Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does.

It's Good to be Back

"Frank could you give us a moment? I need to talk to Leo."

Women, Leo had observed over his considerably short teenage years, are the real enigmas in life. 'Talk' in women language basically meant about discussing long and horribly touchy feely topics that he didn't feel like delving into right at that moment, but Hazel obviously was either ignorant or ignoring this fact.

Frank looked reluctant to leave Hazel alone with him, and seriously, Leo was giving everything he got to send discreet signals, trying to appeal to Frank to object to Hazel's request. But apparently Hazel was using her womanly charms or something that make guys do whatever girls want on Frank at that moment because the big soft-heart - after giving him a glare, ha like Leo was going to do anything - actually left them alone. Dangit Zhang!

The control room was pretty spacious but the sudden tense air seemed to make it lsmaller. Leo wasn't nervous, just jaded from what he's been through and resigned to the fact that Hazel wasn't going to let up about his 'strange melancholy mood'. He knew that out of all his friends only Jason and Hazel had picked up on his feelings, and he honestly didn't know how to feel about that. Heck, he wasn't even sure what he wanted actually, but to be left alone would have been a good start. Too bad Hazel had shot that idea out the window, and into the Shrimpzilla mouth.

"So~what do you want golden girl?" Leo asked, wanting to get this over with. The memory of Ogygia was still fresh in his mind, the deep seated longing for it making him sadder. He cast his eyes on the controls, trusting his instincts to navigate the Argo II to safety. Leo saw the reflection of Hazel standing behind him, and tried to crack a smile. "Let me guess. You've cracked a goldmine and needed a shovel?"

"I've hit a wall and I'm trying to get through," Hazel answered mildly, challenging his metaphor with one of her own. "And going around it isn't an option."

"You lost me there." Leo scratched his head. "So you came here to get a hammer?"

"Leo, I came here because I wanted to see if you were alright," Hazel said.

"I'm fine," Leo said, trying for a smile, hoping it didn't looked forced. "Really. Thanks for your concern and everything Hazel, but I've got lots of work to do. Ya know, big important work like steering the ship and making sure it doesn't crash into anything. So~" Leo said, not-so-subtly gesturing at the door behind her.

Hazel narrowed her eyes. "I'm not leaving." The look in her eyes said, you can't make me.

"Look Hazel, I already said that I'm fi-"

"Leo Valdez, don't you dare tell me that you are 'fine' when I know you're not," Hazel snapped, putting her foot down. Ever since you've came back from who-knows-where, you've been anything but fine!"

"What do you want?" Leo said, annoyed at her persistence. "I was marooned on an island after Khione tried to turn me into a Leo-cicle. I got un-marooned and now I'm back. The end."

"No. Not 'the end,'" Hazel said. "You were gone for weeks and then somehow you had showed up here of all places, completely different from the Leo Valdez I knew."

"Oh? And who was this 'Leo Valdez' that you knew," Leo said, his fingers forming air quotes in the air. He turned away from his controls. "Festus buddy, could you take over the wheel? This may take a while." A series of creaks issued from the haul, and Leo smiled slightly. "Thanks." It disappeared immediately when his attention refocused on Hazel, who stood up straighter beneath his scrutiny. "Well?"

"You've changed," Hazel said, biting her lip. She peered at him. "Before you were the light of the party, and now you're-" she gestured to all of him.

"Stop waving your hands around me, Hazel, I don't understand what you're saying."

"You know what I mean! You're depressed as if you're missing someone."

Leo's hands stilled for a moment. He tried to cover it up with a laugh. It sounded strained. "Missing someone? Haha, Hazel you're a riot," he laughed weakly. He hands started pulling things out of his tool belt. His hands were itching for something to do. "I don't miss anyone. Everyone's right here."

"Yet for you, someone isn't," Hazel said. She place a hand on his shoulder. His hands stopped tinkering, but he avoided her gaze. "Leo, you're my friend, and I just want to help you."

Once not to long ago, he would have flinched at her casual use of her 'friend' label, despairing the fact that the only girl that he had met who was compatible to him had friend zoned him, killing any romantic factor in their friendship.

But now, he looked at her in a new light, his heart beat steady. He had not flinched. He felt nothing. And it was then he knew whatever feelings he had for Hazel were gone, reclaimed by another far far away, bonded to an island with a weird, hard to pronounce name. His heart clenched at the thought of her, so he pushed it away, burying memories of his time with her deep within the recess of his mind, to be examined again when he had some privacy.

"You're a nosy Roman, you know that, Levesque?" Leo said, directing a sad but real smile at her. He leaned against the dashboard, careful not to trigger the many levers and blinking buttons, sighing tiredly. Hazel remained where she was standing, watching him, waiting. "Alright, say if I missed someone, so what? What could you do about it?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Remind you of what you do have right now. Leo, you have us," she gestured to herself and vaguely behind her. Leo raised his eyebrows. She looked ridiculous with her arms flailing about like that. "Every single one of us had experienced loss. We all miss someone. It isn't new. But that doesn't mean it gets easier each time. So, my point is, if you ever feel like you want to talk to someone, I'll be here to listen." Hazel smiled at him.

"You're making me tear up Levesque," Leo joked, pretending to dab his eyes with his shirt. Hazel whacked him lightly on the arm. Leo laughed, the first real laugh since he came back. And Hazel knew he was back. She hugged him, happy. He stiffened at first before relaxing and returning the hug.

"I'm glad your back Leo," Hazel said, looking up at him. Truly it made her happy her friend was back.

'It's good to be back,' rested at the tip of his tongue, ready to be said, but he swallowed the bitter words. Leo felt wretched as he stared into Hazel's earnest face, hating himself because he couldn't say the words she wanted to hear.

Though he had returned home, his thoughts flew back to Calypso and he knew with all his heart that he couldn't say it, 'It's good to be back,' because that would be a lie and Hazel didn't deserve to be lied to after cementing their friendship further.

So Leo said the next best thing that comes to mind.

"Yeah."

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