Salutations! I was so happy with the responses I got to the first chapter, and because one of my reviewers asked, I decided to post the second chapter tonight. I'm still in the process of writing the main part of story though, so expect an update every couple of days. But since this is a night to celebrate, I encourage you to pop some champagne/apple cider and enjoy!

Chapter 2

Leo vaguely registered that he was breathing. His head was pounding like somebody was playing a game of croquet with a sledgehammer. So this is how Zeus felt when Athena was born… was the first thing Leo thought of when he had regained consciousness. He didn't open his eyes; he doubted he could. Leo gave a slight moan, and a whole new set of throbbing attacked his head. Suddenly, his stomach gave an unhappy lurch, and Leo only registered one thing: I'm gonna puke. His eyes weakly opened and he looked around the unfamiliar room. Fortunately, there was a bucket beside his bed. Leo leaned over and emptied his stomach into the bucket; If he'd thought the whiskey burned going down, it was twice as bad coming back up. He weakly wiped his lips after his bout and settled back into the strange bed. He glanced to his right and saw a large glass of water and a couple of Aspirin tablets. Leo gratefully swallowed the pills and sipped the water, only too aware of his delicate state.

But with his returning sobriety, there came a new sense of overwhelming shame.

He'd stumbled into that bar and drank until he nearly died, only to pass out bawling like a two year old! Leo felt his face burn in embarrassment. The bartender had been right in some sense: Leo was still a kid. At least, he was in the way he'd acted last night. But if he was to be fair with himself, he had a good reason to be… after all, it was all Calyp-

Stop it, he commanded himself. He couldn't focus on that now; He needed to find out where he was and how he got there. Leo carefully turned his head to take in his surroundings. He was definitely not at his grubby home; it lacked the clutter, random automatons, and the smell of burning oil.

This place was neat, tidy, and smelled of antiseptic. Was he in a hospital? Leo looked over and saw only one other bed that was currently unoccupied. A hospital, he concluded, as he threw his head back against the pillow. That was way too much motion for him, because Leo barely had enough time to make it to the bucket before the vile contents of his stomach made it's second appearance. He had only just finished gagging when the door opened and his room was flooded with a bright, burning light.

"Ah! Apago la luz, por favor!" Leo cried as he meekly pulled the cover over his head. It must be a girl who came to check on him, because he heard her give an exasperated sigh and a distinctly feminine voice quietly spoke to him.

"I don't understand spanish, sir." A young girl, then. Leo weakly chuckled before translating.

"Turn off the lights, please." Now it was her turn to chuckle, and she shut the door behind her. Leo winced at the sound of the door, but pulled his cover off just the same. The girl looked to be about thirteen, with long blonde hair and dark, almond shaped eyes. What beautiful eyes. Just like… NO! Leo scrunched up his face and closed his eyes; he had to stop thinking about her! A small gasp pulled him out of his torture and he realised he must have said the last part out loud. "Oops, sorry, I wasn't talking to you." The girl looked at him strangely for a moment before quietly nodding her head. Great. Now she thinks I'm insane, Leo thought irritably. He glanced at the timid girl once more before plastering a cocky smile to his face. Just use the Valdez charm.

"So, my pretty mouse, how did I get to this wonderfully clean place with you?" Just as he predicted, a small pink blush spread over her nose and cheeks as she stuttered to reply. Leo grinned at her embarrassment; he still had it.

"We-Well, you were drunk. And you almost drank too much, b-but luckily you passed out. I mean, not luckily! But, you know," she trailed off. Leo looked at her with waiting brown eyes. The girl took a deep breath "The praetor saw you passing out and brought you here. When I asked why, they gave me specific instructions to care for you, and to be aware of your….flammability." Leo now glanced at his bedding: it was all fire-proof sheets. "Anyway, they left earlier this morning, and told me to tell you that you are officially banned from all bars, liquor stores, and any sort of alcohol until you reach the legal drinking age. Meaning that all of the places that sell… that stuff… know not to give it to you."

Leo gave a weak laugh. It was so like Frank to do this! He really owed him this time, and he'd be sure to let him know his gratitude. "Ah, well, they don't need to worry about me getting drunk again, that sure as hell ain't gonna happen again for a long time." The pounding in his head had reduced, and he felt much better. "Can I get some breakfast now, please?"

After spending most of the day in bed, sleeping off his hangover, picking at the food, and flirting with the shy little maid, Leo felt tremendously better. When he could walk in a straight line, he decided to check out of the hospital. The shy little mouse, who's name was Jane, stopped him before he got completely out.

"Please, sir, the praetor said for you to remain here until they returned."

Leo shrugged her off. "Ah, I can go visit them myself and give them my most humble apologies," he said, giving a ridiculous bow that made Jane giggle. "Besides, I think Praetor Frank is due for a serious upgrade in his home, compliments of the Bad Boy Supreme. What say you, pretty mouse?" He waggled his eyebrows and Jane blushed before recovering from her giggling fit. All of a sudden, her expression turned from amusement to shock.

"You think it was Praetor Frank who helped you?"

"Of course," scoffed Leo, "Who else would help his buddy?"

Young Jane bit her lip before answering. "Reyna."