Leo got use to the pain. The loneliness. The sadness. It swelled up inside him until it was nearly showing. However he didn't want his friends to know. So he put on a mask to hide the pain. The mask was like a dam. It helped stop the pain and loneliness from overflowing. He knew he was depressed but did he care? No, he didn't. Did his so called friends notice? He didn't think so. He was the odd wheel out in the seven. Percy had Annabeth. Hazel had Frank. Jason had Piper. Even after the war and came back, to the short-loved joy of his friends, without Calypso.

She became mortal when she left Ogygia. A cyclops impaled her with a spear when they were on the run for the third month. He blamed him for her death. Just like his mother's. And- No! He wouldn't think of that.

Leo looked up at the sky. He stood outside of Bunker 9. The sun shined brightly with little to no clouds in the sky. A perfect day to do it. He walked back into Bunker 9. He stayed in here for long periods of time and would only show up for meals so they wouldn't find him until it was to late. After all, he just got back after stopping by the forge. No one would suspect a thing.

He took out the razor he had in his pocket. He looked at it. The tiny piece of metal looked like it couldn't do much but it can. However, it was always looked down on. Like him. He walked to the back of the bunker. He felt inside his pocket. He nodded, the note, no, the letter, was still there. He seen Fetus' head on his workbench. "Sorry buddy." He whispered.

He sat down on the cold unforgiving ground. 'The ground was like life.' Leo mused. "Cold and unforgiving.'

Leo pushed up his sleeve. Scars littered his arm. Taking a deep breath, he made the first cut. MONSTER! His aunt's voice vibrated in side his head. Cut. DEVIL'S SPAWN! Cut. USELESS! PATHETIC! MUDERER! Cut. Cut. Cut.

It was the only way to release the pain. All those foster homes. Her... He could barely keep the pain in check. Over time though he learned to keep a mask. A happy joking mask. The exact opposite of what was inside him. But sometimes, a mask cracks and brittles the more you use it and he used his for a long time. And when the mask, the dam, breaks, the flood comes. A whirlpool of emotions that drive people insane. He took another deep breath. He was going to do it. Get rid of the pain. Ya, sure, Hades will probably be semi-shocked to see him in the underworld but did he care? Nope.

Slice. A long cut appeared on his arm going from his wrist to his elbow. Slice. Another one appeared on his arm. He smiled a dreaming smile, watching the blood pool out and down his arms. 'I'm coming mom.' He thought.

Leo began to feel dizzy. He leaned him head against the wall. However, he slid down so he was laying on the ground. He watched his blood pool around his body. The smell of iron filled the air. It was his blood. His vision wavered and got blurry. A few seconds later, he heard a dreaded sound. Footsteps. Three blows of color came into view. One had black hair and- 'Percy' Leo realized. 'So the all black one must be Nico so then the third is Will.'

They quickly filled his vision with blobs of color. "Leo- awake! Stay-" someone said. He wasn't sure who but he could feel someone lightly taping his face. He didn't even realize his eyes were closing. Nico pried something out of his hand. The razor. He didn't need to see clearly to picture the horrified faces of his maybe friends. "Sorry." Leo slurred out, finding out he really wanted to sleep. "Couldn't deal with pain."

He closed his eyes. "Leo- on! -awake!" He heard Percy call.

Someone grabbed his arms and wrapped something around them. Pain flared up but it didn't affect the son of Hephaestus. Slowly, before he fell into the arms of unconsciousness, he slurred. "Sorry dad."

()()()

Percy looked down at the little latino. Leo was breathing unsteadily. Leo looked up at us. Will moved him so he was laying on his back. Slowly his eyes closed. I tapped his face. "Leo, stay awake! Stay awake!" I called out to him. Thankfully, his eyes opened up again.

Nico seen something shine out of his left hand. He reached over and pried out a razor. All of us froze, our faces stricken with horror. "He wouldn't." I breathed out, my voice badly over a whisper. "Sorry." Leo slurred out. "Couldn't deal with pain."

Percy's breath hitched. 'How long?' He thought. 'How long has this been going on and we didn't notice a thing.'

Will took off his shirt and wrapped it around his right arm. Nico realized what he was doing. Nico shedded his jacket and wrapped it around his other arm. "Sorry dad." He slurred out.

"Save you strength!" Will yelled at him, feeling his pockets with one hand.

Will pulled out a thing of nectar. Nico jumped suddenly, his eyes fixed on Leo. "Will! CPR! Percy! Get Chiron now!" He yelled, grabbing his wrist and trying to feel a pulse. He didn't.

Percy jumped up and bolted out. Will leaned over and started to doing CPR.

()()()()

OLYMPIC NEWS

DEATHS OF DEMIGODS- 1

Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, committed suicide at Camp Halfblood in bunker 9 at 12:35 p.m. Three demigods, Will Solstice, Nico Di Anglo, and Perseus Jackson, tried and failed to revive the son of Hephaestus.