SPOILERS FOR BOO AHEAD! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER!

*ahem*

So, anyway, I was hit by this feeling that Leo should get some closure with his mom. I figured, 'hey, he died, but there was no say on how long he was dead' so I made this little one-shot. :) Not my best work, nor my longest, but I kinda like it.

So here you go, guys! :D

All things in just BOLD belong to Rick Riordan because they are straight from the book. All characters also belong to Rick. The thought of this is the only thing that is mine.

Leo was dead.

He knew that with absolute certainty.

How did Leo know he was dead?

Try standing (well, more like floating) before Hades himself inside his throne room and tell yourself you aren't dead. It's a little easy to believe.

The god of dead was staring down at him with coal-black eyes. Leo shivered and shrank beneath his gaze.

Hades finally spoke, his voice smooth, "Leo Valdez. What a surprise. How does being dead suit you?"

Leo gulped. He didn't answer. Not because he was too scared to (which he was), but he honestly couldn't find his voice. If he opened his mouth, nothing came out. He felt small compared to Hades—like, seriously small.

Hades sighed. "Look, demigod. I know you are planning on using that little physician's cure. Normally, I'd personally get involved and prevent you from living again. However, since you actually defeated Gaea…I'm willing to allow you that second chance, like I am allowing my daughter. Don't get any ideas. I don't normally do mercy. I do justice. Speaking of which…"

He snapped.

At once, the furies appeared, holding a long black chain between them. Before Leo could react, they had wrapped his torso up in them. His arms were bound to his sides. Every few seconds, the chains seemed to tighten. Leo gasped in pain.

"Sorry about that," Hades said in a tone that made Leo think he wasn't sorry. "But until you return to the land of the living, you'll be under this basic punishment. Think of it this way; if you had died for real instead of having that cure on you, you'd be in much worse torment right now. It's because you would have truly broken your Stygian oath. Trust me; if I could, I'd remove your fire powers and throw you in the river Phlegethon while still chained and tied to an anchor to keep you there. Great punishment for an oath-breaking fire user, eh?"

Leo gulped. He hoped that wouldn't happen and that he'd wake up soon. The chains constricted slightly tighter and he gasped again.

Leo fell to his knees, his face contorted in pain. If this was a basic punishment, he seriously hoped he wouldn't see what it meant to be eternally punished!

Hades sighed. "From now until you are given the cure, you will be bound by the Stygian Chains. They will continue to constrict tighter, never letting up. You will feel crushed, but it will never happen completely."

The chains kept tightening. Leo wanted to scream, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't.

"Now," the god of death said, clapping his hands. "On to the last matter. Among the wishes of your demigod friends, there was one mentioned about you. Because they made us promise on the River Styx to uphold these wishes, in the same way Percy Jackson made us promise, I have to abide by it."

He snapped again.

The doors to his throne room flew open. A couple skeletal guards came in, ushering a single female spirit. She wore dirty overalls, her curly black hair loosely tied back in a ponytail. The spirit had a bit of a golden glow to her, like she had just stepped out of Elysium.

Leo knew it was his mother instantly.

Esperanza Valdez spotted Leo and ran right to him. The guards didn't react or try to stop her. Hades didn't either.

She ran over and crouched next to Leo. "Oh, mijo," she cooed. "I'm so sorry…"

Leo wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her about Calypso. He knew his mother would definitely approve of her. They'd get along well.

But he couldn't find his voice. Instead, he gasped as the chains constricted him. How skinny was he now? Was he tree branch size? Or toothpick size? If he turned sideways, would anyone see him?

His mother gently took his head and lowered him onto her lap. He looked up at her as she stroked his head, gently tangling her fingers within his curls. The soft gesture lessened his pain just a bit. He managed a smile.

Esperanza smiled back. "One of your friends wished for you and me to be reunited. Hades is granting that wish now, allowing us to be together until you return. Yes, I know about your situation," she added quickly. She gave him a heartwarming grin. "And I approve greatly of her."

Leo smiled again, trying to attain a grin through his pain.

His mother kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, my little lion. And I'm sure she does, too."

So, they sat there, two spirits in the middle of the throne room of Hades; one comforting the other like she used to as pain racked through him. Leo didn't know how long they sat there, but wished it could have been longer, even if he was being crushed without mercy.

Eventually, maybe an eternity later, Leo saw spots dance in his eyes. A tingling sensation hit him in between constrictions. Hades' voice rang in his ears:

"Seems it's time. You shall soon wake again, son of Hephaestus. The chains binding you shall disappear when you awaken. But do not expect to not feel pain until then, demigod. Coming back to life can still hurt, as can waiting for life to come."

Leo blinked. He kept his eyes on his mother, wanting to keep her image in his head longer. The dark spots grew, blocking out her face. He struggled against the pain and finally found his voice. He groaned in a small voice, "M-M…om…"

She kissed him on the head again. Leo's sight left him, along with his hearing. He felt his mother's presence fading as well.

He called out one last time, "…mamá…"

Before complete pain took hold, he felt something tap his chest. He tried hard to concentrate on it. It was Morse Code! He translated it easily:

I love you. Don't come back too soon. I love you.

Leo was dead.

He knew that with absolute certainty. He just didn't understand why it hurt so much. He felt like every cell in his body had exploded. Now his consciousness was trapped inside a charred crispy husk of demigod roadkill. The nausea was worse than any carsickness he'd ever had. He couldn't move. He couldn't see or hear.

He could only feel pain.

A/N: And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed it!