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

"I Have to Go After Her"

Merrily POV

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It's been a month since Leo and I broke up. Leo tries. He really does. Calypso is just being a total byotch. Every single time I see her, she juts up her chin at me with a smug grin or glares at me. Every time I try to talk to Leo, she's there, sliding right into ou conversations and then dragging him away. I've frequently found things that weren't in Leo's workshop in the first place on Calypso's person. And that's not even talking about the verbal assaults whenever Leo isn't around. And the funny thing is, I'm trying to be nice to her. But every single time my efforts just get thrown right back in my face. Chey and Abigail are really good help and even the boys have tried their best. Sometimes, Abigail will call a girls' night and watch cheesy romance movies if I'm crying. If I'm angry, Chey and/or David will spar with me so I can take out my anger. Or if I just need a silent partner, Nico or Ryan will just sit with me by the lake. 

Since then, there have been plenty of other things to take my mind off of Leo. For one, soon after the breakup, campers started to go missing. Luckily, none of my friends did and neither did Leo and (unfortunately) Calypso. Then Apollo arrived. That was weird. 

Chey, Will, David and I found him passed out in the woods near a young girl, around twelve, with glasses and a bad attitude. The longer it took for us to drag the ex-god back to camp, the more I wanted to run the girl (who's name I later discovered was Meg) through with my knife. Based on the number of times I saw Chey and David have to hold each other back, I wasn't the only one.

At dinner, I sit with my brother Malcolm. I can see Apollo, or Lester now I suppose, with his children and Nico who has obtained a "doctor's note" so he can sit with his best friend. Malcolm and I chat about trivial things, such as investigations into the missing campers, some blueprints for renovations to the Big House and pegasus stables, and the new instructional book on how to solve the Collatz Conjuncture, which to public knowledge is still unsolved. To public knowledge anyway. 

As we're discussing the proper tone to set for the book, a slight commotion is noticed when Sherman and Connor attempt to attack Meg and dunk her in the lake Luckily, something, although I'm not sure what defends her. I instinctively draw my knives, and most of the camp draws their weapons as well. 

As we try to advance on the creature, Meg draws her own weapons and the bright symbol of Demeter hovers over her head. We all drop to one knee as Chiron proclaims Meg McCaffery, daughter of Demeter. 

"That was kind of cool, right?" Chey asks me excitedly. "Maybe now that Apollo is here, he'll help us find the missing campers!"

I lift my shoulder half-heartedly, sheathing my knives. "Maybe!" 

"Merrily! Merrily!" I turn around to see Apollo sprinting towards me. 

"Yes?" I ask curiously. Chey shoots me one last weird look and leaves. 

"We've talked," he says, slightly out of breath. 

"You've talked," I reply uninterestedly. "Now I'll tell you to shove it up your-"

"I get it!" he says nervously. "Anyway, I wanted to ask how you and Leo are going?"

My breath catches in my throat. "We broke up a month ago. Calypso came back and well..."

Apollo looks positively shocked. "Why would he go and do that?"

I shrug. "No idea. Ask him. I'm tired, and we have that stupid death race tomorrow." With that, I turn and make my way back to my cabin. 

A week later, and we're all just now getting over our hay fever. Percy was here for a little while and then he left and then Apollo and Meg left with Argus for Kansas. My nose is all sniffly and I'm outside attempting to get some fresh air. I'm not paying much attention to my surroundings, which is what gets me in trouble.