This is gonna be a long one, but it was so much fun to write! This chapter will focus heavily on Leo and his family, other characters are mentioned but not nearly as much - you've been warned. Also, all Spanish translations are in the footnotes. ENJOY!
Point Place, New York
Sunday Evening
8:38 p.m.
Leo Valdez's Driveway
The Valdez children and their parents were huddled around an older woman as she hobbled her way towards the family's car. Hephaestus quickly opened the door for the woman and tried his hardest to keep from just shoving the woman into the vehicle. His wife, Esperanza, forced a smile as she handed the woman a plate of leftovers.
"Here, Callida," she said pleasantly enough, "I made you a plate for the road."
Leo offered awkwardly near the driver's side, shifting from foot to foot. He had been the unlucky one to draw the short straw and now had to drive his Tia Callida to the airport. His dad's aunt had never gotten along with Leo's mother. Every time she came for a visit, those old enough to drive had to decide who the unlucky bastard was that would have to put up with her nagging for an hour to the airport. This had been the first year that Leo had to participate and, of course, he had to draw the short straw since luck never seemed to be on his side.
"This reminds me, Hephaestus," Callida was saying as she lifted up the plate of leftovers, "my garbage disposal is still broken."
Esperanza's smile tightened as she forced herself to remain calm. "Well, just so long as you enjoy it."
With a sickeningly sweet smile, Callida replied breezily, "I've got an idea. Let's eat out next time I come for a visit. That way, everybody can get something they like."
Leo quickly hopped in the car, wondering briefly if he could just drive off and find a new family with a less bitchy great aunt. "Vamos, Tia Callida," he called out as urgently as he dared.
"Mijo, you have to warm the car up for at least ten minutes," his father warned.
As she got into the car, Tia Callida rambled on, "¡Ay! He's such a good boy. Such a shame he doesn't have a better home life. You know, Essie," Leo could practically see his mother's patience snapping in two at the nickname, "when I was raising children, the right way to…"
The car door slammed shut, cutting off the rest of her 'suggestions'.
"That's warm enough," Hephaestus said pointedly.
Leo fidgeted in his seat. "But you just said…"
"Show me tail lights, Leonidas," his mother ordered.
"¡Vamonos! tia," Leo shouted. Tires squealed as he sped out of the driveway.
(***)
They were only about thirty minutes away from the airport listening to a Juan Carlos Calderon's Eres tu. His aunt was glaring pointedly at the radio but had yet to say anything about his choice of music so he refused to turn it off.
The lack of nagging only lasted a few seconds longer, though, as she cried, "Turn off that devil music." Leo begrudgingly reached over to turn off the radio. "Watch the road!"
The sudden shout in his ears made him swerve in alarm. He refrained from using any of the slew of Spanish curses that had popped into his head. They drove in silence for a little while longer; Leo was fairly certain he was in limbo and the airport was a figment of his tortured mind.
"You don't like when I come to visit," Tia Callida remarked.
"Yes, I do," Leo argued half-heartedly.
His tia huffed in disappointment at his answer. "You're a filthy liar. I know you didn't learn that from mi sobrino. Tu madre te enseñó eso, es la esposa del diablo."
Leo's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "¡Dios! That's the problem, tia. You show up to our home and insult my mami."
"I tell it like it is."
"Alright," Leo grumbled. "Then here's how it is, tia. You're a very nasty, old woman. And I don't see why you have to be so hateful. I don't think being nice for one whole day would kill you." A heavy weight fell on his shoulder, turning he saw the top of his aunt's head resting on his small shoulders. "Uh, tia?" When no one answered, he slammed on the brakes and watched horrified as his aunt flopped into the dashboard. "Tia? ¡Joder!"
(***)
An hour later and Leo found himself in the Jackson's driveway shooting hoops. He hadn't been paying attention - the monotonous routine of throwing a ball and catching it when it inevitably bounced off the backboard had drained him of all coherent thought - when Annabeth walked up to him.
Gray eyes watched in silence as he continued his endless routine before she caught the ball before it reached his hands, effectively breaking the cycle. It took a second for his brain to catch up with what had just occurred but eventually he nodded in acknowledgment.
"Hey," he muttered.
Annabeth's eyebrows went up. "No snappy remark? No cocky grin? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Leo numbly pointed in the direction of his family's car which he refused to return home. Still slumped over in the passenger's seat was his tia. Annabeth stared at his great aunt for a good second, trying to figure out what it was she was looking at.
"Why is your great aunt sleeping in the car?" she asked hesitantly, almost hopefully.
"She's not sleeping," Leo mumbled as he continued to stare at the basketball hoop.
Annabeth breathed out slowly, eyes wide as she took in what he was saying. "That's what I was afraid you were going to say. What in Hades happened?"
Leo looked at her, eyes glazed over. "I was driving her to the airport, and then I yelled at her, and then she died."
"She just died?" Annabeth whispered. "What did you tell your parents?" Judging by the fact the woman was lying lifelessly in the family's car she was fairly certain she already knew the answer but her brain wasn't functioning at optimal levels.
"Oh, heck no! I am not telling papi his aunt died after I yelled at her!"
She put her hands on her hips and frowned disapprovingly at him. "Leo, are you insane? You need to do something!"
Before Leo could respond, Percy stepped out into his driveway wearing a blue plaid button-up shirt. He waved at the two of them and gestured at the Valdez's car. "Your great aunt alright, Valdez?"
Annabeth and Leo shared a look.
"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said slowly, "she's dead."
Percy froze mid-step as his eyes widened in silent horror. His arms flailed about wildly as he struggled to find the words that could express the terrible emotions running through him. Nervously, he ran a hand through his dark hair. "Why did you bring her here?"
"Leo, focus," Annabeth ordered, ignoring her boyfriend. She grabbed the small Latino by the shoulders and gently shook him. "Clearly, you are in shock. You have to go home and tell your parents right now."
Percy nodded his head viciously. "Right now!"
The boy in question looked hesitantly between her and the car with his dead relative in it. Reluctantly, he inched towards the car. With a final pitiful look at his friends, he got in the car to bravely go face his parents.
He only lived a couple blocks from the Jacksons but he felt like the drive was taking hours now that he had a dead body lying next to him. He had intended to go home originally but when he'd caught sight of the Jackson's house he pulled in without hesitation, anything to prolong the inevitable.
When he finally pulled into his own family's driveway he saw Harley tinkering with an old radio on the front porch. A brief flare of panic rose up in him at the idea of his baby brother seeing their dead great aunt before he remembered that Harley rarely paid attention to anything when he was working on a project.
In the living room he found Nyssa giving Beckendorf advice on how to ask out his long time crush Silena Beauregard while Jake was busy hanging pictures for their mother. He could just barely make out the sounds of Shane and Chris playing a heated game of Monopoly judging by the yelling coming from the dining room.
Taking a deep breath, Leo stepped forward unsure what to say to the three pair of eyes that looked his way. He lifted the tupperware in his hands, hoping they would understand without him having to say anything.
Nyssa shared a look with Jake when their usually fidgety and talkative little brother stood silently in place with a strange look in his wide eyes. "Hey, Joker Boy," Nyssa said. Her tone said she was there for him if he needed a shoulder to cry on after she kicked the ass of whoever hurt him.
Leo stared blankly at her as he registered her nickname for him before his eyes fell back to the tupperware in his hands. "Where's mami and papi?" It took him a second to realize that small voice he was hearing was his own.
His siblings slowly pointed to the kitchen.
Esperanza was scrubbing furiously at the counters in the kitchen when Leo walked in. She looked up to greet him when she noticed the tupperware.
"Oh, she sent the leftovers back," Esperanza griped. She grabbed the tupperware from his hands to throw it into the refrigerator. "That is so typical of her, why do I even try to put up with her?"
"I think you may be coming down a little hard on Tia Callida this time," Leo hedged.
His mother crossed her arms as she continued fuming. "Well, you know what? She is just an evil, evil, horrible old woman. What did she say about me this time?"
Leo winced. "Not much."
Her eyes turned to take in his face and reached out with the back of her hand to feel his forehead. "Are you feeling alright, mi ardiente duende?"
The door to the kitchen swung open before Leo could answer. Hephaestus limped into the room with a gruff greeting as he moved to the refrigerator to grab a beer. "So, did Tia Callida get to the airport okay?"
"Did you not see the leftovers in the fridge?" Esperanza griped as she continued to worry over Leo.
Hephaestus sighed.
Taking a step away from his mother, Leo laughed uncomfortably. "Actually, um, you know, the strangest thing happened." His parents expectant looks made his mouth dry up and his tongue felt like it suddenly weighed a hundred pounds. "Um, it'd be easier to show you."
A few seconds later and the three of them were standing next to the passenger's side window staring at the dead woman. Hephaestus continued to blink in silence as Esperanza held Leo close. With one final squeeze, his mother released him reluctantly.
"Go inside, chiquito," she said quietly with a gentle push towards the door.
His siblings were huddled together in the living room gossiping over what their great aunt could have done or said to upset him so much. Well, all of his siblings except Harley who was still working hard on his project on the porch, just as oblivious of those around him as always.
Jake was leaning over the couch but straightened up when he saw Leo enter. "Hey, Supreme Commander, what's with the long face?"
"Dunno, Pillsbury Doughboy, what's with the fat head?" Leo retorted more out of habit than anything. A smack to the back of his head told him his mother had entered behind him. "Lo siento, mano."
Their mother guided Leo to join his siblings before releasing a drawn out sigh. "Queridos, su tía Callida murió hoy. Esto es un ... ¡Es una pérdida terrible!"
"Mami, didn't you just say that she was evil?" Leo asked.
She smacked him upside the head again. "We do not speak ill of the dead in this home."
Leo rubbed the back of his head even as a smirk spread across his face. "Since when?"
"Leonidas," his mother said warningly.
(***)
Two days had passed since Leo had yelled his great aunt to death when there was a knock at the door of the Valdez household. Esperanza gestured for one of her children to go answer the door as she continued cooking.
Leo nabbed a tortilla Espanola where they were piled up in the center of the table, elbowing Shane in the face in the process. Chris's fork got terrifyingly close to stabbing Leo's breakfast before Harley smacked the fork out of his way as he reached for his orange juice. Nyssa plucked two waffles off the stack that was haphazardly placed near the edge of the table before she hurried off to answer the door. Beckendorf and Jake reached out wildly from the table for anything edible to scarf down, uncaring of whose food it was originally. The only one who didn't have to fight for food was little Harley who sat happily in the midst of the chaos with a bowl of cereal.
Nyssa opened the door to find Calypso Jackson hovering awkwardly on their front porch. "¿Que pasa, Pija?"
One eyebrow raised in disdain. "Nada, peina bombillas." When Nyssa's eyebrows rose, Calypso added, "Yeah, I speak Spanish, la puta."
Nyssa nodded in respectful acceptance before stepping aside.
They entered the Valdez's kitchen to find Shane and Jake fighting over the last tortilla Espanola while Leo and Harley banged on the table chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!". Beckendorf took that as his cue to leave with a brief nod to Calypso he made his way out the door. Chris stuffed the last of the waffles into a bag before running after his older brother.
Watching in amusement from the door, Nyssa took a bite out of one of her waffles before shooting Calypso a wink. "Welcome to the family, bruja."
Hearing his sister's voice caused Leo to pause in his chantings to look behind him. With a smile and a flail of limbs, he gestured for a stunned Calypso to join him at the table. Calypso's eyes flickered to Nyssa but found the space next to her to be empty. A soft sigh passed her lips as she apprehensively approached the table.
The moment she sat down a plate of eggs and bacon was sat in front of her. She looked up to find Esperanza smiling down at her. "Hope this is alright."
Calypso stared at the food in surprise. "Oh, Mrs. Valdez, you didn't have to make me anything."
"Hush and eat up," Esperanza ordered with a wave of her hand. "It's nothing. I'm just glad you're here, hope you didn't have to miss anything important for your classes by being here."
"No, this couldn't have come at a better time, I was really unprepared for my finals," Calypso replied without thought. Upon realizing how insensitive she sounded, she quickly added, "But I am really sorry for your loss!"
She looked to Leo with wide eyes, almost certain that she was embarrassing herself in front of his family. The dark eyes that looked back at her were full of mirth as Leo struggled to hold back a laugh.
A hand swept past her and landed sharply on Leo's arm, shocking both of them. "Don't even start, Mister," Esperanza warned. "She's come all the way here to help out a family she isn't even apart of and I will not have you embarrassing her."
"I didn't do nothing," Leo argued.
Calypso laughed as Leo flailed about in frustration.
Esperanza patted Calypso gently on the back. "Eat up, honey, you need some meat on your bones."
She did as she was told and watched the rest of the Valdez family devour the last of the food on the table. Something gently tapped her knee; looking down, she saw a piece of toast being held out to her. Harley smiled reassuringly at her, encouraging her to take the offering. "Gracias," she whispered, smiling back at him when he giggled adorably.
The noisy kitchen fell silent as she finished her food. Turning, she found Hephaestus Valdez standing in the doorway. His children were watching him warily as his wife smiled reassuringly at him.
"How'd your brother take it, mi vida?' Esperanza asked softly.
Hephaestus grunted, "You know Ares, he's got two stages: anger and drinking. He started cussing and yelling, so I hung up on him. I'm not paying long distance to listen to that crap."
He ruffled up Leo's hair before sitting down at the table. Calypso laid a hand on Leo's knee, trying to comfort him any way she could. When he gave her a small smile she felt her shoulders relax ever so slightly.
(***)
Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper was playing on the radio in the Jackson's basement as Calypso and Leo sat on the couch. Calypso moved so that her simple lavender dress fell delicately over her folded knees before refocusing on Leo who was mysteriously already covered in grease and dirt despite not working on any cars.
"Leo, I don't care what you said to your great aunt. You did not kill her."
The Latino in question had been somber all day, the guilt eating away at his conscience. Deep down he knew that it wasn't his fault, she'd died from a heart attack caused by high cholesterol but it didn't change the fact that his last words to her had been harsh. "She was old and the shock of her great nephew telling her she was evil killed her. Even if it didn't, those were the last words I said to her."
Calypso swept a few stray strands of hair to the side before fixing him with a steely glare. "She was a bitchy, old woman who insulted you and your entire family every time she showed up. I remember when you'd come over here bawling your eyes out because of the things she said, heck you didn't even speak to her for two years once. Dying doesn't erase all the cruel words. If anything, you should feel proud of yourself for finally confronting her, at least you got to tell her how you feel."
Leo stared hard at his hands, unsure whether or not he was going to cry. Finally, he met her eyes. "You don't think I'm a bad person? I mean, my family's big on the whole don't speak ill of the dead, so they keep making it seem like she was secretly a saint or something."
A scoff fell from Calypso's lips. "Oh, please, that woman was the devil incarnate. You may speak freely with me about how terrible she was. I'm still pissed at her and I've only met her once, can't imagine how you've put up with it all these years."
"Oh, yeah, forgot about that." He had been five when he heard his great aunt had tried to get Percy taken away from his family for some imagined wrong. From what he understood, she'd tried the same thing with Jason, too. "I apologize on her behalf."
She merely shrugged.
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, just listening to the radio. "Thanks," Leo said quietly.
The door to the basement swung open violently as Nico strode into the room. "Hey, Valdez, let's get wasted."
Calypso rolled her eyes. "Oh, get lost, Zombie Boy, his great aunt just died."
"That old hag?" Nico's eyes widened before he nodded slowly. A devil-may-care smile crossed his face as he added, "Let's celebrate, by getting wasted."
Leo's easy smile returned in full force. "Now that's more like it. Nico, you're a real friend, ese."
The two boys disappeared through the door before Calypso could get a word in. A heavy sigh escaped her as she stood as she began to muster the focus it would take for her to study for her missed final. The banging of the door and the flurry of footsteps caused her to turn only to freeze when lips landed lightly onto her cheek. Leo winked at her and shot two finger guns in her direction before scurrying back out the door. The smile that spread across her face told her that Leo Valdez was going to be the death of her.
(***)
Hephaestus and his brother Ares were sitting on opposite sides of the Valdez's living room, glaring daggers at one another. Ares had stumbled into the house reeking of alcohol and vomit, already looking for a fight even though it was barely one in the afternoon. His old leather jacket was the only thing he wore that was even somewhat clean aside from the expensive sunglasses that rested on his head (though Hephaestus was fairly certain those had been stolen on his way here).
"How you holding up?" Hephaestus asked even as he dreaded the answer. Callida had been their last living relative, much to his dismay, as she'd been related to their mother who had shared in her disdain for him.
Ares crossed his arms. "Can't believe she's dead. Told her not to come see you, it wasn't good for her heart to be around all this chaos."
The incredulous glare Hephaestus shot his brother went unnoticed.
His brother had been in the process of making some other thinly veiled insult when Esperanza walked in carrying a plate of food.
"No red meat? What kind of pansy shit is this?" Ares griped.
Esperanza fixed him with a look that could kill. "Well, I was just trying to be nice but since you like it so much, this 'pansy shit' is all you're getting for the rest of your stay. ¡Disfruta, cabrón!"
The plate of ham sandwiches were set forcefully before the two men. Hephaestus smothered the smile threatening to cross his face as he watched his wife saunter away. The grumbling man on the other end of the living room was petulantly picking at the ham sandwiches.
"Don't know how you can tolerate that puta," Ares said hotly.
Hephaestus shook his head as the kitchen door slammed open again. "The hell you just call me?" Esperanza challenged. When Ares just glanced between her and his brother, she smacked at him with the wooden spoon in her hand. "You're gonna show us some respect or you can get out of our home."
The only answer was Hephaestus's loud guffaw at his brother's red faced pout.
(***)
Homer's was a small bar on the southside of town that was known for not carding underaged patrons. When Percy and his friends pulled into the barely lit parking lot of the bar, they stared at the neon lights on the front door in stunned silence.
Music drifted through the night air, becoming clearer the closer they got to the entrance. Once inside, they were able to distinguish that a live band was playing a cover of the J. Geils Band's House Party.
Nico guided the boys to a table off to the side.
Leo banged on the table enthusiastically as he shouted for a waitress until Nico ordered him to relax. When a waitress swung by their table, looking entirely unconvinced, Nico handed her his fake ID as he ordered a pitcher and five glasses. She glanced at the other boys, Leo in particular, but Nico casually explained, "The rest of these fellas left their IDs back at the military base."
Still looking unconvinced, the waitress rolled her eyes but went to retrieve the alcohol anyways.
"So, what military base are you from?" Frank jumped as a blonde girl appeared beside him.
Another blonde draped herself over Jason's shoulder and batted her eyes at Percy who stared at the two dumbfounded. Four pairs of eyes darted to Nico for answers. "It's a secret military base," he answered with a smirk.
"I'm Charybdis and this is my sister Scylla," the blonde beside Frank said sweetly.
"I'm Estaban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramirez," Leo answered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "But you can call me Estaban."
Nico raised an eyebrow, "Sergeant Shaft."
With a nervous chuckle, Jason replied, "Name's Clark Kent."
Sea-green eyes lit up at the reference before Percy answered, "Name's Arthur Curry."
"I am Percy Jackson," Frank said with an innocent smile on his face when the real Percy Jackson stared at him.
When the waitress returned with their drinks, Charybdis told her, "Penelope, sweetie, put that on our tab and bring everybody a round of shots."
A few shots later and Leo drunkenly pulled Scylla onto his lap with a cocky grin just as two men walked in. They were each about four times the size of Leo but his drunken mind reassured him that he could take them.
"'Scuse me, fellas, but we need to talk to the ladies," the brunette guy told them with faux politeness. When Nico told them to buzz off, the same guy spoke up again with more force. "These ladies came in with us, and their leaving with us, got it?"
Frank unsteadily stood up and pointed a threatening finger at the men. "Get lost, douche nozzles."
The other guy with the blonde hair shoved Frank back down. "I think you've had quite enough rice wine, don't you?"
Without hesitation, Percy stood up so fast that his chair fell over. "Hey, you mess with Percy Jackson and you mess with me." With a chuckle, he added, "Douche nozzles."
"Are you looking for trouble?" the brunette said, puffing out his chest.
"You betcha," Percy said with gusto only to be knocked out cold a second later.
Jason and Nico were on the brunette in an instant while Leo and Frank tackled his friend. The girls chuckled at the scene before moving onto the next poor sap that caught their eye.
(***)
The clock on the kitchen wall said it was nearing two o'clock in the morning as Esperanza, Hephaestus, and Ares sat up in their nightclothes waiting for Leo to come back home. Ares snorted. "Kids been acting out, lately. It's normal for a kid, don't worry so much. He'll get in a couple bar fights and move on, it's what I did."
"It's normal for a teenager, so why are you still doing it?" Hephaestus asked, still watching the clock.
His brother flipped him off but otherwise refrained from responding.
Leo chose that moment to walk in with his head hung low, his wild hair partially covering his face. He didn't look up even when his mother grasped his shoulders to look him over. Upon finding nothing physically wrong with her son, Esperanza released a sigh of relief.
"Mijo, where have you been?" his father asked,
Leo muttered, "I went to a bar."
Esperanza's grip tightened on his shoulders. "Leonidas, have you been drinking""
"No, I've been fighting," Leo said as he lifted his head to show them his swollen, black eye and goofy grin.
His uncle barked out a laugh even as his parents scolded him.
Esperanza waved her hands about, unable to keep them still as she fretted over her son. "Oh dear gods above, Leo! Just because there has been a tragedy in the family, it's no reason to act crazy." She turned away, looking at her husband as she continued, "Leo in a bar fight like some kind of… bar fighter! Jake or Shane I could believe it, but Leo!"
"Mi alma, go to bed," Hephaestus said, gently guiding her to the door.
Leo watched as his mother worriedly looked him over from the doorway before she left. A hand landed solidly on his back and he found Ares looming over him with a smile. "Nice job, kid. You're handling this like a man."
A few seconds later and he was alone in the kitchen with his father.
"Leo," his father started, " sit down."
He did as his father instructed and sat on the opposite side of the kitchen table from his father. Hephaestus slid a beer across the table to his son. When Leo just stared at the beer, unsure of what he was supposed to do with it, his father chuckled.
"Don't drink it, put it on your eye."
Leo did so, rather disappointed.
His dad's deep rumbling laughter filled the kitchen. "I'm kidding, drink up."
Leo took a tentative sip, not wanting to appear too enthusiastic. "So, this is beer."
Hephaestus rolled his eyes.
(***)
Pastor Chiron was in the midst of his eulogy for Callida during her funeral a few days after Leo's bar fight. "And as much as we will miss Callida, we must remember that she is now in a far better place."
A chair squeaked behind him and Leo turned his head to see Nico leaning towards him. "You don't have to die to go to a better place, man, just drive fifty miles in any direction," he said with a smirk.
Leo choked down a laugh.
A few seats down from Nico, Piper was resting her head on Jason's shoulder.
"I don't know, Jason. It's just that, death is so unexpected. We're all so fragile and you never know when the flame of our lives will be snuffed out by the wind of death," she whispered.
Jason held her close. "Do funerals always make you poetic?"
Piper quietly laughed. "I think we should go celebrate our youth, what do you say?"
"Okay," Jason said quickly. He glanced around the funeral home for a place to go. "The car?"
"Or the coat room?" She suggested in a tone that suggested she'd had a plan from the get-go.
"Better."
The two of them stealthily removed themselves from the room.
(***)
Callida's coffin was open as everyone stepped forward to stand over her and offer their last thoughts.
Esperanza stepped up with a deep sigh as though this were the hardest thing she'd had to do. "I know we had our differences. I married Hephaestus and, and you hate everything and everyone. But, um, well, just try to be nicer to God, I guess."
Calypso sidled up to the coffin. "See you in Hell, Bitch."
Behind her was Nico. "Man, I can't believe they're just going to throw away that diamond ring." After a quick glance around, he reached down and took the ring with a smirk. "Thanks for the fifty bucks."
He left only to be replaced by Frank who glanced curiously into the casket. Who the hell is this? he thought before wandering after Nico again.
Hephaestus stepped up a few seconds later, closing his eyes to prepare himself. "Well, tia, I…" he opened his eyes only to find his aunt's eyes staring at up at him. "Oh, for goodness sakes."
Pastor Chiron was motioned over and he looked inquisitively into the casket. "Oh, sorry. Those should be closed," he said with a nervous chuckle as he leaned over to close Callida's eyes.
(***)
After leaving the casket, Calypso went in search of Leo who had disappeared the moment the pastor had allowed everyone to say their final words to the deceased. She found Leo sitting on a bench outside the funeral home, staring up at the clouds.
When he turned to her she faltered in her steps as she took in the black eye looking back at her. "Oh, wow. You got a black eye." His nervous smile made her add, "It looks pretty hot."
That got an outright laugh out of him. "Well, you should see the other guy."
"Did you really lay him out?" she inquired with a chuckle.
"No, but Frank did," Leo laughed. "The guy was huge! You should of seen him. The fact that I took the punch and lived is a testament to how tough I truly am."
Calypso shook her head even as she hugged him.
He hugged her back briefly. "Look, I'm sorry you've had to deal with my family and everything lately but it really means a lot to me. So, thank you."
"Are you kidding? Nyssa's going to teach me martial arts and your mom's already offered to teach me how to cook like twenty different Mexican dishes. Don't even get me started on Harley and his adorable little crush on me. Your family is so much fun to be around, there's never a dull moment."
Leo hugged her tightly. "Oh, just wait, they'll drive you insane before you know it."
(***)
After the funeral, the gang were helping Leo and his family unpack boxes of Callida's belongings that they had shipped over. Nico opened a box close to him and found a ton of camera parts alongside a ton of old pictures. When he asked about it, Hephaestus shrugged and explained that his great uncle had been an amateur photographer with his own dark room at one point.
Nico shuffled through a couple pictures out of curiosity only to stop when he realized what he was really seeing. He turned to Leo, an evil glint sparkling in his dark eyes. "Hey, Valdez, you have any naked pictures of your great aunt?"
The look of disgust that Leo shot him as Nico passed the box off to him caused Nico to double over in laughter. "No!" Leo answered vehemently.
"You do now!" Nico declared.
The two went inside, Nico laughing maniacally and Leo holding the box as far from him as possible.
Hephaestus was still rummaging through the boxes when he spotted it. An old train set his father had bought him for his seventh birthday, he had thought it had been lost forever. A fond smile spread across his face before his brother came up and grabbed the box with the train set.
"Oh, cool, our train set," Ares said. "I'll hold onto this."
"You are a grown man, Ares, what the hell do you want with a train set?" Hephaestus argued, grabbing the box back.
Ares huffed. "Well, what do you want with it? You're a grown man, too!"
Chris and Harley ran past them to enthusiastically dig through the boxes. Hephaestus gestured towards them while raising his eyebrows at his brother. "I'm a grown man with children, pendejo."
He caught his sons' attention and watched in amusement as they rushed off with the old train set. The wheels were already turning in Harley's eyes, Hephaestus noted warily. Before the night was over, the train would already be repainted and it's motor upgraded until it was going five times faster than it should. With a sigh he followed his children into the house, leaving his brother to grumble and complain by the car.
When Esperanza walked past a few seconds later, carrying a box of old letters Ares stopped her. "Go talk some sense into your husband and tell him to give me back that train!"
"Ares, I've got seven children, I don't have time for an overgrown man-child," she replied tiredly.
He stomped and fumed outside for a few more seconds before begrudgingly trudging in after them.
(***)
The moment Ares drove off on his motorcycle, the entire Valdez family breathed a sigh of relief. Harley had immediately returned to his new train set that was now painted gold and red. Shane and Chris were finding him small odds and ends so he could finish his upgrades before the end of the night despite their parents' concern.
Hephaestus watched his children in amusement for a few moments until Leo came back down the stairs. "Hey, papi," he motioned towards Harley, only mildly concerned, "you sure he's not gonna set the whole house on fire?"
"Nope," his dad answered honestly.
Leo snorted. "Nice."
"I can't believe tia kept them, probably thought they were Ares'," he said suddenly.
Not knowing what to say to that, Leo just nodded.
"You know the last thing I said to her was 'show me the tail lights'," Hephaestus continued.
Leo chuckled despite himself. "Papi, the last thing I said to her was, 'it wouldn't kill you to be nice'. But I think it did, 'cause she died."
The roaring laughter that answered him made him jump. He turned to find his father wiping away tears as he laughed heartily. "Oh, you lucky bastard."
"I know," Leo snickered.
Beckendorf passed them, a smirk on his face. "Grieving, I see."
"We all handle grief differently," Leo retorted, his smile spreading across his face. His dad ruffled his hair and he felt all the grief and worry melt away as everything returned to normalcy.
(***)
Calypso and Leo stopped by the graveyard the next day for 'closure' as Calypso put it. She waited for Leo a few yards away as he stood over Callida's grave.
"I know I'm supposed to feel bad for what I said to you, but, like you deserved it," he began. "I just hope that you don't get stuck here or whatever just because of what I said. So, I don't know. I forgive you?"
A falsetto voice replied to him, "I'll never accept it, I'll haunt you forever!"
Leo's face scrunched up as he leaned around the grave to find Nico squatting behind it. "Dios mio, ese. What are you doing?"
"Freezing my nads off for a joke, man," Nico explained with a grin.
I absolutely love the Spanish language and loved writing this chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed it, as well, and hope I didn't mess up on the grammar with my Spanish too bad!
Translations (some of these have multiple meanings but I wrote the definitions in context to the situation in this chapter):
Tia: Aunt
Vamos: Come on
Mijo: Son
Ay: Oh (used as an exclamation)
Vamonos: Let's go
Eres tu: Was a famous Latino pop song back in the early 70s.
Mi sobrino: my nephew
Tu madre te enseñó eso, es la esposa del diablo: Your mother taught you that, she's the devil's wife.
Dios: God (used as an exclamation, such as "Oh, god" or dios mio meaning "oh my god")
Mami: Mommy
Joder: Fuck
Papi: Daddy
Mi ardiente duende: My fiery elf/goblin
Chiquito: Little boy
Lo siento, mano: I'm sorry, bro
Queridos, su tía Callida murió hoy: Dear ones, your Aunt Callida died today
Esto es un ... ¡Es una pérdida terrible!: This is a … It's a terrible tragedy!
¿Que pasa, Pija?: What's up, prick/dick? (Pija can also refer to someone who's daddy pays for everything for them - preppy and lazy)
Nada, peina bombillas: Nothing, person who combs light bulbs (used as an insult - calling someone stupid - the Spanish are very creative in their insults)
La puta: The whore, bitch
Bruja: Witch
Mi vida: My life
Ese: Dude, bro
¡Disfruta, cabrón!: Enjoy, Asshole!
Mi alma: My soul
Also, I got the name for the bar from the author of the Odyssey. Hence why the waitress's name shared a name with Odysseus's wife and Charybdis and Scylla made an appearance. And as for the names, if you don't know where I got Leo's name then shame on you (Hint: Suite Life of Zack and Cody). Jason's name was obviously from his reference as Superman and Percy Jackson's name was the real name of Aquaman (Had to look that one up, never been a huge fan of Aquaman sorry lol).