Leo
Okay, this was getting freaky.
First of all, this strange guy with a black cloak, says to me "oh hey, don't mind if I get on your ship. just wanted to let you know I know your best friend's sister. haha."
I just stared dumbfounded at this guy. Jason had told me a bunch about his sister, Thalia. The punk-styled girl and apart of the Hunt. Jason had told me to not mess with her, so I'm guessing she's a more violent Annabeth. Just my luck to meet a creep-o. The person snorted and he seemed quite amused.
"Yes, yes, enough with being surprised." He huffed before continuing, "Thalia Grace is a friend of mine. Me and her go a long way back, believe it or not."
"So, what am I supposed to get out of this? You should meet the others," I raised an eyebrow before adding, "but you probably know since you've been, I don't know, stalking us."
The guy seemed a bit ashamed and embarrassed, as he tilted his head toward the floor slightly. He cleared his throat and gazed up at the small latino.
"If I met them, it would cause...problems. Especially since one of them knew me before this whole... 'stalker thing' as you would call it." The so called other 'demi-god' as he claimed scratched his neck a tad. It was almost as if he was...ashamed? I decided not to ask him about it and rolled my eyes.
"So..? You want me to keep this a secret, huh?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"If you could, Valdez, that would make your life and my life easier." He hummed.
The boy in the cloak paused for a second, as if debating with himself. He finally looked towards me and said something that mildly surprised me, "I suppose since you're keeping this secret; I believe I can trust you with my identity. It's not like you'll recognize me or anything, so it'll be fine." I snorted and gave out a slight chuckle. Maybe if this guy weren't some spy-agent or something, they'd be great friends. I nodded simply and did a gesture to my mouth showing I'd keep it shut.
The boy slowly pulled off his hood from his cloak. it revealed a boy with messy black/dark brown hair. He had sea-green eyes and a slight scar on his left cheek. His smile was surprisingly warm, but his eyes gave off a bit imitation which basically read 'mess with me or someone gets hurt' sort of glare. He chuckled and waved his hand.
"Hello? Earth to Leo? I know I'm handsome, but no need to stare." He chuckled, adding a sassy tone to his voice.
"Psssh. I'm the Fire-Hot-Flaming-Burning-Mc-Shizzle-Man! There's no way no one can ever get more handsomer than me." I countered, pushing my hand through my hair while wiggling my eyebrows.
The boy laughed. A genuine laugh, but it was stiffy, like the guy hadn't laughed in years. I smiled, putting my hand down to place it on my hip.
"So...mind telling me your name, oh great stranger of the day and night?" I questioned, adjusting my goggles.
"Oh, how could I forget?" The boy cleared his throat and took a bow, "Percy Jackson at your service."
I was stunned. I didn't know this guy...but the name...
Percy Jackson.
Where have I heard it from?
I tried to clear my head and think of where I heard that name from. It sounded oddly familiar, like someone had mentioned him before. I could swear my brain was screaming 'Leo-freaking-Valdez, you idiot! It should be obvious!' But I couldn't wrap my mind around it. I kept repeating Percy Jackson in my head until I utterly gave up and smiled at the boy.
"Nice! Leo Valdez, but you already know that." I laughed, ruffling his dark hair.
Percy started to whine, "Not the hair, man! Not the hair!"
I continued to laugh and ruffled the taller boy's hair, on my tippy-toes.
Suddenly, I heard a knock coming from outside the stables.
It was Annabeth.
"Leo? Leo! We need you on the deck. Festus is acting weird and I don't know what he's saying. Are you in there?" She called.
I saw Percy stiffen at her voice and panic rising into his sea-green eyes.
'Hide' I mouthed to him, pointing rapidly toward one of the stables. Percy seemed to understand and nodded, bolting towards one of the stables as fast as he possibly could while being quiet. I was amazed that he managed not to make a peep and successfully hide behind one of the stable's gate. I sighed with relief as the daughter of Athena entered.
"Leo! Answer when I'm calling you!" She huffed bossily, "Don't scare me like that! For a second I thought you were being kidnapped or had run off!" She seemed to notice something was up, because she narrowed her eyes and looked at me. "What are you looking at?" Annabeth asked, her stormy gray eyes piercing into my skin. Man, that girl was sca-ry!
"Nothing, I was just thinking aloud." I replied, mentally scolding myself. She's smarter than that, Leo! She's the daughter of freaking Athena! Goddess of wisdom! She is not going to buy this lame excuse! I hushed the voice mentally and awaited for her reply. Annabeth seemed to be thinking if I was telling the truth or not, but sighed and gave in.
"Fine," she replied simply, "I'll let it slide this time, Valdez. You better be telling the truth, or else I will find out what's been bugging you. Don't think I won't get Piper and Jason into this mess if I know something's wrong, you hear me?" I quickly nodded as she glared at me one more time before adding, "If you didn't hear me, I'll repeat myself again, Festus is freaking out and we need you on deck. Come on, Leo!" The daughter of Athena whirled around and started to walk out of the stables.
"I'll be there in a minute, Annie!" I called, smiling slightly. As I closed the door I could hear Annabeth yelling back, 'don't call me Annie!' I chuckled as the door made a quiet 'click!' I spun around toward the stables. "You can come out now, Perce." I said in a tad quieter tone of voice. I heard a sniff and Percy stood up, seeming to wipe away a tear. A tear? I heard Percy mutter something in Ancient Greece.
"You alright, dude? You seem a bit shaken up there, buddy." I hummed, raising an eye brow at him.
Percy flashed me a reassuring smile. I knew that smile. That was the smile I used to reassure the team when I myself was scared. I had become a master at that smile, how could I not recognize it? I decided to let it go. If Percy was anything like me, he wouldn't want me being nosy about it. But I promised myself to question him about it later.
"Yeah, sorry. Just a bit spooked." He chuckled quietly. He glanced around and finally made eye contact with me. "Can I ask you for a favor, Leo?" Percy asked, wiping his eyes again with his arm.
"Of course, bro. What do you need?" Now, I haven't known Percy for less than thirty minutes, but I had a weird feeling I could trust him. There was this brotherly tone of voice he used. Helpful, kind, protective. I've always looked up to most of my friends as a brother or sister. Because, lets face it, I'm probably most likely never going to get a girlfriend.
Unless...
I huffed in my mind. Worry about Calypso later! I'll find her and save her once my plan unfolds. I shook my head slightly. Getting off topic, brain! I was pulled back into reality when Percy spoke again.
"Could you help me hide in here? I think this'll be my hiding place for your journey. I still need to watch after you guys, y'know? If it isn't a hassle, you think you can smuggle food in here? When it's dinner, breakfast and stuff like that?"Percy explained, meeting my eyes slowly.
I was baffled that he would ask, "What? Of course! Why wouldn't I? I do appreciate the protection, even if it's just a bit. It makes me feel reassured in some way, y'know?" I answered fairly quickly. Percy seemed surprised, but his eyes softened as he nodded.
"Thanks, Leo." He hummed, giving me another nod.
"Any time, Perce." I replied with a smile.
I turned my head toward the stable doors, "Anyways, Annabeth is probably going to get suspicious if I don't arrive soon. I'll get you some blankets and pillows along with dinner once the whole Festus problem is resolved."
Percy simply nodded and smiled again, "Alright, be careful and don't blow your cover. 'Cause that would suck." he laughed.
I chuckled and opened the stable's door, "Gotcha and same goes for you. I'll try to come back quickly. Get cozy!"
Before I left, I saw Percy's expression falter, but then turned up again. I decided to take my chances, "And Percy?"
"Yeah?"
"You can always talk to me if you...you know, feel lonely. Trust me, I might not know what's goin' on with your history, but I'm pretty sure we can relate on some things." I smiled sadly at him then left. He stared at me with a bewildered expression as I closed the door.
Click.
Hey, guys! Sorry for not posting very often lately.
I had a huge writers block and I sort of forgot about this story!
I was scrolling on here and checked my profile being like; 'oh hey, wait, i should probably update is.' After brainstorming ideas and such, I finally wrote this! I'll try to be more often on this series so stay tuned!
~Embelom
