Gee, another story to keep up with? I've got a death wish, don't I? Blame the plot bunnies and muses that kick me in the face!

I own nothing you recognize as canon.

Prologue

Piper McLean honestly wasn't expecting her day to be this stressful. It had started out so peacefully, and then BAM! Festus had to go and crash into the weapons shed.

It was two months after the war. The camps were at peace, trying to rebuild, mourning the dead, attempting to move on. Jason was getting ready to travel back to New Rome to help them with more shrines, as both camps had now given Kym hers (and more) and were ready for the next few gods/goddesses. Percy and Annabeth were currently at high school, attempting to have a normal life for a little while before heading to New Rome for college next year. Nico was actually participating in camp activities as a year-round camper, and (for reasons that were unknown to anyone but Jason, Piper and the Aphrodite Cabin) stayed near Will Solace for most of them.

The one thing that made life bad was the Hephaestus Cabin acting like they were cursed again. Twice, now, their head counselors had died in explosions. Twice, now, they had lost a dear brother and amazing smith. Jake Mason was back to being the head counselor, but he didn't enjoy it. He often muttered that Leo deserved to have the position more than him.

Piper missed Leo so much. She missed his corny jokes, his impish smile, his cocky attitude…she even missed his grease/tabasco sauce smell that never seemed to go away no matter how many times he took a bath. It was like a dark cloud was hanging over her head. Time was not making his death any less painful for her.

Jason found her sitting on the Cabin Ten steps, moping. Sometimes she had those mornings that just needed to be filled with a mope or two. By lunch she'd feel better and move on.

Jason sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Bad hair day, Drew being annoying, or rough night?"

Piper cracked a smile. Jason knew why she was mopey—he was just trying to lighten the mood. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Jason gave her a squeeze. "Just don't get too depressed about it—about Leo—when I'm at Camp Jupiter, okay?"

"I'm better this time, I promise."

"Good." He fixed his glasses and sighed. "I do wish he was here, though."

"I can imagine he'd be sleeping this early in the morning."

"It's 8:50."

"And when has Leo ever gotten up before noon?" Piper laughed. "Even when he was working on the Argo II he hammered away until four in the morning and didn't wake up 'til noon at least!"

Jason laughed with her. "I guess you're right."

Suddenly, a bronze dot sparkled in the sky. Piper stood up quickly.

"What is that?" she asked.

Jason squinted and adjusted his glasses a bit. "It kinda looks like…" His eyes widened. "It's Festus!"

Piper's heart skipped a beat. "Festus? Are you sure?"

"Well, it's a little hard to tell since he's got a hole the size of Florida where his stomach should be…but I think—no, I'm positive that's Festus!"

Piper grinned from ear to ear. If that was Festus, then surely his master, Leo Valdez, would be riding in the saddle, ready to come home. She whooped and cheered, running out to meet Festus the dragon as he got closer and closer.

And closer.

At a very high speed.

"Why isn't he slowing down?" Piper questioned.

Faster than she could register, Jason tackled her to the ground and pinned her down. Festus zoomed over their heads and crashed into the weapons shed with a very loud BOOM! A small mushroom cloud appeared over the scene and scattered weapons rained down.

Piper gasped. "Leo! Hold on!" She ran for the wreckage as campers rushed to the scene.

Festus creaked and groaned, twitching in some places. He was on his back, so Piper could see the wiring and gears and mini-engines running in his opened stomach. In his claws was a person, held very delicately.

Piper rushed forward and pried the claws open a little more. The person—a girl around Piper's age with cinnamon-colored hair wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans—groaned and slid out of Festus's grasp. Around her waist was a worn yellow tool-belt.

Jason flew up and helped them get out of the wreckage. Nico di Angelo sifted through Festus's scattered parts and Jake Mason carefully picked around the rest, trying to keep the poor automaton running.

Jason set the girl on the ground and Will ran up. He began to examine her.

"Who is she?" Jason asked.

Piper looked a little closer and realized she'd seen this girl's face before. Specifically in a drawing—in Leo's room on the Argo II!

"It's Calypso," she realized. "This is the Calypso Leo fell in love with. But…" She looked back at Festus. "Where's Leo?"

Jason glanced over at the crash scene with knit eyebrows. Jake and the others had similar expressions, coming to the same realization as Piper.

Festus had just crashed into camp with the Titaness Calypso, unconscious and wearing the magical tool belt, in his claws…

…but where was his master?

Doctor Gerald looked at the file in front of him and shook his head. "It's so sad to see youth waste their potential like this."

A social worker, a lady by the name of Rebecca Winston, nodded. "I can't believe how far he ran. Last he was seen was almost a year ago at the Grand Canyon. He's always been crafty and difficult to handle."

"Judging from his file, it's not too hard to imagine that to be the truth."

"Seven counts of arson, not including this new one," Mrs. Winston said in disappointment. "Suspected murder at a young age. And that was just the big stuff. When he ran this time, the court had ordered his next arson offense would land him in the nearest institution."

"This isn't a replacement for juvenile detention," Gerald reminded her.

"Of course. But your hospital is widely known for successful reformation of…troubled youth. We're hoping your treatments will flush his pyro-like tendencies out of him by the time he is legally an adult and no longer under our jurisdiction."

"So, you want us to start treatment as soon as the sedatives wear off?"

"Yes. You'll be paid to keep it up until his eighteenth birthday, or until you deem him publicly safe again—whichever comes first." She pointed to one of the papers on his desk, which held contact information. "Please keep us updated on his condition every once in a while."

"Will do." They both stood up and shook hands. "Thank you for this, Mrs. Winston. I'll make sure he gets better."

She smiled. "Have a good day. And…good luck with him. He can be creative with his escapes."

"Medication usually helps them submit," Gerald said with a smile. "Give them enough during the first few months and eventually they settle down naturally. And our meds are usually easy to de-tox from, considering the side effects of long-term use last for decades. You'll have a functioning member of society soon enough."

"Side effects? You never mentioned side effects."

He waved off the question. "As in, the effect the medication will have on his attitude. If taken continuously, the medication's subduing effect lingers decades after stopping the treatment. We have the stats and experiment logs, if you think this is questionable."

"No, no. As long as he is not in any danger of freaking out once he's off, we couldn't care less."

"He'll be off when he submits, which, I assure you, will not take long. The rest of the time will allow him to get used to his new lifestyle."

She nodded and left.

Dr. Gerald sighed and took the file with him as he left the room to go check up on his new patient. He headed to the isolation hall, where new patients and dangerous cases went. In this young man's case, he was both.

The doctor pressed a few keys and dropped off loose items into a basket nearby. The door buzzed and he let himself into a small padded room. There was no furniture. No windows. Only one light high above, far away from any prying hands.

A Latino teenager was propped up against the wall in a straightjacket, fast asleep. His curly black hair was untamed and his impish features were peaceful. The boy wouldn't be waking up until the morning, as the sedatives the police gave him were very powerful. Tomorrow he would be sanitized, which meant he would lose the straightjacket after his first medication dose, his outside clothes would be removed and burned, he would be thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned, and he would be given the hospital patient scrubs.

Dr. Gerald sighed. "Such a shame. You kids have such potential and you waste it on petty crimes and terrible acts." He glanced at the file one more time. "Don't worry, Mr. Valdez. We'll take good care of you."

Leo Valdez slept on, completely unaware of his current situation.

A/N: Oh no! What's gonna happen to our Leo-boo?

Tune in to find out! :D