I hope you guys like the super early update!

Trigger warning: Some talk about bullying, abuse and depression.

"So you're his girlfriend now?" Clarisse questioned during arts and crafts. She was paid ring on her electric spear and you were trying to make a Frisbee. So far you had lost three versions of you're construction.

 "Yes." 

Clarisse made a noise that sounded almost like a squeal which was a bit surprising since she never showed a girly emotion in all the time you had known her.

 "Did you just squeal?"

 " If he ever hurts you in any way shape or form, honestly just come and tell me and I will personally bash his head in and make him regret the day was born. "

 "Thanks I guess but I hope to never need it Clari. Can I call you Clari?"

"No."

"Awesome! See you later Clari!" You heard a snort from her but no other sound was heard.

You threw your fourth attempt at a razor sharp Frisbee towards the woods and it went really far. I just never came back. You sighed. The conch sounded for lunch and you walked up the hill to the pavilion. You listened to other people's conversations around you and you realized that most of them were talking about you and Leo or Katie and Travis, except for a couple kids who were talking about whether they could fit Harvey in the fridge, and some dryads wondering if they could convince a grocery clerk to sell them a single grape and the Stoll twins planning to get their toe nails pierced that weekend.

Thinking about what you might want for lunch you sat down beside Annabeth, ordering a F/D as you did so. You had given Annabeth and the rest of the girls the update already and they couldn't stop talking about it. Gossip spreads pretty dam fast.

As you were pondering this Leo came over and say down right beside you.

 "Leo! You're not allowed to sit here!"

 " Don't be exclusive. " he teased, " besides I thought you said you liked bad boys. "

 "Leo! I like you, not doing dishes for the next week."

 "She likes me!" He announced "Don't worry I like you too."

 " Well I wasn't all that worried since I'm your girlfriend now, but what are you doing here? ""

 "I can't just chat with my beautiful girlfriend whenever I feel like it?" You were beginning to blush at his antics.

 " Leo, just because.... " Just then you were interrupted by a cough behind you.

 " Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe you are supposed to be sitting together during breakfast." Chiron announced.

 " We were just, um, just" you stumbled about trying to find words.

 "I think you two will have lots of time to talk while you are cleaning the breakfast dishes."

 " But we were only... " Leo tried to convince him to let them off but Chiron only walked off.

 "Leo! This is my first month here and you already got me into trouble! " You almost shouted. A few heads turned to look at you.

 Leo smirked, but despite all your glaring he was still in a great mood. "See you after breakfast my cariño ."  He went back to his own table.

You huffed but you were also secretly excited because you got to spend time with him. Alone.

-----About half an hour later-----

As you walked in to the kitchen you saw that Leo was already in their and had gotten a start on the dishes. This made most of your previous anger at him dissipate.

"Leo."

"Ah, here is the princess." He was in an unusually good mood today and you liked to think you had something to do with it.

"Are you already half way done? Where did you learn to wash dishes so fast?" You joked.

"Well..." he reached an arm out of the lava and scratched the  back of his head, making you realize that he was fire proof enough to wash them without gloves. "A few of the foster homes I was in were very encouraging about dish washing and the speed at which you could complete it. There were usually rather harsh consequences when they were not done fast enough." He tried to sound upbeat and light about it but you could hear the strain in his voice. 

"You know, if you ever want to talk about something just let me know. I will listen." You and him walked over to the sink, you pulling on some gloves to do the drying while he washed in his bare arms.

"Well, I've never really told anyone this before but I feel like I can tell you." He began to tell you his entire life story all the way from Tia Callida to his mother dying, to Aunt Rosa, to building Festus and Festus dying, building the Argo II, to accidentally shooting the Romans, to landing on Calypso's island, building the Life Elixir, to dying and coming back, to rescuing Calypso, to the curse she had wearing off and breaking up with him and disappearing, him crying for weeks and eventually getting over it and moving on and finishing the story with meeting you.

Not knowing what to say you just walked up behind him and put your arms around him in a hug.

Is this too soon? What if.. Too late now. He wrapped his thin arms around your back and you sort of swayed there for a minute. He was warm and smelled like chocolate again. What is with this boy and always smelling of chocolate? After a minute he pulled away his face a bit red.

"Sorry." He said.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Making you sad."

"Don't be. You should hear my story."

"Do you want to tell me? I think it would help. Please? If you feel comfortable that is." The strange thing was, you did. He had opened up to you completely so it was only fair for you to do the same.

"Ok. Here goes nothing." 

You told him how you had been raised mostly by your dad and grandparents and how when you were 9 your grandma died and your grandpa was placed in a nursing home an hour away. Your dad then had to get a second job and you began to work at the local grocery store in the evenings and on weekends.

 After two years, when you were 11, your dad sent you away to live with your aunt and uncle who already had four kids and didn't need another one. You felt abandoned. The aunt was almost always at work so you never really saw her but the uncle had a drinking problem when he was really drunk he would berate you for living with them and making them pay for your food and clothes even though you had landed a job at a donut shop washing dishes. He would tell you how much of a hassle you were and how you were completely worthless. Your cousins soon caught on, calling you things like "piece of junk" or just plain "girl" and ordering you around whenever they could. They treated you like trash and soon you began to feel like you were. When the aunt was home she was always kind to you but really tired, but whenever she could she would put a stop to the rest of the family's rough treatment of you. Not knowing any better you started to think of her as your mother because she wasn't terrible to you. School wasn't much better with the teachers and most of the kids ignoring you except for your cousins and their friends. They would ridicule you and sometimes even try to beat you up, but you were quick and usually got away. 

After living there for three months your aunt died. Everything went downhill from there. The uncle drank more and more and became crueler and crueler eventually taking you out of school so you could work full time. One day you decided you had enough. You ran away. You caught a train and rode for eight hours on the way home. You were almost caught by the conductor but managed to get home safely. Your father was first mad, but calmed down when you told him how bad things had been. 

He then told you that your grandpa was sick and dying. You visited your grandpa once more before he died for good. You were 12. He didn't have much but left a good sum to your dad as well as a necklace to you. You had been wearing it ever since but recently you had been wondering of he knew who your mom really was. 

The necklace:

With the money your grandpa left you your dad was able to get a job as a professor of photography in a nearby school. A while later he sent you to the boarding school where you had been when Leo found you.

"Yeah, that's it. My story."

Leo came up behind you, hugging you from behind gently. "I'm sorry." He whispered in your ear.

"Don't be. I feel lighter already."

"You sure still want to be with me? Even after you heard how broken I am?" He asked, sounding terrified.

"If you throw a bottle into the sea and it shatters, it is worn down until it is smooth again and turns out more beautiful then it ever was as a bottle. Of course I want to be with you! I do and I always will. We shall be beautiful broken sea glass together."

"Forever." He said. He was still holding on to you from behind.

"Do you want to go to the beach?" You asked.

"Yes."

Hope you really enjoyed this chapter even if it was a little sad. What do you guys think of the gifs? Do they improve the story or make it worse?

Until next time my Greek geeks!

Word count: 1740