Alright. Here we go. This idea hit me a few weeks back and would not leave me ALONE! Seriously. During work I actually sat down and wrote down a piece of the idea on a little pad just to satisfy the muse picking at my brain.

To clarify my reasoning behind this story: I feel like sending Percabeth to Tartarus wasn't Leo's price. It feels a little too indirect, even though the Arai thing would probably make Nemesis happy. So, I thought: What would she actually want from Leo? Then this happened.

I'm a little nervous about this story, to be honest. The first few chapters are gonna be a bit fast (I suck at pacing at the beginning when I have the whole story thought out) and Leo might seem a bit OOC later on. Please bear with that when it comes. There won't be much comedy in this story either, sorry. D:

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO and their characters.

So, without further ado, please enjoy "The Price We Must Pay"

One: The Warnings We Must Sense

(set between HoH and BoO)

*~Leo third person POV~*

Leo Valdez knew something was off.

As he sat in the engine room, tinkering away at random things that needed his attention, Leo couldn't help but feel…different. For the past few days, for some reason, his left arm wouldn't cooperate properly. He'd tell it to reach for a screwdriver a couple inches away and it would just. Not. Work. Leo had to concentrate to make it move.

Eventually he would give up on whatever it was he was doing and lift his sleeve up to inspect his arm. But nothing was there. His scrawny arm heralded nothing but the usual scratches and scars from workshop accidents and monster attacks. None of them hurt, of course—they were all weeks old, some even months old.

This had been an off and on feeling. It was mostly when he was so focused on his tinkering, never when he was around his friends.

Leo sighed and scratched his head. What in Hades was wrong with his stupid arm? He thought a few moments longer than he usually did and almost panicked.

He repeated various sentences to himself: "The sky is blue", "She sells seashells", things like that.

He felt his face, smiling and frowning, testing out if anything was drooping.

Nothing out of the ordinary, besides the heart attack he nearly had scaring himself. Nothing that constituted him having a real panic attack, though.

Okay, he thought, steadying his breathing. Not having a stroke, either. Not that I'd want that anyway…So what is wrong with me? He glared at his arm. Move, stupid!

His arm did as he asked. No struggle. It acted just like his right arm did. Well, fine then!

Leo got up and shuffled over to his room. Maybe my body is just telling me to go to bed…It's starting to get creative on me, huh?

The son of Hephaestus sat down on his bed. His thoughts trailed away to Ogygia again, like they normally did. He missed Calypso…

Leo shook his head, exhaustion catching up to him. He laid down, hoping to dream about her again. The last few days he had had good dreams, mostly of him and Calypso walking down the beach, having a picnic in the hills, or even working together on a random project in his make-shift forge. He treasured those dreams. Maybe I'll be lucky and get another one, he thought hopefully as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

Leo was standing, fully submerged in darkness. He spun around. No light? Great. Leo lit up his hand in flames, but the light never reached past his body. Outstanding.

Suddenly something hit his foot. Leo bent down and froze. It was a fortune cookie.

"No," he gasped.

"Yes," came the revenge goddess's voice. "The time is almost upon you, Leo Valdez. Your debt to me shall soon be paid."

"I paid it!" he yelled into thin air. "Sending Percy and Annabeth into Tartarus was the price! I caused that!"

"Silly child," her voice sneered. "That was not my doing, nor was it yours. It would have happened regardless of your being there."

Leo shivered. Nemesis's voice seeped into his skin. It haunted him. He wished he could see her, because this voice-in-the-dark thing was creepier than Nico di Angelo popping out of the shadows.

"No," she continued. Leo could feel her smiling coldly. "Your price was yet to be determined. Now I know what I want."

The fortune cookie suddenly ended up in his left hand. It burned into his skin, melting into his palm. Leo never thought he could feel burns but boy, was he wrong! He screamed in pain as the cookie was seared into his hand. When the pain subsided, he inspected his palm. Right in the middle was a small tattoo of a black fortune cookie.

"When the time comes," Nemesis said coolly, "the cookie will break. There is no choice this time, son of Hephaestus. It will happen. What you felt before was merely a warning. You cannot avoid it..."

A/N: Okay...pretty obvious? If you don't understand what his price is yet, you will soon...D: I love how I'm more nervous about this story than with Papi! I'm weird like that...