A/N: This second chapter came out of me spontaneously. This is Leo's POV, and I'm pretty psyched! I had no idea I had it in me to be so thoughtful and poetic. It parallels the last chapter perfectly. I hope this gives a deeper look at Leo's character, or at least how I see him. He's amazing. Calypso is luckier than anyone in the whole book. I'm jealous!

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO

Leo leaned his back against the handcrafted mast as he sat on the wooden raft. He held the metal sphere in his lap as he absentmindedly tinkered with the wires.

He had been sailing for quite a while, and the wind was strong and the weather was good. The ride had been mostly smooth. Endless water surrounded the raft on all sides without any land in sight. He was completely alone.

Normally he was fine being isolated like this. Sometimes he even enjoyed it. He was used to it, anyway. But the solitude made him uncomfortable now. He felt uneasy. He craved land and people. Hopefully his friends were doing okay.

His mind began to wander, but Leo instantly stopped it. He was determined to keep his thoughts under control, and did not want to think about the one thing on his mind. It frightened him. He was experiencing such intense emotions— emotions that he had always considered highly dangerous. Part of him wished they would just go away, but another part of him wanted to feel those emotions. They were wild, and so strong they were blinding. But at the same time they were freeing, like he had finally figured out a purpose for himself. He didn't understand how he had become victim to those feelings, but he certainly had, and they were all aimed at one person.

But why her? Of all people, it had to be a goddess? This wasn't any different from the bazillions other crushes he had had on girls completely out of his league. And yet for some reason she seemed less intimidating. She didn't really glow with unlimited power, or act like she could obliterate him in a second. She was just a young girl who was... lonely.

Leo knew lonely. That was a territory he had mastered. He had learned the ins and outs of solitude, and manipulated it to his advantage. It was a tool just like any other that he could use to protect himself.

But to see her lonely was completely different. She didn't use loneliness as a tool, but fought it like it was a monster trying to possess her. She steadfastly refused to let her invisibility stop her from searching for someone, anyone who might finally be able to see her. For the first time since Leo had lost his mother, he realized that perhaps he hadn't taken such great advantage of his solitude. Maybe the monster had actually won after all, without him even noticing.

That's what had caused Leo to open up. He finally stopped resisting her incessant clawing and just let her talk to him. What he discovered was an incredibly talented, intelligent, beautiful girl with huge dreams and ideas. Despite the eternal curse, she still seemed to be fighting it with her deep desires and fierce hopes. Her determination after three thousand years was amazing, and Leo gained the utmost respect for her. Nothing could break her.

He supposed it was around that time that he had decided to take her back with him. She was helping with the boat after all, and it only seemed natural for her to come. The way she spoke of the future, like it was just something she hadn't gotten around to yet— it made Leo forget that there was any sort of curse at all. He had to finish the quest, but after that? He had the crystal. He would be able to come back. It astounded him that a girl as incredible as that, had been as invisible as she was. Three thousand years, and no one had come back? Leo figured that perhaps it wasn't that she was invisible, but that everyone else was just completely and utterly blind.

Leo looked up from the wires long enough to spot land in the distance. Relief flooded over him as he repositioned the sail to bring the raft in the direction of the small medieval city. It had a tall citywall surrounding it, and reminded Leo of those towns from fairytales. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a castle in the center.

After about a half hour, Leo finally reached the docks and tied up his small raft by the larger boats. Sounds of people and seagulls filled the air, and Leo relaxed. Civilization.

He wandered through the old city, passing by lots of tourists and souvenir shops. He finally found a nice little cafe on the seaside and ordered a cup of coffee. Leo never drank coffee. It was usually a terrible idea for someone with ADHD, but Leo felt completely drained of energy. He sat quietly at the table with his warm mug and took a sip.

Voices and other sounds of a social atmosphere surrounded him, and yet it felt distant, like he was hearing it all from miles away. None of it sounded real; it was more like an illusion, or a dream. There was only one place and one voice that seemed real to Leo. It was like he had just left a home that he never realized he'd had. He yearned for the comfort of Ogygia, of her vibrant smile, and of her warm laugh. He wanted to look into those desperate, frightened eyes and tell her to keep fighting, and to keep hoping, because he was coming back for her.

It was his turn to fight now. He had spent too long in isolation, and had to stop letting it suffocate him. He had hopes and dreams too, and instead of pushing them away he needed to hold on to them. He needed to use them to break the barrier between himself and the world. Those were the tools he could make something with, that he could build a future with. She had been fighting for much too long, and Leo was going to prove to her that it was worth it.

Now he looked up from his mug and saw Piper sprinting towards him in the distance. Behind her were Jason, Frank, and Hazel. It was time for Leo to put on his brave face again, and focus on the current task at hand. He took a deep breath and sipped his coffee. He had just enough time to plaster on a fake smile before being almost trampled by the Beauty Queen.

It's a little short, but I'm so excited about this chapter. I took the "Leo, you're a philosopher" comment to heart... He is such a Prince Charming though! I'm dying to get your thoughts so please leave a review!