Main Pairing(s): Frazaleo

Side Pairing(s): Percabeth, Solangelo, Jasper


Leo Valdez was packing as much as he could into his backpack being as quiet as possible. He pushed a few changes of clothes, a canteen of nectar, squares of ambrosia in a Ziploc baggie, a sleeping bag, mortal money, golden drachmas, ect. into his backpack and threw it onto his back. Leo wrapped his magic tool belt around his west and glanced around at his sleeping siblings with a look of sadness. He quietly left his cabin and looked around at the other cabins. Jason was alone in the Zeus cabin, Percy and Tyson in the Poseidon cabin with Ella asleep on the seastone roof, Frank was bunking with Clarisse and his other Greek siblings in Ares cabin while Reyna was in Athena's cabin with Annabeth, Will Solace was asleep in Apollo cabin probably dreaming about his boyfriend Nico, Thalia and the Hunters were in the Artemis cabin, Beauty Queen was asleep in Aphrodite cabin like her siblings, the mischievous Stoll brothers who always flirted with him were in Hermes, and Hazel and Nico were asleep in Hades cabin. He was going to miss them all. Leo started the trek up the hill and when he was at the top he looked back at Camp Half Blood, his eyes locking on the Hades then the Ares cabins.

"I'm sorry" was all Leo said before he disappeared into the night and out of their lives for the next two years.

Break

It has been precisely two years since the 16 year old fire user disappeared from camp and there lives. His clothes and a few valuables were gone from his bunk and bunker 9 so they automatically thought he ran. Again. It broke all their hearts when they found out. Especially Hazel and Frank's. They loved the Latino elf and him running killed him. They didn't even get to tell him bye, or how they felt. But ever since that fateful morning they all had been searching high and low for the missing elf. Nico and Hazel even went to the underworld on numerous occasions to make sure he wasn't dead. Everyone was losing it.

Why had he left?

Why had he run?

Why did he leave them alone?

Each day that went by was a shrouded in an impenetrable gloom. No one smiled, no one laughed, everyone was just depressed and miserable. Even Mr.D seemed more angrier and grouchier than usual. Leo had run from the first place that could be considered a home to him since his mother's death. He had run from the people who cared and loved him. He had run from his family and it shattered everyone. Leo was the fire that burnt in the mess hall hearths, he was the one who could make you laugh after your heart's been shattered to bits, he was the one who would help everyone that needed his help to the point where he would simply collapse of sheer exhaustion, he would crack jokes in the face of death, he would risk his life if it meant his friends would be OKAY, and most importantly Leo was the glue who held everyone together. Even if Leo was feeling lower than dirt he would plaster on the biggest smile he could and start making jokes with the Stoll brothers.

But the fact in knowing that Leo had left them all, that he had run from them as if they were another foster home was slowly killing them all.

"It's his fatal flaw..." A quiet voice spoke up from the silent circle of people that were sitting on the floor of Bunker 9. It was the only place that was truly Leo's where they could quietly mourn or come up with new searching strategies to find their missing elf. Every head slowly looked towards the blonde haired girl with princess curls and gray eyes full of intelligence. Annabeth looked around at the group of sad faces that stared back at her. Next to Annabeth sat her long-time boyfriend Percy, then Grover and his girlfriend Juniper, Jason sat with Piper curled against his side with his sister, Thalia, on the other side, then there was Gleeson Hedge with his wife and 2 and a half year old son who was silently snoozing, not even aware of the mood of the others around him. Frank sat with Hazel in his lap, her face buried in his broad chest as he patted her back comfortingly, Nico and his boyfriend Will sat next to Annabeth's other side with Rachel, then Connor and Travis Stoll, for once being dead serious, were seated next to her and Clarisse sat between them and Frank. They waited for the wisdom child to speak.

"Leo's fatal flaw, I've only now realized it..." Annabeth's lower lip trembled as she spoke and Percy reached to squeeze her hand. "Inferiority, he must have thought he was unwanted and not trusted, that we didn't want him around..." Realization dawned on everyone. The day's before Leo's disappearance, everyone was too busy and irritated to even talk to him, and when they did they snapped at him and yelled at him. Oh gods. Thalia made a swallowing sound and pulled a map of North America from her bag, unrolling it so it laid flat in the circle's middle.

"Wh..where..."Thalia took a deep breathe. "Haven't we looked in the United States...?"

"Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tex..." Grover wasn't able to finish his sentence as, just when he started saying Texas, Rachel's head shut up and her eyes glowed green as her mouth opened and green mist pored out and surround the occupants of Bunker 9. Everyone tensed and Mellie tried to calm baby Chuck as he started to fuss in his sleep like all babies and toddlers do.

The one you yearn to find
Has run to hide
A home that no longer is a home
Is where he now resides
Forever torn
Between death and war
The child of the flame
Is now his own bane

The green mist vanished and Rachel groaned as she rubbed her head, already feeling a headache arriving to torment her for about an hour or so. Everyone stared at Rachel before exchanging glances with each other.

"That had to be about Leo!" The small group jumped at Hazel's sudden announcement. "The one we yearn to find is Leo!"

"She's right," Annabeth had a look of deep concentration across her face. "This wasn't really a prophecy though, it told us something that has already happened."

Rachel suddenly had a look of amazement. "The fates must have decided to help us!"

If the Fates were helping them find their lost comrade then that means Leo truly can get anyone to love him.

"But it said: A home that no longer is a home is now where he resides," Piper bit her lip and looked up at Jason. "It said he was torn between death and war, which are virtually the same thing. There's no war without death." Everyone else had a thoughtful look.

"Perhaps the Oracle meant love and war?" Juniper supplied helpfully only for Rachel to shake her head.

"No the Oracle meant death."

A gruff voice suddenly spoke up, reminding Jason and Piper of the gym orders that had been growled at them when Hedge was disguised as their coach.

"The child of the flame is obviously Leo, but it says he is now his own band. What the hell does that mean?" Hedge ignored the glare his wife sent him for swearing around their toddler.

"I think we'll find out when we find Leo," Nico gave a bitter laugh.

Frank had been awfully quiet while everyone tried to decipher the non prophecy. He was the thinking about the non-prophecy that could help them find their Leo and bring him home safely. Frank and Hazel had spent more time trying to find Leo over the past two years than at either of the camps. Reyna was currently at Camp Jupiter where she had a squad of soldiers looking all over California for the Latino elf. Frank and Hazel both missed Leo to the point where they would hold each other and cry themselves to sleep each and every night since Leo left camp. Since he left them.

"Texas," Frank spoke quietly and every single mouth shut simultaneously and look at the child of Mars. His girlfriend looked up at him with her red-rimmed but still warm chocolate eyes.

"Wh...what..?" Her voice sounded so broken and Frank despised it.

"Texas," Frank spoke louder. "A home that is no longer a home...Isn't Leo from Houston, Texas?"

"Yeah," Piper frowned. "But he hasn't been there in ye..." Her eyes suddenly lit up and slowly everyone understood.

Without saying a word, they all dispersed and went to pack for their trip to Houston, Texas.

They are going to bring their fire elf home.