Chapter 17 for ya!

After that cliffhanger, I thought it was time to ease your worrying a bit by continuing with the story. You weren't too upset, were you? XP

Reviews:

Guest: Yeah, I realized I haven't given a cliffhanger like that in a while. It was bound to happen! Haha! And thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying it!

Just a guest: Awe, thanks! And Leo is pretty great! That's a good suggestion, actually. Sometimes I get caught up in what his life looks like and then forget about everyone else! XD I guess that's what you get when I get excited. My focus stays on one thing and the rest of the world doesn't exist. XP But for sure! I will definitely try to add his friends from camp in there more. Thanks!

Guest: Really? Which one of my characters is like yours? Are you speaking of Bronwyn? Yeah, quite the character all right!

Awesome! Now let's get into the story again, shall we?

WARNINGS: PTSD

~Leo's POV~

Of all the things to go wrong, Leo had to be caught red-handed (or fire-handed?) using his demigod powers by a mortal, and not just any mortal, but one of his only trustworthy friends at his school, the guy who Leo liked the most. Could his luck get any worse?

"It's not what it looks like!" Leo snapped stupidly.

Andy shuffled on his feet awkwardly like he wasn't sure if he should run away or dare come closer. Even under the shadow of his baseball cap, Leo could see his face. It was still a ghostly white and his eyes were bulging. "H-how did you do that?! W-what do you... that was fire!"

Slowly so he didn't startle him any more, Leo stood up with his hands in front of him in surrender. "Look, it's nothing! There's no fire... Just me. I-I... I was j-just using a lighter, that's all!"

"No you weren't! You had a ball of fire burning in your freaking palm! I saw it!"

Leo's mind was racing through as many excuses as he could possibly think of to play this off, but all of the excuses he came up with were so freaking pathetic that even telling him the truth was more believable than what he could come up with! What was he supposed to say?!

"I-I... U-um..." he stuttered helplessly. "Please... Andy, just... give me a chance to explain, okay? I-it's not... it's not...!"

"It's not what? What I think?"

Leo tensed for a second. "W-what... what is it you think?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh... Then d-do you... ?"

"What?"

Leo hesitated. "Uh... nevermind."

"Wait, what were you...?"

"What was I what?"

"What?"

"I... I was just gonna ask what you are thinking?" Leo tried again.

Andy's horror turned into confusion. "Uh... I'm thinking the same thing you're thinking."

"What?" Now Leo was confused.

Awkward silence.

Eventually, Andy dared edge closer to him and sat on the opposite end of the fallen tree, but still being wary of sitting too close. "I mean... I meant to say I don't know what I'm thinking. What just happened?"

"A lot of questions, that's just what happened," Leo muttered under his breath hoping to direct the conversation in a different direction.

"No, I'm serious! What did I just see?"

What the hell was he supposed to say?! He couldn't just tell him the truth, could he? Then Andy would think he really was a freak! Then word would spread around school if he dared open his mouth to Bronwyn or Trent and it would flare up until he was seen as some kind of monster! And what would Isaac think? Would he tease him even more? Would he turn the entire school against him? Would he be kicked out? Then if Mr. Wells found out and told Alice...?

Anxiety, for the millionth time, coursed through his veins as he plopped back down on the tree and wiped his nose with the back of his hand even though there wasn't anything to wipe. There wasn't any other way to explain what Andy saw though. What was there for him to make up? He was most worried about Bronwyn. That girl could talk. Even if she was told to keep shut, would she? She didn't seem like the kind of person to keep secrets very well. It would just slip out after a while. And the thought of Alice finding out? Gods! His blood ran cold just thinking of what she would do to him if she found out who and what he really was! He was screwed! How did he get into this mess?!

"Are... are you okay?" Andy asked hesitantly. "You're shaking."

Looking down at his hands, he realized they were trembling along with his legs. Of course he was shaking. He probably just ruined his life even more, all because of his own stupidity. "Listen," he started, not even sure where he was going yet. "Can I trust you?"

With an uncertain expression, his friend nodded and fidgeted on the log. "Yeah."

"Ah, shit..." Leo muttered into his hands after smacking his face into them. After a moment, he brushed his hands up to rake his hair back and then tucked his hands in his arms with nervous energy. "I hate myself right now."

Andy sat there awkwardly.

"Okay, hears the deal. Whatever I say, it goes in one ear and out the other, got it?"

A nod.

"Promise me you won't say anything to anyone, not even Trent or Bronwyn. This is a pretty big secret. No one was ever supposed to find out. I don't even know why I was so careless in the first place. You'll probably think I'm crazy or lost my mind or something."

"I promise... I mean I promise not say anything, not to think you're crazy," he quickly added.

Unable to sit still, Leo found one of his granola bar wrappers lying on the ground at his feet. He picked it up and began fidgeting with it, folding it and unfolding it. "You know about the Greek and Roman gods in ancient history?"

"Yeah, I think everyone does."

"Yeah, well..." And so he slowly and cautiously approached the topic of demigods, not going into a ton of detail but just enough to give him the basics. The entire time Leo spoke, Andy sat with an empty expression, trying to digest everything that was being said. This only caused Leo to get even more nervous. What if he didn't believe him? What if he did and didn't want anything to do with him anymore? What if he ran away calling him some kind of monster? What if... what if he was the one to turn the school against him? Andy wouldn't do that, would he? He seemed to care for him before. But this is a different scenario. Will he believe him and still want to be his friend?

Why was he telling him about demigods anyway? Why? He knew why. There wasn't any other choice. The truth had to be shared. It would eventually get pulled out of him one way or another, so why not now when they were alone? This was not how he imagined today would go. He came here with a friend. Would he leave with one?

"So..." Andy started blankly. "You and your friends save the world. Like superheroes."

Leo blushed. "Uh, well you make it sound pretty childish when you put it like that, but yeah. I guess."

"And you have superpowers."

"No not superpowers, we have..." he thought a moment. Then smirked, liking the idea. "Yeah. We've got superpowers."

Leaning on his elbows, Andy sighed. "Uh... okay."

When nothing happened afterwards, Leo began to panic. "What?" he laughed nervously. "That's it? You're not going to ask for some kind of proof? You're not going to laugh at my face and call me a liar?"

"I don't know," he answered slowly like he was still thinking.

Shit. He thinks I'm crazy!

Then Andy looked over at him skeptically. "You do know this is all kinda hard for any person to believe right? You? A demigod? Greek and Roman myths coming true? Are you sure you're not teasing me or something?"

"Hey, if I was teasing you right now, I'm pretty sure I could come up with a better joke than that. I'm pretty well-known for my humor."

"Huh. Okay, fair enough," he murmured, though he didn't look completely convinced yet. "So it's true then? All of it?"

"All of it," Leo said with as much conviction as he could.

That gained a smirk from the red head. He seemed a little more relaxed than before, even amused. "So you're the son of who then? Zeus?"

"Ha! I wish!" Leo laughed, but there was a hint of truth to it. "Nah, my best friend is the son of Zeus... or Jupiter. Whatever," he waved off not wanting to get into the whole Greek/Roman conflict. "I'm the son of Hephaestus, god of fire, blacksmiths, and volcanoes." To prove his point, he brought out his hand face up, and just as he did before, brought flames to life so they danced in orange flares in his palm.

Right away, Andy's face replayed the same emotion of horror, but this time, curiosity got the better of him and his eyes went even wider. "So... so it is true! Leo! That's..."

"Fire," he finished and then quickly extinguished it. Immediately, Andy grabbed his rough hand and examined it from front to back, tracing his fingers over where the fire once was. It tickled and Leo tried hard not to pull his hand away.

"You don't even have any burn marks!" Andy exclaimed with excitement. "How's this possible?!"

"I told you. I'm the son of Hephaestus. I can do that... but not all his children are born with it. It's actually kinda rare."

Placing a hand on Leo's, he held it for a bit. "It's not even hot!" He brought his hand to his face to study it closer up, still tracing it with curiosity. "It looks like a normal hand!"

Feeling a little weird now, he gently pulled his hand away and clenched it. "Fire doesn't affect me... too much. If it's hot enough, it'll have more of an effect."

"Okay, I have a question for you, Leo Valdez," he announced suddenly, straightening his back. "Tell me why you didn't just whap Isaac and his friends in the faces and used your fire or something? You just let them take over when you knew you could just fend them off!"

"Yeah, that's kind of an unspoken rule for demigods," he said scratching the back of his neck feeling a little embarrassed. "Never use powers against mortals. They're built different than we are and just don't understand. It's not really fair to them. Besides," Leo added, "people would think I was some kind of freak if they all found out. Which is why I need you to keep this a secret between you and me. Don't even tell Alice, you hear?" he pointed sharply at him. Especially Alice.

Andy made a motion like he was zipping his lip. "I heard nothing!"

Millions of other questions were shot at him until his brain felt like mush. Even after they decided to get back on the trail and head home Leo wasn't given a break. The entire time, even though he was answering questions, he was hoping he hadn't made a mistake by telling Andy the truth. Maybe there could have been some way to keep it secret still. Either way, even if he was hesitant about his decision, it actually felt pretty good to get all that off his chest. Finally, a fraction of the weight he had been carrying on his shoulders the last while was removed. He hadn't even realized that keeping the secret that he was a demigod was a part of the pressures he felt. It was also insanely refreshing to see Andy's reaction to it all. Instead of hating him, he had gotten rather excited and curious about him being a demigod. Must have been the nerd in him. That made Leo wonder what his friends would think of all this. Would they have done the same thing? At this point, with how excited Andy was, Leo didn't care. He was happy to go along with it. Talking about one of his biggest secrets so openly with someone willing to listen was the most freeing experience he'd had in a while, and it felt great! In fact, it gave him great peace of mind talking about something familiar for once. After all that drama at school and at Alice's, he actually felt like he was talking to a friend. A real friend.

They pulled up in front of Alice's house and sat for a moment, finishing up their conversation. Leo had gotten so distracted sharing demigod stuff with Andy that he had completely forgotten to ask him to drop him off somewhere else. He tried not to get so upset about it because he really wasn't that prepared to jump and go like he wanted.

Finishing up, Leo said, "Thanks for the ride, Andy," he smiled as he unbuckled. "It was nice to get away."

With this new knowledge of who and what his friend really was, Andy grinned back like a kid who had met their idol. "Yeah, it was cool! I'm glad I had the idea to come get you. You know, you're a really cool guy. I had a few doubts at the beginning, but I think that was because I was just my usual shy self. You're really not that bad."

Leo raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Gee, thanks... I guess. Nah, you're not bad yourself. I actually had a good time. Sorry we didn't get very far on that hiking trip though. I feel like I kind of spoiled that."

"It's okay," he assured. "I've done it many times. I just hope I didn't exhaust you too much. I know we got far enough that I'm starting to feel it even."

"I think I'm okay. Might have sore calves tomorrow but I don't mind. I'm used to that kind of stuff, you know with camp and quests and stuff."

"Yeah, I suppose." Andy fidgeted with his button up, his hair still flicking out of his baseball cap. "Man. I still find that so crazy! You have a pet dragon?"

Beaming with pride and wishing his friends were here to see some proper appreciation for Festus, he sat a little straighter. "Yup! He's one of my best friends. Got us through some pretty tight situations."

"That's so cool."

"He's so cool."

"He's back at your camp though, right?"

Leo's smile turned into a frown. "Yeah. I don't know when I'll get to see him again. I don't know when I'll even see the camp itself."

"I'm sure Alice will let you go in the summer," Andy suggested. "Right? It's just a summer camp."

"Yeah." He sighed. "Yeah, I don't know. But... I suppose I should go. Alice will be waiting."

"Sure," Andy smiled. "I'll see you later then. Oh, and if Principle Wells asks where I was, tell him I had a family emergency that came up last second and I contacted you to look after my turtle."

"But you don't have a turtle."

"Principle Wells doesn't know that."

Leo smirked. "Still can't believe you played hooky."

"Shut up," Andy blushed. "Now get out of my truck."

"Yes sir!" he saluted and hopped out. "See you later!"

"Yeah, see you!" After Leo shut the door, Andy began pulling away from the curb. Leo watched him drive off and turn the corner.

Entering the house, Leo remembered to slip his shoes off on the doormat like Alice kept insisting (he might have forgotten a few times) and started upstairs after leaving his backpack at the doorway. That packed lunch wasn't enough to fill him completely and he felt he needed something small to tide him over before supper. As he climbed the stairs with the intention to search the fridge, he heard Alice talking on the phone from the kitchen. He didn't think much of it. She was probably talking with a girl friend or something. He didn't care... until he heard his name. Then he froze halfway up the stairs.

"Yes, well you see I'm told Leo has had a history of bouncing around between foster homes. I feel I need to be very careful and I don't know how much I can do without him..." She stopped. "Of course. I just don't know how far to take this quite yet."

Leo's heart pounded and his grip on the railing tightened. His stomach felt sick.

"Well I appreciate that. Thank you. Oh, what's that?" There was a lengthy pause. "Oh, I don't know about that either. He's pretty delicate at the moment. Mhmm. Yes. Well I suppose it could wait. It wouldn't feel right to jump into that so soon. I would like to wait at least a bit more. Is it possible to get back to you?" Another pause came, leaving Leo silent enough to hear his own heartbeat. "That's true. He's not back at school for a bit. I don't know for how long though. This might be the opportune time... oh... I wish I knew what to do."

That was enough for him to begin hyperventilating, his anxiety turning into extreme panic. What was she talking about? Who was she talking with? As his heartbeat raced faster, his ears began to ring so loudly that he couldn't even hear himself breathing anymore. With the fuzzy vision he had at this point, he immediately turned around and stumbled down the stairs and darted into his room slamming the door. Pressing his body against it, autopilot took over and he found himself having another panic attack.

His entire body trembled, his hands pulling at his hair with fists in desperation. He was hyperventilating so heavily he felt like he could pass out, but that wasn't what he was conscious of at that moment.

"How many times do I need to tell you?!" Miss Teresa's voice echoed in his head. "You're nothing but trouble!"

"No!" he cried falling to his knees rocking back and forth. "I'm n-not trouble!"

"You're nothing but trouble!... You're nothing but trouble!... Stand against the wall... You're nothing but trouble..."

He slammed his body against the door and gasped as he felt the hand grab his neck. Kicking his legs, he pulled at his collar and sobbed. "I'm not trouble! Don't do it again! D-Don't do it again! Don't hurt me!"

"Stand against the wall... You wait there... You're nothing but trouble!... Stand against the wall."

He knew it! Alice was planning to do something but she didn't want him to know about it! How could she?! How could she?! He'd actually started trusting her! What did he do wrong? Was he that much trouble? Was he actually so much of a burden that no one could put up with him? How was she planning to deal with him? Oh, gods! Please don't say she was going to hit him! Don't say she was going to punish him for his behavior! He could do better! He would act better for her! He would be a good boy! And if she decided to send him off to some other family, he might have to travel even further from camp and his friends! What if they weren't nice to him? How could Alice do this?! Why didn't she want him?! Why couldn't he be a better person?! Why couldn't somebody like him?!

Leo fought to breathe deeper and steadier to release the tightening of his neck, continually pulling at his hair and shirt. Slowly but surely, and with much struggle, he got it under enough control that he managed to crawl back onto his knees and then onto his feet. Every once in a while he would see the blurry outline of his bed, the only thing he had to keep himself in reality. He still had himself pressed against the door, but when he attempted to take a step away, he gasped as he clasped his collar, feeling the hand gripping him again and blocking his airway. For some reason, he wanted to reach his bed. The bed was real, it was safe. Miss Teresa wouldn't let him.

"Stand against the wall... You little worm!... You're nothing but trouble!... You little worm!... Stand against the wall."

Sobbing and still struggling to breathe, he reached out and pressed his free hand against the wall before him and took a step forward only to stumble into it like a magnet. He cursed and choked on his tears. "I'm not useless!" he shouted and hit the wall with his closed fist, his forehead pressed against the wall. "I'm not useless!"

"How many times do I need to tell you?!... Stand against the wall."

It was as if his body was acting on its own. Even though he fought to move so as to reach the bed, his body wouldn't budge, almost like he was glued to the spot or someone was holding him there. Instead, it listened to the voice ringing in his head as easily as he had before. Miss Teresa's words echoed so loudly that it became a part of him. So, he sat pressed against the wall, his face wet with tears and waited.

"You little worm!"

"I'm not useless!" his voice cracked.

You wait there... How many time do I need to tell you?!... You're nothing but trouble..."

He made a wailing sound and pulled his head back and tried to spot his bed through the blurriness and tears. He tried again to move and made a little progress. Each step was like walking in tar.

"Stand against the wall... You little worm!"

Again, he wailed and almost slammed into his closet. With every sob he made, his airway felt tighter and tighter. Still, he fought to reach his bed. Grabbing his desk chair for support, it swiftly swiveled under the weight and threw him on the floor causing him to land badly on his wrist. Even that didn't stop him. With every ounce of strength he had, Leo, despite his trembling body, managed to pull himself back up onto his knees to reach out and grip the blanket on his bed.

"You're nothing but trouble!... How many times do I need to tell you?!"

Slowly, as he sobbed, he finally managed to pull himself onto his bed and lay there. "I'm not trouble! I'm not trouble!"

"You're nothing but trouble!"

"I'm not trouble!" he cried, his voice cracking. In an attempt to protect himself, he pulled one of his pillows into his body and hugged it like his life depended on it. "I'm not trouble!"

For a good while still, he heard Miss Teresa shouting in his head. It had enveloped him and he was incapable of doing anything else besides lay there body-hugging his pillow. When the voices finally ceased, Leo buried his face and sobbed even harder until his head throbbed. "Mamá!" he found himself begging. "Mamá! Mamá! Mamá!..."

Mamá...

~Calypso's POV~

Calypso sat across the table from Percy and his mom, a cup of tea placed before her and a blue muffin. She still didn't understand why Percy liked blue food so much, but it amused her nonetheless. Whenever she went to visit, she was always offered some kind of pastry that was dyed that vibrant color. It was kind of cute really. She could see why Annabeth teased him so much. He truly was a child in a teen's body.

"Percy tells me you've been spending some time in the Manhattan," Sally said with a curious smile. "Seems like a dangerous trek to make on your own."

Peeling off the paper to her muffin, she nodded. "Yes, that's true. I don't normally take such risks when I'm alone, especially when I don't know how the modern world works quite yet, but I've found that I quite enjoy it. Something new around the corner all the time."

"I'm usually the one to invite her to the city, though she does get off on her own," Percy added. "I can't imagine what it must be like not being able to get out every once in a while. But I don't like the idea of her wandering without knowing where she's going."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I know how to navigate a whole section now almost without getting lost. I don't need you showing me around all the time."

He shrugged and adjusted his hoodie. "Suit yourself, but Manhattan is still pretty big." Judging by the big bags under his eyes, Percy wasn't sleeping very well these last few nights from one of three things: nightmares, Leo, or studies. Maybe all three. Sometimes he'd invite her to meet up at one of the coffee shops he usually studied at. Annabeth was no longer there to hang out with him and Calypso was beginning to find life at camp to be too depressing. It only made sense for the two to keep each other company until things changed. But whenever she found him sitting at one of the tables, he never looked liked he'd been studying at all. None of his books were ever open.

"Well I sure hope you know what you're doing, the both of you," Sally uttered after taking a sip of her herbal tea. "I don't like the idea of anyone getting lost or being put in danger. Things may be quiet now, and I hope they stay quiet, but a person can never know if you'll find some kind of monster or something out there."

"Mom, it's not as bad as you think," Percy reassured her. "I mean, sure, there are attacks from time to time, but they're not new to us. We know how to handle ourselves."

Discussion went on about how dangerous it was to wander the streets of Manhattan as a demigod or ex-goddess (she still didn't really know what to consider herself now that she was no longer immortal. Did she count as a demigod as well?). Even though Calypso hadn't told him, she suspected that Percy knew the real reason she roamed the city the way she did. She didn't like wasting her time at camp waiting to finish those papers which had been put on pause after people left for school. It had become too stressful for her and had even caused a bit of anxiety on her part. The fact that she hadn't been hearing from Leo too had been hard for her. She knew she couldn't just Iris message him and ask how he was doing. He was in the mortal world now in a stranger's home. The risk was too high of being spotted or calling at the wrong time. Besides, Leo didn't have many drachmas from what it sounded like on his end last she spoke with him. If he wasn't Iris messaging her, she just assumed he was too busy to remember to check up on how things were. There was a fear in the back of her mind that he might have even forgotten about her. She tried her best to avoid thinking that way though. He was probably saving those drachmas for emergencies or important calls.

Aren't I considered important? she asked in the back of her head. She pushed that aside.

In the middle of a disagreement on whether fish should ever be on the menu (Percy was pro-fish), the phone suddenly rang. Not used to hearing those things, Calypso became very confused for a few moments before realizing what that sound was. Leo had had to explain to her a million times for her to understand how phones worked. Not everyone could teleport or Iris message so they used those little machines to contact each other using little number codes to reach certain people, but demigods were highly encouraged not to use them because they attracted monsters. She had always wondered how they knew what number code to press to phone a particular someone.

"I've got it," Sally interrupted and stood from her seat. "You two can keep chatting."

Percy reached for another blue muffin and bit off its head and continued the discussion. "You know, it's illegal to hunt sharks and whales, right?"

"Percy, no one is talking about eating sharks or whales," Calypso stared at him.

"But," he pointed with all seriousness, "if they can ban killing sharks and whales..."

"No, Percy." Calypso stopped him. "People can eat fish if they want. There are millions of fish in the sea... literally. None of them would be in danger like sharks or Whales. I in fact love salmon."

Very disappointed, he slammed his muffin on the table and looked around exasperatedly. "Why can't anyone just bite?"

"Fish do. That's why they get eaten," she smirked.

With a glare, he shoved more muffin in his mouth and she laughed. She wondered if his mom ever dared have fish for supper while he was living at home.

From behind them, Sally put her hand over the speaker of the phone and raised an eyebrow. "Percy, Calypso, it's for you."

The two of them looked at each other in confusion. "Who is it?" Percy asked.

"Jason."

Immediately, they shot up and headed straight to the phone. Taking it from his mom who stood silently to the side, Percy leaned on the counter and pressed speaker phone. He held it out for the three of them to hear. "Jason?" he said. "Hey, what are you doing calling on the phone? Don't you have drachmas?"

"No," he replied. "Just ran out. I know how you feel about us calling you on your home phone, but it's kinda important."

"Really? Why?"

"Is Calypso there too? Your mom said she was."

"I'm here," she spoke up feeling just as confused as her friend. She really hoped there wasn't anything wrong. "What's going on?"

"Great. Oh, well Pipes and I are here together as well on our end and we have just worked something out that got us both excited so we decided to phone to let you know about it."

At this point, Calypso was leaning against the counter beside Percy. They made eye contact again.

Percy adjusted on his feet. "What kind of something?"

"Well," Jason started, "You know how Piper and her dad invited me to stay the school year with them, right?"

"Right..."

"Well, the both of us have been feeling bad that we let Leo go so easily and even more so that we couldn't be there to help make those adoption papers or whatever you're doing over there."

"So," Piper chimed in, "The two of us came up with an idea... well, actually my dad did, but it got our hopes up after feeling as horrible as we did. It's not exactly what we planned initially, not in the long run at least, but there's still a way we can help Leo besides working on the papers."

Calypso's heart fluttered hearing those words, her own hope sparking to life inside her. Could they have really thought of another way to bring him back home? Could she finally be with him? Breathing more animatedly, she asked, "How? When? What can we do?"

"Well, we wouldn't be able to help bring him home... yet," she said hesitantly, "but I'm sure, after how long he's been living in his new home without much or hardly any interaction with us, he'll be wanting some familiarity in his life."

"What Piper is trying to say is that we talked it over with Mr. McLean and the school we attend to allow us to take a trip to New York for a few weeks if we agree to study while we're away! We're not entirely sure when yet, but we want to leave as soon as we can. We thought since you guys live so close to him, maybe you wanted to tag along and go visit Leo together as a group as a surprise if Mrs. Hammel allows us. We've yet to phone her. We're gonna need to get that information, but we'll figure that out. You don't think you can look her up, can you?"

Calypso's heart pounded with longing and she clasped her hand over it. She could hardly contain herself! Were they actually going to see Leo?! "Oh my gods! Really?!"

Percy's face had turned into a huge smile and his own excitement was made visible. "Are you serious right now? That's awesome! Yeah, I think we can totally check that out! Man! I can't believe we never thought of that before! Mom, where's the laptop? I wanna look her up right now."

"Of course!" she beamed and left the room for a few minutes. Eventually, she came back with it in her hands and had already turned it on. "Let me use it," she insisted. "I don't want you using a phone and computer."

"Probably a good idea," he agreed.

They waited a few moments during their chat until finally Sally had pulled up a page with several contacts for Yonkers, New York. "Do these look familiar to you? Do you know which one is Mrs. Hammel?"

"You got that up and running already?" Jason asked over the phone. "That was fast."

Percy leaned over to look at her screen, as did Calypso but it didn't mean a lot to her. She didn't know what she was looking at.

"Do you know her first name?" Sally asked as she scrolled through the list of people.

"I think Leo said her name was Alice Hammel," Calypso suggested. "She lives alone other than him and a cat... I think. Maybe it's a dog."

It took a while, but eventually after searching through a few names they clicked on, Percy told her to stop suddenly. "Wait! Stop! I think that's her! What's her address?"

"76 Rodney Rd., Yonkers, New York," his mom read. "Alice Hammel. There's a phone number as well. You sure this is her?"

"There's only one way to find out," he grinned. "I'm gonna hang up now, Jason. I'll call you back."

"Awesome! Thanks!" he replied.

"Good luck!" Piper shouted in the background.

~Leo's POV~

Leo snapped awake when he heard a knock on his door. He must have fallen asleep. Lifting his head just enough, he checked the clock. To his shock, it was almost six o'clock in the evening.

"Leo, honey? Can I come in?" Alice called.

His heart stopped a brief moment. He didn't want her near him, not after what he heard at the stairs. His mind had wandered to far places since then and he couldn't help but think of what could happen to him in the days to come. What if she finally let it out on him? Would she hurt him the way Miss Teresa used to? Still, scared of offending her, he took a deep breath. "Come in..." he uttered into his pillow.

Not two seconds later, he heard the door open and the clatter of dishes. "Oh, Leo are you feeling well, sweetie?" Alice asked with immediate concern. "I didn't know you were home until I saw your things at the door not that long ago. Why didn't you let me know?"

Alice walked over to the dresser the TV sat upon and set the tray of dishes down. "I was going to wait to eat with you but then I noticed you weren't coming up. Sweetie?" She walked around the bed so she was on the side he was facing. "Are you all right?"

He didn't answer, nor did he budge. He simply stared at the corner of his room.

"Oh, honey," she murmured with a soft tone and sat on the edge of his bed. His entire body became tense, and even more so when he felt her stroking his hair, tracing her thin fingers through this curls like she was afraid she would ruin them. "Are you sick?"

Even though he didn't trust her to touch him like this, he allowed her because of fear. He shook his head.

"Well then what is it? You haven't come upstairs since you got back. Aren't you hungry?"

He shook his head again.

Alice sighed and continued to stroke him. Nothing was said for a long time. "I don't know when you got back, but it seemed you two were out for a long time. Did something happen between you two? Is that why you're like this?"

How could she not know? Couldn't she tell that he didn't want her here? What he heard her say on the phone scared him. He didn't trust her anymore, and because of that, he couldn't make himself dare push her away. What if she lashed out like Miss Teresa did?

"Whatever it is," she went on, "and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I would hope you would at last eat your supper. I made a nice bowl of chili with some cheese toast for you. Do you like chili?"

"Whatever," he mumbled into his pillow, his voice croaky.

"Oh, my dear," she muttered and brushed her whole hand through his hair this time, pulling his curls back completely. It didn't see like she knew what else to say to him, so she stopped talking and went on playing with his hair.

Leo could feel his body begin to stiffen from how tense he was. Nothing Alice did anymore was something he trusted. He didn't want her touching him.

Probably sensing his mood, Alice suddenly stopped stroking his hair and sighed. "I suppose I'll let you be to eat your supper. If you need me for anything, I'll be upstairs washing dishes, okay?" Then she leaned down and kissed him on the temple. Immediately, Leo shriveled and pulled his head away, burying his head in his pillow. After sitting without a word for another second or two, Alice left in silence.

Leo's heart skipped a beat when he heard the phone ring a second time.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH! You guys! We're finally coming closer to the juicy part of the story, if it isn't juicy enough for you now! AH! So excited! Can't contain it!

So, thoughts on Alice? What do you think? You still believe she is up to something? This sweet lady might be trouble for him after all! Yikes! But who knows? Oh, wait! ME! Mwhahahahaha!

What about Leo? Thoughts on him or his friends? Both?

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your morning/day/evening/night! I look forward to reading comments and posting the next chapter!

Toodaloo! Mwa! :D

~supworld~