La-de-dah.
This story involves a cuddly threesome. I promise, no smut or lemons. Just fluffy cuddles. If you don't like threesomes then this story probably isn't for you. I encourage you to give it a try though.
So, I totally ship Caleo to the moon and back. Always will. It's my OTP. However (comma) I also have an OT3 (one true threesome). And that OT3 is Frazeleo.
For this one-shot's sake, let's pretend that Leo didn't get blasted to Ogygia. He just ended up somewhere else. Calypso had been freed, so pretend she had a happy ending without Leo—I know, such blasphemy coming from me of all people :P
Anyway, hope you enjoy this one-shot. It will go from when Leo was blasted off to his demise in BoO, so SPOILERS for Blood of Olympus near the end.
Also, I apologize if the confessions seem a little weak. I'm not good at that, kind of like action. I'm better at fluff :3
Enjoy :D
I own nothing you recognize as canon.
Three is a Magic Number
To say Hazel was worried was an understatement.
While Jason tried to get the god of the Southern winds to cooperate, she and Frank had done most of the repair work to the Argo II. They were on a break right now, mostly because the big repair jobs were done; all the complicated stuff could only be fixed when Leo returned.
Oh gods, Leo…
Hazel felt her heart speed up. She tried not to think about how Leo could be in trouble right now. He could be hurt, alone, afraid, even dying—
Stop it, she scolded herself. It won't help anyone to think like that.
As if sensing her distress, Frank gripped her hand. She turned her head and smiled at him.
"Thanks," she said.
"What's wrong, Hazel?" he asked. "You look upset."
She sighed. "I'm just…worried for Leo."
His grip slackened for a moment, then tightened even more. She looked at his face. His expression was filled with concern and…something she couldn't read. He fixed it and looked at her with comforting eyes.
"We'll find him," he promised. "Wherever he is, I'm sure he's okay."
She sensed something else besides concern in his voice. She blinked at him, but didn't mention it.
"Do you really believe that?" she asked him.
Frank nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Leo's a good guy. He's resourceful, strong, cha—"
He stopped. Hazel caught a small blush rising in his cheeks. "What? What were you about to say?"
"Chatty," he replied all too quickly, not meeting her eyes.
"Frank," she warned.
Frank sighed. His blush deepened. "Fine. He's…charming…"
"Charming?" Hazel blinked in surprise. "You think he's charming?"
"The annoying little imp grew on me, okay?"
Hazel giggled. "Got a crush on him, do you? You little hypocrite."
Frank's face was as red as a lobster. Hazel paused.
"You mean…you do?"
Frank nodded mutely.
Hazel gaped at him. "Wait, so…what does that mean for…us?"
Frank's eyes widened. "I hope nothing bad! It's just…I'm so confused…I love you, Hazel, I really do! Then there's Leo…looking at him…I thought I hated him for liking you, but then…after Rome…" He trailed off.
Leo woke up with a screaming headache. He sat up, sand pouring out of his ears and hair. He spat up seaweed.
"Yuck," he coughed.
Leo looked down and saw that his sphere was unharmed in his lap. Thank the gods, he thought. He was glad the sphere was still with him. If he'd lost it, bad things could happen to his poor ship.
Speaking of which…where was his ship?
Leo looked around. He was on a beach. The tide kept slapping his body, threatening to pull him back in.
A couple fishermen were running towards him, yelling in Greek. Leo might've been a Greek demigod, but he was only hardwired to read Greek. He could only understand spoken English and Spanish (and Creak-and-Squeak, but that's different), and Ancient Greek class always bored him at camp.
Leo shakily stood up with one of the men's help. His legs felt like jelly. He held on to the sphere, not daring to let either of the fishermen take it from him.
They kept trying to talk to him, but then realized he couldn't understand. One of them tried in English, "You pain?"
Lovely, he thought. At least it's something…
"No," Leo said. Then he took a step forward and pain erupted from his ankle. He gasped and crumpled into the chest of the fisherman. He smelled like dead fish—imagine that.
"Pain," the guy confirmed. "Foot pain."
Leo looked at his foot and realized it was bent at an odd angle. It was probably broken. Fantastic.
Leo tried to pry himself away from the two smelly dudes. "No. I'm fine. Just need…"
Spots danced in his vision. He forced himself to stay awake.
He tried to think of his friends. Jason and Piper were probably worried sick. He'd been blasted away right in front of them.
Nico…okay, well he couldn't figure that guy out, but the son of Hades was probably worried a little bit, surely?
Hazel…
Leo's heart skipped a beat. This whole Hazel business was messing with his head. He couldn't figure out what his heart wanted. One moment he'd be mooning over her—how cute she was when she laughed, how her eyes lit up, the way the sun made her seem like she glowed—the next, he'd feel conflicted, like he couldn't make up his mind.
He figured it was because Frank was there. The son of Mars was already in a relationship with Hazel, so flirting with her was kind of hard. But then again, Leo felt like he didn't want Frank totally gone…
The spots returned. Leo slid further down into the ground, groaning. His ankle exploded in pain.
The fisherman who was steadying him patted him on the head. "We help," he grunted.
Leo couldn't argue anymore. The man picked the Latino up with ease. Leo cradled the Archimedes Sphere, hoping he wouldn't drop it.
Darkness edged his vision. The two fishermen were conversing in Greek again. The one holding him looked at Leo and said, "I am Nemos. He is Thad. You?"
"L-Leo…" he managed.
"We take care of Leo," Nemos promised. "Heal."
Leo didn't even reply. If the two fishermen were monsters, Leo figured they would've eaten him already.
He passed out.
"Bisexual," Hazel repeated.
Frank nodded. "It's a bit confusing, but I'm pretty sure that's what I am…I love you. But at the same time, I feel like I need Leo, too."
Hazel blushed. "Since you're bringing it up…I would like to talk to you about that. About Leo."
Frank gave her a curt nod. "Go on."
"I want to say that…that I've started feeling something towards him. Don't get me wrong, I love you, too. But I feel like you; I feel like Leo needs to be here next to me. At first I thought it was because he was like Sammy, but then I realized it was because he was Leo. I need him just as much as I need you."
Frank blushed. "So, then…we both feel the same way?"
Hazel kissed him. "We need Leo. We both need him."
"Agreed. But…does he need us?"
Hazel paused. Frank saw the wheels in her head turning. They both had agreed that they needed Leo—that they loved him, even. But Leo might not feel the same about them. He might feel ashamed or even scared of them coming after him.
"I suppose we'll talk to him when we comes back," she whispered. "I hope he'll understand our feelings for him."
Frank nodded again. "Jason's getting nowhere with the ship. We need to find Leo."
Hazel blinked at him. "How? How can we find him?"
Frank took out a drachma. "Maybe we can contact him? We haven't tried that yet."
They both went downstairs to one of the bathrooms and turned on the shower. When a rainbow appeared, Frank tossed in the coin.
"Um," he said, trying to remember how Percy did it before. "O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Leo Valdez?"
The mist flickered. A sleeping Latino appeared in the rainbow. He was wrapped in dirty looking blankets, lying on a small cot. A tiny table was next to his head, a bowl of soup getting cold on top of it. The boy's curly black hair was wet, probably because a wet towel was resting on his forehead.
"Leo!" Hazel reached towards the Iris Message, but then stopped herself before she swiped away the mist on accident. "Leo, please! Wake up!"
Leo shifted in his sleep, but otherwise didn't wake up. His eyebrows scrunched up. Frank guessed he must be in pain. He noticed for the first time how pale the Latino looked.
"Leo," he tried. "We're coming to get you." His voice was shaking. Gods, these feelings for the son of Hephaestus were really weird… "Just hang in there."
Leo groaned. His face contorted in agony and he cried out.
Hazel looked like she was holding back tears. Frank could feel his own emotions welling up in his stomach. Most of it was fear for Leo's safety.
Suddenly, muffled voices could be heard. Frank could hear them speaking Greek. He cursed himself for being Roman in a time like this.
He swiped away the message before anyone could see him or Hazel.
Hazel hugged Frank. "We have to help him," she cried.
Frank nodded. "We need to leave now."
They ran back upstairs. Frank didn't even think about letting anyone know where they were going. He turned into a dragon, let Hazel climb on, and took off into the sky. Wherever Leo was, they were going to find him.
Leo woke up feeling sick. He felt like he had a fever—which was saying something, considering how hot he was on a normal basis.
He shifted in the bed. How did he get in a bed?
His foot felt prickly and weird. He lifted the stained covers and grimaced. His right foot was wrapped in bandages around the ankle. His skin near his toes was sickly green.
"Ugh," he groaned.
Leo looked around. He was in a small room. There was one door and one window the size of a person's head. Leo was lying in one of two beds and there was a side table next to him. On the other side of the room, next to the second bed, was a desk with a bunch of papers, an unlit candle, and the Archimedes Sphere on top. A single chair sat next to the desk, Leo's tool belt hanging casually over the back. The only light in the room (besides the window) was from an overhanging oil lamp on the ceiling.
Leo felt like the room was swaying. His stomach churned and he was glad it was empty. Otherwise he would have been throwing up by now.
He groaned louder.
The door opened. A figure stepped inside. A light bulb lit up in Leo's mind as he recognized the figure to be one of the fishermen that had rescued him earlier.
"Pain?" he—Leo thought his name was Nemos?—asked in horrible-accented English.
Leo nodded. "I feel sick," he said, his voice scratchy.
Nemos strode up to the bed (boy, did he take thundering steps) and pulled out a thermometer. He placed it under Leo's tongue.
"One hundred and twenty-eight," he remarked with raised eyebrows. "Should be dead at one hundred and eleven."
Leo shrugged, wincing. "I have a naturally hot internal temperature."
Nemos tilted his head. "Strange boy."
Leo almost grinned. "I get called that…a lot…"
His stomach churned again and he almost puked. He groaned again, clutching his midsection.
Nemos gave him a smile. "No sea legs."
Leo glared at him. "Hey, pal," he complained. "I built my own warship. From scratch. I definitely have my sea legs—just not when I'm sicker than Hades."
Nemos obviously didn't understand. "Rest, boy. You are unwell. Thad and I heal you. Ankle reset and better. Need sleep."
Leo shook his head. "No. I need to get back to my friends. My ship! I need to know if they're okay!"
"Friends?" The fisherman raised an eyebrow. "Just friends, or…someone special?"
Leo felt a blush rising. If he wasn't careful, he could set his nose on fire and freak this guy out.
Nemos laughed. It sounded like Hephaestus's laugh—booming, shaking up the whole room. "You are funny child, Leo. Have girl, yes? She understand if you are gone to recover."
Leo shook his head. "No. I don't have a…a girl." He looked down and felt sad at the statement. He wanted to have a girlfriend—was that too much to ask? Every girl he met was either taken or impossible.
His mind lingered on Hazel again, and this time he thought more on Frank. The more he considered going for Hazel, the more he thought Frank might be on board, too.
No, you've just got Hyperthermia, he told himself. You're delirious.
But it still stuck to the back of his mind. The thought wouldn't go away.
Nemos snapped a finger in Leo's face. "No girl? But still blush."
Leo tried to force the blush back down.
Nemos grabbed a cell phone from his pocket and held it out to Leo. "Give call, yes?"
Leo politely declined. "My friends don't have phones."
The fisherman shrugged. "Suit self. I go."
He lumbered back towards the door. He turned his head back to Leo and said, "Rest easy, friend Leo. I will get cold pack for fever."
Leo nodded and yawned. He snuggled back down into his pillow—which actually smelled more like honey than dead fish—and closed his eyes.
The last thing he saw before darkness completely consumed him was Hazel and Frank, looking at him like he was crazy.
What am I even thinking, he thought to himself. As if I could join them…they'd shun me faster than…ngh…than…
He never even finished the thought as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Even at Frank's top speed, it took almost half a day to reach the Grecian shores. Hazel could tell he was exhausted and told him to touch down at the nearest port. They wandered a random town (some place they found was called Malta) and asked people if they had seen a small teenage Latino guy who kinda looked like he shouldn't be given sharp objects but still handled them anyway.
No one knew.
Both of them sighed and exited a coffee shop that overlooked the docks. It was kinda nice.
"Pardon me," a voice called. "But you said you were looking for someone?"
Hazel and Frank turned to see a lovely young woman walking towards them. She had beautiful caramel-colored hair and almond-shaped eyes. She wore a lovely white dress tied at the waist with golden rope.
"My name is Calypso," she said sweetly. "I heard you needed help."
"Calypso?" Frank asked. "Isn't that the name of some Greek thingie?"
Calypso raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I can tell you're Roman, so I might as well let the insults slide. Yes, I am that Calypso of myth, daughter of Atlas and previous prisoner of Ogygia."
She gestured for them to follow. "I have a botanical garden shop just down the street. You two look like you need some calming herbal tea."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Hazel asked.
"You don't," Calypso answered. "But I'm your best bet at finding Leo Valdez before it's too late."
Frank and Hazel exchanged a glance and reluctantly followed the Titaness down the street.
Thad walked into the sleeping quarters with a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup. Nemos was currently manning the helm, so it was up to Thad to check on their sickly guest.
The boy—Leo, he said his name was—had gotten worse in the past day. His foot, which had been broken before, was starting to get an infection. His temperature was so high Thad had considered calling in the World Records book to take the information down. He was sweating like crazy, but had begun to shiver.
His breathing was raspy and pained, and the boy did not wake up for more than a few minutes at a time. He was far too weak.
Thad wished they were closer to Malta, the nearest rock that had a hospital. They had found Leo on a deserted sand bar far off the coast. Nemos had sworn he saw the boy fall from the sky, hitting the water hard and ending up lying on the sandbar. If the sandbar hadn't been there, the boy might have died.
Thad set the soup down onto the table and shook Leo's shoulders. "Boy," he said. "Wake up."
Leo cracked open a single brown eye. It was hazy and bloodshot. Thad realized he might not even know he was awake.
"I bring food," he tried to say. English was hard for Thad. How this possibly American boy had ended up here was a mystery, but Thad had no time to dwell on how he got into the ocean. He needed to care for this lad while they sped for Malta—which was a whole day away at their little boat's top speed.
"Eat, friend," he urged, trying to spoon a bit of soup into Leo's mouth. Leo swallowed a few bits before turning his head away.
Thad sighed and tried to take a wet towel to the boy's head. It sizzled and steamed.
"Ngh," Leo moaned.
"Hang on there, friend Leo," Thad reassured him. "Do not give up."
Leo groaned, "Cold…"
"Do not think of cold. Think of other thing. Girl you like."
The boy shook his head. "Hazel…"
"Girl named Hazel?" Thad smiled. "She pretty?"
"Hazel…and…Frank…"
Thad blinked. "Oh? Boy and girl? How you choose?"
"Already a…couple…"
Ah, Thad thought. This boy is fawning over a pair that has been together. "You tell them?"
Leo furrowed his eyebrows. "No…"
"Why no tell?"
"I…they…don't…like me…like that…"
"You know this for certain?"
Leo shook his head.
"Then how you know they not like you like that?"
Leo blinked in confusion. "Um…"
"I tell story: Many years ago, a lad liked another lad. He was afraid other lad not like him, so no say anything for long time. After a while, lad get up nerve and confess. Other lad actually like him! They get together. Happy ending."
"How would you…know…?"
Thad grinned. "I am shy lad. Nemos is the other one. Point is, do not fight feelings. Confusing time is teenage time. Let feelings come. Say something to couple. Worst happens is they say no."
The boy's eyes widened a little. His gaze focused just a bit. "…feelings…" he repeated. Leo looked down at his chest. "I guess…I do…feel like that…"
Thad patted him on the shoulder softly. "Confusing time, friend. All will be fine in end."
Leo's eyes began to cross and his eyelids drooped. His consciousness was slipping.
Thad nodded. "Rest, friend. Think on what I say. Fight sickness. If not for self, do for couple—do for your Hazel and Frank."
"My…Hazel and…Frank…mine…" Leo slowly mumbled himself to sleep. He seemed a little better than before.
Just a little.
Frank shifted in his seat as Calypso served them some herbal tea. He might have been Asian, but that didn't mean he liked tea. At least the Titaness's shop smelled better and more natural than Iris's R.O.F.L. shop. He felt a lot calmer, too.
Then he drank the tea and all his fears melted away. The stress of the quest to Athens and the worries about Leo just evaporated into the tea.
Hazel hummed happily. "This is great," she said. "You made this?"
Calypso smiled. "Yes. It is a good stress releasing tea."
Frank nodded mutely.
"Now," Calypso said, putting down the teapot. "About your friend, Leo Valdez."
And suddenly all the fears about Leo came shooting back. "How would you know where he is?" Frank asked, suspicious.
"I had a vision of him," Calypso answered calmly. "He is injured and sick. He might not last another day. I am a healer by nature, unlike my father. On Ogygia, I cared for the sick and wounded, even the dying, because it was what I was meant to do. During that vision of Leo, I assessed what was wrong and made a few remedies. I also had a vision of you two."
Hazel blinked. "Us? Why us?"
Calypso smiled. "I know love when I see it, though I wish I could see it when I am affected. Would have made my prison Ogygia much more bearable. But you two…you love each other very much. And I see your love has spilled over to another—Leo Valdez."
Frank felt a blush rising in his cheeks. "Is it that obvious?"
"Now it is," Calypso said, giggling. "It is not that bad, Frank Zhang."
Frank's breath hitched. Hazel gripped his hand gently.
"Don't take it the wrong way," the Titaness said. "From the way you two are searching for him, I can tell you are all meant for each other."
"But," Hazel protested. "But what if Leo doesn't feel the same way?"
Calypso smiled, but didn't say anything. She walked over to one of her drawers and pulled out a few paper bags. Then, she pulled out what looked like a handkerchief.
Calypso handed Hazel one of the bags. It was labeled 'Leg'. "Apply a thick coat of that on Leo's ankle and wherever the infection spread. Clean off and reapply every two hours," she instructed.
She then handed Frank a bag that said 'Mouth'. "Spoon-feed him this herbal mix as soon as you get there. Give him five spoonfuls every hour for six hours, let him sleep for eight, then continue the cycle until his fever breaks."
The Titaness handed Hazel another bag labeled 'Chest'. "Rub that gently on his chest and neck. The mix should open his pores and help him breathe better. Massage that into his skin every two hours, like the leg."
Then, she turned back to Frank. She handed him the handkerchief thing. It was actually a little white cloth folded into a bag with a bronze drawstring. "This is for you, son of Mars."
"Thanks…?"
She smiled. "It is completely fireproof and the drawstring will only open when you want it to open. It is to house your firewood."
Frank nearly choked on his own tongue. "How did you know—?"
"How does any immortal know anything?" Calypso retorted. "You really need to know?"
Frank blushed and shook his head. He took up the cloth and weighed it. It seemed breathable enough. He glanced over at Hazel.
She instinctively clutched her coat pocket. "Frank," she mumbled. "Are…are you sure?"
Frank took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. I think I need to carry my own burden now." He looked at Calypso. "And if you're so willing to help Leo without even meeting him…then I trust you with this."
Hazel handed Frank the tiny piece of wood. He placed it in the bag and pulled the drawstring tight. He felt like a weight was taken off his shoulders. He tied it to his belt loop.
"So," Hazel said. "We've got all these remedies for Leo, but he isn't anywhere in Malta. Are you going to tell us where he is?"
"Of course," Calypso said. "I'm not going to do some sort of time-wasting test to determine if you are worthy." She giggled. "Really, who does that? Anyway, fly to the Southeast. It should be a few hours before you see a fishing boat. That is where Leo is being held."
Frank nodded, standing up. "Thank you so much, Calypso. You've no idea how much this means to us."
She smiled sweetly. "No, I think I do. Now go. Leo needs you…in more ways than one."
Nemos didn't know what to do.
Leo's fever had risen again, and the infection had spread as far as his shin. The poor boy was dying, that much was for certain. He couldn't even wake up fully anymore—just an open eye here and there, a soft groan in complaint, a twitch of the hand reaching for comfort. He was drifting into a coma, and soon he would drift into death's embrace.
Nemos and Thad had tried their best to treat him, but they just didn't have the supplies for such an emergency. They were still a long way away from the nearest hospital, and even if they could reach Malta, there was no guarantee they could help the boy. It might already be too late.
The old fisherman sighed as he watched Leo suffer in his bed. He stroked his beard in thought. The boy looked terrible. His curly hair was splayed out on the pillow, framing his face and neck, both of which were bony and covered in sweat. The rest of him was hidden under as many blankets as the fishermen could spare. Leo had complained he was cold, and at this stage, they had decided to try and make him comfortable on his way out. It was the least they could do.
Nemos put his head in his hands. "Poor boy…I hope your suffering stops soon…you don't deserve this pain…"
Suddenly, he heard his partner Thad scream. He ran out of the quarters and froze.
A huge grey dragon was flying right for them! A dragon! Nemos just about fainted in surprise. Then he noticed the passenger—a small girl with caramel curls. Even from a distance, she looked determined and worried all at once.
The dragon hovered over the boat long enough for the girl to hop onto the deck. Then, the dragon suddenly disappeared. In its place was a pretty sizable Asian teen, who had landed on the deck alongside the girl.
The girl ran right up to Nemos. Her golden eyes flashed in worry. "Have you seen a Latino boy a bit bigger than me? Curly black hair, brown eyes? Might have been holding a sphere thing?"
"Leo?" Thad asked. "We rescue him. He is…" his face darkened. "He is dying…"
The girl gasped. "Where is he?" she demanded. "He needs help!"
Nemos led her into their quarters. The Asian followed, his face set in determination.
Both of the teens lost their balance when they laid eyes on Leo. If possible, the boy had gotten worse in the few minutes since Nemos last saw him.
The girl rushed to his side immediately. "Oh, Leo," she cried. "Leo, wake up, please…please…"
The Asian looked extremely uncomfortable. Thad came up behind him and smirked a bit. "You are Frank, yes?"
The boy jumped. He cocked an eyebrow and nodded. "Ah, yeah. My name's Frank. That's Hazel. How did you know my name?"
Nemos smiled. "Leo has mentioned you multiple times."
Frank's face reddened considerably. Before he could reply, Hazel yelled, "Frank! Get over here and help me."
The two pulled out a few paper bags. Frank pulled back the blankets and grimaced at Leo's infected leg. Hazel pushed him aside, putting on some gloves. "Let me," she said. "You give him the mouth stuff."
Frank nodded and pulled a little spoon out of his bag. He dipped it in some sort of green/brown liquid and gently opened Leo's mouth.
"C'mon, Leo," he tried. "This will make you feel better, I promise."
He softly spooned the liquid into Leo's mouth and massaged his throat, making the boy swallow. Leo sputtered a bit, but Frank continued spoon-feeding him four more times.
Hazel, meanwhile, was applying some sort of seaweed-green paste onto Leo's ankle and infection. She covered it thickly, not missing any infected area. When she was done, she wiped her gloves clean with one of the blankets and pulled out the third bag. She covered her hands in lime green gel.
"Frank, can you get his shirt off?" she asked.
Frank nodded, blushing slightly as he tore off Leo's orange shirt, revealing his bare, bony chest. Hazel began massaging the boy's chest and neck, spreading the gel substance all over. She spread it over and over until it all had covered his chest and neck in a nice thin layer.
"There," she said. "That's all she told us to do."
Frank sighed and collapsed onto the chair next to the bed. "I hope he'll be okay," he muttered.
Nemos came up and asked, "Who are you two? How did you know Leo was here? And what did you just do?"
The couple exchanged a glance.
"Well," Hazel said. "It's a long story…"
Thad crossed his arms. "Well, we're a long way from anywhere."
Frank shrugged. "Well, I guess it can't hurt to tell them…"
Leo woke up feeling better than before. He didn't feel pain every time he breathed, which was a good thing. He also didn't feel so hot, so his temperature must have died down.
Leo opened his eyes, greeted with the wooden ceiling of the fishermen's quarters. He looked around and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"…Hazel?" he rasped.
Indeed, the daughter of Pluto had her head lying on her arms, which were folded over his bed. She had one of his hands in hers.
There was a grey cat lying on the bed as well. It was curled up next to Leo's waist, its tail curled around its pink nose. Its head was gently lying on Leo's other hand.
Leo groaned and tried to pry his hand away from the cat. It stirred and peeked at him with big brown eyes. It meowed happily.
The cat hopped off the bed and turned into Frank. Leo blinked in surprise.
"Frank?"
The son of Mars nodded and shook Hazel's shoulder. She yawned and lifted her head. When her beautiful golden eyes locked onto Leo, she smiled.
"You're awake!" she squealed. "How are you feeling?"
Leo cracked his neck, wincing at how sore he felt. "Better…"
She reached out and stroked his cheek. "I'm so happy you're better. We thought you'd…"
Leo leaned into her gentle touch, glad to have her here. "Never," he said. "You can't get rid of the Bad Boy Supreme that easily."
Hazel cried. She wrapped her arms around Leo's neck and pulled him into a soft hug. Leo hugged back, feeling tears on his shoulder.
Stronger arms wound their way around Leo's body. The son of Hephaestus gasped as Frank hugged him hard.
"Frank," he gasped. "Can't…breathe!"
He was released immediately. Leo huffed and puffed, gasping for breath. Frank rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry…"
Leo settled back down into his bed. "Geeze, I'm still recovering from certain death. And there you go, trying to suffocate me!"
Frank blushed. Hazel shook her head. "Don't tease him, Leo. We're just glad you're alive and getting better."
Leo smirked. "Aw, you guys care about me? Are we gonna do each other's nails, too?"
Hazel giggled. She punched Leo in the arm lightly. "Shut up."
Leo shifted. "So, how long was I out? A day?"
"Try three," Frank said. "You were sick for three days, according to those fishermen. We were able to reach you before you…" He trailed off.
Leo shuddered. He smiled. "Well, thanks for saving my life, then. It means a lot."
Hazel and Frank exchanged a glance. Hazel breathed in deeply before saying, "Okay…now that you're awake, we want to say something."
"Okay…?"
Frank's face reddened slightly. "We want to confess our feelings."
"To each other? 'Cause I thought you two already knew you loved each other…"
"No," Hazel said. "We love each other, yes. But…we also love…you."
Leo blinked. "Me? Why me? Wait…me!?"
Hazel giggled. "Yes, you. We both talked it over and…we found that we love you, Leo. We love you as more than just a friend."
Leo looked at Frank. "I get that Hazel would want me," he said with a smirk. "What girl wouldn't?" At that, Hazel rolled her eyes. "But you? I never…really?"
Frank was as red as a lobster. "Yeah…really. It's a little confusing, but…I found that you're kinda…charming and…cute…gods, this is embarrassing…"
Leo felt his own blush rising. "I…I don't know…what to say…"
"Say you'll go out with us," Frank blurted. Then, his eyes widened and he mumbled, "Um…that is, if you like us back…"
Hazel took Leo's hand. "We want to make this work, Leo."
She kissed Leo on the lips. Leo's brain short-circuited. When she broke away, just as Leo took a breath, he was being kissed again—this time by Frank! All he remembered from that first kiss was being on Cloud Nine…he closed his eyes and sighed when Frank broke away.
"Wow…" he breathed. "My first two kisses…stolen by you two…I think I did die. I'm in Elysium right now…"
He leaned back into his pillow and sighed happily.
"So, does that mean…?" Frank began.
Leo nodded. "Definitely. Honestly, I've been feeling the same for a while, too. I just never thought you'd be the first to make a move!"
All three laughed nervously, not noticing the two fishermen spies peeking through the single window.
Thad punched Nemos in the arm. "Told you they'd get together!"
Nemos rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry I doubted you."
Another day passed before Leo was able to walk. By this time, he was worried for his beloved ship again, and wanted desperately to get going..
They had arrived in Malta some time before, so the trio said good-bye to the fisherman couple, thanking them for their help in taking care of Leo—and in helping push Leo's love into motion.
At the moment, they were enjoying a lovely brunch at one of the café's near the top of a hill. They'd IM'd Jason already to tell them where they were. The Argo would be on its way shortly, seeing as how Jason had finally convinced the South wind god to cooperate.
Leo had a still hand placed on the table. Hazel and Frank had theirs on top of it. Every once in a while, Leo would get a peck on the cheek from one or the other, and he would blush and smile sheepishly.
Leo swallowed nervously. "Guys. I can't thank you enough for saving me. I owe you so much, but I want you to know…I didn't choose to go out with you because you saved my life."
Hazel smiled. "Of course. We wouldn't want to do that to you."
"Right," Frank agreed.
Leo grinned. "Okay. Just so we're clear." He chuckled. "Also…I know that third line in the prophecy makes oaths a little dangerous, but I don't care." He put his free hand on top of theirs. "We'll be together until the end. We're gonna win, no matter what it takes, against Gaea. We'll win. I swear it on the River Styx."
Frank and Hazel stopped breathing momentarily, then nodded together.
"Yeah," Hazel said, leaning closer to Leo.
Frank leaned in on Leo's other side. "We'll definitely win."
When all was said and done, Hazel wished there was another way. When Leo had told her and Frank his plan to incinerate Gaea, spending his own life force in the process, her heart shattered.
Since Malta, they had grown so close as a threesome. At first the rest of the Seven—minus Jason, for some reason—had been confused and astounded that both Leo and Frank were bi and in a relationship with each other as well as Hazel. She had to admit, it did sound a little strange. But, all three of them loved each other more and more each day, regardless of the stares. Hazel found that most of the time Leo just liked to cuddle, and she and Frank were perfectly fine with that. Cuddling was all they needed at the moment.
But now…
Hazel wished she had Leo to hold on to. She wished Leo was beside her, like Frank. But he wasn't. He had been blown up—by his own doing and by Octavian's stupidity. If it had just been Leo's fire, perhaps his body might have survived. But no, thanks to Octavian's Imperial Gold fireball…there was little to no chance of finding the son of Hephaestus.
She sobbed into Frank's shoulder, feeling Leo's death. As a child of Pluto, she could definitely feel it. It was terrible. Leo had entrusted her with the cure (originally it was Piper, but the daughter of Aphrodite insisted it be Hazel, as his girlfriend), and now she would never be able to use it if his body couldn't be found.
Frank hugged her and let her cry. His own tears poured down his cheeks, but he kept still for his girlfriend. She needed a strong anchor to hold onto, so he would cry about the loss of his boyfriend later.
The search parties were small, so it was slow going trying to find any remnants of Festus or his master. Frank had to stay behind and take a count of the Legion with Reyna, so Hazel stayed with him. Neither of them were happy about it, but as Romans, they had to follow the rules—especially since one of them was praetor now.
Suddenly shouting could be heard. Will Solace, one of the Greek sons of Apollo, perked up and ran off to the woods. Frank craned his neck.
A small group appeared, carrying something on a stretcher. It was a charred body, smoking and dead. Will checked over it and pointed towards the Romans.
Frank's breath hitched when the group came over—straight to him and Hazel.
The group consisted of a few children of Hephaestus, one boy with dirty blonde hair and one girl with dark brown. A smaller boy, who looked like he could take on Vin Diesel, was behind them, holding the back of the stretcher.
Hazel tore herself away from Frank's shoulder and looked at the body.
It was definitely Leo. His whole body was covered in burns, some of his curls burned away. His clothes were ruined, though his tool belt had survived. One of his arms was broken, though that didn't seem to matter, since he was dead…
"Will said you had something for Leo," the older boy said sadly.
Hazel nodded and took out the physician's cure vial. Frank asked for a syringe from one of the medics nearby. When the cure was ready, the group placed Leo's stretcher on the ground.
Hazel stuck the needle into Leo's arm. Frank, holding Leo's shoulders down, watched the liquid disappear.
The son of Hephaestus's body lurched, like he had been shocked. His mouth opened and he gasped.
Brown eyes flew open and locked on to Frank. Hazel laughed in relief. Frank smiled.
He leaned down and kissed Leo passionately. When they broke, Hazel took his spot.
After a moment, Leo smiled, too. "Did we win…?"
Frank ruffled his curls and Hazel laughed again. When Will instructed the Hephaestus kids to take Leo to the infirmary, they didn't leave his side.
They stayed with Leo the entire time, waiting for him to get better again, just like before. They never left his side again.
And when Leo was finally out of his casts, his first night was spent in between Frank and Hazel. He slept peacefully in their warm embrace.
A/N: Viola! Frazeleo without the smut! There are no hidden implications whatsoever. Just cuddles all around. Because Hazel is 13 and there is no way she would have that dirty mind so early in her second, modern life.
Maybe later in the relationship when they're all older they'll get dirty with the cuddles, but definitely not now :P