The Wants of a Young Demigod Heart (Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez x OC)

A Shattered Mind

Leo POV

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Merrily smelled like cherries. 

That is the extremely intelligent thought that flits through my mind as I and Merrily kiss. It feels so.... right. Like I finally found someone who truly understands me. And I don't feel as if I'm betraying Calypso. 

Finally, our lips part and I find myself staring into her intense, deep gray-blue eyes. I can't move. I'm frozen to the spot. I don't know what I was thinking, kissing her like that. Now she probably thinks I'm a freak.

"Sorry," I mutter. I can feel my cheeks turning a bright red and my nose is itching to light on fire, but I know she won't like that.

"Why would you be sorry?" Merrily asks me. 

I stare at her, confused. Who would want to kiss me? The seventh wheel. An outsider. The next I know though, Merrily tugs me close yet again and we kiss, this time much more passionately. 

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After that night, Merrily and I haven't spoken. We both have gone our separate ways; me to my bunker and Merrily to her friends. I haven't decided whether to give Merrily the armor yet. She probably doesn't want to speak to me anymore. I wish I could speak to her though. But I can't bring myself to come out of the darkness. 

The darkness. It's almost addicting. Good gods, I'm beginning to sound like Nico. But it's true. I mean, after all, it's not like anyone really notices me. I'm invisible. I've always been invisible. In the homes where I was waiting to be fostered, often times, people would forget I was there, causing me to miss meals and things. At foster homes, though, I wished to be invisible. 

I shudder at the memory of Miss Teresa and my foster father. Those were the worst, though I was abused in others as well. Sometimes my families would overdose me on Ritalin, a medicine for ADHD. In normal amounts, it simply helps me to focus. In overdose.... once I ended up in a coma for three weeks thanks to one family. 

But enough self-pity. My days with Miss Teresa taught me that much. I don't deserve to be pitied. Especially not by myself. So I turn to Jason's birthday present. It's almost done. See, Jason is literally always either losing or breaking his glasses. Unfortunately, I can't do much about the breaking clause, but I can do something about his losing his glasses. 

A simple super strong magnet can fix that issue. I finish his gift, exhausted afterward. I get tired far faster these days, especially considering I hardly eat anything. Then again, I never really at much anyway. 

I step out of Bunker 9 and make my way meticulously through the forest, careful not to disturb Rachel, who's probably in her cave working on artwork. I can tell because Just Like Fire by Pink is blasting from some speakers. I step into the actual camp, the sunlight hitting me right in the face. 

Considering I'm the head counselor, I have to lead my cabin in at least a few activities throughout the day. Honestly, I don't mind. My siblings sometimes manage to make time for me, and unlike my other friends, they try very hard. But also like me, they are often overworked and overlooked.

Nyssa sometimes comes by Bunker Nine to visit and we chat for a couple of hours before some camper pounds on the door wanting her for some project. Harley is my favorite. I try to tuck him in three nights a week at least, and while he has more time on his hands, he also has more friends. I'm not about to pressure Harley into hanging out with me; he's only nine after all. 

I head to the arena where Nyssa, Christopher, and the others walk up at the same time as me. I flash them a grin and we jump into sparring for about forty-five minutes. I spar with Christopher and Nyssa, who is lighter on her feet spars with Harley and so on. When we finish, we rush through the lava wall and then go to the forges.