Drown

Chapter 15

-Caeda's POV-

Ugh. Nico was so overprotective... Why did he want to know what I did every second of the day?! It was so annoying... Whatever. I knew that refusing to say anything only made him more suspicious, but honestly I just didn't care. I dragged Leo to my cabin. Once we were inside, I dropped on the couch and sighed.

''Sorry, I just... He can be so overprotective it just becomes annoying...'' He nodded and sat down next to me.

''I know he is, but he just feels like he has to protect you, because he's your broth- ''

''Please don't tell me you're going to say it's just 'an older sibling thing' and that 'he'd rather get hurt himself than see someone hurt his family' because Clarisse already told me.'' Leo raised an eyebrow.

''She did?''

''Yes. She also said she feels the same way about her siblings, she said she was glad her siblings left her in the forest yesterday, because she would rather bleed to death than see her siblings get hurt. She isn't that bad, she just has to pretend she is.''

''Wow, I- I didn't know that, she just looks like she doesn't care about anyone.''

''She does, she just can't show it.''

''Why not?'' he asked.

''I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone. Just trust me when I say it isn't her fault, okay?'' he nodded.

''Okay. But that wasn't what I was going to say. I was really going to tell you about Nico's other sister.'' he said.

''Hazel?'' I asked, ''What's with her?'' He shook his head.

''Not Hazel, he had another sister, once. That was before I joined Camp Half-Blood, but Percy told me. She went with him and a few other people on a quest to save Artemis, they got attacked by a giant made of things that lay at what looked like a giant dump. It actually was a machine made from all the garbage, that got activated when someone tried to take something from the dump. At the time, Nico was obsessed with a game that had figurines of Greek gods and whatnot, and he had all except for one. Bianca, his sister, saw that one lying there at the dump. She took it for him and the giant attacked. Bianca sacrificed herself to save the others. Percy said Nico was devastated when he told him, and that Nico always blamed him for it, even though he couldn't stop Bianca. Since Bianca died, Nico wants to protect everyone he cares about. Especially his sisters.''

Silence filled the room after Leo stopped talking. So that's why he wanted to protect me so much? I suddenly was ashamed. He only wanted the best for me, and I had acted like a four-year-old spoiled brat. Ugh.

''I have to tell him I'm sorry.'' I said. Leo nodded.

''I understand, but, just wait until he calmed down a little, okay?'' Then he leaned in and kissed me. Just before I closed my eyes, I thought I saw something in the shadows. I decided to ignore it. I kissed him back, and it was perfect, just like last time. I felt the warmth of his burning lips warming up my ice cold ones. It was totally unexpected that he tasted like roasted marshmallows, I would have thought the fire would take over and he would taste like burning anything. But he didn't. Even though his lips were on fire again, he still tasted like roasted marshmallows instead of burned ones. And of course, just as we were really getting into the kiss, Jason had to storm inside. Friendly reminder to close the door next time.

''Hey guys have you seen- oh...'' he said, as he saw us, ''So, eh, I just wanted to ask if you have seen Nico somewhere, but apparently you're busy. I guess I'll go, then.'' He began to walk out, but the puzzle pieces in my head had already fallen together. Nico wanting to know everything I did, me storming off to the cabin with Leo, Nico nowhere to be found, the movement in the shadows...