Tell Me You Love Me

I'm Home(Onety-Threety-Five)

My siblings got to Camp Half-Blood and went straight to the Dionysus cabin. But not me. I had somewhere else to be. Someone I had to see.

I walked the streets of New Rome anxiously, going over in my head what I would say to him. The last year has been torture without him, but now that my dad is safely back on Olympus, we don't have to be apart anymore.

And then I saw his house and my breath hitched in my excitement. I jogged the last few steps to the door, about to knock when I saw my reflection in the window on the door. I straightened my collar and tried to flatten my blond hair, key word: tried.

I took a deep breath, bouncing on the balls of my feet. I knocked excitedly before it occurred to me that Luke was most likely at Camp Half-Blood and that I walked all the way over here for no reason.

I was just about to turn away when the door swung open, Percy's shocked face on the other side.

"Hi," I said awkwardly.

"Noah!" Percy gasped, lunging forward to give me a hug. I wasn't expecting it, but I melted into it. I'd missed this. This feeling of belonging, that I was part of this family. Like I'm home.

He held me arms length by my shoulders, looking me over.

"Are you alright? Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Yes, everything's fine. I just got home, and I came to see Luke, but I suppose he's at Camp..."

Percy's eyes darkened. "About that...you might want to come inside."

Worry blossomed in my chest. "Is something wrong?" I asked too quickly.

Percy hesitated. "A lot's happened since you've been gone," he supplied, and turned, leading the way back inside.

Percy sat me down on the couch and told me everything.

When he was done, there was nothing for me to say. I felt anger so blinding that I sat as calm as can be. I rose silently from the couch, fists balled, and headed to the door.

"Noah, where are you going?"

"San Francisco," I said.

"No," Percy argued. "You stay away from him, Noah. Nothing good can come of you going."

But I ignored him and left New Rome into Mortal San Francisco. I hailed a taxi and soon arrived at the prison.

"I need to speak to an inmate here. His name is Aiden Miller," I told the lady at the desk. She had me fill out a few forms, then led me to an area where I could sit and talk to an inmate over the phone, fiber glass separating us.

She told me Aiden would be a few minutes, so I waited in silence. Then from the other side of the glass, Aiden was led in, his hands cuffed in front of him, dressed in orange.

He didn't actually look at me until he was sat down and grabbed the phone. I was expecting a look of surprise, but instead I got a look of recognition.

"Noah Williams," He said.

"Aiden Miller," I greeted back.

He gave me a chilling grin and said, "what brings you here?"

My calm exterior began to crack and I started getting emotional.

"I've heard what you've done. You hurt the most amazing person in the world and I won't stand for it!"

Aiden nodded, and a singe tear fell down his face. "That's fair. I'm sorry for what I did, I really am. I didn't mean it. I never knew it was unwelcome and I...now I've got this thirty year sentence for a mistake I made and...Please understand. It was an accident."