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—Hurry up, Buford. We need to bring Leo these cylinders before he explodes something again.
Nyssa was so focused on getting through the forest without stumbling over a root (or a monster) that she almost didn’t hear the crying.
Almost.
Just in case, she pulled out her sword before walking closer to the sound. She went around a gigantic tree and, then, she saw her there, sitting on the ground with her back against the trunk and her face hidden in her hands.
Nyssa instantly recognized her. Who else could be looking so glamorous, with her high heel sandals, her bright pink shorts and her perfect dark ringlets, while crying alone in the woods?
—Drew? —Asked Nyssa—. Are you okay?
As soon as she heard her, the Aphrodite girl took out a small dagger from somewhere (where?) inside her shorts. However, once recognition reached her eyes, she put it away again.
—Oh —She said—. It’s you.
Nyssa pretended she didn't hear the note of disappointment in her voice.
She walked closer to Drew and sat on her knees next to her, leaving her sword on the ground.
—You shouldn’t be this deep in the forest without your armor. It’s dangerous.
—I can handle myself.
—I didn’t say you couldn’t. I just meant… Never mind. Are you hurt?
—No —Drew hugged her own knees and sniffed—. Not physically.
Nyssa took off her helmet and awkwardly left it at her side.
So was it a matter of the heart, then? Should she ask Drew about it? She wasn’t any good at talking feelings and giving advice on that subject, but it felt like the polite thing to do.
—Ah —She said—. I see. Do you want to… talk about it?
—Really? —Drew rested her cheek on her knee, her head turned to the side to look at Nyssa—. A child of Hephaestus wants to hear me vent about my love affairs?
Nyssa tried to look anywhere but into the warm brown eyes that seemed to be looking directly into her soul.
Still, she failed.
The pink eyeliner (that somehow hadn’t smudged with all the crying) made it impossible for her to look away.
—Well… Yeah. If it makes you feel better, then yes, I do.
That made Drew smile.
(What a beautiful smile she had.)
She extended a hand and lightly pinched Nyssa’s cheek.
—You’re a total cutie —Said Drew, before turning her head and letting her eyes get lost in the trees in front of them.
Nyssa felt really thankful about that, because she was sure she was blushing now.
—I got my heart broken today —Explained Drew, after a moment—. There was this girl I was kind of seeing during the summer. We fooled around camp and had a lot of fun.
Nyssa knew whom she was talking about. She didn’t know the girl’s name, but she remembered seeing Drew sitting next to a blonde girl at the campfire, holding hands, laughing and whispering in each other’s ear. She remembered seeing them playing around in the water at the lake and taking walks in the strawberry fields at sunset.
She also remembered how lonely seeing them together had made her feel.
—Anyway —Continued Drew—. Earlier today she told me she started dating an Apollo boy. That there was never something real or serious between us. That we were only friends having some summer fun —Drew sighed—. She is either really confused or has a serious case of internalized homophobia. What we did was not “just friends” stuff.
—I’m sorry —Said Nyssa, as she put a gentle hand on Drew’s arm.
However, she instantly retired it, because Drew turned her head to look at her again and she suddenly felt very self-conscious about her rough, calloused, dirty hand on that flawless, porcelain skin.
As she looked down at the ground, Nyssa cleared her throat.
—I’m sorry that happened to you —She repeated.
—Thanks. But I think that’s not even the main reason I’m feeling like this. I… It’s hard when you’re a child of Aphrodite. It's like we have this added weigh on our shoulders, like, I should be the one breaking hearts out there, not getting mine broken, you know? I guess I just feel like I’m failing at the one thing I should be good at.
After a moment of silence, Drew laughed, bitterly.
—Gods. Everything comes down to mommy issues in the end, doesn’t it?
Nyssa couldn’t help her small smile.
—I’m sure your mother is very proud of you —She said—. Isn’t love all about taking chances?
—I... I guess it is.
—You're out there, doing just that, risking your heart. That’s braver than most demigods I know... me included. Aphrodite surely must appreciate your efforts.
Drew’s eyes on her got so intense that Nyssa was sure that, if she looked down, she would find a hole pierced through her armor.
—You are very wise, Nyssa Barrera.
Nyssa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
—You know my name?
But Drew didn’t answer her. She smiled, once again, and then she leaned closer to Nyssa to kiss her cheek.
Nyssa felt herself blushing one more time.
—Are you busy right now? —Asked Drew, as she stood up and adjusted her clothes—. Wanna hang out?
—Well… —Nyssa stood up as well—. I was gonna bring some stuff to Leo, but I think Buford can do it on his own. Right, buddy?
Leo’s table made the Coach Hedge hologram appear, which instantly yelled: “GIVE ME THIRTY PUSH UPS!”.
Nyssa understood the message. She took the cylinders out of her pocket and put them on top of the table, which instantly sprinted in the direction of the bunker.
—That thing is so weird —Said Drew.
Nyssa showed her a half smile.
—Don’t let Buford or Leo hear you call him a “thing” —She said, as she took her sword and put it back on its sheath. Then, she also picked up her helmet and held it under her arm—. Um, I have some snacks I bought from the Stolls in my room. I heard Reese's cups are a very good remedy for heartbreaks.
Drew grinned and took Nyssa’s free hand.
—Is that so, honey?
—We’ll have to figure it out.
As they began walking together in the direction of the cabins, Nyssa smiled to herself.
She had not yet found something in the world she was incapable of fixing.
Drew’s heart would not be the first thing to fall under that category.