Nothing Stands in Our Way

"We're still struggling, halfway through this journey

Our eyes are burning but we're not slowing down.

I wish we could have all the time in the world

But we have come too far, to give up who we are.

We fear nothing

We fear nothing"

-Lacuna Coil "Nothing Stands in Our Way"

Leo looked down at the ship's controls, preparing for their trip to Ithaca.

He hoped it would be enough. Hazel had worked worked wonders with her magic. If her plan fell through, it would fall to his plan, which wasn't much of a plan to begin with.

But if it wasn't a plan, then what should he call it? A last resort? Ace in the hole? A stupid idea he never thought his friends would actually consider?

Whatever. It was set in stone now. He just hoped his friends would be okay. If only so Percy could stop pacing the length of the ship. It was really starting to make Leo nervous. And when Leo got nervous, he messed with things. Then when he started messing with things, things would get out of hand. Then those things would lead to other things, all because he messed with things.

Gods, he had to stop doing that! He had absolutely nothing to worry about. The Seven had members who'd survived Tartarus! How bad could a bunch of dead jerkfaces at a party be compared to that?

And not just Percy and Annabeth. They'd all gone through some pretty hardcore situations, not to brag or anything.

Just think about Jason. He'd been taken in by wolves when he was two, risen all the way to praetor, slain a Titan, been hero of a big shot quest with no memory to go on, shot a Giant in the face with lightening, and that was all before they started their journey! Who cared if he were Greek or Roman? Guy was awesome in both corners, and it didn't change anything.

Let's move on to Piper, shall we? Leo beamed with pride for his friend. She'd gone from hiding in the background to fighting like a demon, proving Aphrodite kids had more than looks to fight with. She could talk the fight out of any monster, and that's assuming it didn't get smacked with delicious food beforehand.

Hey, what ever happened to all that food? Was there ever a time in the recent past where locals or tourists or somebody came across one of their finished battles, or the remains of them, and just found awesome, expensive food lying around, looking like it was used to beat up something? Did anyone ever have to ask why the ground was covered in meat, life a steakhouse that exploded or something? The local beggars/wild animals must love it, that's for sure.

Wait, what was Leo talking about? Oh right: Piper. It was amazing how quickly a person could change, and it was a good thing she did. Without her, they would've never been able to take out Khione.

And then there was Hazel, his would've been great-grandmother. Leo really wanted to laugh at their relationship, but it was just too awkward. But awkward or no, there was no questions asked: that girl had power. Swinging a gladius like no one's business the first second, the next using the Mist to make bandits fall off a cliff. Or hiding the ship. Or turning Jason into an old guy (why hadn't Leo taken pictures when he had the chance? It might wear off by the time they got to see Jason again. Darn it). And man, her horse was awesome. Not as as Festus, of course, but still an awesome animal.

Ooh, speaking of animals! Frank hasn't been talked about yet. That guy can shoot! And fight like a god (or son of a god, anyway) in human form. That doesn't even touch on what he could do in animal forms. Leo was just waiting for the right moment for Frank to turn into a blue whale or whatever, and literally crush a hundred enemies. Gods, he wanted to see that happen! What about an elephant? He could trample monsters, then.

Not to be too modest, Leo had to admit he'd played a little hand in things as well. Who else could pilot this ship like no one ever saw? More than anyone else, he was the one who build the Argo II. And maintained it. And worked their weapons and means. Like those emergency candles he'd given Jason, Annabeth, and Piper.

Gods he hoped those worked. He hadn't been able to probably test them before handing them out, and...

Whatever. They knew what they had to do. So did he. They might not understand, they might try and stop him, but Leo knew.

He would be the one to free Calypso. Once they stopped Gaea, he would be starting right away.

How did he know? They were the Seven. He was Leo. And nothing could stand in their way.

A/Ns: Hey, everyone! Dad told me to put Blood of Olympus down right when I barely started it, and thinks I'm actually working on homework (Ha!). But I can't stop thinking about what's going to happen, and I realized I had a bunch of challenges to dig into, so here's one.

This one's for the Album Challenge. As implied, you take an album, and use each song on it to create a different fic. I chose the album "Broken Crown Halo" by Lacuna Coil (it is AWESOME! Everyone reading this should go listen to it as soon as you finish typing your review), and this is the first song off. I think I got the feeling of the song pretty well, with the confidence mixed with the fear of what's ahead. To be honest, I'm more excited about the events to come.

Sorry if I sound ADHD. I'm really excited for BoO, and need to get it back! Besides, I think my state of mind helped me write Leo's perspective.

Anyway, sorry if this is sloppy (I did it in a few seconds), hope you all will review, and I'll see you on the far side!