Helena L'Amour

Helena wasn't sure that she truly believed Mateo. Not that he didn't mean what he said, she knew him well enough to know that he didn't say much of anything that he had time to think through that he didn't mean--impulsive comments made in the heat of the moment, however, were usually regretted the next day. No, she believed he meant it. She also knew that it was a promise that he couldn't keep if his emotions got the better of him again. And this time she didn't have the stability to be the rational one between them. Cautiously, she walked closer to him.

She stood a couple feet away. Close enough that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted, but she kept her arms crossed. Her last few months had been hell without him. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. She deserved an apology and she would be damned if he got one ounce of affection before he gave it to her.

As Mateo stated that she knew him, she quirked her brow. If he was willing to admit that, perhaps he would be more willing to understand why she waited to tell him that she had anticipated. She wasn't going to relax her guard just yet. He had promised her the world before, and pulled it away from her the second he didn't like how she handled something. That was not the foundation for a stable relationship, and that's what she needed for her and her child now: stability. "Yeah, I do know you... it's almost like that might have been why it was so hard to tell you in the first place..."

She cut herself off as he continued to speak and tell her about that day. He blamed the shame he felt for leaving, but Helena wasn't sure that she could believe that. After all, he had taken months to contact her. She hadn't even been showing when he left, and now she couldn't hide her bump anymore. She continued to look down at him, arms crossed over her stomach as he spoke, not saying a word. Levi hadn't told her about the hole being punched in his wall, but Helena supposed that might have explained why things had been so quiet around her since Mateo left. She had assumed it was because he hadn't want to admit that she had been right about how Mateo would react. "What do you want me to say, Mateo? Thank you? You left me for months. I'm pregnant with your child and I didn't know if you cared... I didn't know if you were alive. You were just gone for months!" Tears came to her eyes. She didn't bother to try and hide them or look away. He was going to see them. He was going to see exactly what his actions had done to her, and she was going to get her apology. "I get it, you got distracted by things... and you're trying to do the right thing, I guess, by building a place for us. But I don't want it..."

That wasn't exactly true. She did want it. But... "Not like this..." She looked at him, meeting his eyes. Letting him see her cry. "I want it when you can tell me you love me. When you can tell me that you want to build a life with me. I want it when it's more than just... a shotgun response to knocking me up!" And that's what she was afraid all of this was. Not that she couldn't feel his love for her--she felt it now just as much as she had felt it when things had started to grow serious between them. But she had learned that just because he felt it didn't mean he could recognize it or act in alignment with it. He had proved time and time again that just because he loved her didn't mean he couldn't hurt her. "Mateo... I want you to want to be with me because of how you feel about me. Not because you feel like I'm some obligation because we forgot to use protection." Her tears kept flowing down her cheeks as she continued. "So... if that's all you have to say for yourself..."

In that moment Helena got a look on her face of slight discomfort. "Not the best timing little guy..." She said to her stomach. The baby had started moving recently, and Helena knew it was a good sign, but it also could be uncomfortable at times. Even when it wasn't, it was always distracting. And she needed to be able to focus on this conversation until it was over.

Mateo drove Lena wild with his ministrations. Each pass of his thumb across her clit brought out another moan from her as Helena rode his cock as quickly as she was able. She found a moment's reprieve as his hand moved up to her breast. He still knew exactly how to handle her to make her feel good, but at least for that moment she was able to slowly come down from the high his thumb had been keeping her in. She was able to focus on giving him the pleasure he needed to finish. And focus on it she did.

Before she knew it, Mateo had pulled her into a passionate kiss. Her lips collided with his, and she nipped and sucked on his lower lip. She gasped for air briefly as he cried out, and felt his hands press to her hips. She let him guide her, feeling in that moment completely entangled with him. They were the only two in her world, and she wanted nothing more than his gratification and praise. As the kiss broke, she pleaded and begged him to cum for her--but never commanded, she was very careful to never use her charmspeak on him. She moaned and writhed until suddenly she felt the reward for all her efforts filling her. His cock pulsed inside her, spilling load upon load of warm cum into her waiting--and unbenknownst to them, eager and ready--womb. Helena watched as his head fell back on the pillow, and leaned down to kiss him softly, blissfully unaware of the life that this encounter would create.

He rolled her over, not bothering to remove himself, and held her against him. Helena sighed contentedly. "Mmmm... I am a very lucky woman." She said, kissing his nose softly, completely high on the adrenaline and dopamine their moment of passion had caused to course through her.

"No! I don't want you to ignore me. But I don't exactly want you to get mad at me when I answer your questions either!" She spat out before she could stop herself. More clothing went on. Before she knew it, Mateo was completely out the door, and she was there holding onto the frame like an idiot, waiting for him. Tears began to fall down her face as she watched her nightmare come to fruition. Mateo was leaving her. Pregnant and alone, just like she had been afraid of. She fell to her knees and began sobbing into her hands.

"I'll tell him as soon as I get a good moment Levi... I promise." In that moment, she meant it. She really wanted to tell Mateo. She wanted his support through all this. She wanted to know if he even wanted to be a father. Wanted to plan a life with him. But she was also terrified. Her boyfriend wasn't exactly known for settling down. She had been the first girl to get him to agree to date since his ex. And even that had taken Herculean efforts it felt like. What if he thinks I did this on purpose to trap him? That sent another panic coursing through her, but she tried to fight off the tears.

She hugged tightly onto Evelyn. A team. She thought to herself. I'm not alone. That was the only thing that gave Helena any relief in this moment. She didn't have to go through this pregnancy completely alone. Even if Mateo freaked out, she would have people to support her. At least one cabin. She would have to just take it a day at a time.

Eventually her tears dried, but she had exhausted herself. Looking at her brother and sister, Helena began to stand. "I...If Mateo comes looking for me for my birthday or Valentine's stuff... come get me. But otherwise I need a nap." She walked slowly, as if dazed, to her bed and plopped down.

People told her that she was crazy for thinking Mateo would ever return. Helena was even starting to think that perhaps it was a bit far-fetched to think that he might ever come back. But she never really gave up hope. She believed to her core that her mother had given her the gift of charmspeak at the cost of only being able to fall in love once in her life--and that Mateo was it. She also believed, though, that because it was a once-in-a-lifetime love, that it would work out in the end. She wouldn't let her life be the next Greek tragedy. She went to their beach every day before the letter had arrived, so strong was her faith that he would return. So when Mateo's letter arrived, Lena felt all at once vindicated, furious, and relieved.

Vindicated. She had been right. Not just about the fact that he was coming back, but, if her intuition was correct about the letter, Mateo would finally have come to his senses. He will finally have realized his own emotions. And if that was true, Helena knew they could weather any storm. Even if that storm was her...

Furious. Helena was absolutely enraged that he had even left in the first place. That he had waited four months to contact her. And it was insane that he had the audacity to assume she would just be sitting there waiting for him. Even if he is right. For all he knew, she could have moved on. The nerve! The least he could have done was let me know he was alive!

Relief. But he was alive, and he was on his way home. Back to her. And he had gotten them an apartment. He had made her so worried when he hadn't let her know that he was at least safe, and now she knew that he was. Things will be okay... She hadn't quite forgiven him. And it was going to be a long road before she really trusted that he wouldn't run out on her again. A very long road. But at least they would get that opportunity. And that was more than enough for Helena for now.

Helena made her way to the beach. He had called it 'their spot' and she couldn't agree more. It had been just her spot until he found her that day. If she had known then what would befall them, she might have played her cards a little differently--though not much. She was, overall, happy with the outcome. At least, she thought she would be, after today. Hope. It was the first time she had managed to really feel it since he had left. Before now it was a conscious decision she had needed to make, not to lose it. Now it came naturally again. If things worked out, Helena would be sure to thank her mother for not letting her faith be in vain.

As she neared the beach, she saw him standing there. Just as perfect as ever. Helena couldn't say the same for herself anymore. She was five months along now. Her belly was really starting to show now. She had started taking to wearing only her yoga pants, and she wasn't even sure how much longer that was going to be an option before she had to send her siblings into town to get her some actual maternity clothes. Her back hurt, her feet were swollen half the time, and she could hardly remember where she put things anymore. Being pregnant was not exactly a walk in the park, and she didn't make it any easier by trekking out to the beach every day. But the air coming off the bay and the belief that Mateo would return had soothed her each day, and now she had only to reach out and he would be there again.

Don't just give in. You deserve someone who will stay. Don't let him decide everything just because you want him back. You have to look out for your child's heart too. She reminded herself. But Mateo was pacing. It was easy to see that he was nervous too. So, perhaps, this would be an easier conversation than she anticipated.

Stopping a few feet shy of him, Helena spoke. "...Please don't make me regret my decision to come today." The words were snarky, but there was an actual plea behind them. If he listened for it, Mateo could have easily heard the worry and fear that Helena had in her voice. Her heart was in his hands. Her future depended on what happened today. And Helena was terrified. But she was also angry. And anger often overwhelmed her ability to be rational before being pregnant. The hormones had only made that worse.

To the person who ran away, exactly like I said he would,

I was scared too... and you made me live my nightmare... so forgive me for not having much sympathy for your side of things here.

I kept the key. We'll talk about it when you come back. I won't promise anything. Not even that I'll show.

Helena grimaced as Novalie said she was sure that the cravings would come soon. She wasn't sure which would have more power over her. The child growing inside her, or the broken heart. At the moment, she ate because she knew she needed to for the baby, but she didn't really feel hungry. It was a conscious choice not to starve herself because she knew the baby needed her to eat. She wondered if the hormones kicking in would produce a strong enough desire for food that she could crave something. Part of her hoped it did. While she had always known that her heart would break if Mateo left, she hadn't realized just how devastating it would feel. This is worse than when I never had him at all... She thought miserably to herself.

Sitting and waiting for Novalie to go grab her things, Helena chewed gently on her lip and lost herself to thought. It happened more and more these days, her going back to her old, introverted and avoidant self. She hadn't realized how much her desire to impress Mateo had made her grow and change into someone more outgoing and less socially anxious. Without that urge to push past her natural inclinations, Helena found herself once more the quiet girl in the corner. Only speaking to her siblings unless someone approached her.

She tried to put on a brave face when her sister came back. Everyone in Cabin 10 had been incredibly supportive, and she tried her best to show them how appreciative she was. With a gentle smile, she laid her head on Novalie's lap. "Thanks Nova." Her voice showing sincerity. "I truly am grateful." Say what you wanted about Aphrodite children, but they appreciated love in all its forms. That included family. They were some of the best people to have around you during times like this.

Closing her eyes, she let Novalie run the makeup remover soaked pads over her face. There wasn't any to remove, but the soft touch of the pads and the quick evaporation of the cleaner against her skin helped cool her down a bit. She always felt so hot these days. "I'm usually at the beach when I'm not here. It's where he first spoke to me. So... maybe he'll look for me there again. I know it's silly, but..." She sighed. "I wouldn't be me if I didn't wait for him."

Keeping her eyes closed, as Novalie continued to work on her, Helena listened as her sister spoke. A crush? Run girl... The jaded part of her thought. But Helena forced that thought aside and tried to remind herself that she, too, was once a girl with just a crush and that her sister deserved to have hope and faith in love still. "Oh? Who is it?" While Aphrodite children couldn't psychically know who people crushed on, they could make informed guesses easily enough if they paid attention. They could feel when others felt love, and as such if they paid attention they could eventually put two and two together if the emotion spiked every time a certain individual walked in the room. However, Helena hadn't left the cabin, so she hadn't really noticed her sister developing the crush at all. It tugged at her and made her feel a little guilty for not being as attentive to her siblings as they were being to her lately.

Lena continued to search the area for opponents. She hadn't spotted anyone yet, but that didn't mean they weren't out there. People could hide in the dense forest fairly easily. She could hear the occasional twig snapping, but couldn't find the source. Someone was out there, but they hadn't made themselves known. She knew it. 
 

But then he came out! That small kid. She moved between him and the flag. 

Helena decided to go for one last attempt at protecting the flag. She was beyond exhausted at this point. She was angry and frustrated with herself for deciding she had something to prove. But it was almost over now. The sun was starting to set. Surely they would be calling the game at any moment. She stood near the flag and kept her eyes peeled for opponents. 

Lena continued to put herself between the flag and the young boy. "Sweet as that may be. I can't just let you have it, kid." Helena said. "You're gonna have to earn it if you want to bring it back to him."

Helena stepped herself between the boy and the flag.  She wanted to use her abilities to manipulate clothes, feelings, anything but charmspeak to get between them. But she didn't know how much more energy she really had in her. She tried to breathe and just keep herself between him and the flag, hoping some more of her teammates would step in and help fend off the red team. 

Lena was panting as she finally arrived on scene. She was definitely starting to run low on energy. She gasped for air and leaned against a tree. She sighed again. Of course the Red team was already here. She should have known. I don't know why I even bothered playing. What am I trying to prove? To who? If she was being honest, she knew who she was trying to prove herself to. But he wasn't even here to watch her, to realize what he was leaving behind. But she wasn't ready to admit that to herself yet. Instead, she positioned herself between the small child of Nemesis. "Hey kid... not today."

Helena was grateful when Annie seemed to get a grip over her powers. But then the red team seemed to start popping out of the woodwork. She sighed as she realized she was going to have to expend even more energy just to keep things going without losing the flag again. She began to concentrate on turning the fabric of their shirts into itchy wool, hoping to stall for some time.

Helena finally got to the new location of the flag. She had taken a slower pace getting there because the energy she was using was starting to get to her. She was, after all, growing a whole person inside her. When she got there, however, it felt like the weather had shifted about 60 degrees cooler than it had been when the game started, and she began to shiver. She saw Annie and realized what was happening. "Hey Annie, try not to freeze your teammates too, yeah?" She said before looking at Liam. "As for you... I'd walk away if I were you."

"I honestly can't think of a better answer." Helena nodded to Emberlynn It was just about then that she realized that they had been so distracted by the scorpions that they had lost their flag. "Damn it... well, at least we're safe. I'll start the fire." She began building a small circle of stones to help protect the fire from spreading too far, and filling it with dry twigs from the ground.

After several minutes she built a reasonable fire and started slicing off bits of the claw that remained, as the rest of the scorpion's body finally dissipated. After carving it up into chunks, she held out bits to Emberlynn. "To our parents!" She then tossed her bits into the flame. "Now... time to go get that flag back."

As the last of the scorpions fell, Helena turned to Emberlynn and smiled. "Nice job." Then, looking at the large corpse that was left--because for whatever reason this giant scorpion wasn't disappearing the way that most monsters did--Helena turned to the campers that were there. "But what are we going to do with the body?"

"It's about time someone else showed up!" Helena let out as Annie entered the open area. "I know I volunteered to stay at the base, but I didn't think I'd be alone." She said with a sigh. Just then a second member of the Red team, McKayla tried to sneak past her observation. "You're not as sneaky as you think you are." Helena said with a smirk and turned to the girl. "But I'll let my brother know you dropped by." She said with a wink.

Helena chuckled. "A gift from my mother." Answering his question honestly. Children of Aphrodite didn't tend to have much in the way of abilities that were useful in combat. Helena had learned to get creative with the one skill she had that she could find use for--apart from her Charmspeak. Commanding people to just walk away seemed a bit unfair when you had the ability to ensure that they followed that command. But if this continued for much longer, she wasn't afraid to use it if necessary. Part of her hoped one of her teammates would return soon, because she was running out of ways to keep this up that weren't going to potentially harm him or remove him from the game. Anytime now, blue team.

Lena rolled her eyes. "Oh honey, you're cute, but we both know I've only ever had eyes for one man." She shrugged. You would have had to have been completely oblivious to not know that Helena was absolutely head over heels for Mateo. Especially after the Volleyball game from January. Concentrating on the man's pants, she began to shrink those too. "But I'll happily continue to make your clothing more and more uncomfortable for you." She leaned against the tree, relaxing. She was still 4 months pregnant, after all, and really didn't plan on moving much if she didn't have to.

Lena shook her head. "Sweetheart, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." Anyone who had been at camp for any length of time knew that Helena had Charmspeak. All she had to do was command something and he would be putty in her hands. It was a very handy when trying to avoid active combat. Still, she hated resorting to that in situations that weren't actually life or death. The game of capture the flag was hardly worth her peace of mind. Instead, Helena decided to drive her point home by shrinking the Tyche camper's shirt one size so that it tightened against his body. "You know... a tight fit doesn't look half bad... but I'm sure it would get uncomfortable if I went any tighter."

Disappointed that she had let the flag get captured not just once, but twice--the first time at least she had the excuse of the scorpions, but she had no excuse for the second--Helena was determined not to let it happen again. So as she helped them re-establish the base in their new location, she hid behind a tree and waited for the next member of the red team to make their appearance. Before long she was greeted by one of the members of the Tyche cabin. "Sweetheart, you wouldn't be trying to cause trouble now, would you?" She said, coming out from behind the tree and leaning onto it. A smirk playing across her face, Lena waited.

Moving so that her back was towards the other half-bloods, Helena notched an arrow and sent it flying towards the Scorpion's face. If she could get it through one of the eyes, she hoped it might be enough to deter it, if not kill it. It felt like a small eternity before the arrow hit the creature. In that moment she only hoped that she had a fraction of the talent for bows that her half-brother, Eros did. Thankfully the arrow found its mark and lodged itself deep into the scorpion. The creature crawled a few more steps and crashed at their feet. However there were still a few more crawling and making their way towards the campers.

Notching another arrow, Lena called out. "Hey, I know you guys are young. But I can't do this alone. You're going to have to help fend them off, okay? Ares kid, Elena, right? How good is your aim? If you can hit them in the eye that will be good. But they'll come for you after that so you'll have to run." Then she called out to Emberlynn "Perfect, you go ahead and blind them. I don't have a melee weapon so maybe one of the others here can team up with you." She let loose a second arrow towards the next scorpion.

Why was she out here 4 months pregnant? Helena wasn't sure about that either. She had been given the option, because of her delicate condition to sit out this time. Perhaps she felt like she had something to prove. With Mateo gone, she had been trying to figure out where to go from here. She would need to be able to protect herself and her child, they couldn't stay at camp forever, could they? So what better way than to join in capture the flag and prove to herself an everyone around her that she had combat skills, even if she preferred not to use them.

When she actually got out there, however, she was already exhausted, so she volunteered to watch the flag, thinking it would buy her some time to recover. But the enemy team was already upon them, and some of the more overzealous scorpions had apparently decided to go half-blood hunting and were there now too. Helena pulled the bow from her back, hoping that her aim wouldn't be thrown too off course by her baby bump. "Watch out for the tails." she called out to the campers there.

Samantha >.> 

Helena balled her fists and squeezed her nails into her palms to try and keep herself from saying things she would regret. Her mood had been all over the place lately, and the last thing she wanted to do was push him further away. She wanted to beg him to stay, not to leave. But she didn't think it would make a difference. He was angry. "I was scared you would leave, Mateo. Made it pretty hard to tell you..." She bit her lip. The small amounts of pain from her nails and teeth on her skin were enough to help keep her grounded in the moment. It wasn't much, but she was doing everything she could to keep this from getting worse. "It is love, Mateo. Even if you won't say it. I know it when I feel it. I'm Aphrodite's daughter." She knew what she felt, and she knew it was real. She knew that even now, as angry as he clearly was, Mateo loved her. But her own emotions were spinning out of control thanks to the hormones in her system. Helena struggled to maintain her composure.

Each article of clothing that Mateo put on sent a pang of anxiety coursing through her. Helena's words became hurried and less thought out as her anxiety took over. "You asked! YOU ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG!" She couldn't hold back her tears. They flowed freely down her cheeks. "I don't want to be right Mateo. I want to be wrong. Please, prove me wrong. Please, stay." Helena cried out. "You can show me what an idiot I was for being scared. You can stick around." She didn't think her words would work. She deliberately chose them so that they weren't commands. With her emotions high like this, she didn't trust herself not to accidentally use her gift unintentionally.

She watched as he finished putting his clothes on. He's leaving. She could feel the panic building in her chest. She felt like she was going to fall completely apart. Tears streamed down her face as she watched everything that she had worked so hard for over the last few months start crumbling away before her. The life she thought they could have, falling just beyond her reach once more. Helena's breathing became uneven, as the panic began to set in. "Please, don't leave me..." She said softly, begging. She knew she could make him stay, make him turn around. It would only take just a small amount of effort. But she didn't want him like that. She didn't want to use her Charmspeak to keep him. If that was what it would take, then he was gone anyway. So instead, she just hoped that her pleas would reach him. "Please... I love you... I'm... sorry." Each word more quiet than the last as her tears welled within her. The instant he turned the corner, the floodgates would break and she would be a sobbing mess. She knew it. She finally confessed how she felt, openly and honestly, and it was going to be too late. She could feel it in her bones.