Astrid Strider Daughter of Apollo

The Second Curse and Tears

Nico's POV

I woke up but it wasn't to my familiar surroundings of Cabin 13. That was weird. I looked around and before I could sit up, I saw a girl laying on my arm. She was using it like a pillow, and she slept calmly. She had soft blonde hair and tan skin. I didn't know her.... Or why she was sleeping on me. Looking around, I found out I was in a cave. Four other kids were here. Leo, was sleeping with another blonde/brunette girl and there were two other guys I didn't know. The one with brown hair had to be at least seventeen. The other with blonde hair as well, maybe thirteen.

The girl on my arm was maybe fifteen, and so was the other girl. Where the heck was I?!? I gently shook the girl awake she she slowly responded. She looked at me and smiled. "Hey, Nico..." I narrowed my eyes. "Um, who are you? And where am I?" I asked.

Astrid's POV

"Um, who are you? And where am I?" Nico asked. I looked at him confused. "Dude, stop messing around. If you're trying to get back at me for taking your shirt, this isn't the same kind of 'Get Back'." I said sitting up and stretching. He gave an I'm-Deadly-Serious look. I realized he wasn't messing around.

"You mean... You don't know who I am... Or where we are?" I asked. He shook his head. "L-Leo!" I called. He groggily shot awake. "Where's the fire?" He asked. "Come over here!" I called slightly irritatedly. He slowly slipped away from Asha and came over. "What's up?" He asked rubbing his face. "Nico doesn't know who I am, or where we are..." I said. Leo narrowed his eyes, "Is this some kind of prank..?" He asked. I shook my head, "He has no.... Memory..." Leo groaned. "Oh no.... Not a Jason moment!" He threw his head back.

"Nico, how old are you?" I asked. He thought for a moment. "Fourteen." My eyes widened. He's going through his fourteen stage! I mean, I know I make it sound weird but.... That's when like, he liked Will -shudder- and was really depressing and so forth. "Nico, how old is Leo?" I asked. "Uh, Fifteen?" He said raising an eyebrow. "Dude... I'm sixteen! You're fifteen." Nico looked at us like we're crazy.

I sighed and grabbed Nico's hand without thinking and gripped it. He was shocked but didn't yank it away. "Nico, I know this may be hard to believe, but it's all true. I brought you on this quest with me, and this is the second curse. We were cursed by my like, five hundred year old sister and she gave us two curses. Dakota, he got the first one, so now he's blind. You.... You got the second one... But please. Dakota the son of Demeter, he's that one." I pointed to Dakota. "Tobias is my half brother, son of Chaos. And that's Asha, my half sister. I'm... I'm Astrid, daughter of Apollo and... And your girlfriend..." I looked at him sadly.

He was quiet for a moment and shook his head, "No..." Tears were forming in my eyes and the others were already awake. Leo explained to them what was happening quietly. "Nico, look at yourself! You don't have the body of a fourteen year old. You've grown. You're fifteen!" I cried. Tears feel down my face. "Astrid..." Tobias said but I didn't listen to him I cupped Nico's face in my hands and his face turned red with embarrassment. "Please.... Remember...." I cried.

   Tobias picked me up and tried to pull me away but I fought. I cried and tried to get back to Nico. I had to make him remember. Nico... He was my life... I don't know if I'm even alive even more... "Nico..." I whimpered as Tobias took me outside. Nico looked pained, like he wished he could remember...

   I cried harder and Tobias set me down in the grass. "Astrid, listen. He doesn't remember... We can fix that soon... But for now... We have to deal with it..." I shook my head burried my face in my knees. I couldn't believe it. Stupid Koli... I hated her... Why did she have to ruin my life?!? Tobias' footsteps faded away into the cave and I stayed there.

   After an hour, the others had already eaten and we're ready. I sat on Nightmare, my gaze down and wouldn't talk to anyone. Wouldn't eat anything. Asha even tried to encourage me that it might be temporary. That it may last an hour or two... But I didn't believe her. She didn't seem to believe herself either. 

   We took off into the sky after Tobias had figured out where we were heading. We were really close to London. Fantastic. I would have been excited since I've sort of always wanted to go, but I wasn't. Wait... London... It rained in London... We were close to finishing probably...  Next was... Blood... Then, the soft sad smile... I wondered what that was about... I almost didn't care. I can't believe this. Because of the stupid second curse that made me lose my boyfriend... I was back into depression...