As some of you know, today is Día de Muertos, Day of the Dead, and since Leo is of Spanish heritage, I thought hey, that's an idea for a story. so in honor of this Spanish holiday, I present to you Day of the Dead. I also hope that this will teach you a little bit more about the holiday; it's really interesting and widely celebrated.
Disclaimer: no tengo nada. lo siento. (I own nothing, sorry.)
Every year, Leo Valdez finds the same letter in his mailbox or on his doorstep or wherever it was left. Every year, he reads it against his better judgement. And every year, he finds himself falling down the rabbit hole.
He had been hoping that now that he was at camp, things would be different. Alas, his wish was not granted.
November 1st and 2nd: Día de Muertos. The first day to honor passed children and the second to honor adults.
Leo made more than one alter on each day. He made miniature versions of the average ofrendas for the people that died during the Giant War and the Titan War. A lot of other kids with Spanish heritage helped him and they were set out in the Pavillion, small alters surrounded by things that the people loved. Such as a photo of Thalia, Annabeth, and Luke was set beside his alter while some tools were laid beside Beckendorf's. Even those that had no idea what Day of the Dead was until others explained it to them appreciated the gesture.
But deep in Bunker Nine- deeper than any other camper had ever ventured- were seven alters.
One was for a girl with pretty blood curls pulled back in a bandana and muscles like Clarrise La Rue. She was grinning at the camera and wearing a blood red shirt with dirt streaked across her face. They'd been running through the woods all day, but she still smiled.
Another was for two children- a girl of thirteen and a boy of twelve. The girl wore a torn, magenta shirt and tattered jeans with her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her blue eyes twinkled. The boy wore a blue hoodie and jeans with holes in the knees; his brown hair was all over the place and he had freckles dotted across his cheekbones.
The third was for a girl with long, curly brown hair pulled back with a blue headband and she wore a shirt to match. Her face was pale and covered with freckles, her green eyes shimmering in the sunlight.
The next one was for a girl wearing a red shirt and jeans, her hands in her pockets. She had blonde hair the color of lemons and eyes like Annabeth's- storm clouds reflected in wire rimmed glasses. A daughter of Athena that had never made it to camp.
Next was for an African American boy with black hair and brown eyes. He wore a white jacket with a dark green tee and his hair was curly and out of control. He had his arm crossed and was leaning against a door. If Leo remembered correctly, the door had been opened a minute later and the boy had fallen through, clashing to the floor with an oof!
The final one was for another boy- an Asian boy with short black hair and wide brown eyes. He wore a blue and white striped shirt with jeans, and he'd been caught mid laugh.
But in the center- three alters on each side- was an ofrenda for a woman with hair the color of chocolate and eyes to match. She wore overalls and had a toddler on her lap, laughing. To this day, Leo couldn't remember who took the picture, but he was glad they did.
When his siblings asked him why he hadn't been in the cabin since October 30, he'd told them he was working, which was true in a way. He'd been making the alters, and on November 1st, he'd sat there, reminiscing over the good times.
But somehow, he knew what happened next was inevitable.
On November 2nd, a letter arrived at Camp Half Blood (Leo never did figure out how she knew where to send it, but that didn't really matter) addressed to Leo Valdez.
Chiron had been skeptical when he handed it to Leo at breakfast and so had his friends. As far as they knew, he had no family that would send him letters. And technically, he didn't. Aunt Rosa only sent him one letter a year and it was hardly a family friendly letter.
The minute Leo got it, he let the Pavillion and ran to Bunker Nine before tearing it open.
It was worse than usual.
(ALSO, IMAGINE THAT THIS LETTER IS ALL IN SPANISH. I SPEAK SOME SPANISH, BUT I AM FAR FROM FLUENT, SO JUST IMAGINE IT)
DIABLO,
KILLER. MURDERER. YOU KILLED MY SISTER, YOU MONSTER! I HOPE SHE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE DATE AND COMES BACK TO HAUNT YOU! YOU SHOULD'VE DIED INSTEAD OF HER, YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE RUNAWAY! WHY DON'T YOU JUST F****** JOIN HER?
Contento Día de Muertos, Diablo.
Rosa Valdez
Leo stumbled to his feet, approaching the alters with unsteady hands before using his fire to light the candles. Maybe his Mama would lead him to the Underworld if she could find her alter and her son.
Leo rummaged through each and every drawer in search of something- anything- to use.
Aunt Rosa was right. It was all his fault. His mother was dead because of his lack of control. He should have died instead of her.
He decided to go with a very sharp screwdriver. Leo would've preferred a razor blade, but a screwdriver would work; he'd just have to press down harder.
Diablo. Three slashes.
Killer. Three cuts.
Murderer. Five cuts.
Monster. Three cuts.
Worthless. He lost count.
Leo just kept cutting and slashing and dragging the screwdriver until his entire arm was drenched in blood. The room was spinning like a top and he was beginning to see double. It hurt to even breathe and he stopped trying to sit up right, finally laying on his side and watching his blood trickle onto the floor.
"Leo!" Nyssa's voice, somewhere nearby. "I saw you run out at breakfast! Is everything okay?"
He could hear her footsteps fast approaching, but before she could reach him, everything went dark.
When Nyssa found her brother, she started crying- sobbing, screaming for anyone to help her.
Leo was lying beside a table with some day of the day alters (seven in all), his wrists drenched in blood with a letter clenched in his hand.
Nyssa ripped it from his grasp and cried. The letter was all in Spanish, but it was signed Rosa Valdez, a name she recognized.
That bitch of a woman that had thrown Leo to the wolves as a child (social services, I mean, not Lupa or her pack) and now, she was writing to him and Nyssa didn't need to know Spanish to know that whatever she'd written had not been kind.
Will Solace shoved her out of the way (how did he get there so fast?) in order to load Leo onto a stretcher with help from his siblings.
All Nyssa did was stare at the page in her hands, wondering what the words said.
Later, half of the camp was seated outside the Infirmary, awaiting information on the condition of Leo Valdez.
Will came out half an hour after Leo's admittance, looking both relieved and solemn with a clipboard in his hands.
"Leo's out of the woods," Will stated immediately and there was a collective sigh of relief. "Physically. Mentally? I don't know. Suicide is not a split second decision, even if something like the letter brought it on. Whatever brought Leo to suicide has been tormenting him for a while now."
"Could it have been the war?" Chiron asked. Even he looked shocked; suicide, even attempted suicide, was a rare event at Camp.
Will shrugged. "I don't think so. After we cleaned off his wrists, I saw scars- self harm scars several years old. Some of them look like they could be seven or eight years old, which means-"
"He's been self harming since he was eight years old," Piper finished before exchanging a look with Jason. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Jason nodded.
"What?" Percy demanded.
Piper said, "Leo's mom died when he was eight."
"And Aunt Rosa, who wrote him the letter, blamed him," Nyssa realized.
"And today is Day of the Dead. When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense," Jason completed.
Will smiled, sadly. "Does suicide ever make sense?"
Jason shrugged. "Good point. It makes more sense."
Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Aria, a daughter of Apollo.
"He's awake."
Additional information:
Ofrenda- Spanish word for offering
Day of the Dead is a Spanish holiday to honor the ones we've lost.
It is celebrated on November 1st and November 2nd: the 1st for children, the 2nd for adults
***Aria (the daughter of Apollo's name) means gentle music
There will be another chapter or two based off of Leo's suicide attempt, but after that, I was wondering if you would like me to write chapters based off of the other six alters Leo made, like who the kids were, how they died, how they were important to Leo, etc. if I get enough reviews saying you'd like me to do that, I will! thanks!
Contento Día de Muertos!