LEO

I held my mother's picture close to my chest on Mother's day on the Argo II. I had stayed in bed since I woke up, which was about three hours ago. I held it close to me. I couldn't feel anything-I didn't know if I was crying or not. All I knew was I was holding a knife and my mother's picture in one hand. and I could see a bloody wrist in the other. Today I also remember my friends. Al, Bil, Matt, Jake, Em, Ty...

I had been cutting every year since my mother died- two for every Mother's day. So now, I had about sixteen-eight on each wrist. One wrist to remember her soul, and the other to remember how I'd failed that soul, so very, very much.

I sobbed loudly, and that's when I saw Piper and Jason burst through the door. They were the only ones who knew about Mom, and even they didn't know much.

"LEO!" Was all I heard before blacking out.

"Hey, bud." I could hear a vague, manly voice softly say. "You awake?"

I rubbed my eyes with both fists (like a child, you stupid baby) and opened my eyes. I found six faces staring straight at me-Percy's, then Annabeth's, then Jason's, then Piper's, then Hazel's, then Frank's. I quickly pulled the fuzzy blue blanket over my head. I didn't want to be awake more then a middle schooler wanted to do homework.

"I was hoping I wouldn't be." I said, my words muffled (even to me) by the blanket. God, this thing must be what keeps Percy so warm at night.

"Don't say that." Piper pleaded. I peeked an eye out of the blanket. I saw all of my friends somewhere near crying-Annabeth had her head buried in her hands, only her gray eyes visible. Percy had streams of tears trailing down his face, and Jason was this close to crying. Piper and Hazel were holding on to each other for support, with their hands on their cheeks, trying to stop the tears, and Frank's shirt was wet from tears. I curled my legs up to myself.

"Sorry."

HAZEL

I could not believe the fire bender had enough nerve to say that. He was sorry, when all we'd been doing was ignoring his very clear emotions and just focusing on ourselves?

"Don't you dare say that, Leonardo Samuel Valdez!" Piper said angrily, Everyone's head snapped toward her. Her face was completely red as she pointed a shaking finger at all of us. "This is our fault! We've been going and ignoring your very clear emotions and just focusing on ourselves! It's our fault, not yours!" She was practically yelling by the time she was done. Leo burst out f bed and yelled back at her, eyes glowing.

"THIS isn't your fault!" He shouted, pointing at his scarred wrists. "THAT'S MY FAULT! I KILLED MY MOM! I MESS EVERYTHING UP! I KILL EVERYTHING I TOUCH!" There was a silence in the room as her collected himself. At last, he managed a shaky breath.

"Did you know something? Did you know that at each and every one of my foster homes, my best friends died? Alice, Matthew, Jake, Tyler, Emma, and Billie. All dead-one of 'em hung herself, the other overdosed. Billie even went to even farther lengths-she managed to throw herself from and forty foot tree." He breathed heavily, then collapsed on the bed. He plugged in his ear-buds to his i-Pod he always kept with him. He scrolled down the list, until he came to a song that blasted even through the ear-buds.

"I am not afraid to keep on living
I am not afraid to walk this world alone
Honey if you stay, I'll be forgiven
Nothing you can say can stop me going home.."

As we waited about thirty seconds, another one we all recognized came on.

"When you go
Would you even turn to say
"I don't love you
Like I did
Yesterday".."

"Oh, Leo." Piper whimpered. "Why would do this to yourself?"

There was no answer.