Leo and Nyssa
"Well done on not being dead."
Leo lifted his head from where it was buried into his bed in cabin 9 to see his sister, Nyssa standing above him
Being the excellent conversationalist that he replied with a noble,
"Hnnnnnnnnnnnngurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh"
"Brought you some new ice-packs."
That got Leo's attention. He was currently drowning in ice packs, which had gone warm hours ago. He and Calypso had landed in camp at about 4 in the afternoon, where he was immediately embraced by Jason.
Then was head-butted by Jason.
Then when he finally woke up he was sitting in the infirmary with a knot the size of a golf ball in the centre of his for head. Ice pack number one. Calypso had gone to put his things back on his bunk and to find out where she could stay, so Piper was sitting beside him. As soon as he stood up she threw her arms around him and squeezed him so tight he thought his heart would come out through his mouth.
"We thought you were gone forever. You were gone for five months Leo", she murmured next to his ear. "Five. Fucking. Months"
That's when he felt Pipers knee make painful coalition with his crotch, hence ice pack number two.
He hunched over, hands over groin and making a weird squealing/groaning sound.
"I was dead for like, three months. We came straight back. We were lost.", He said in a weird squealing/groaning voice.
That's when he felt pipers foot collide with his gut. Hard. Hence ice pack number three.
"Don't you try to lie to me Valdez. I talked to Calypso while you were out, ( who is a lovely girl by the way I've invited her to girls night tonight). I know you've been in the mortal world for 8 weeks now. And you only spent six of those repairing Festus. For gods sakes you guys have had a Star Wars marathon and went to Disney Land before you even thought to come here! Would it have killed to send an IM."
Leo had just managed to stand up after being floored by the gut-kick when Piper punched him in the face. Ice pack 4.
"Welcome back ass-hole"
And with that she flounced out of the infirmary.
He got Will and Cecil to carry him back to his cabin where he was given an awkward welcome home from his siblings then dumped on his bed and kind of forgotten about. Calypso had come back for a little, mocked his agony then gone to girls night. Jason had popped back up for an hour or so: laughed at his pain, talked a little then gone to the campfire with the rest of the camp.
Leo had thought he was alone with its thoughts but clearly he wasn't, and so after changing his ice packs he turned to face his sister, who was now sitting on the edge of his bed. Nyssa wasn't the most open person in the world, and there was only four things that Leo knew for centain about her:
1. She was British. (and even that was only because of her accent)
2. Her Grandma was from the Caribbean.
3. She hated fish.
4. She could kick his ass. Like...Any time, any place. She could floor him in seconds.
Believe it or not he knew roughly this much about all of his siblings. It wasn't that he wasn't curious, because he was, but because cabin 9 had this unwritten rule of don't ask don't tell.
That's why when Jamie came home one day with a cut lip and a black eye no-one said a word. And when Jake and Nyssa disappeared that night with a wrench and a sledgehammer no one even mentioned it. Maybe that was just as well since when the next day Chiron come round asking why Johnny Petersons trunk had been stolen, smashed up and dumped into the lake by two people in black masks the entire cabin could claim innocence.
That's why he spent most of his life at camp in comfortable silence, or talking about work. But this wasn't like normal cabin 9 silence. This was, well...awkward.
"Why aren't you at the camp fire anyway."
"Didn't feel like it."
Leo shouldn't have expected a real answer. Not from the Queen of talk only when you feel like it and don't volunteer any information unless you want to. He wondered if there was anything he could build while he was sitting, but for the first time in his life nothing really sprang to mind. Maybe he could try to make another Valdezinator...?
"I was IMing someone. From the Roman Camp. We hit it off when they were over here and now we're kind of sort of doing a long-distance-ish thing. We visit each other through the mist portals when we can."
Leo cracked a grin. Teasing big sisters about their boyfriends was definitely an annoying little brother thing that Leo was happy to oblige to.
"A roman huh? What's this guy's name? Godly parent? Look like? Size? He a good kisser? Come on Nys' I need details."
Nyssa looked at him a moment -as if he had said something wrong- but then she cracked a rare smile and turned to face Leo, swinging her legs onto the bed.
"Her name is Leila", well shit. Leo guessed that this was the kind of mistake you make when you never talk to your siblings. "And she's a daughter of Ceres, which is roman Demeter. She's very pretty, very tiny and an excellent kisser...how about your lass."
"What?"
At this Nyssa groaned and put on a dumb Valley-Girl accent. "What's your, like, girl-friend like, like."
"Oh, Calypso. She is awesome. Snarky, sarcastic and completely brilliant. Most of the time it isn't even like we're a couple. It's like we're friends who hate each other that on occasion make out."
Without replying Nyssa got up and walked over to her bunk to grabbed her coat.
"Must be one hell of a girl, to make you forget all about your mates like that."
Nooooo, not another angry, terrifying girl.
"Look, I didn't think that they would care that much. They all had their happy endings and soul mates and stuff, so why couldn't I have mine. I had to be dead to get back to Ogegiea. since no man can get there twice, so I needed to get a corpse within the atmosphere, then re-inject the life. If it didn't work (and it might not have.)and I had left a note or told them about my plan they would have been filled with false hope. Better for them to be sad and miss me for a little then get pleasant surprise than a life time of maybe's. I thought she, all of you, would be happy."
This was the point where Leo was expecting for Nyssa to agree with him, tell him he was right. Instead he got:
"Jesus valdez. How thick can you get."
"What?"
"You. Are. A. Moron." Nyssa spoke slowly and clearly, as if she was talking to an idiot. (Leo guessed she thought she was) "We aren't pissed because you went to get the girl. We're pissed because there are eight weeks where you could have told us you were alive. Eight less weeks of your friends hurting. They all love you, Leo. I love you. We thought you loved us. At least enough to put us over taking your new lass to Disney land."
By this time Nyssa was at the door.
"Wait!", At this she turned to face him,"...The tee-shirt didn't help. Did it."
"No Valdez it didn't."
She ruffled his hair as if he was five, and went out the door. Now it was just him, his thoughts, and a tee-shirt with #NotDeadSwag #TheSuperMcShizzleSurvieved #Flameonforever written over it in red sharpie. It had seemed funny when he had first written it.
Yeah. In retrospect that probably wasn't the best idea.
"Oh and Leo!", Nyssa had stuck her head back around the door. "Word of advice. Us other Hephaestus kids may seem a little...stoic, but that isn't always a bad thing. I mean I know it may not always be the best but...sometimes that's just what people need. Welcome back ass-hole."
And this time Leo really was alone.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
That's why when the next day Leo found Piper sat alone on the floor of her cabin, crying like she was trying to start a flood and clutching a letter Leo try to crack a joke. He didn't say a word. He knelt on the floor in front of her and, in silence, eased the letter out of her hands.
Hey Pipes.
I'm sorry honey, But something's come up and I'm gonna have to cancel on-
That was enough. Leo dropped the letter on the floor and wrapped his arms around Piper. That's when he understood cabin 9's philosophy of silence. Sometimes people didn't need some-one to cheer them up, or even to talk to.
Sometimes people just needed someone to be there.
Well that didn't take as long as I thought. I know I said I'd try some Thalia and Jason for anumij, But I had an idea for this one and it kind of wrote it's self. Thanks for everyone who wrote comments and who followed and favorited. I really appreciate it- If we could get a few more of any of those then that would be fantastic!
Thanks for reading-Robbie