Okay, I don't own Percy Jackson. If I did, I would most likely ruin the series, and Leo would forever stay alive, and be angsty in some parts, and they would save Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus because, seriously. Rick was smart to have a LITERAL cliffhanger, gets everyone motivated for the next book… including me xD I just hope that Leo doesn't close the Doors of Death from INSIDE Tartarus O_O I will MURDER Rick painfully if that happens xD Though, I think there is another book after it and maybe Leo might get out then xD

_PERCY AND LEO ARE WATER AND FIRE_

"Percy! Are you okay! Did the Romans do anything to you? I didn't like the way that scrawny wannabe-Luke was looking at you!" said Annabeth Chase in rapid succession, as she checked her boyfriend for any injuries. Percy Jackson, yes, the Percy Jackson, chuckled at his girlfriend's antics.

"Chill, Annabeth. The Romans were fine to me. Though I am going to THROTTLE di Angelo when we find him!" muttered Percy, as he looked at the group of demi-gods in front of him. A girl, who looked to be Cherokee-Indian, with kaleidoscope eyes and braids in her hair. She looks beautiful, Percy thought, but not as beautiful as Annabeth. And then there was the blonde guy, with sky-blue eyes and a scar above his lip. They introduced themselves to be, in order:

Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite and girlfriend to Jason Grace.

Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, former Praetor of New Rome and girlfriend to the ever-stunning (Jason's words, not Percy's) Piper McLean.

Percy then realised that, along with the fact that Jason was, most likely, Thalia's little brother, there was a missing member.

"Hey! Isn't there also a scrawny, Latino elf kid supposed to be here?" Percy asked, looking around. Hazel Levesque, who had been silent for most of the time, looked around.

"Yeah! On the video scroll, there was, apparently, the 'Supreme Commander of the Argo II', but I don't see him," she stated, and Frank Zhang wrapped an arm around her. Yeah, random, right? Well, Frank felt possessive for some reason. Percy looked behind him to see the Latino kid behind him, his head bent as he, apparently, was fiddling with something in his hands.

"Hey, uh, guys? Why don't you go and visit, uh, New Rome? Annabeth, I am sure that you will LOVE the architecture," promised Percy, and that got Annabeth moving, making the two Romans, AKA Frank and Hazel, promise to take her to see the buildings. As they were leaving, Percy walked back to the Latino kid.

"Hey, Leo Valdez, right?" he asked quietly, and the kid, Leo Valdez, jumped about 5 feet into the air.

"Hey! Give a guy a heart attack, why don't you?" snapped Leo, and then his expression softened at Percy's hurt one.

"Listen, man, I'm sorry. Just… had a rough day. More like rough few months," chuckled Leo bitterly, before looking at Percy with a sad expression in his eyes.

"I'm tired of third-wheeling for the 'oh-so-adorable-Jasper', as the Aphrodite cabin dubs them. I just… want a girl for my own," he sighed, before walking over to a metal chair nearby and plonking down onto it.

"And it doesn't help that I ran myself into the ground building that STUPID war machine to come and freaking SAVE you, and I don't even get an 'oh-thanks-Leo-for-working-on-that-hunk-of-pure-aw esome-for-about-3-months-even-though-you-hardly-at e-or-slept-and-once-you-collapsed-while-fighting-C larisse-la-Rue-and-she-sliced-you-into-Leo-ribbons . So, yeah. Not even that, or the shortened version to 'thank-you'," snapped Leo. Percy had sat down next to Leo, and Percy yelped as he jumped off of the bench, the metal now red-hot.

"Dude! How is that not burning you?" asked Percy, frantically trying to cool down his scorched buttocks… and toga, of course.

"Bloody fire-user. I could start the 'Great Fire of New Rome' if I wanted. My half-brother, Thomas Faynor did, in the 'Great Fire of London'. I really hate my fire skills sometimes," mumbled Leo, still fiddling with the piece of scrap metal. Percy watched in wonder as Leo turned it from something ugly, like a piece of scrap metal, into something beautiful, like a gleaming trident.

"Oh, uh, here," he said, and handed it to Percy. He took it, and carefully fingered the trident tips. They were as sharp as knives, gleaming wickedly in the afternoon sun. Percy looked at Leo, feeling dumbfounded as what to do. He decided to do what he does best, be blunt.

"Listen, Leo. I can't solve your problems; only you can do that. But you know what I can do? I can help you through them, until I can't. And I can be your friend. Because friends help each other, through thick and thin, right? Please tell me I said that right. Annabeth would MURDER me, painfully and slowly, if I got that quote wrong," pleaded Percy, and Leo chuckled as he stood up.

"If she does, can I get the trident back?" joked Leo, as he and Percy walked down the path to the Via Principia.

"Nope. I want that buried with me. What you get, Sir Leonardo Valdez, is my blessing."

"Blessing for what?"

"Blessing to stay away from Annabeth."

"That is code-word for 'Go for it!'"

"Okay then. Uh, I give you my blessing to… take Annabeth?"

"Dude, thanks! Never thought you'd give me your girlfriend!" And with that, Leo took off to the centre of New Rome, with a loud shout behind him, sounding suspiciously like the new Praetor yelling:

"LEO!"

_LERCY FRIENDSHIP IS WHAT FEEDS MY PET LIGER, NAMED LEYNA_

Of course, everyone was surprised to see the Son of the Sea God, who controls water, and the son of the Forge, who controls fire, getting along like old buddies. But, sometimes, people surprise people with weird friendships and relationships. Because, really, when has the demi-god world ever been normal?

RAINBOWS FIN