I'm not sure if this is a prologue or something but I felt sad today so I wrote and this came out. Alright I was listening to this song and it inspired me... Starts kinda Angst-ty and not sure if it'll continue to be that.

~Melissa L.

Leo was sure he wasn't insane. There was just no way. Sure he was still depressed about the bargain he'd made with the gods. Nemesis, herself, told him that in order for Calypso to be free, he had to break her heart one last time and never see her again. He knew it was the right thing to do and he had to keep his promise. It hurt him to say those horrible things to her, to watch her cry, to walk away knowing that he would live the rest of his days with Calypso thinking what a horrible monster he was.

He locked himself in his room in the Argo II every night after the seven had defeated Gaea and her giants. Everyone tried to get him out of there. Leo always ignore their muffled voices that were coming from the other side of the locked door. Jason had tried to break the door down, Percy had tried to flood Leo's room, Piper even tried to charmspeak him into coming out but Leo had thought of everything. He made the room one hundred percent impenetrable from any magic powers, which included Piper's voice. Frank tried ramming the door down with whatever creature he turned into. Even Nico tried to shadow travel in his room and drag him out if he had to.

Leo had made himself a magical barrier. He just didn't want to be bothered by anyone. Was that too hard to ask? He always sat in the very corner of his bed, curled up and remembering his time in Calypso's island. He still remembered the feel of Calypso's lips on his and how she told him it never happened, but it did. He didn't cry anymore. He didn't want to anymore. It was like he was in this depressed state where he didn't feel anything. He felt weightless, like a leaf being blown against his will by the wind into the cruel world, not knowing when it'll end.

After months of this (Leo had kept himself fed, thanks to his tool belt), his friends finally gave up on trying to get him out.

"He'll have to come out someday," Leo heard Jason say through the door.

"What if he doesn't?" asked Piper. Leo heard nothing after that. He felt relieved, angry, and even more sad than ever. He felt relieved because his friends were finally giving up. Leo also had contradicting feelings, like anger and sadness. They just stopped trying just like that. It was like they finally gave up on trying to fix a machine that hadn't been working in a while so they tossed it away.

Three weeks passed since Leo was in complete silence. No one came that whole time. No knocks on the door. No angry or pleading voices came. It was just him. Leo had thought about suicide but he'd really didn't see the point of it. Although it was starting to be more tempting ever since he was completely alone.

You will always be an outsider. You will not find a place among you brethren, Nemesis' words echoed in his aching head. Leo was starting to think that Nemesis had been right. Leo couldn't help but feel pure hatred and resentment towards the goddess of revenge. It was her who did this to him. If she had just minded her own business then-

"Then you'd still be trapped in that basement in Rome," the voice in the back of his head said.

Leo sighed as he looked around his bare room. After months inside, he wanted some comfort or at least someone to tell him everything was going to be okay. He didn't care that it was a lie. He just wanted to hear someone. Maybe he was going insane. Being alone in here must've not been good for him, but he wasn't coming out. There was nothing to go back to. His friends had abounded him, the only girl who loved him was somewhere far away, cursing his name, and his mother was dead.

"Maybe," Leo whispered to himself, "Being alone is better."

That's it! Leo thought, I don't want to be here anymore. A month in complete silence was frustrating. Leo didn't want to go back and he didn't want to stay here either. He saw only one way out. Leo went to his drawer, where he kept his clothes. He dug around, under clothes until he found the dagger he had saved in case there was an attack when he was sleeping back when they were going to Greece. How ironic it was that he was going to kill himself by using the weapon that he put here to save his life in the first place. He wondered what dying would feel like. Surely, not too painfully. There was no going back. He sat on the edge of his bed. Leo rolled up his sleeves and carefully positioned the sharp blade on his vein. He was just about to cut his skin when he heard footsteps coming from the hall.

Leo, surprised, dropped the dagger and it clattered to the floor. He stayed very still as the footsteps continued on their steady rhythm, becoming louder and louder. Maybe whoever it was out there hadn't heard the dagger. Leo waited until the footsteps stopped. They had, outside his door. Leo felt a pang of joy suddenly hit him, but it died out instantly. After two months, now they decided to show up? Leo thought bitterly. Leo slowly walked towards the door, curious of who it was. He pressed his right ear to the door. He heard the person sigh.

"Leo, are you in there?" asked Hazel. Leo didn't answer. "I know you probably think that we don't want you anymore," Leo felt anger resurface, "But we...I hoped that you would come out if we left you alone for a little bit. Jason and Piper thought to try one more time and they failed, obviously," That almost made Leo smile. Hazel paused for a second. Leo pressed his ear more to the door. Being alone with only his thoughts made him want to hear someone else really badly.

"I'm sorry about what happened with...Calypso," Leo's eyes watered at the sound of her name. If that's all Hazel was going to talk about, then he didn't want to listen. "Leo, please come out. I know what it's like to lose someone you...love. I just don't want you to spend the rest of your life in there. People move on. We'll still have them in our memories." Leo stayed silent. Tears started running down his face, but he didn't wipe them away. He was too concentrated on every word Hazel was saying.

"So, will you come out?" She asked. Leo was suddenly confused on what he wanted. Should he leave or stay? Leo remained quiet. After a long moment of silence, he heard Hazel crying.

"Okay, Leo. If that's what you want then fine!" She screamed angrily. Leo could hear the undertone of sadness and worry. "If you want to rot in there than fine by me!" Leo flinched at her angry remarks. Another moment of silence. Hazel took a deep breath.

"So is this goodbye?" She whispered. More silence, "Then bye Leo." She started to slowly walk away.

"Don't leave," Leo's voice cracked a bit from not using it in so long. Hazel's footsteps stopped instantly. Then she hurried back to the door.

"What did you say?" she asked, a bit alarmed.

"Please don't leave me..." Leo whispered. He felt the doorknob turning, but it was locked.

"Aren't you going to open the door?" Hazel asked.

"I don't know if I should." Leo moistened his lips, "I don't know if I can go back out there."

"You have a family here, Leo. You have Percy, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, you siblings, heck, you have lots of people," Hazel started rattling off names that Leo hadn't thought of in a while. He didn't answer, not really knowing what to say. "And you have me. We're connected, remember?"

"Maybe I'm not ready to come out yet," Leo said carefully, not wanting for Hazel to have another outburst. He waited for her to say something.

"Alright, Leo. Take all the time you need," she finally said.

"Hazel?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you come again tomorrow? It gets kind of lonely here?" The word had come out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Okay. I'll come same time tomorrow."

"Could you please keep this between us? I think I feel more comfortable talking to you alone."

"Why?" Leo could hear her confusion.

"Just like you said. We're connected," Leo answered.

I don't know if I should continue this. It was just some random idea that popped in my head.

~Melissa L.