MELANCHOLY [1]

SEVEN

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•
seven
•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

AS SOON AS PIPER WAS CLAIMED, Via noticed Leo sneaking off. Hoping no one else had noticed, she quickly followed him.

She trudged silently towards the woods, so lost in her thoughts about the prophecy that she didn't notice he'd stopped walking.

"Ow!" She yelped, walking right into him. Leo turned back, his eyes widening.

"Livia? What the hell are you doing, creeping around?" He asked. His eyes darted in several different directions, as if looking for an exit.

"Following you, what the hell are you doing, creeping around?" She shot back.

Leo shook his head. "Jackson, I get that you're in love with me, but this is a little much extreme. Stalking's considered a criminal activity."

Via punched him in the shoulder and he yelped. "In your dreams. Seriously, tell me what's going on. Demigods don't enter those woods without a weapon unless they have a death wish."

Leo told her about his plan, which included taming a wild, mechanical dragon.

Via shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? You're already crazy enough volunteering for a quest. Sure, let's tame the insane fire breathing dragon."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Just watch and learn, Ariel. Watch and learn."

"I don't like that nickname."

"Tough, it's sticking."

The minute they entered the woods, Via felt suffocated. They stumbled along, Via counting her steps, telling herself to keep going. She shivered and took a shaky breath. Leo noticed. "Hey, you okay? You don't look too good."

Via shook her head. "I'm fine. Just... bad memories."

Leo furrowed his eyebrows in concern but didn't push her. He took off his army jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She gave him a questioning glance, but he ignored it and kept walking.

When they came to a point where they couldn't see anything, Leo stopped and turned around. "Okay, so don't freak, but there's something I need to show you."

Via nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her. "What is it?"

Suddenly, she could see small flames dancing across Leo's fingertips, casting just enough light to see. She gasped and moved backwards, tripping over a root.