Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of the Olympus.
Seventh Wheel
"Oi, Jason! Have you seen-?" Leo closes his mouth, wishing he never came inside in the first place. On the cot, Jason and Piper kiss, but they don't turn their heads, too distracted by their fantasy.
Leo closes the door as silently as he can, and he runs- no wonder they haven't talked to him lately, no wonder they've ignored him- it's the first time he realizes that he's the third wheel in their trio.
.
.
It's no different on the Argo II. Percy shouts at him(i'm sorry, I didn't mean to-) and everyone is mad or disappointed with him, the exception being Piper. It doesn't take an educated guess to know the only reason is because she is preoccupied with Jason(never a surprise).
In his room, Leo curls up on the bed. Tears well in his eyes, and his sight becomes blurred. He struggles to hold in the sobs, but they break through and he cries(he knew this would happen, it always does).
It never matters that he didn't do it, he let himself be possessed- he knows this thought creeps through everyone's mind, even if they don't say it. He isn't mad at them. He shares the same feelings, after all.
.
.
He cracks when Nemesis says that he's the seventh wheel- for a millisecond, the mask cracks and he almost forgets to hide his hollow and dead eyes- but then the smile is back on his face, and he reassures Hazel that he knows it isn't true.
(always the outsider, always alone)
.
.
When Percy and Annabeth fall into Tartarus, Leo doesn't cry, he just stares, smile pasted on his face(it's his fault) and he thinks that he's a horrible, shitty person and the others think so too.
Jason punches him and yells at him for trying to make an insensitive joke, Piper slaps him when he laughs as he sees her cry. Leo can only smile, smile smile smile, it's all he's ever done- while he breaks on the inside, his self-loathe consuming him.
(he silently cries for someone to help him, look at him, please look at me- no one answers)
.
.
(in the confines of his room, where no one can see him, where no one can hear him- Leo cries I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry- his mantra, repeating over and over and over.)
.
.
Nico is the only person who understands- after all, they have the same hollow, dead eyes.
.
.
The Giant notes that he murdered his mother, and as everyone looks on in shock- I'm sorry, you didn't know? the Giant says- Leo finally lets his mask slips and he collapses, sobbing, screaming that he didn't mean to, repeating those words over and over- he sees the way they look at him, and the words in their eyes-
MURDERER
MONSTER
The sobs melt into maniacal laughter.
.
.
"It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane."
― Philip K. Dick, Valis
Wow. Okay, well, that was basically my shot at a oneshot.
The thing is, it's no secret that Leo is suffering from clinical depression(it's basically shoved in our faces) so I decided to try my luck. Probably failed.
R&R, please!