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

Here Comes Trouble

Merrily POV

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For the most part, life was going very well. I'd settled into a pleasing routine of practicing my skill with the knife, spending time with Leo and spending time with my friends and brother. Seth had taken a couple of months off from college to learn how to fight fairly decently because now that he knew he was a demigod, he was more at risk from monsters. However, much to my annoyance, he had nearly the entire camp thinking his name was Requis and not Seth. No matter how many times I try to tell people his name is Seth, they won't believe me.

On the bright side, Leo has been improving in everything. He still tries to work himself to the ground in Bunker Nine, but none of us will let him. The number of times I've had to drag myself out there to go and drag him from whatever project is ridiculous. Not to mention the times both of us have fallen asleep out there.

"Oh my gods, I can't find my glasses!" Leo shoots up from his sleeping position in his chair and looks around frantically. Now that he's seen the world with glasses, he's practically blind without them.

"I have them!" I trill, from my spot on his workbench.

"Give them back!" Leo demands. "Please?"

"I require payment," I reply haughtily, Leo's glasses resting precariously on my head.

Leo sighs, looking slightly to my left. "What do you want?"

"A kiss for your glasses."

"I can't even see your lips!" Leo complains. "Just give them back!" He lunges for me, but I dart out of the way and he crashes to the ground. I just laugh as he stands up slowly. "Fine." He leans forward and his lips make contact with my nose.

"That wasn't my lips you idiot!" I scold him. 

"I can't see!"

"Here, I'll help you," I say. I take his chin and guide his face to my lips. When we break apart, he snatches his glasses back and walks away. 

"No kisses for a month!" 

And along with instances like that, Leo frequently breaks his glasses to the point where they will almost surely be broken by Wednesday, every single week. Luckily, he doesn't lose his contacts as often, but because he has to have them soak in solution all night, if he breaks his glasses, he'll be blind all night. 

Chey and Nico... I don't understand their relationship at all. It seems like one second they hate each other and the next they're holding hands and acting like normal people. Abigail and Ryan are possibly one of the cutest couples I've ever seen and I'm pretty sure the whole camp thinks so too. David is still single thanks to Aphrodite's curse, but he doesn't seem all too bothered. Usually, he's perfectly content to sit by and laugh whenever one of us argues. 

We haven't seen Grover in awhile, and even though I didn't know him that well it was still concerning. On top of that, all the gods have been eerily quiet, even Apollo. One second his bracelet was chatting my ears off and the next it's radio silence. It's very disconcerting and even Chiron is getting nervous. In the meantime, life goes on.

Leo and I will frequently fall asleep in Bunker 9, usually when he's working on a new project of his (usually for someone else) and I have to come in there to drag him away or bring him food. Sometimes, when I manage to get him away, we'll watch movies or listen to music. So far, we've seen Newsies, Five Feet Apart (he totally cried), and right now we're working our way through the Avengers movies. On occasion, Chey, Nico, Ryan, Abigail or David, will join us, but it's usually just the two of us. 

Anyway. Now that Leo's doing better Abigail came up with a coping mechanism she found in a book. When Leo is feeling particularly depressed or, what he describes as "the Voice" is in his head, I'll take his wrists and draw butterflies. He's supposed to give every butterfly a name based on family or friends and if he cuts over them, the butterflies die. Now, Leo has butterflies littering his wrists in all sorts of colors and shapes and sizes. Occasionally, we'll do his thighs, but those are special occasions.