Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own PJ&O.

A little girl stirred. All she could remember was the flames rising higher and higher. The sweet girl carefully stood up, brushing all the soot off of her clothes. Firefighters and firetrucks surrounded her home, hosing down the fire. Shivering, the girl stood there, nervous and scared.

"You're awake," an amiable voice said behind her. It was a kind, broad fireman. He knelt down. "What's your name little girl?"

"My name's Esp," she whispered. "What happened?"

"There was a fire dearie. But that young man over there saved you," the fireman said gently.

"Like a superhero?" asked Esp, eyes wide.

"Yup," chuckled the man. "Swooped in and saved the day." The fireman pointed to a man in his early twenties talking to another fireman. "That's him."

Esp glanced at the young man. He was thin and lanky, and reminded her of an elf. The man noticed her awake, and walked over, a broad grin on his face.

"Hello," he grinned at Esp, kneeling down to meet her height. "I'm Leo, the guy who saved you."

"Are you a superhero?" asked Esp, admirably.

Leo put a finger to his lips. "Shhh, it's suppose to be a secret, but I'm actually the superhero Mr. McShizzle."

Esp gasped. "I got saved by the superhero Mr. McShizzle!" she whispered excitedly to the amused fireman. She lowered her voice. "But don't tell anyone. It's a secret."

"Your secret's safe with me," his voice caught with laughter. Smiling, the fireman left the two.

"I can't wait to tell Mommy," Esp's voice faltered, and she turned to Leo. "Mr. McShizzle?"

"Yes?" he asked distractedly, pulling out a large gold coin.

"Where's my mommy?"

The simple, three word question hung in the air.

"Where's my mommy?" Esp demanded again. "Where is she?!"

Leo was frozen, his face ashen. "I'm sorry," he murmured to the ground. "I was picking up some supplies for Festus, and then I noticed the burning house, and I couldn't just stand there. So I dashed in, and found your mother. She was crying and begging me to leave her. She told me to save you instead. So," his voice caught, a lump stuck in his throat.

"I let her go. I lost her in the fire. Again. She," hot tears spilled down his cheeks. "She's gone," his voice hoarse. "She's gone. In the fire. Forever. I saw her, and there she was begging me to let her… I let her go. I could've saved both of you, if only, but, she had me get to you first, and then the flames," Leo bent his head, sobbing into his hands.

Esp stood there, her face impassive. Then the girl broke. Her hysterical sobs echoed down the streets, and her pink cheeks were stained with tears.

Finally, their tears slowly subsided, and Leo gently placed his hand on Esp's heart. "Your mommy is right here," his voice soft. "She wanted me to give this to you."

He handed Esp a golden locket. The girl hugged it gratefully, putting it on and fingering the beautifully crafted jewelry.

"Thank you," tears springed out of her warm, dark eyes.

"It was my pleasure… what's your name again?"

"Esp. Esperanza," beamed Esp. Leo paled.

"Esp… Esperanza?" he stammered. Esp nodded. "Well, maybe I'll see you again, Esperanza," Leo grinned, waving, as he walked away.

"Bye, Mr. McShizzle," Esp called happily.

Esp hurried down the street, cursing under her breath. She couldn't afford being late to school. Trying to balance all of her books, the high schooler broke into a sprint. But, being the klutz she is, tripped over the uneven sidewalk, and all of her books tumbled to the ground.

SIghing, she restacked them, her nerves racing. Automatically, her hand reached for her mother's golden locket, but it wasn't there. Esp was slowly going into full panic mode. The delicate chain must've broke again. Crawling on the concrete, she desperately searched for

"Is this what you were looking for?" a man's voice asked behind her, holding the locket in his hand.

"Thank you so much," breathed Esp gratefully. "It was my mother's." The man had a strange expression on his face.

"Esp?"

"Leo?" realized Esp. The two hugged, grinning.

"What a small world," grinned Leo. "How's everything? Still remember the superhero Mr. McShizzle?"

Esp laughed. "How could I forget? When I was 6, I wanted to dress up as Mr. McShizzle for Halloween. My adopted parents thought it was the cutest thing in the world."

"You got adopted?" Leo's eyes sparkled.

"Yeah, it was so random. All of a sudden, I have a home, instead of an awful orphanage. How's everything for you?" smiled Esp.

"Nothing much," shrugged Leo, as a beautiful woman walked over to them, slipping her hand into Leo's.

"Nothing much?" laughed Esp. "Congrats!"

"Thanks," smiled the woman, a protective hand on her swollen stomach. "I'm Calypso."

"Just like in Greek Mythology," Esp shook her hand.

"Yup," a knowing grin slid on Leo's face.

"I'm Esp. Leo saved me from a fire when I was a little girl, and I would love to talk with you guys some more, but I really need to get to school…,"

Calypso smiled. "It's fine. It was nice meeting you."

"You too!" yelled Esp, sprinting down the block.

Mrs. Valdez turned to her husband. "Is that the girl you had Piper charmspeak the adoption agency about?"

Leo shrugged. "She at first reminded me of myself. All alone, losing a mother in a fire at such a young age. But then she gave me her name. Esperanza. The resemblance between her and my mom, was... ," Leo's voice choked. "I was given another chance with my mom, and I took it."

"How do you feel?" asked Calypso softly.

"Like this huge weight I had gotten so used to on my shoulders, has disappeared."

"The Fates gave you a second chance, Leo."

Please review! Thanks! :)

I first got this idea of the PJ&O characters making impressions on mortals, but then as I was writing, I came to this idea of the Fates giving the demigods second chances. I hoped you liked it! :) The chapters will also be named after the mortals the demigods meet. Happy Chinese New Year! (Does that make sense? Happy Chinese New Year?...) XD