This story's getting intense, huh? :3 Wonder what's gonna happen next!

I own nothing you recognize as canon.

Afraid

Jason found Leo a few hours after the campers split off to help search. One of the counselors had collided with Jason and told him the bad news about the imp's identity, to which he was rightfully horrified.

The current Percy had created had dragged Leo far—all the way to the river, which led to the edge of the lake. He was face-up, bottom half floating in the gentle waves. The wound Percy had given him had stopped bleeding, but the ground around him was covered in blood—a lot of blood.

Jason was glad to see Leo was back to being human. If it hadn't been for the wound in his gut, along with only wearing burned boxers, Jason might've believed Leo was never the fire imp.

Jason reached down and cradled Leo's head in his hands. Leo groaned and opened his eyes. They were cloudy and unfocused.

"…Jason…?" he slurred. "W-Wh…where am…I?"

Before Jason could answer, Leo's head lolled and he fell unconscious again.

Jason gently picked up the son of Hephaestus and brought him back to camp. The entire way, he noticed Leo's body temperature was through the roof and every once in a while, his skin would flicker, showing low, sleeping flames. Jason had a hard time trying to ignore the overwhelming heat.

Will gave Leo as much ambrosia as he had dared, which healed up the gut wound beautifully. Well, okay, 'beautifully' wouldn't really be an accurate term, as an ugly scar would always be there on his stomach, but hey…sacrifices.

Chiron had advised to take precautions against Leo going wild. Annabeth and Piper didn't want that, saying it might make his emotion instability worse, but the centaur insisted. So, the Hephaestus Cabin made a few shackles, which were fireproofed thanks to the Hecate Cabin's spells. Leo was now bound to the bed in which he slept by his wrists and ankles. There were chains connected to the shackles, so Leo would be able to sit up and stretch, but he wouldn't be able to stand or even get off the bed.

A cold pack was stuck to his forehead as well. Will was worried Leo's internal heat would turn him back, so he advised a permanent ice pack—one they had to change constantly, though the frequency was starting to lengthen.

Jason and Piper stayed by his bedside for as long as they were allowed. A self-filling bowl had been placed on his bedside table, so that when he awoke he would get soup. Will was concerned that he wouldn't be able to digest food, so soup it was.

For two days, Leo was unconscious. At the end of the second day, his body temperature finally lessened to a sane person's, so the ice pack had been hesitantly taken away.

Just as Will was about to tell Jason and Piper visiting hours were over, Leo finally opened his eyes.

"Wha…?" he muttered.

Jason put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Hey, man. Welcome back. We thought you'd never wake up. Do you remember us?"

Leo's cloudy eyes focused on Jason. He had this look of are you serious? "What kind of question is that?" he asked incredulously. "Of course I remember you…why wouldn't I?"

Jason sighed in relief, glad to know the transformation hadn't taken away his human memories.

Piper smiled. "No reason. How do you feel?"

Leo squirmed a little and clutched at the scar on his abdomen. "Like I got stabbed. Did I?"

Then he saw the shackles. His eyes followed the chains, which disappeared under the bed. He started thrashing and freaking out. "What—?"

Jason placed his hand on Leo's chest and pushed him back down. "Calm down, Leo. It's…We did this for your own good…"

Leo looked at him with dark eyes. "Excuse me!? What about any of this is for my own good!?" He looked ready to snap. "Why'd you put me in chains!?"

Piper pushed Jason away and begged Leo, "Please don't get mad, Leo. You need to stay calm."

"CALM!?" he exclaimed. "HOW CAN I BE CALM WHEN YOU—"

"LEO STOP!" Piper screamed, probably using as much charmspeak as she would dare. Jason half-froze before realizing it wasn't directed at him.

When Leo had frozen mid-yell, Piper took a deep breath and said, "You're really unstable, Leo. Getting really angry…it'll hurt people. You need to calm down. Please."

Leo kept glaring at her with intense eyes. Then, his eyes suddenly widened, as if he realized what he was doing.

He put his head in his hands. "What's…happening to me?" he asked in a small voice.

Piper kneeled down and put her hand gently on Leo's knee. "What do you last remember?"

Leo blinked a few times before closing his eyes in concentration. "I…I remember…me and Calypso had a fight…she broke up with me! I got angry…went to the training arena…fire…a scream…nothing…"

He trembled. "Where's Calypso?" he asked. "I…need to apologize for acting like such a jerk."

Piper and Jason exchanged a worried glance. Calypso was still in a medical coma. Her wound had long since healed, but she still hadn't woken up yet. She was actually in the bed next to Leo, but was cut off by a curtain.

When neither demigod answered him, Leo looked at them again, fear in his eyes. But that fear was mixed with something else, something Jason couldn't place.

Leo asked, "What did I do when I was…out?"

A/N: Hmm...well...