CAUTION!!!! VERY LOVEY DOVEY CHAPTER!!!!!

Leo POV

I couldn’t have Clover leave my sight. She couldn’t leave me again. I knew she swore on the River Styx, but I couldn’t stop myself from worrying. She was a piece of me that couldn’t leave with making the rest of me fall apart.

The one gear that held me together.

Clover sat on the steps a few feet away, staring out at the ocean. The sea breeze swept her hair like a supermodel. Her arms were bandaged up, hiding the scars. The scar on her neck was horrible to look at, but I knew it would fade. I couldn’t stand having her hurt. Her Camp Half Blood shirt was glowing in the sunlight, as if it were the last touch of sunset. She still looked my same old Clover, only more sad. I knew she felt guilty, but she had some pretty good reasons.

I turned the wheel slightly back to the right. I was getting off track. We needed to get to the Doors Of Death before it was too late.

But was it already too late?

“Leo,” Clover spoke, turning her head to look at me, “Percy and Annabeth are still alive,” she looked back at the sea, “but I got in the way. You guys need to find them with no more delays, or this will all fall apart.” I put the ship in auto pilot, walked over to Clover and sat down next to her, taking her hand in mine.

“What do you mean?” I asked. Clover looked down at her sneakers.

“You need to find the Doors, and I need to stay out of this. I am going to step back and let you make your moves without interruption.” I eyed her suspiciously,

“Clover, how can you just sit back and wait? You can help.” I put my arm around her shoulders. Clover just shook her head,

“No Leo… I need to step back or this will all fall apart. The story is already crumbling.” I rubbed her shoulder,

“How can you tell?” I asked. Clover wouldn’t look at me. I knew she knew something, but she didn’t want to tell. “Clove…” I said carefully, “you don’t have to have the battle inside. You can trust me, you know you can.” Clover fiddled with her bracelets.

For some reason, Clover had been wearing bracelets. She had never worn them before…

“Leo, that’s the thing… I can’t tell you… The story would fall apart faster…” Clover said, grabbing my hand. She leaned her head on my shoulder and stared out at the sea. We sat in silence, watching the wind whip through the sails, the sea rock the boat, and  the clouds drift through the sky. After a few minutes, Clover asked,

“Leo, what are you living for?” I looked down at her, unsure how the topic had come up. I pushed that thought aside and shrugged, bouncing Clover.

“I dunno… I never really thought about it.” Clover nodded,

“Yeah… well, you think about that question… It may change things in the future.” I looked down at her and kissed her head.

“I love you Clove.” She smiled and looked up at me,

“I love you too.” Then, we kissed.

Then, of course, someone had to ruin the moment!

“Break it up you two lovebirds!” Frank called from the front of the boat. Clover pulled away, blushing and I could feel my face reddening too.

“Get a room.” Piper joked, coming up the stairs with Jason in tow. Somehow, Clover blushed even brighter. I nudged her,

“Maybe we should-” Clover looked at me with wide eyes,

“What? No!” She looked at the others, “Is it just me or does that sound disgusting? A room by ourselves, and I know what you think when you say that!” She pointed a finger at Piper, who was trying hard not to crack up. I laughed and pulled her closer,

“I was going to say, Maybe we should just kiss in front of them anyway.” I watched Clover become even more red. She leaned in, and so did I. We kissed.

Again.

And I would never forget it.

I pulled away and placed my forehead on hers,

“You’re my girl Clover, never leave me.” She nodded,

“I won’t…” I put my hand on her face as she mumbled, “or at least until you find her….”

“What do you mean ‘her’?” I asked quizzically, looking into her blue grey eyes. The truth burned behind her blue eyes, trying to find a way out, but she wouldn’t let it escape. She only let one clue slip.

“The girl you fall for, and she’s... Not. Me.”  I pulled a strand of Clover’s hair out of her face,

“How could I give you up? You hold me together,” I picked up her hand and placed it over my heart, “You are right here, and if you leave, I stop working.” Clover’s eyes began to water. She looked away and blinked hard,

“No Leo… you fall for another girl, from somewhere else, where only a few chosen people go. You are chosen and you fall for her… I-I was never supposed to get in the way…” Clover stood up and walked over to the railing on the edge of the ship. I stood up and took small steps over to her. Her hair made a veil between me and her, as if it were a wall protecting her from danger.

“Clover… This seems like a painful subject, but why am I chosen to go to that place?” Clover squeezed her eyes shut, as if holding back the truth from escaping. I stepped toward her and pulled her hair aside, tucking it behind her ear. “Clover, I really want to know why.” Clover bit her lip,

“It was because…” she began, choosing her words carefully, “because he wanted you to have someone…” I took a step closer,

“Who is ‘he’?” Clover shook her head and pushed away from the railing,

“You can’t know… If you figured that out, the story would crumble immediately. Now, if you will please excuse me,” She backed up a few more steps, “You need to find Percy and Annabeth.” She turned and walked down the steps to the underdeck, leaving me, Jason, Piper, and Frank on deck, with the sun slowly dipping toward the horizon.

I sighed and turned to the others, “She as a point. We need to find them.” They all nodded in return and went to work. I turned toward the dipping sun and murmured,

“And we’ll have to do it alone…”

 A/N: Alright guys, I am now going into the adventure part of the story! I'm sorry you had to suffer through the lovey dovey sad parts first, but trust me, they lead up to something! These next few chapters will be sorta based off the HoH book, so you may see some copied lines. 

ALL RIGHTS GO TO RICK RIORDAN NO MATTER HOW GOOD OF A STORY

Sooooo yeah. I hope you guys stayed with me this far!