It felt weird having so many people fussing over him. Back in New Rome, as soon as the healer said you'd be fine everybody else would go back work. But here, Leo, Jason, and Clarisse stayed at his bedside with Will checking in every now and then.

When the dinner bell rung, Jason, and Clarisse stood to go to dinner, but Leo made no move to follow them. Ace smiled at his boyfriend, and rolled his eyes, "You need food, Bello."

"No. I'll be fine. I want to stay here with you." He looked at him worriedly.

The blonde sighed, sitting up at the edge of the bed, and pulled Leo in between his legs. Ace kissed him lightly before stating, "I'll be fine. I was going to go shower anyway."

Leo kissed back sweetly, "I could join you..."

He laughed, blushing, "And what would we tell Chiron? You were making sure I didn't fall?"

Leo shrugged, "Yeah."

Ace sighed, "Fine, but you are not actually getting in the shower with me. You can go sit outside the stall. If you actually come in, I wouldn't get clean you just make me more of a mess, and I already feel disgusting."

Leo groaned, "Fine. Fine." Then he offered Ace a hand to help him out of the bed.

He stood awkwardly, and leaned on Leo for support. Ace looked around for something else to rest weight on, and grabbed one of the crutches that lay next to his bed, "What actually happened to my ankle?"

Leo looked at him, "Ebony said you were walking backwards. Away from the mormo and you tripped."

Ace smiled, "I remember that. I meant, is it broken or sprained? It feels broken, but I've never had a sprain before so I don't know how different they'd feel."

"Its broken. When I brought you in your ankle was twisted at a very odd angle. No foot is meant to bend like that..."

"Thanks for coming to the rescue...I guess sometimes I need somebody else to do the saving...And you make a very dashing knight in flaming armor."

Leo blushed, "Come on. Lets get you to the showers..." He gently pulled his boyfriend along to the showers.

As they passed the dining pavilion, Jason made a you have got to be kidding me face. Ace just stuck his tongue out at the younger blonde, "I'm taking a shower! I'm covered in sweat, sap, and blood!"

Leo looked between the two Romans and laughed. Then lead Ace into the boys' shower rooms. Carefully he lead Ace to a shower and helped him lean against a wall. He undressed slowly before sitting on one of the benches, and carefully taking off the aircast they had his ankle in. Leo turned on the water for him then turned to Ace.

"Want any help?" His tone made it clear that he had no sexual intentions, that he genuinely wanted to help Ace.

The blonde stood, awkwardly not putting weight on his left ankle. His usual expanse of perfectly tanned skin marred by where he'd showed Ebony his cuts on his left hip. Ace smiled at Leo, "I got it, Bello. I already feel useless enough without everybody else trying to take care of me."

Leo forced himself to tear his eyes away from the scars, "Okay...I'll be right outside." He kissed him sweetly before stepping out of the shower.

Ace was careful to keep from putting weight on his ankle as he used the walls of the shower stall to support himself. He didn't lock the door, just in case something did happen, and he needed Leo's help. The water was just the right temperature, making his muscles relax. With the water ran away the perfection he tried to maintain. Cutting scars peppered his hips, thighs, and a little ways onto his stomach. There were other scars on his chest and arms from battle wounds. As the water hit his stitches, Ace gasped from the sudden flash of pain.

Leo heard Ace gasp and walked over to his shower stall, "Ace? Are you okay?" His voice was lathered in worry.

"I'm fine! Just...forgot the stitches were there." Ace had his eyes closed with his breathing hard as he tried to focus on the pain. Focus on it, then drive it away. Let it become part of the norm.

Leo, still worried, but decided to allow Ace a little freedom, "Okay..." He sat down on a bench and waited for him to be done.

Ace took his time, letting the water wash away everything bad. The dirt and sweat from the battle, his stress about letting the others take care of him for a change, the pain of his injuries dulling, and his worries about Ebony with her scars along with his fears of Leo finding his own scars. Its nothing to be ashamed of. He'd said that to Ebony, but he wasn't completely sure he believed it.

Finally, he asked softly, "Hey, Bello. Can you hand me a towel?"

"Sure." Leo grabbed a towel from off the hook and brought it into Ace. "Here." He helped him wrap it around his waist and tie it so it wouldn't fall off.

Ace smiled at him sweetly, "Thanks."

He moved over to the bench again, carefully using another towel to dry off his broken ankle before rewrapping it. While he was focused on that, he asked Leo, "Is the Argo II going to be ready on time?"

"Yeah. It'll be ready within the next few weeks. You'll be healed by then." Leo smiled at him.

Ace smiled, muttering more to himself than to Leo, "Good. Wouldn't want to be seen like this..."

Leo grabbed Ace's clean clothes off of a dry bench and handed them to him, "Here."

"Thanks." The blonde hesitated before taking his towel off to pull his clothes on. He knew Leo had to see the scars, they weren't exactly easy to miss, but he decided it didn't matter. The son of Hephaestus would have to meet them eventually, and Ace couldn't see the harm in that introduction happening now before things got too far.

Leo gazed at the scars, not knowing exactly what to say. How would he ask about them? Should he ask about them? "Ace...What happened?" Although he already guessed what they were from he couldn't think of a better way to bring them up.

The question made Ace hesitate in his actions before pulling his shirt on, "Which one?"

"The ones on your hip and legs..."

Ace turned to Leo, and shyly moving in to hug him. He muttered into Leo's neck, "They...They're like battle scars from an invisible enemy I've long since defeated."

Leo held him tightly, knowing exactly what he meant. Not personally but because he's seen it many times. "I understand." he kissed Ace gently and sweetly.

He kissed back before moving over to pull the rest of his cast back on, "Lady Venus helped..."

"What do you mean she 'helped'?" His tone grew defensive.

That tone made Ace laugh, "Good help. She...Here." He pulled Leo down onto the bench before showing him his tattoo. Ace's fingers traced the symbol proudly burned into his skin next to the SPQR, "Normally, you bare the symbol of your godly parent, but legacies pick...not so much pick...are chosen by a god or goddess. Usually, a grandparent, but for me...it was Lady Venus. She came to me the night before I was suppose to get my tattoo after a year in the legion. I'd been fighting my invisible enemy for...a while at that point, and...I didn't want to keep going.

"She showed up, and she was so beautiful. She told me that my problem was that I spent too much time focusing on what others said. I believed it, which never gave me the chance to love myself, and if I didn't love myself then how could I expect others to. She offered her help as long as I kept fighting." Ace stopped, taking a deep breath to try his best to keep the tears back, "The next morning she claimed me in front of everybody, and we marked my one year with the legion. She helped me defeat my invisible enemies without anybody else finding out."

Leo hugged Ace tightly, not knowing what to say. But he figured, at this point, loving silence was as good as words. Then, he decided, at this moment, that there were three perfect words to say. "I love you."

The blonde looked at him, wiping the tears from his own cheeks. He answered without any hesitation, and no doubt in his voice,"I love you too."

Leo smiled brightly and kissed him, "Okay. I think you should get dressed and back to the infirmary now."

Ace laughed softly, "Yeah, no getting you in trouble."

He pulled the aircast back on, before standing awkwardly with a crutch supporting his one side. Ace reached his left arm out to Leo for support.

When Leo was able to get Ace back into bed safely he finally relaxed, "You hungry now that you're all cleaned up?"

Ace shrugged, "A little."

Just then the door opened to let Jason in carrying two plates, "I thought you two lovebirds might be hungry."

The older boy laughed, taking one of the plates, "Thanks, lil bro."

"I hate when you call me that." Jason muttered, offering Leo the other plate.

Leo took the other plate, laughing, "Thanks, Jason."'