Time's Daughter

Nico put me down on a soft lounge chair in his cabin. He looked at me worriedly, and started to wipe away the tears that had fallen down my face. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, wrapping me in a warm blanket.
I nodded. "Just a little shaken," I mumble. He nods, and gets to his feet. "I'll go find you some warm clothes," he said quietly, walking off, and leaving my alone.
I sighed and stared at my hands. It wasn't so much that I didn't know how to swim, I understood the concept, but I was afraid of being submerged so much that I was afraid of the water and froze up. Why was I afraid of being submerged? Because my mother was insane. My mother had this delusion that I wasn't her kid--I looked so different from my siblings and also my parents. She worked as a history scientist person with different kinds of torture--do you get where I'm going here--it's not hard to figure out! She tested all of the theoretical tortures on her daughter. (Why I wasn't taken far away from her, I still don't know.)
Her favourite form of torture was submerging me in a chemical called Perfluorocarbon. It's high in oxygen so you can breathe the stuff, it's actually quite interesting. However, the transition back to breathing air after you've been submerged is very painful as your lungs try to pump the water out so they can bring oxygen in.
No one else knew about this--I hadn't even told Clarisse. I growled at myself for feeling weak and smacked my cheeks. "Don't be such a baby, Angel!" I told myself, angrily. "You are better than this."
Nico walked in with some very familiar clothes. "Are those from my apartment?" I asked.
He nodded. "Chiron been having some of the other campers run for your things so they can build you a cabin here."
I blinked, a disbelieving smile on my face. "I am so not staying here," I protested. "I have a life and I'd like to live it."
"You do know how dangerous it is for you out there right?" he asked.
"Yes," I snapped. "But I'd much rather spend my time like a normal person, out there than stay here at the stupid summer camp with children everywhere."
He laughed, throwing my clothes at me, and pointing to the bathroom. "Do you have a problem with children?" he asked as I walked away.
"Yes! They're demons!" I snapped, from the bathroom, as I pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a white tank-top. "Can we leave this place?" I asked as I pulled on my favorite boots.
"We?" He asked, sounding slightly surprised. I smiled mischievously as I walked out the bathroom and stared up at him (I hate being short--I've told you that right?) "We."
He smiled. "Where would we go?" he asked.
I thought for a moment. "Well, even though I've been in New York for three years now, I've yet to go to the mall," I suggested.
He shrugged. "You're not missing out on much, then," he muttered. He looked exhausted as he sat down heavily on one of the bunks. I smiled and sat down next to him, grabbing his hand and entwining our fingers together.
"If you want, though," I said, quietly. "We can just sit here, together, I don't mind."
He didn't say anything. He just rested his head on my shoulder and yawned. "Can we sleep?" he asked sarcastically.
"If that's what you want," I mumbled, caught slightly off guard. He grinned, there was a flash of movement, and suddenly we were both lying down together, with him cradling me like a child. "I am not a teddy bear!" I told him.
"Small enough." I glared at him, and he smiled--his eyes may have been closed but I think it's safe to say he knows me relatively well. "Well you are what five foot, if that?"
My cheeks burned. I was actually 4"11', but I didn't say that. I just closed my eyes and slowly fell asleep with him.



Meow. What? Meow. I opened my eyes to see a tiny skeletal cat nuzzling me. It sat on my chest and gave me a look that said, "You're in my spot."
I grinned and stuck my tongue out at it. "Share," I mumbled, closing my eyes again. The cat growled at me and tried to push me off of Nico by digging it's head in my back. Unfortunately, Nico had been awake. His hand flew and grabbed the skeletal cat, throwing it across the room.
I stared at him. "That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" I asked. He didn't say anything, just rolled over dragging me with him, as he closed his eyes again.
"Still tired," he muttered, as the cat crawled back towards him. He waved his hand towards it. "Go away."
I giggled then reached down towards it--pulling the skeletal cat up between us slightly. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"It looked lonely," I whispered. "And it's kinda cute."
He started at me through half-lidded eyes. "If you say so, just go to sleep--it's the middle of the night."
I smiled and closed my eyes, dreaming about the Athaliah's past hosts--and how they'd meet their end.

Notes

soooo this took me forever to get up...sorta...hope you like it--but to be honest--i'm not sure about this chapter either