DISCLAIMER: I don't own PJO, but I'd love to. I only own my characters.


One more target to Houston

Leo's POV:

"Do you know why she asked us to go to Houston?" Reyna asked

"No, I do not." Calypso replied. I could still feel the bitterness in her voice, even after we convinced her that Reyna is not my girlfriend, or lover or anything of such sort. She was still in doubt about Reyna.

"She has a reason. This was clearly planned by her." I could feel their eyes train on me.

"Tia Callida has never done anything so weird and out of place without a reason." I replied. Reyna raised her eyebrows at the name, but Calypso just smiled. She seemed to recognize it from my stories. 'She still remembers your stories' My heart picked up pace. 'Slow down, Leo, you have much more important things to do than dance around Calypso's smile.'

"Tia Callida…" Reyna questioned.

"Hera" Calypso replied before I could.

"You mean that she planned this 3000 years ago when she exiled Calypso to Ogygia, so that one day, a scrawny mechanic, who can light up his hair like a torch, could come and rescue her, so that she can ask him to go to Houston." Reyna continued "If that is true, then Apollo can kiss his job as the god of prophecies goodbye."

"I'm sure it can't be that long ago. She must have planned it sometime after the war against Gaia." Calypso started. "She visited me with the news that the Heroes of Olympus have won the war, and that Leo," she smiled lovingly. I felt the butterflies in my stomach again. "was the real hero who put Gaia back to her slumber. So she must have planned it after the war. But I am still not sure."

Reyna seemed to agree to that. It sounded more realistic. A thought popped up I my head. "Calypso, I have to confirm something. Doesn't each hero who lands up on Ogygia, have to have the permission of a god?"

"Yes" She sounded confused.

"So, Tia must be the one who gave me permission to get you out. Tia must have also known that I was here for you. She could have given me a chance to meet you earlier. She wanted us to wait for something. She wanted me out of the way, out of the way until now. Reyna, can you tell me how you found me?"

"I was on a quest to find a plant that grows only at night. I just found your ship and I forgot about my quest, though I have been searching for about 4 years for that now, with no luck." Reyna replied.

"And who set you up to this quest? Can you remember?" I asked.

Reyna thought for a while and then her eyes widened, "Juno… Juno set me up to this. She told me to work on my other quests, and try to find this in the meanwhile, when I am free. And recently, I heard from somewhere that you find it near this part of USA."

I was about to say I told you so, when suddenly, an arrow notched up on the centre mast. Hanging on to it was a piece of paper.


Thalia's POV:

"WHERE IS THAT IDIOT?" I screamed.

I couldn't think of anything else since his disappearance 2 weeks ago. He was staying over at my house. We wanted to watch a movie, so went out to get one from the local blu-ray rental. We had a friendly argument over which movie he should get. An argument I won. He left and never returned. The last thing I remember is my kiss goodbye. Since then I have been searching for him like crazy. The thought brought back tears. After 2 weeks of continuous crying, I thought I would run dry, apparently not. I searched everywhere for him. I loved him like crazy.

Now, there was only one hope left, Houston. Lady Artemis told me when I quit, that if I ever lost the thing I loved the most, I could find it in Houston. If that string goes, then I might be doomed to never find him, like Annabeth and Percy. Annabeth… I realize that she is much tougher than I thought she was. I laughed at her every time she would cry for Percy, during their 8 month separation. Now I am in awe how she is still alive, if she still is alive. I don't know what happened to her after the war. She just disappeared, like Leo. I suspect that she went in search of Percy. Many search parties were arranged, to find at least one of the 3, with no luck. And then, 1 years after the war, I left the hunters for him. And now he is gone.

I was in so lost in my emotions that I didn't notice a flying ship passing overhead. After a few seconds, I identified the ship, the Argo 2. I couldn't let this chance slip away. I took a piece of paper and wrote

Leo, I need a lift. –Thalia

I attached it to one arrow and fired it at the mast. I don't know whether it hit or it missed. Usually it wouldn't miss, but I doubt my aim in these conditions. I was not sure, I thought I had failed, until the ship changed course. The ship hovered above me and a ladder dropped down. I hopped on.


Leo's POV:

I helped Thalia get on the ship. Once she got on, I reset the course back for Houston.

"Thalia, what in Hades, are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with the Hunters?" I asked. She seemed like she was crying. 'No. The Thalia I know never cries.' I thought

"I quit, for a boy. I hopped on because I need a lift to get to Houston. I hope you can divert course for about a few hours, because this is quite urgent." Thalia replied, with pleading eyes.

I smiled. "There is no need to divert course then. We are heading there ourselves." I saw a slight change in her face. She seemed slightly happier, though still grim. Then Reyna asked her what had happened. She told us the story from the night after I left. About Annabeth's disappearance, about the search parties, about how she left the hunters, about her boyfriend (she never mentioned his name), about Lady Artemis's parting words with her, and about her boyfiend's mysterious disappearance 2 weeks ago.

I listened to the entire story and asked her "So, who did steal your heart?" She fell silent at this. I decided to leave her alone on the topic, as I received murderous glares from both the other girls. No one spoke for a while. I would've cracked a few of the old famous Leo jokes, but the girls would glare at me every time I opened my mouth. Then we told Thalia, the reason why we were on our way to Houston, or rather, the girls did. For some reason, Thalia was staring at me for most of the time. I was happy Calypso didn't mind. I do not want to fight with her.


That night, I met Thalia alone by the railing on deck. It was my turn to keep guard.

After a long silence, she asked "When will we reach Houston?"

"Tomorrow evening" I replied. I decided to carry on. "Why were you staring at me when they told you the story?"

She was quiet for a few moments, then she spoke "I was awestruck. You waited for 5 years, with nothing, for the girl you love. She was right below you, but you couldn't speak see her, couldn't speak to her, or anything. All you knew, was that she was there." She replied. "I should go in now, must get some rest if I am going to be of any use tomorrow, if we come across a monster, or a goddess who hides innocent demigods from the ones they love." I could understand that she was referring to Hera. Whether it was Hera who took him, I can't be sure until tomorrow.

As she walked to the door, she turned back and said "And Leo, the boy, my love…"

I turned around to face her.

She continued "My love… is Nico."


Hope you all liked this chapter. This is to all you Thalico shippers. There is much more to the story. So as always, Read, Rejoice, and Review.