all about hope- :((( as far as a TOA rewrite...kinda! i'm not gonna focus solely on apollo, tho.

SEASBLU- OMG YES i agree haha

Guest- haha i didn't think of that but that was such a good show! personally i don't think it's bad to not have read the entirety of canon...several people ik have read fanfics without even knowing the source material! and thank you!

AyeraeW- dude i feel that

Piper was nominated to knock on the door of the doctor.

"Dr. Asclepius?"

The door flew open, revealing a man with a kind smile and crinkles around his eyes. He had salt-and-pepper hair, and a well-groomed beard. His outfit was typical, stethoscope and lab coat, with one exception: he was holding a black staff with a live green python coiled around it. That was what they needed- more snakes.

"Hello!" He greeted them cheerfully.

"Doctor." Piper gave him a warm smile. "We'd be so grateful if you could help us acquire the physician's cure."

"Oh my dear, I'd be so happy to help."

Now that wasn't a response they were used to.

"You would?" Piper asked, in pure shock. She quickly continued. "I mean, of course you would!"

"Come in, come in!" He gestured for them to enter.

Asclepis took the big comfy doctor's chair, laying his staff and serpent across his desk. Rosie and Piper took the two chairs in front of the desk, as Leo and Jason lingered behind them.

"So," Asclepius said, clapping his hands together. "I can't tell you how nice it is to actually speak with patients. The past...hmm, thousand years or so, the paperwork has gotten out of control. Rush, rush, rush! Fill in forms. Not to mention the giant alabaster guardian who kills everyone in the waiting room."

"Yeah, Hygeia is kind of a bummer," Leo muttered.

Asclepius grinned. "Ah, not to worry, my real daughter Hygeia isn't like that. She's very nice. At any rate, well done reprogramming that statue. You have a surgeon's hands."

The thought of Leo being a surgeon sent a wave of panic through her.

"Leo with a scalpel?" she said. "Now, that could be dangerous."

Asclepius' eyes flickered over to her. "Why dear, didn't you speak up about your mosquito bite?"

"What?" she said, shocked that he knew.

Seemingly out of thin air, Asclepius produced a bottle of what appeared to be ointment, tossing it her way. "Apply that twice a day, and it should clear up your bite. It could help with those cuts on your hands too."

"Um. Wow. Thanks, doc."

The doctor wasn't done yet. He took another measured glance at Rosie. "Something tells your anxiety levels have been high lately."

She laughed nervously. "I think I can say that about all of us."

"Remember to take care of yourself as well as others, dear," the doctor said knowingly.

Rosie felt like sinking into her seat, her worries about Percy and Annabeth and the quest in general coming to the surface.

"How did you do that?" Jason asked in awe.

The doctor glanced over at Jason with a sympathetic look, clicking his tongue. "My poor boy, you have an easy fix."

"What?"

The doctor opened his desk drawer, taking out his prescription pad and an eyeglasses case. "You're nearsighted, my boy. Try these on."

"Hold up," Rosie said.

"Jason is nearsighted?" Leo asked.

Jason tried the glasses on, and it looked like he never should've been without them. They fully fleshed out his nerdy, professor-like persona. She could imagine him wearing a tweed blazer with elbow patches, reading some thick encyclopedia.

"I have been struggling seeing things at a distance," Jason admitted. "These are...wow. Thanks, Dr. Asclepius."

Piper beamed. "You look very scholarly." She glanced at the doctor. "But, uh, that's not why we came here, sir."

"No?" He said, looking at Piper with scrutiny. "Well, I don't see much wrong with you. Broke your arm when you were six, I see...it's important to be careful with horses, my dear."

Piper's jaw dropped. "Um...how did you-"

"Vegetarian," he continued. "That's quite alright, just make sure to get enough iron and protein in your diet." Asclepius looked over at Leo. "And you…"

The doctor's kind expression was gone, replaced by a grim expression. "Oh, my. I see. Now that's a shame…"

Rosie snapped her head towards Leo, whose expression was unreadable. Her heart started to pound….why was he so concerned with Leo?

She flashed back to Leo and the astrolabe, and she wondered what she was missing.

"What?" Jason demanded, sounding just as anxious as she was feeling. "What's wrong with Leo?"

"Doc," Leo said in a warning tone. "We came for the physician's cure- that's it. Can you help us or not? We've got some Pylosian mint, and a very nice yellow daisy here." Leo gestured for Rosie to hand him the mint, and suddenly, both ingredients were on the desk.

"Wait," Rosie interjected, holding up a hand. "Is there something wrong with Leo?"

"Forget I said anything," Dr. Asclepius waved her off. "Moving on. You want the physician's cure."

"But-" Piper started.

"Guys, drop it," Leo said. "I'm fine, except for the fact that Gaea is destroying the world tomorrow...Promise. Let's focus."

Asclepius observed the petals of the daisy delicately. "My father Apollo picked this?"

"Yep, he sends his hugs and kisses."

"I do hope he makes it through the war alright, Zeus can be quite unreasonable at times."

Almost simultaneously, Jason and Rosie rolled their eyes- that much, they knew.

"Now," he continued. "We're just missing the heartbeat of the chained god."

"I have it," Piper announced. "I mean...I can summon the makhai."

"Excellent. One moment, dear." He glanced down at his python. "Spike, you ready?"

Leo looked like he was stifling a laugh. "Your python's name is Spike?"

Spike looked at Leo, hissing and revealing a row of what appeared to be painfully sharp teeth.

Leo reddened. "Of course, your name is Spike. My bad."

"Don't mind his grumpiness," Asclepius said. "People always mistake him for the staff of Hermes, which has two snakes, obviously. People call that the symbol of medicine, when obviously, it should be mine! Anyway…"

He suddenly set the mint and posion in front of Spike. "Pylosian mint- certainty of death. The curse of Delos- anchoring that which cannot be anchored. Now the final ingredient: the heartbeat of the chained god- chaos, violence, and fear of mortality." Asclepius turned to Piper. "My dear, please release the makhai."

Piper closed her eyes, as wind swirled through the room. Angry voices wailed, and Rosie felt a strange wave of anger pass through her body.

Spike unhinged his jaw, swallowing the angry wind. His neck ballooned as the spirits of battle went down his throat. He snapped up the mint and daisy in his mouth.

"Won't that hurt him? The poison, I mean?" Jason asked.

"No, no," Asclepius said. "Wait and see."

A moment later, Spike belched out a new vial filled with dark red liquid.

"The physician's cure," the doctor said in a reverent tone.

Rosie leaned back in her chair, wanting to stay as far away as possible from that thing. It was...unnatural. How were they supposed to trust it?

Asclepius looked at the vial in the light, his expression suddenly becoming distraught. "Oh, why, why did I make this?"

Piper held her hand out. "Because we need it to save the world," she said in her soothing charmspeak. "You're the only one who can help."

"Of course," the doctor said, visibly relaxing. "Forgive me. But you must be careful...Hades hates it when I raise people from the dead. If Zeus finds out...he'll kill me by lightning bolt again."

"You look pretty good for a dead guy," Rosie said flatly.

"I got better. That was part of the compromise. You see, when Zeus killed me, Apollo got very upset. He took it out on the makers of lightning bolts. Killed some of the Elder Cyclops. Zeus then punished Apollo...quite severely. To finally make peace, Zeus made me the god of medicine...with the caveat that I wouldn't bring people back from death anymore. And yet...I'm giving you the cure." His voice became uncertain.

"Because you're willing to make an exception for us," Piper argued confidently.

Reluctantly, Asclepius handed Piper the vial. "Well...yes. At any rate, the potion must be administered as soon as possible after death, either injected or poured into the mouth. There is only enough for one person...do you understand?"

That was it, then- it was for Percy...if it came down to it.

"We understand," Piper said.

"Best wishes, should leave." Asclepius rose. "And if you happen to see my father again….give him my regrets."

Back on the ship, they all gathered together, filling the others in on what they missed.

"I don't like it," Jason said. "The way Asclepius looked at Leo-"

Leo smiled weakly. "Come on, bro. He was just sensing my heartsickness about Calypso."

Piper sighed. "That is so sweet, Leo, but-"

"Look, any of us might die, right?" Leo said. "So we just need to keep the potion handy."

"Assuming only one of us dies," Jason pointed out. "There's one dose."

Nobody spoke for a second. Everyone at the table looked...a little wary.

"So we keep our options open," Piper suggested lightly. "We should have...a designated medic to carry it. Someone who can react quickly and heal whoever...you know."

"Good idea, Beauty Queen," Leo agreed quickly. "How about you?"

"Huh?" Piper said, confused. "But Annabeth is wiser. Hazel can move on Arion quickly. Frank can-"

"But you've got heart," Annabeth said, smiling at her. "Leo's right- you're perfect for the job."

Rosie found herself also smiling. "Yeah, Pipes. I have a feeling you're the best choice. You're going to be there, no matter what."

Leo picked up the vial. "Everyone in agreement?"

No one objected.

Leo wrapped up the vial in cloth from his tool belt, passing it to Piper.

"Okay, then," Leo said after a moment of silence. "Early to bed tonight, gang. Be ready to fight some giants."

She felt like puking.

"Yeah," Frank said sarcastically, echoing her sentiments. "I'll sure sleep well tonight."

Rosie wasn't ready to go to bed. Going to bed meant eventually, the sun would rise...and it would be time. Nothing would ever be the same.

She instead found herself leaning on the railing of the ship, looking up at the stars. Her sketchbook was right besides her.

"I've never seen you turn down the opportunity to sleep."

She turned to see Leo there, hands in his pockets and smiling back at her.

"And yet, here we both are," she grinned back at him.

"Touche, Freckles. I...I don't want to fall asleep yet."

"I don't either." It came out a whisper, as Leo came to stand right by her.

"Also, it's so not the same without having Coach yell all night."

"Right? I miss the old goat."

It was a comfortable silence...like catching up with an old friend you hadn't seen in forever. She couldn't help the rush of emotion she felt with Leo standing there next to her, the kid who had stuck through everything with her.

Ever since she was a little girl, the stars drew her into awe and silence. And now, standing next to Leo...it had the same effect. There was something beautiful and awe-inspiring about the fact that even within the complexities of the world, they had ended up in each other's lives.

"So…" she let out a breath. "I've been working on something."

Leo looked over at her with a grin. "You said that the way I said I was working on the Argo II."

She laughed, turning to face him, sketchbook in hand. "I mean...I kind of feel like you? It's...a good feeling."

"Are you gonna show me or what, Freckles?"

"Okay," she said excitedly, flipping the page to show Leo her sketch. "Imagine a house- Okay, huge, enough room for lots of kids. Think of the Eastland School."

"I don't know what that is, but alright."

She paused. "Really? The Facts of Life?" Leo gave her a blank look, as she cursed all the shows they were going to miss out on watching together. "Nothing? Alright- think the X-mansion."

Leo nodded with a serious look. "That, I know- so like, a school?"

She hesitated. "Kinda," she said. "More like a home...a safe place for demigods to crash. Maybe they aren't ready for a camp, maybe they don't have a home...maybe they just want to practice their powers in a controlled, safe environment...where they won't be judged. The kind of place you and I needed when we were kids on the run, when we didn't have answers yet."

Leo blinked, then grinned. "You want to build a Sanctuary, don't you?"

She wasn't sure where the idea had come from. Part of her felt like it had always been inside of her, waiting to be uncovered. There had been so much leading up to that point. Leo's childhood, being shuffled from foster home to foster home, along with her own, running away from her family. Jason telling her about the games he played with Grant back in New Rome. Nico telling her to stop holding a grudge against herself. The Caterina kids and what they stood for. Her and Percy's pact to reclaim themselves. It meant using the side of herself that she was sometimes ashamed of for good. It was a love letter to her past self, an ode to how far she had come from being that scared, timid girl.

It all came down to an idea of a home. And if she was going to lose her home, she was just going to have to build a new one.

"Yeah," she said, swallowing hard. "I really do."

Leo's face softened. "It's brilliant, Rosie. You are brilliant."

She felt herself blushing. "It's nothing," she deflected. "Just something...for the future." She ended this flatly, unaware if there would be a future for her.

"Right," Leo said in a measured tone. "For the future."

"Because," she said, blinking away the tears. "This'll clearly be down the road."

"Clearly."

"There's so much to do before then."

"Right," Leo agreed, nodding.

"Like….going to high school."

Leo raised his eyebrows in amusement. "You have been to high school."

She lightly shoved him. "You know what I mean-a high school for non-delinquents. Where I can complain about our trig class or sit next to you in Chemistry and doodle on your notes."

He nodded, but said nothing.

"And I want to learn how to drive."

"You? On the road?" Leo asked. "That sounds like a hazard."

"But a perfectly normal thing for a sixteen year old to do. You ever realize that? We're sixteen and don't know how to drive and yet we operate Pegasi and dragons."

He snorted. "Yeah."

"We'll get our licenses...and we'll take a road trip. In the summer- that's what sixteen year olds do in the summer. Take trips."

"I feel like our lives are a constant road trip."

"A non-dangerous road trip," she continued. "We'll...go everywhere. Anywhere. Maine. Houston. Utah."

"Utah?"

"Utah. We'll find the best Tacos throughout the country."

He looked at her with a mock pout. "You already know those are mine."

"Then we'll find the second best." She paused. "And music...every road trip needs music. Only the oldies."

Leo smirked. "Elton John."

"Billy Joel."

"Fleetwood Mac."

"Queen."

"Journey."

"ABBA."

Leo made a face. "Really? Freckles, we've been over this-"

"You can't tell me that Dancing Queen isn't a perfect road trip song."

He gave her a small smile.

She looked at him. "Please promise me we'll go."

Leo's face fell slightly. He looked upset- she didn't know why. There was something bothering him, something she didn't want to think about. She was ignoring what was going to come. She had a feeling that one of them would be forever changed by tomorrow.

"Okay?" She asked, tears welling in her eyes. "Promise me we'll go."

After hesitating, he nodded. "We'll go," He said softly.

"I'm scared, Leo," she whispered, the dark of the night suddenly becoming sombering.

"Hey, hey, no," he comforted, holding out his arms. "C'mere."

She fell into his arms, gripping tightly onto him. Her head was on his shoulder, his hand on her hair.

"You give the best hugs," he whispered.

She wanted to protest. After all, he was the one giving her a hug.

Instead, her heart melted.

"Annabeth…" She gulped. "Annabeth thinks they're too tight. Says I'm going to smush the life out of her."

"Sometimes you need that."

For a second, they didn't say anything...nothing had to be said in that moment. She wished she could press pause and stay in this moment forever.

"And hey, Freckles...this house you're building? You should build a lighthouse with it."

She snorted. "A lighthouse? Why?"

"Come on, Freckles," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Everyone knows a lighthouse is how you get home."

In the three months and fifteen days she had been at Wilderness, she had yet to make a friend.

It wasn't like she didn't try. But whenever she did, she was met with weird looks...with whispers.

Eventually, she stopped trying. She felt herself fading away, pressing up against walls and avoiding glances.

She had a routine, one she stuck to fervently. It kept her busy, kept her from thinking too much.

Fridays were her laundry day, something she lamely looked forward to. That was when the room was emptiest. She'd put her clothes in, switch them to the dryer, and grab some homework to do while her load finished up.

Her heart dropped in disappointment when she came in to check on her clothes in the dryer. Isabel and her friends were in the room, blocking her dryer. Why were they here?

"Excuse me," she said, coming up to the group.

Isabel and her cronies looked at her with disgust, like she was the one doing something wrong.

"Is something wrong?" Isabel asked, hands on her hips in annoyance.

"This is a big room, and somehow, you managed to take up the one dryer that's in use." There was one rule with Isabel: never let her see that she's affecting you.

Isabel smiled smugly. "Well, with your wardrobe, I don't know why you bother doing laundry. It's already so-"

The door of the washing machine across the room suddenly swung open, slinging back quickly with a loud CLANG.

"What-" Isabel exchanged a confused look with her friends. "What was that?"

Dana, Isabel's number one crony, backed up nervously. "She did it!" She said accusingly, pointing to Rosie.

"Ah, yes, I do have the power to be in two places at once," she said sarcastically. She was confused too, but she would never tell them that.

Isabel glared at her. "You are the biggest freak-"

She was caught off as three more machines flung open their doors, swinging back violently. Dryers got in on the action too. Inexplicably, all of the machines almost had a mind of their own. She realized that they all were clanging to "We Will Rock You".

A machine swung open right next to Isabel, who was suddenly soaked with soapy suds.

Isabel screeched, looking down at her shirt, horrified. Her friends behind her looked like they were holding in their laughter.

"Shut up!" She snapped. She turned to Rosie. "Is this funny for you?"

"I'm just surprised you haven't melted yet," she deadpanned.

"You know, you are-"

"Yes!" A scrawny, elf-looking boy with a head of black curls popped up from behind the laundry table, giving Rosie a heart attack. He had a wild grin on his face. "It worked!"

"Do you even go here?" Isabel snapped.

The kid reddened, like he suddenly realized he had an audience. "Oh. Um. Yeah, hi, I'm-"

"Shut it, Munchkin," Isabel said, her cronies piping in with some laughter.

"Oh, Isabel see, you do know Wizard of Oz," Rosie said in a fake sweet tone.

Isabel narrowed her eyes at her. "Whatever. I hope you two enjoy each other in Freak Paradise."

With that, Rosie was left alone with the boy.

He laughed nervously. "She seems nice," he joked, wiping his hand on his pants. He extended to Rosie, waiting. "I'm Leo...I'm new here. It's great to finally meet someone who seems normal, my roommate blamed me today for having one less goldfish than he did yesterday. Crazy, right?"

She looked away from his hand, to her load of laundry. "My, uh, clothes," she muttered. "They're still wet. Could you restart my cycle?"

Leo's face fell, as his hand dropped. She quickly left the room, leaving him behind.

She didn't need a friend...she was used to being alone.

She would soon find out how wrong she was.