Part 21

                                    

                                          
You know all those times before I said I couldn't breathe? 
This time i seriously couldn't. I tried to breathe, but my lungs didn't want to work. 
I walked into the Mess Hall, trying not to think about what just happened. Well, I did want to think about it. I wanted to know what the Hades had just happened.
I walked over to the Apollo Table, keeping my gaze away from the Hades table.
I sat down, making eye contact with Kayla.
She opened her mouth, about to say something, probably a smart remark about where I had been last night.
"Don't," I said, shaking my head.
Oddly enough, she listened. I didn't have any authority in my voice, I probably sounded exhausted and confused. Honestly, that was exactly what I was.
"Where's Austin?" I asked, trying to think about something else.
"Oh, he slept in late so he'll be coming," She replied.
"Oh ok," I said nodding.
A few minutes passed before Austin finally showed up.
"Hey guys," Austin sat down, out of breath.
"Hey," I responded, not having the energy to say much more.
Kayla started talking to him, trying her best to keep me out of it, probably sensing that I didn't want to talk.
It worked for a little bit but eventually he noticed how quiet I was.
"Hey Will, you alright man?" He asked, breaking away from his conversation with Kayla.
"I'm fine," I lied, faking a smile.
I honestly didn't know if I was alright or not. So many emotions were running through my brain. 
Nico had literally kissed me. My mind was screaming. 
What was I supposed to do? 
Does this mean he likes me?
"So, are we gonna talk about where you were last night? Or why you are acting so weird?" Austin asked, picking up a piece of toast.
Kayla shot him a warning look that he managed to miss it.
"Austin-" Kayla started but I held my hand up to stop her.
"No, no it's fine. If you need to know, I was with Nico. And as for acting weird, I told you, I'm fine."
"I'm going to ignore that second sentence. And am I going to get the details on that, or all i'm going to get is 'i was with Nico', " Austin asked, exaggerating his impression of me.
"It was nothing," I said shaking my head, trying to hide the smile on my face.
"Mhm, sure," Kayla said sarcastically, joining in our conversation.
"I'll tell you about it when we get back to the cabin, ok?" I said rolling my eyes.
"You better," Kayla replied, standing up and walking away.
Austin nodded and stood up to.
I shook my head. I was still unsure what to do. I guess telling Austin and Kayla couldn't hurt.
I glanced over at the Hades table, at Nico. 
He was sitting there, chatting with Hazel, and surprisingly, he didn't look that tired.
I smiled.
Why was he so hot?
I stood up and started walking towards the Apollo Cabin, still trying to figure out what to do.