Soul Of The Sun (HIATUS)

Chapter Four

Oof, sorry I haven't been updating!! ALso, please give me ideas of what should happen in this story.

Love, Alex
Btw, my friend, HCabinNine, Ashton, is writing this part (I made the oc after HCabinNine sooo.... Go follow them! HCabinNine

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I hopped down the branches, careful not to trip, and landed behind Leo. I landed with a thud, and Leo whirled around and screamed.
"AHHHHHHHHH" He cried, his voice squeaking.

"Jesus, Leo! Stop, you sound like a girl and you're going to burst my eardrums!!" I cried, clamping my hand over his mouth.

"Ahon ih at you?" Leo mumbled through my hand.

" yes idiot, it's me. " I retorted, removing my hand.

"What were you thinking!" Leo cried, waving his arms up into the air and getting in my face.

" I wasnt"

"I know!!!! Lets- let's just... Just go to Bunker Nine" Leo sighed, grabbing my arm and bringing me through the woods. Keep opened to door to Bunker Nine and quickly closed it behind us. I sat in Leo's chair by his desk, and I stared blankly at the blueprints around me.

Then I had an idea.

"What were you thinking? Calypso is a goddess, she could have hurt you!!! And what if you got hurt? Then I would do soe.thing that probably gets me expelled from camp, and you'd be hurt and it would be Ok my fault-" leo continued rambling. As he paced back and forth, I took a few pieces of wire from his table and started bending them together.

Leo kept ranting as I blocked him out, focusing on my work.

Finally, I was done.

"-You're an idiot!!" He shouted, turning towards me.

" I know, plenty of people tell me. " I whispered under my breath, but Leo caught it.
Leo put his hands on my cheeks, a habit he had when he was agitated or trying to get your attention.

"Who tells you that?!" He said quietly. I swear this kid was bipolar.

I looked down at the little bracelet I had made with the wires, twirling it around in my hands. I felt ashamed for putting my worries on Leo. He didn't need all this pain and hurt, he deserves better.

I was broken, I was hurting... And I couldn't show it, because I was still used to my quest instincts of hiding everything to keep my team up.

"The people in my dreams... The other campers..."

I couldn't see Leo's expression, but I imagined it was disappointed. Leo thought he had a strong friend, but in reality I was just some dumb, broken, delusional demigod daughter of Apollo.

To make it worse, I had another secret that I had never told anyone.
Something that would make Leo hate me.

"People in your dreams?" Leo asked, his voice just above a whisper as he stepped forward, closing a bit of space between us.

" The people that haunt my dreams... Then people that tell me it's wrong to be how I am... " I said. My voice quivered, and I didn't really want to talk about it anymore.

Leo noticed this, and quickly grabbed my arms, pulling me up. "Lets... Let's go sit down." he said, gently guiding me towards the wall.

" Leo, what are- " I started, but I trailed off when Leo pressed a button and the wall slid away, reveal a few bunkbeds.

"Woah.." I breathed, looking at the wall behind the bunkbeds, which was seamless like nothing was there.

" you can say that again"

"woAh"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "That was rhetorical"

"I'm surprised you even know what that word means, fireboy!" I replied with equal sass.

Eventually, Leo was dressed in sweatpants and no shirt, revealing his skinny but definitely strong and toned body. Leo sat down next to me on the bottom bunk, and wrapped an arm around me.

"So.... How are you?" He asked lamely.

" Really, that's all you have? " I snorted.

"Hey, I'm just trying to start a conversation"

"Nice save," I mumbled sarcastically, " anyways, I'm good, you? "

"could be better"

I glanced over at Leo, who was fiddling with some sort of device with his free hand.

"Leo... You're not okay" I said bluntly. Leo froze, but he looked up at me for a split second before falling backward, discarding the device, and covering his face with his hands.

"I don't know what to do, Ash... Everything seemed so perfect... I thought Calypso and I were happy.... And we would build our own shop together... Just us... And then she just... She just... An nd what if you leave me like she did, and what if-..."

I shushed him gently and moved so that I was laying on my stomach, propped up on my elbows.
"Shh... Leo, it's okay... I promise, no matter what, Calypso will never hurt you, and I'll never leave you. No. Matter. What." I stroked his soft brown curls with my hand, cherishing this moment.

" Promise? "

"Promise..."

Leo say up. "Hey Ashton?" He said, drawing my attention to him.  " what did you mean earlier when you said people tell you it's wrong to be 'how you are'? What makes you not normal? "

I shrunk back slightly, my back pressing against the wall. I had been dreading this. Dreading Leo asking anything too personal that might lead to this...

Sure, Leo is my best friend, but he's probably going to hate me... And I can't afford to lose him.

"Its... Nothing..." I said.

You know, like a liar.

Leo called the lie, and his eyebrows scrunched together.  "Ashy, if somethings bothering you, I want you to tell me"

I had an idea.

A crazy, stupid, shitty idea, but an idea.

"Um... Let's play twenty one questions. But you can't directly ask what I meant, you have to ask indirect things." Leo nodded and I took a deep breath.

" what's you're gender? " he asked instantly.

My eyes widened, "what? What makes you think I'm not a girl?" I asked.

Leo shrugged.  "You sometimes seem uncomfortable whenever someone says she, so I'm wondering if you're not a she."

" Uh.... do I have to answer this? " I brushed my long black hair out of my face, looking down at my hands instead of at Leo.

"Only if you want to..."

I sighed, " okay... I feel like you should know.... "

I looked Leo Valdez in the eyes, and whispered...

"Leo.... I'm genderfluid..."