling "Everything about it is wrong, I can't be councillor if they find out. I don't know how Kenric and Oralie do it, Sophie." What the hell is he talking about? I just hugged him, he must have had a nightmare.

"Sophie," Bronte said pulling away from me his eyes tired "I really messed up." I grabbed his shoulders as I asked "How? This is really bothering you, I can tell." He looked at his lap as he choked out

"Fintan kissed me."