Mistakes of Artemis

Ch. 9

9 Nico
Nico looks at this mysterious girl as she disappears toward the archery range. He feels his face flush looking at her silver hair swish side to side.
"Percy?" I ask him, trying to catch his attention.
"Yeah?" He raises his eyebrow, beckoning me back inside.
"I need help, I need advice." I tell him, shoving a sigh out from my shuddering lips.
"Advice? On what Nico?"
"G-girls... Actually... I-I want to know more about our new camper, but she just won't let anyone in. We don't even know her name, only the initial, A. We also know that she is the daughter of Artemis, but that's not anything that we can ask Artemis herself."
He nods, "I know what you mean... You fancy her don't you Nico?"
I shoot a glare at him accusingly, who's side are you on? "I can't yet, I don't know anything about her."
"Good point. I think the best way to get her to open up is to get her alone."
"You don't mean... Are you saying a DATE Percy?" I groan loudly.
"You got it Nico!" He claps his hands giddily like a five year old with candy.
"Percy, you know I'm not good with these things! I don't even know where to begin."
"Well, why would you go to Seaweed Brain for advice?" A new voice pierces the air as blonde curls poke through the door.
"Annabeth, how hurtful!" Percy exclaims, mock hurt in his voice. "I can be romantic."
"Oh yeah, I bet you were going to tell Nico to book a five star hotel right?"
"No, I was just going to offer the horse stables to him." Annabeth smacks his arm playfully as my cheeks redden.
"Guys, not helping! I'm being serious." I say, urgency in my tone.
"Okay, okay. Here's an idea. What about the lake Nico, it's beautiful, especially at sunset." Annabeth nods as her idea strikes her muse.
"And wear something casual so she doesn't guess your motive Nics." Percy ruffles my hair as I leave.
"Thanks lovebirds. For once I may get something right."
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I dress in my usual black tee, bomber jacket around my shoulders and dark blue jeans. I search around the Camp, asking about the new camper, or as many called her, "the silver-haired camper." Eventually a child of Demeter, after various head shakes, pointed toward the lake. I see her sitting there, alone along the water's edge, not even the naiads dared to approach her. I sit down slowly as not to startle her, her green orbs meeting my blue.
"A... You've been here for a while, I hope you don't find me rude, but I want to get to know you better. Could you at least tell me the first three letters of your name as a start?"
She scowls for a moment, "if I tell you the first three letters, would you leave me alone?"
"A, I just want to help you, please..."
She sighs softly, defeated, "the first three letters only. A...R....Y. Happy now?"
"Ary..." I roll the syllable around on my tongue, liking the sound. "I just want to know.... What do you want most, why do you hate the world so much?"
She stands angrily, her eyes shining bright as she looks into my eyes, "I want my mother to own up to her "mistake" of my birth, I want the world to know she isn't as perfect as they think she is. She constantly reminds me that I'm an error on her part, a blemish of existence, that I shouldn't even be alive, that my life is against the Fates." She turns away from me, tears prickling in her eyes as I make a bold decision. I reach out to clasp her hand, for someone being more in tune with the dead than the living, I surprised myself with the gentleness behind my action. My midnight black hair falls gracefully on my forehead. She turns and brushes it away and I capture her fingers. Her eyes stare at me in curiosity. I lean in closer as we sit back on the grass, watching the sun reflect on the water.
"Ary, don't feel that way, you aren't a mistake, for the longest time I felt the same way. But someone's made me realize that life is worth living even in the harsh times, even Hades' palace doesn't compare to her smile." I look at her, smiling tentatively, our faces mere inches apart as my heartbeat hammers against my sternum. "I don't know if you know this, but I'm going to trust you with a secret. When I was younger, when I first came to Camp Half-Blood, I-I had a... thing, for Percy. It never worked out of course, after all, with Annabeth.... I don't understand what I saw in him exactly, maybe the natural leadership skills he has I don't know. It's gone now, just like the dead moving across Tartarus. Now it's someone else...." I didn't finish my sentence because it was halted by our lips meeting together. I didn't understand at first, after all, she's so closed off, so distant, why was her mouth on mine? She pulls away slowly as her eyes flutter open, a blush creeping to her cheeks.
"I'm sorry," she whispers, "I shouldn't have.... After all.... I don't even know how you really like a person." I stare at her for a minute, trying to understand her question.
"Are you asking about my sexual preference? I've figured it out for the first time myself. I'm bisexual." I grin slightly, it quickly fading as I think about Bianca. "If only I would have told her, how would she have treated me?"
"I wouldn't think that she'd treat you any differently, she is your sister and she loved you, if my brother or sister told me that, I'd support them no matter what."
"Can you tell me more about your siblings? The day you decided to leave?" I ask, hoping she would open up to me more.
" Well, t was the end of February when I decided to leave my father behind. I have two siblings, a little girl, Elena and Harrison which is the youngest. I had been carrying Harrison for a few miles, eventually deciding to rest, finding a campground that was closed for the season. I quickly started a small fire to stave off the cold, but I didn't see what was stalking through the snow. It, was a man, I think. He had claws and a pointed tail. I had taught Elena how to handle basic sword work, but... Once he snatched Harrison it was all over. Elena lost her weapon as I was knocked unconscious. The last thing I heard was my sibling's cries for help before I blacked out. When I came to, they were gone, the footprints of the beast disappeared into a rock."
Nico grits his teeth, muttering an expletive in German if I heard correctly. "That... That... Thing, must have shadow traveled, with mortal children I don't know the effects, especially on two that are so young. I'm so sorry." He squeezes my hand as tears come to my eyes.
"Don't be sorry, it isn't your fault, and I don't even know why I opened up to you in the first place. It isn't your problem so I don't want it to be, you don't have to get involved."