To Thals13/ HoO Fan- (Chapters 14 and 15) There are twenty chapters total in this one! So four more! ^_^ And only a year? :'D And why is everyone so invested in Leoisa? I mean, it's not like I first made her character to parallel Leo's and give him a romantic interest (and give Percy an annoying little sister), long before Calypso was on the scene, or anything. I don't see what you're all on about, honestly do not.
To RandomFanAuthor- THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS REVIEWING, IT IS A GENUINE JOY! And no, Lou doesn't have corona. She's just gone a bit loopy and needs to be away from people, which is fair enough, kind of envy her actually D: A coronavirus oneshot? Eeeehhh, I will have to think about it! (Let me catch up on finishing typing up Tyrant's Tomb, then I'll attempt it :P ) And is that so? You can feel it? *eeevviillll*
Leo had to go not long after their conversation. Louisa had known he was there as soon as she opened her eyes, as she had known where the monsters were on the hill. The rushing was gentler in her ears, singular. It tuned down as he left, to an awaiting buzz.
She didn't know whose house this was. She stayed in the confines of the bedroom, studying what supplies Leo had left her until the sun started to dip mid-morning. Her sketchbooks, used and new. Pencils, colours, water paints, brushes. He had acquired a couple of small and medium blank canvases for her. New sets of acrylics and oils sat beside them. There was a notebook with cartoon dolphins and starfish and turtles on the cover, a pen tucked into the binder. This she picked up first, unsure if she liked the depiction of the sea creatures or not.
She thumbed through it, taking a shaky breath. How had it come to this? She had managed it so well, for so long. Nothing had happened after Shrimpzilla, except for Keto's rage. Why now? She had gone too far, she knew that, but in the moment… it wasn't something she could stop. She hadn't wanted to stop, she had an advantage on the monsters. It wouldn't have made sense to stop.
Her attention fell on the first page of the notebook. All the others had been blank and she skimmed over them, lost in thought. A burst of blue ink caught her eye and she froze.
Reyna had left her a note, her relatively neat print filling every line.
You're an idiot, the first line read. Louisa read it again, shaking her head. Typical, straightforward, honest Reyna.
Next came rules, of course- you are free to move about the house. Look after it, but don't leave. You are being monitored twenty-four-seven (I don't care if you think it's creepy, you'll do as you're told for once). Help is on hand if you need it.
Louisa looked up, squinting around the room. Above the door and in the corner by the window, she saw two small cameras, red lights blinking at her. She focused on the one above the door, sticking her tongue out on instinct. Then she read the next line- don't sit making faces at the cameras, it's not attractive.
"Pfft, rude." She muttered.
The kitchen, laundry room and bathroom are stocked, we've left a case of your clothes under the bed. We'll be keeping an eye on your supplies, but if there is anything else you need, leave a note on the fridge. Either Leo or I will check on you each morning and evening. Otherwise, you won't have contact or be near anyone. Louisa's shoulders slumped. The room felt smaller all of a sudden, creeping in. I'm sorry, but we need you to get better. I've just got you back. I'm not losing you again.
Keep yourself busy. Leo left your artsy stuff for you. There's a good selection of books in the downstairs study. Games in the living room. Take care of the house. It's all Julia has left. Louisa puzzled at that line. Julia?
Then it came to her and she swore. Julia was the little kid that worked with Terminus, a gap-toothed six-year-old with a trickster streak and a big smile. She's with a foster family now, Reyna continued, but the house is hers by rights.
I know you don't like rules, but you have to stick by these ones. I don't particularly want the gods killing you. I don't think you or anyone else does either. Louisa frowned at that line. She may have screwed up, but she wasn't the cause. The gods were. Be on your best behaviour, learn to control it. I know you can do it, you've done it before. Do it again.
And then came Louisa's favourite bit of the letter
Signed, Praetor Reyna RamĂrez-Arellano. AKA, your girlfriend who has zero problems kicking your ass into next week if you continue to be an idiot.
Louisa didn't doubt it. She read the letter over again, twice, tearing it out once she was done. She folded it up as neatly as she could, tucking it into her pocket.
OK, she thought, looking around the room. You're in complete isolation for an unspecified time 'cos you're an idiot. This will be great. Wait, will it? Yes, shut up. No-one asked you. No-one asked you either! Oh shit, that happened quicker than I thought. She launched herself onto her feet, shaking her hands. They still felt itchy; they tingled like they were missing something. The term 'phantom pains' popped into her head. She wasn't sure how that applied, but at the same time she understood it.
"How is she?"
"She's exploring." Reyna answered. Leo set a mug of coffee before her, sitting next to her with his own beverage. She wrapped her hands around the mug, needing the warmth in her fingers. She and Frank had come to an agreement- they were going to work shifts around each other. Partly so the other could get some rest, but also so Reyna could keep an eye on Louisa. Leo would watch alongside her and fill in for her when she had work to do. Even now, she was battling through paperwork.
Leo leaned over to see what she was writing. "It's our lost." Reyna said without looking up. "Reports are starting to come in, I'm just trying to compile them." He sat back, nodding mutely. He watched Louisa on the screen, swinging her bedroom door back and forth and frowning at the hinges as they squeaked. She moved on after a point, sticking her head around other doors, straightening pictures on the walls and then knocking others askew, disappearing downstairs where she jumped the last three. Leo wasn't paying attention at this point, closing his eyes.
Back in England, after the Bloods attacked, he and Calypso both had someone to talk to. He had had Breda, one of the meds working under July. At first, Leo didn't know what to say. He just had the number seventy-three whistling around his head. Despair hit him and Breda had let him cry. They talked, Leo apologised countlessly, Breda waved the apologies away and thanked him even more. "We may not like our roles, but we know them. The universe has a way of setting things up for people like us."
"We've got the Fates."
"Lou said about those. Three little old ladies, right?" Leo nodded. "Do you get angry at them?" The question had drawn Leo up short- he had been angry. His mother had died, his family had turned on him, he had been homeless and running away, sleeping in sewers and escaping foster families until he got sent to that Wilderness School. He knew the Fates weaved whatever they wanted for whoever they wanted, but it wasn't until Breda asked did he put two and two together. He had blamed the Dirt Lady. He still blamed her. Now he realised, there was more power at play.
"Yeah." He had said. "Yeah, I'm angry."
"Good." Breda smiled. "You can use that anger. Use it to go on the path to do something right."
He heard a little noise from Reyna, pulled from his thoughts as he realised it was a laugh. She noticed him staring in bewilderment, pointing at the screen. Louisa was lying on the floor, groaning and swearing in varying degrees of pain, with her leg propped up on the coffee table.
"What happened?"
"She stepped on Lego."
"Ah." He snorted. "Rewind, I wanna see."
"Mm, bit sadistic, are we?"
"Says the one rewinding."