My writer's block has finally gone away. Thank the gods! Thank Athena, Apollo, Coeus (Titan of intellect), and all the other deities that gave me the creativity to write.
Anyway, this chapter is also very angsty and contains graphic child abuse. Not all chapters will be graphic like 7 and 8, but let's face it, Leo's life is a horror story.
And finally, this chapter is based off of Sylvia Likens (1949-1965), who was tortured to death by her care taker. May you rest in peace and know that you have not been forgotten.
I also took bits and pieces from The Girl Next door, a book also based off of the Likens case.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
WARNINGS: GRAPHIC CHILD ABUSE, LANGUAGE
"Fuck."
"What a nice greeting," the boy said. "What brings you back to Johnsonville?"
Leo shrugged. "Our car broke down. I fixed it, but smart people don't drive a car a minute after you fix it. I'm sure you remember what happened to Ben."
"But then again, Ben was the one fixing the car."
"Good point."
Percy cleared his throat, bringing Leo's attention to his friends.
"Oh, sorry, guys. This is Simon Towns, an old... I don't know. Simon, this is Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Hazel, and Frank."
Simon nodded. "Pleasure to meet you. I guess I better get going. The House is still there if you need a place to stay; no one lives there anymore."
"Thanks, Simon."
Simon hesitated for a moment.
"I'm sorry," he finally said. "A few years, I was young and stupid and I didn't know what the fuck I was doing."
Leo held up his hand. "It's okay, Simon. I can find ways to forgive all of you except for Him and Mike."
"I don't blame you," Simon told him before walking away.
"What's he talking about?" Annabeth asked.
"I'll tell you when we get to The House," Leo told them before walking ahead.
"That can't be good," Percy murmured before the teens followed their friend.
Leo stopped in front of a fairly average house on a street of deserted homes. It was two stories with a basement and painted white. All curtains were drawn, and the house was run down and neglected. No one had lived for a long time.
"No one's lived on this street for about four years. I was eleven when I went in, twelve when I came out."
"What happened?" Jason questioned.
"There was a secret hell in Johnsonville," Leo answered. "Would you want to live near hell?"
They all shook their heads.
"Didn't think so. I'll show you."
Leo took them inside, using a key he found under the doormat, and he lead them into the basement.
The basement sure looked like hell. Ropes dangled from the ceiling, like some midevil torture device, and a mattress that could only be described as springs with a thin cover was pressed against one wall. A belt lay on the floor, and blood stained the floor and mattress.
"What happened?" Hazel asked in amazement. "It looks like a prison, only worse."
"It was a prison," Leo confessed. "I was forced in here when I was eleven, came out a month after my twelfth birthday."
"Did they torture you down here?" Piper whispered.
Leo nodded. "One policeman told me that my daily pain down here was equivalent to what Christ endured when he was crucified. The only difference was Christ went in one day; I was here for months."
Piper placed an arm around Leo's shoulder.
"Why would they do that?" Frank asked.
Leo shrugged. "I never really knew."
*FLASHBACK* (this flashback contains child abuse and slight profanity)
It was a Sunday, which was kind of ironic in a way, considering the Luis family was so religious. Leo didn't believe in God- not after what happened to Alexis and Bradon- but Mr. Luis dragged him to church every Sunday to 'find his faith'. He forced Leo to pray every night while kneeling on a broomstick; those bruises lasted for weeks.
Anyway, Leo had left church, but he'd gone to hang out with his friend, Madison. She was a sweet girl, smart, with long, curly brown hair tied back in a blue headband. Her green eyes were sparkling emeralds; the picture of her on the alter had been taken that day.
Leo bid goodbye to her at two in the afternoon and returned to The House, where Mr. Luis and his four kids awaited Leo.
"And just where have you been?" Mr. Luis snapped when Leo stepped inside.
"With Madison. I told you after church, sir, that I was going to hang out with her."
"Hang out? Were you just 'hanging out', Leo?" Mr. Luis sneered.
"What do you mean, sir?" Leo asked.
"Because Isaac here tells me he saw you two fucking a few days ago."
"What?" Leo exclaimed. "That's a lie."
"Lust and lies. Two sins in one day, Leo, how shameful."
"I haven't done anything," Leo shouted. "And I don't even believe in God, so why should I be worried about sinning? You've sinned more than I have, you bastard!"
The fist came out of no where, colliding with Leo's nose and causing him to fall backwards from the shock of it.
"You devil child!" Mr. Luis snapped. "Lust, lies, and not believing in our holy father. I should kill you and allow Him to punish you, but it is my duty to carry out his work. Maybe there's hope for you yet. Stand up."
Leo stumbled to his feet, his nose oozing blood and stared into the cold eyes of Joseph Luis, who flicked out a pocket knife. The son of Hephaestus stared at it, ready to bolt at the first opportunity.
Mr. Luis was holding his wrist now, forearm up, and he pressed the blade against Leo's skin.
Leo started struggling, kicking and hitting, but the more he struggled, the deeper Mr. Luis pressed the blade. After a minute or two, Leo was already becoming dizzy with blood loss. One look at his arm, which was now painted completely red, and Leo felt slightly nauseous.
Finally, Leo didn't have the energy to fight anymore, and he slumped forward, barely conscious.
"Mike, Isaac, take him to the basement."
Hands were grabbing him, dragging him towards the basement door, not caring if he was knocked into a few things along the way.
When the door opened, Leo found one last spark inside of him; he knew if he went down into that basement, there was a possibility that he would never come back out.
He bit Mike's hand and went to run, but Isaac punched him; Leo responded with a kick to Isaac's ankle.
"He won't go down!" Isaac shouted.
"Push him!" Mr. Luis ordered.
Leo went out with one last battle for freedom, but he didn't get the chance.
He was falling.
The boy tumbled head over heels down the stairs, his skull pounding against the steps on nearly every one.
After what seemed like forever, Leo stopped falling and laid against the cool floor of the basement; the door was closed, so darkness suffocated him. The only light came from the tiny window, where he could hear kids playing.
It was Madison with her baby brother, Kevin, and their father.
"Help," Leo rasped, but no one heard.
*FLASHBACK OVER*
"I was in that basement for months; neighborhood kids tortured me, slapped me around. They hung me from... those ropes and beat me black and blue.
"I wasn't in school; I wasn't anywhere, and I heard Madison stop by at least once a week to see me. They told her I'd been sent to a juvenile hall for arson; I could tell she didn't really believe them, but what choice did she have?
"One day, though, she stopped by. Whether it was at the right time or the wrong time, it depends on who you're asking."
*FLASHBACK* (the child abuse in this flashback is very graphic. Read at your own risk)
Mr. Luis was unusually pissed today. He was always ticked about something, but this rage... this was the kind of rage that made you look insane. It was the kind of rage that could scare the bravest person.
And like always, he was taking his rage out on Leo.
Mr. Luis was pinning him down, sitting on Leo's waist while Isaac held his wrists and their daughter, Kate, held his legs. Leo thrashed under them, but with the weight of a grown man and two teenagers pinning him down, he didn't stand a chance.
"Stop it!" Mr. Luis yelled. "Mike, get over here!"
Mike stepped out of the shadows.
"What should we do to the bastard child?" Mr. Luis asked.
Mike contemplated that. "I say we cut him."
"What do you mean?"
"Mark him. Let everyone know that he's devil spawn."
Mr. Luis smiled "I like it. Take my place."
The man and his son switched places, and Mr. Luis took out a lighter. He started to heat a sowing needle over the flame.
Isaac, gulping, took a rag and stuffed it in Leo's mouth.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, and Leo believed him.
Mike took the sowing needle and touched it to Leo's skin.
Leo couldn't be burned, but when he was cut, the heat charred the wounds. That would hurt anyone, even a fire user. After all, his skin was immune to fire, but open wounds... not so much.
Even with the gag in his mouth, Leo's scream was loud enough to be heard upstairs.
Madison had come to ask when Leo would return from 'juvenile'. She still didn't believe the lie, but she wasn't any closer to figuring out where her best friend was.
The door was open; the Luis family allowed people to come and go as they please as long as they shout a warning before stepping inside.
Maddie opened the door and went to yell who it was when she heard it. A muffled, pained scream from the basement.
The basement door was wide open, and Maddie sprinted down the stairs.
She couldn't believe her eyes. Her best friend- bruised, bloody, and beaten- was pinned under Mike, Kate, and Isaac with a gag in his mouth. Mike was carving something into his stomach with a hot sowing needle.
"Get away from him!" She screamed before she could stop herself. Maddie kicked herself; why didn't you go get help instead?
Too late now. The family turned towards her, and she turned on her heel and sprinted away, but Mr. Luis was faster. He grabbed her ankle and dragged her back down the stairs.
Leo was screaming into the gag, trying to tell Mr. Luis to let her go, but Mr. Luis never listened to him.
Madison was being tied up with ropes, and Mr. Luis yanked her head back by the hair, forcing her to watch the torture session.
Mike smirked and touched the needle to Leo's stomach again.
Madison wanted to clamp her hands over her ears and block out the screaming, but her hands were glued to her sides.
"Please stop," she whispered.
Mr. Luis laughed. "He's a devil child. The bastard deserves it."
The torture seemed to be never ending, but in reality, it only lasted a few minutes. Finally, though, Madison was tossed to the floor beside a semi conscious Leo, and the family stormed up the stairs.
"Maddie," Leo whimpered after they'd gone.
"Shh, it's okay, Leo."
Madison managed to climb to her feet and went over to a scroll saw, where she rubbed the ropes against the blade until they snapped. She dashed up the stairs and tried the door. Locked.
She pushed at the window. It opened, but neither could fit through the small opening and nobody seemed to be out right now, except for the occassional person riding a bike.
Maddie sat beside Leo, cradling his head in her lap, and she reached down with shaking hands to pull up the hem of Leo's shirt.
She almost threw up.
Carved into Leo's skin were the words 'Devil Spawn'.
"Oh my God," she murmured.
"Come on, Maddie. Not... that bad," Leo told her.
"We need to get you out of here," Maddie said, ignoring his comment.
Maddie was smart; she knew how to get somebody's attention. Gathering blankets, she placed them in a tin bucket; but what could she light it with?
Leo had caught on, and he held his hands over the blankets.
"Just... don't freak out, okay?" He told her.
She nodded, confused.
Leo's hands caught fire.
Maddie leapt back in shock, but there wasn't time to explain. Smoke was spreading fast, slipping out the open window and under the door, which was thrown open not even a minute after the fire started.
Mr. Luis grabbed Maddie by the back of the shirt and tossed her to the floor; her head bounced off the ground with a sickening crack! The man was trying to smother the fire, but someone had seen the smoke. The screeching of police cars and fire trucks and ambulances could be heard turning onto the street.
Mr. Luis was livid. He grabbed Leo by the neck and squeezed; Leo's face was rapidly turning blue.
"Let go of the kid!" Someone shouted. "Let go, or I shoot."
Mr. Luis glared at Leo before dropping him to the floor.
A police man hand cuffed Mr. Luis and shoved him up the stairs and into a police car. Another checked Madison's pulse and shook his head. The final one lifted Leo into his arms and took him upstairs.
"Maddie," Leo whispered.
"Shh," the police officer murmured. "It's over now."
*FLASHBACK OVER*
"Maddie hit her head on the floor," Leo explained. "Killed her on impact."
Hazel reached over and touched Leo's shoulder.
"Leo... I'm so sorry," Jason mumbled.
Leo shrugged. "Maddie's in Elysium; I know she is. She saved me in that basement. I never would've been able to escape without her. Her brother and father moved away; Mr. Luis and Mike are in jail for life; Isaac and Kate and a few neighborhood kids got out two years ago, and they're somewhere. I didn't expect them to stay here."
Nobody knew what to say.
"We can stay here until Festus is ready," Leo told them. "But we'll stay upstairs. They have enough rooms."
The seven slept that night. Or at least six of them did. Leo didn't even close his eyes.
Two days later, the seven were ready to fly out of Johnsonville. Leo locked the house up and prayed he'd never, ever have to return.
The ride was silent, and they made it much farther than last time. Leo almost fooled himself into believing that whoever was messing with them had stopped.
Until they were over Michigan.
The air was much colder here. It was northern Michigan- not more than a few miles from the Canadian border.
Leo should've known better than to fly here, even if it was the shortest way. Being so far north with enemies like Boreas and Khione... not his best plan.
Somewhere over Annex, Michigan (once again, totally made up town), Festus's eyes started flickering.
Leo recognized that, and it wasn't good.
The child of Hephaestus landed on a back road that hadn't been used in years.
"Khione and Boreas are messing with us again," Leo said as he started thawing Festus's frozen wiring.
"Damn it," Jason cursed. "What now?"
"Well, the wiring is unfrozen, but it'll take a while to his heat back up. In the mean time, I think we should-"
"Leo?"
"Shit," he hissed.
He knew he recognized this road. But he hadn't seen the construction on the bridge that faced a lake. There a thin sheet of ice over it, and this construction had obviously been forgotten about. The cones and tape were old and ripped in places.
"I know where we are," Leo finally told them.
"That doesn't sound good."
"It isn't."
A few things to clear up. First of all, Simon is a neighborhood kid that tortured Leo in the basement when he was younger. He didn't know that it was wrong until it was too late, and now, he regrets it. That's why he acted so weird around Leo.
And also, I know I said that Mr. Luis has four kids, but only mentioned three. The other one is a baby named Luna, but she really didn't have anything to do with the flashbacks.
Thanks for reading! Three alters down, four more to go.
My plan is to do the Asian boy's, the blonde girl with the bandana's, the African American boy's, and then, the gray eyed girl's. See you next time!
