I had quite a few people ask me about Hiro. Yes, he will be in this story, and yes, he will have a pretty major part to play, but that won't happen for quite a while. Just to confirm, yes he is a son of Hephaestus. He is also one of Athena's favorites because he is so smart. She didn't bless him with intelligence, but she admires his skill and watches over him from time to time. That's what I decided. Since you all wanted to see him so bad, here's a little bit of our favorite boy genius. Enjoy, and please review when you finish!
"Tadashi, no!" Hiro yelled, but it was already too late. His brother was already inside the burning exhibition hall. No…no! He'll never make it out in time!
He heard footsteps to his left, and saw a kid that couldn't be much older than him running towards the fire as well. "No, don't!" Hiro cried after him. "You won't make it!" The boy either didn't hear him or didn't care. He ran into the flames like he was born to do it.
The hardest part was the waiting. Hiro just stood there and stared, waiting for something, for any kind of sign that his brother was coming. And then—a massive crash. It must have been the roof, which meant… "Tadashi!" Hiro screamed. He had to be all right, he had to be, he promised he'd always be there for Hiro…
Nobody came running out the doors. Hiro heard a pounding and at first he thought it must have been his heartbeat, but then he looked up and saw this, this…thing enter the exhibition hall from the newly made hole in the roof. Through all the billowing smoke and darkness, Hiro couldn't exactly tell what it was. He looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, but nothing had changed. Nobody was screaming about a giant monster, he must have just been seeing things in the smoke—but there it was again! The giant flying creature was rising into the sky. Am I the only one who can see it? He wondered. I must be. Either that or I'm going crazy. He needed to focus on more important stuff, like what had happened to his brother.
Because there's no way a dragon would appear in the middle of San Fransokyo, right?
"So after Hephaestus told me that, the roof collapsed. I pulled him out of the wreck, but he was hurt pretty badly. Calypso came in through the hole in the roof on Festus. We got him onboard and then came here." Leo finished. He'd just told his entire story, from the blowing up of Gaea to his and Calypso's arrival at Camp Jupiter.
He was sitting in a circle on the floor with the other demigods, except for Will and Nico. Will was trying hard to help Tadashi, and Nico was silently assisting him for one reason or another. Leo would have to ask about that relationship later, because as far as he knew the son of Hades wasn't close with anyone at Camp.
"You really only came back to California today?" Hazel asked in amazement. "How could it have taken so long?"
"Time is different on Ogygia." Calypso answered with a shrug. "It isn't synced with the rest of the world. Weeks or months or even years can pass without notice."
"Have you contacted anyone at Camp Half-Blood?" Frank asked. "Jason and Piper are there now, along with Percy and Annabeth. They should know too."
Leo shook his head, not meeting their eyes. "I haven't had the time. We had planned on going straight back, but with the fire and everything the plan kind of went out the window."
"Well, you won't have to wait much longer!" Will called. "I have this guy just about ready for the trip back!" Leo looked over to where they'd laid Tadashi out on Reyna's desk. His torso was wrapped in bandages and his leg had a splint on it. Will was busy stowing whatever he'd been using back in his bag. "I've wrapped and treated the worst of his wounds, but we need to get to the infirmary at Camp. I don't have enough supplies here."
"You should get out of here, then." Reyna decided, standing up. Leo and the rest followed her lead.
"How will we reach the other Camp?" Calypso asked curiously. "What is our 'faster' way of travel?"
"That'd be me." Nico informed. "I'll shadow travel us five back to Camp Half-Blood."
"Wait, that teleporting thing you used to get the Athena Parthenos back? Didn't that take like, forever?" Leo asked.
Nico reached inside his shirt and pulled out a necklace with what looked like a caduceus on it. "Hermes gave me this when he told me to come. It'll amplify my powers related to travel and get us back in no time. Just turn off the lights and we can leave from this room."
"But what about Festus? I can't just leave him here." Leo pointed to the incredibly heavy bronze suitcase that his dragon now was.
"And don't expect us to just stay behind!" Frank said adamantly. "It's been forever and we've only seen you for like ten minutes."
Hazel nodded. "I'd like to come. We'd finally have the seven back together again. And can't I help you shadow travel, like we did back in the House of Hades?"
"I don't know. Hermes said only to get these three." Nico shrugged. "I don't want to mess with his magic when I don't understand it yet."
"Why don't you two just ride Festus to Camp Half-Blood?" Reyna suggested, gesturing to Hazel and Frank. "That way the dragon isn't left behind and you get to see your old friends again."
"That's a great idea!" Frank exclaimed. Then he got a real embarrassed look on his face. "Oh, wait. I have praetor duties…I can't just run off without any warning."
"Praetor?" Leo repeated. "Dang, how much did I miss?"
"That happened before you disappeared, actually." Nico told him dryly. "Remember the ghost mob in the House of Hades?"
Now it was Leo's turn to be embarrassed. "Oh…oh, yeah. Sorry."
Reyna cracked a smile. "I've run this camp on my own before. I think I can spare you for a week or two."
"Thank you!" Frank beamed. "Now, how do we fly a giant metal dragon?"
This, Leo was more comfortable with talking about. He didn't like the idea of other people piloting his buddy, but if it was Hazel and Frank…well, there were few people Leo trusted more. "It's pretty simple. Just press the orange button to make him go back to full size. When you get on there are some retractable reins you can use to steer, but just say your destination and he can go on autopilot to Camp Half-Blood. I'm not sure how long it'll take to get there. Probably no more than a day or two, depending on breaks."
"Can we leave now?" Will complained. "This guy will only get worse the longer he goes without proper treatment."
"Calm down, Solace." Nico rolled his eyes. "We know that. Come on guys, circle up."
Everyone joined hands. Tadashi, still unconscious, had his hands held by Nico and Will. "Now whatever you do, don't let go." Nico advised. "I'm going to shoot for the infirmary in the Big House, but it may not be exactly right. Is everyone ready?"
"Let's go." Will said.
"I'm ready." Calypso announced.
"As I'll ever be." Leo shrugged. He was really going back...in just a little bit, he'd be face to face with Jason and Piper and everyone. "Let's hurry."
Nico glanced back to Hazel and Frank. "We'll see you in a couple days."
"Go home, Greeks." Hazel smiled. She was still a little teary, but she let out a laugh. Frank smiled and waved goodbye.
"Lights, Reyna?" Nico asked.
"Got it." the praetor shut off the lights and Calypso's grip on Leo's hand tightened.
"Hold on tight, everyone!" Nico warned. "Here we go!"
Leo decided immediately that he hated shadow travel. He couldn't breathe and it felt like the blackness was going to crush him even worse than Frank's hug. But it was over in a few seconds, and Leo was very suddenly falling backward. He landed hard on his butt.
"Ow!" He opened his eyes and found that he was sitting in the dirt. "Man, what the heck?"
"Sorry, Leo." Nico smirked. He and everyone else were standing on the porch of the Big House. It looked as if Leo had unluckily appeared right over the edge, a couple feet in the air. Which explained why he was the only one on the ground.
"Your smile is creepy." Leo complained, standing up. He dusted himself off and looked behind him, at the rest of the camp. Everything seemed peaceful - there was no torn up earth, no ruined buildings. It looked like the sun was about to rise.
"Will someone help me bring him inside?" Will asked, gesturing to Tadashi's limp body.
"Oh yeah, sorry." Leo climbed back up the porch steps. Will and Nico took Tadashi's shoulders and Leo grabbed his feet. "Can you get the door, Calypso?"
"Of course. Where do we go now?" She asked, opening the front door. It was never locked, because you never knew what might happen to a camp full of demigods in the middle of the night. Their arrival, for one.
"Down the hall, last door to the right. That's the infirmary." Calypso nodded at Will's instruction and walked ahead of them. The living room was so dark Leo could barely see, so he let Will and Nico lead. Calypso flicked on the lights as the boys entered, revealing a clean and cheery room with six white beds. Why the sheets in Hospitals were always white, Leo would never know. Wasn't white really hard to keep looking clean? "Let's put him right here." They laid Tadashi on his stomach, as the worst of the burns were on his back. Will started to undo his temporary bandages, and Nico helped like he'd been doing it forever. Okay, that's really odd.
It was surreal being back again. Sure it hadn't felt like eight months to Leo, but he got the feeling that a lot had happened after Gaea's defeat. Nico being so friendly with Will, of all people, was one of them. What had been going on with Jason and Piper while he was MIA?
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Calypso asked.
"No, not really. Just stay out of my way and you're good. You don't have any injuries, do you?" Will added the question as an afterthought.
"I got hit on the head when the building collapsed, but I'm fine now." Leo shrugged. "Tadashi needs help more than me."
Calypso sat on one of the spare beds and Leo found a chair, which he sat in with his back to the door. It seemed they were only watching the others work for a moment when they heard something coming from outside the infirmary.
"What in the world is going on here? It's five in the morning!" An irritated voice demanded. Oh, crap. That'd be Chiron... all their noise must have woken the old centaur up early. Leo heard the sound of his wheelchair rolling down the hall. Leo remembered that the ceilings were too low for him to walk comfortably in his horse form. "What are you all doing out of bed so early?" Chiron demanded, sounding like he was right behind them.
Leo's back was to the door, so Chiron obviously hadn't noticed who he was yet, and he wouldn't recognize Calypso. I wonder how long it will take. Leo thought to himself with a smirk. Everyone but Will was now looking at the old centaur. Leo didn't turn around.
"Hermes gave Nico a message and told him go to get these guys. This one was caught in a fire and he got hurt pretty bad." Will informed impatiently.
"I see…Another son of Hermes, then? Will he be all right? Chiron asked, his irritated tone quickly replaced with concern.
"No, son of Hephaestus." Nico corrected, then pointed at Leo. "He is too."
"You were together, then? How much do you know about what has happened?" Chiron asked, sounding like he was talking to a newcomer.
Leo took this as his cue to turn around. He leaned back in his chair so he was looking at Chiron upside down. "A lot, actually."
The look on his face was priceless. His jaw dropped and he stared at Leo for what felt like a full minute. "You...you've...Leo!"
"Come on, I haven't been gone long enough for you to forget my gorgeous face!" Leo grinned, and turned around all the way. His head had started to hurt sitting the other way.
"Where have you been?" Chiron demanded, still looking shocked.
"He went to get me." Calypso told the centaur brightly. "My name is Calypso."
Now Chiron looked even more surprised. "Calypso! Leo, you went to Ogygia?"
"I went back, actually. First time I was there because Khione blasted me off the Argo II. But I promised to get Calypso off the island, and I did." Leo told him proudly.
And now Chiron looked as if his head was about to explode. Leo supposed that in all his years of hero training he couldn't have heard a tale like this. "I can see there's quite the story to tell. Why don't we let Will work in peace?"
"I'm staying." Nico decided. "This is a lot of work for one person."
"Fine then, fine." Chiron said absently. "Leo, Calypso? Please come with me."
He led them back into the living room, where they sat down on the couches. Chiron looked at them and simply raised an eyebrow. "Well?"
And so Leo and Calypso once again told their story. Chiron interrupted every now and again to ask questions. When they finished, he began filling them in on what had happened since the battle with Gaea.
From what he'd said, it had taken almost a month to finish repairs. During that time, there had been funerals for all the demigods who had died in the fight—including Leo himself. He looked away at that part. Things had pretty much gone back to normal after that, with all the Romans except for Jason going back to California. Percy and Annabeth had started going to school in the city, though they were apparently here on spring break now. Jason had taken the task of organizing the construction of monuments for all the gods. All of them. Piper was helping, but it sounded like a huge job. And according to Chiron Nico had been hanging around too, and in that time he had become close with Will and a few other campers. That's good for him, he was always so lonely before. Leo thought. I wonder why he picked Will as a friend, though. They're so different.
By the time they finished talking, the sun was well over the horizon and the campers were probably beginning to head off to breakfast. Leo heard a large sigh coming from the infirmary. Will emerged, followed closely by Nico, who shut the door. Will flopped down on the end of the couch Leo was sitting on with Calypso. Nico sat on its arm.
"Uuugh, I'm so tired..." The son of Apollo companied. "That was not what I wanted to do first thing in the morning."
"How is Tadashi?" Leo asked.
"His right leg is broken and he has a mix of second and third degree burns all along his torso. About ninety percent of his body is covered in bruises and smaller burns. Also a concussion, so he'll be out for a few more hours." Will groaned again. "I did the best I could to speed the healing process, but I don't want him out of bed for at least a couple weeks. He'll make a full recovery, but those burns will leave some ugly scars."
"Get something to eat and go rest in your cabin." Chiron advised. "Come on, breakfast has already started. Leo, Calypso, are you two coming?"
"Umm..." Leo wasn't quite ready to appear in front of the entire camp.
"Give us a moment. We'll join you in a bit." Calypso told Chiron when she saw the uncomfortable look on Leo's face.
"I understand. I won't mention your names." The centaur said, then looked to Will and Nico. "Shall we go?"
With a couple words of farewell, the three of them exited through the front door. Once outside, Chiron shifted back into his centaur form and trotted off, Nico and Will following him to the dining pavilion, Leo watching them go.
"Are you all right?" Calypso asked, walking up behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll be fine. I'm just a little nervous. They're all there and I don't really know what to say or do." Leo shrugged. "How about you? How does it feel being back around other people again?"
"Very strange." She admitted. "I'm sure it will be worse when we go meet everyone else, I can hardly remember what it's like to be in a crowd."
"You'll be okay, you were fine back in the city. Besides, you're not the one who disappeared for more than half a year." Leo added bitterly.
Out of nowhere, Calypso leaned over and kissed him. Leo was glad his skin was kind of dark, because he was sure he was blushing. She pulled back a second later and smiled at him. "You are brave and selfless and a hero. You can do this."
Leo just stared at her for a moment, not used to such direct praise. Then he grinned back. She's so awesome. "Well, let's not keep our audience waiting! Let's try to hide, though. I don't want anyone to see us coming."
Calypso rolled her eyes. "You could not just walk up and say hello?"
"Nope! That's way too easy. Come on, just follow my lead!"
She laughed and followed him out of the Big House. They crept through the strawberry fields, trying not to draw attention to themselves. It was unlikely that anyone would notice them there, but Leo wanted to play on the safe side. They moved slower as they climbed the hill to the dining pavilion. They had nearly reached it when Leo realized something was odd. Nobody was talking. Everyone had their eyes on the head table. Whatever cover up story Chiron was telling had to be good. He also noticed that all the demigods seemed to be mixed up - while most of the sibling groups sat at their respective tables, some had switched. Leo thought he might have spotted Nico's dark head at the Apollo table. The Poseidon table was usually crowded. One kid with black hair, two blond kids, and a girl with choppy dark brown hair. Percy, Jason, Piper, and Annabeth. Huh. Well, after everything they had gone through it would make sense for them to want to sit together. It also made Leo's plan easier, as the Poseidon table was right on the edge and it was still more than half empty.
"Wait here." Leo whispered to Calypso, and they hid behind one of the marble columns that ringed the pavilion. They leaned over on either side of it, just far enough to see.
"Wait, why would Hermes go out of his way to help get some weird Hephaestus kid here?" A random camper asked.
"We'll remember that next time you need a new weapon!" A voice called from the other side of the pavilion. It sounded like Nyssa.
"Settle down, settle down." Chiron said mildly. "The whims of the gods are ever mysterious. I think that it would be best to wait until the injured demigod and his companions are ready to talk."
Leo tapped Calypso on the shoulder. "They're almost done thing, I think. While everyone is still distracted we should move. Just sit at the table right in front of us. Try not to make a sound."
"This is foolish." Calypso told him. "But if you insist, let's go."
"Awesome. Okay, on my mark." Leo glanced out again. Not one camper was looking anywhere near them. "Now!"
They stayed crouched low and crept up to the table step by step. Then, ever so carefully, Leo sat down on the bench next to Jason. Calypso was on the other side by Percy. Oh man, do we have mad stealth skills or what? Now I just have to wait for the right time. Leo smiled to himself. The look on Jason's face would be priceless.
"…And so I ask you all to please stay away from the Big House for now." Leo heard Chiron say. "These demigods have been through a lot, we don't want to push them more than we have to." There was a chorus of yesses in response.
Well, here goes nothing. Leo waited for the rest of the campers to quiet down before he spoke, very loudly and obviously. "Oh yeah? It takes more than a little fire to scare me!"
Everyone went silent. Then, so fast it was almost comical, Jason and the others whipped their heads around to stare at Leo. Their eyes were all wide in amazement. One by one, more heads were turning.
"Hey, guys." Leo waved cheerfully. "I'm home."
I did it again, didn't I? Oh, the cliffhangers. But I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION: Would you like to see more flashes back to Hiro, like we had at the beginning of this chapter? (He's still going to come in as an important character later, this would just be extra stuff.) They wouldn't be long, but I can work them in quite nicely if you'd like. Click that review button and let me know!