Hello readers!

Welcome back to the story! Yes, it's been a bit long since I've updated. This one probably would've been out sooner had the chapter not run away from me and decide to be one of the LONGEST chapters in this story. Almost 7,000 words without the pre and post authors notes!

Rest assured, the one-post-a-month schedule is still in effect I just can't seem to settle on a specific DAY of the month in which to post. The next chapter should be out closer to the start of Oct. so look for it then :)

Shoutout time!

Shoutouts to: CharneX, sophieyu03, Silverpheonix233, Cherokee rememberer gamer98, and Astrid-Lyanna Granger for favoriting!

Shoutouts to: CharneX, Gigicomics, sophieyu03, Silverpheonix233, Cherokee rememberer gamer98, and Astrid-Lyanna Granger for joining the following!

Please enjoy the 20th entry in Leo's Logbook!

-Ardoa88

Entry 20: Bygones

Percy decided that, after three hours of staring at the ceiling, he would not be falling asleep tonight.

Between the tar monsters (Cedrus' Annabeth had called them) and the nymphs, the Son of Poseidon was having a hard time believing they were well and truly safe. Not to mention they were currently flying through the sky which had never been something Percy- a demigod of the sea- felt comfortable doing.

So, yeah. Sleep was not something he anticipated getting a lot of that night.

Eventually he got tired of staring at the undecorated walls of his room and rolled out of bed with a resigned sigh. There were just... too many thoughts in his head that he couldn't seem to quiet. Thoughts about the mysterious prophecy Ella had blurted out at the forum, thoughts about the Great Prophecy and what role he would have to play in it, thoughts about Nico di Angelo and how the Son of Hades had known about both camps (and why he hadn't said anything to him when they'd met in Camp Jupiter).

He just needed to stretch his legs, maybe get some fresh air. Percy had found that sparring- or any kind of physical activity, really- was an easy way to clear his mind, but he knew the others were probably fast asleep after the long day and he wasn't about to wake them from the well-earned rest.

Walking will have to do, he thought to himself as he tugged his worn pair of sneakers over his bare feet. The upper deck was fairly large, a perfect place to do a few laps in the crisp evening air. Not to mention that it would be good to get used to the slight rocking motion of the ship: Percy was well aware that getting one's 'sea legs' (he supposed it would be 'sky legs' in this case) was always helpful when the next bout of fighting eventually broke out.

His room was positioned towards the back of the hallway, one of the last doors before the rear set of stairs that led to the lowest floor of the ship. Percy heard a series of loud creaks and groans as he made his way towards the stairs, wondering if maybe the ship was in worse shape than Leo had let on earlier.

It's not that he didn't trust the guy- well, okay maybe at first he had been a bit angry about the whole 'firing on Camp Jupiter' thing, but something told the older demigod that the hispanic's actions hadn't been intentional. It was just a gut feeling, but Percy was ready to let bygones be bygones. Still, the ship made far too many noises for something that the Son of Hephaestus claimed was 'perfectly safe'. In the short time Percy had been aboard it seemed like something was always clicking or creaking or hissing; like some kind of nonstop background music.

The demigod paused just outside the door to the lounge, ears picking up the sounds of a wrestling match from inside the room. Carefully, he glanced around the corner to see the satyr- Coach Hedge, Annabeth had called him- snoring softly in one of the reclining chairs as the television continued to display the cage match. Percy smirked at the sight. The satyr was certainly a strange one, he'd declared himself the officially-unofficial camp counselor for their quest, and promptly demanded that he be given a megaphone (which no one had) and full access over the steering console (which both Leo and Annabeth had agreed was a bad idea). He'd also ushered everyone to bed after the whole 'escape from the nymph lagoon' thing, warning against breaking the self-imposed curfew by hefting his baseball bat over his shoulder.

Percy fully believed the satyr was willing- if not almost eager- to use it.

Either way, the old goat was out cold for the time being, so Percy slipped by, ascending the stairs as quietly as he could. The ship creaked again as Percy neared the top, his soundless footfalls accompanied by a rapid series of low clacks and long groans. Percy had come to expect the sounds from the ship, but what he did not expect was to hear someone speaking from up on the deck. The words weren't especially loud, but in the silence of the evening they carried on the wind easily enough.

"I know I shouldn't blindly believe what a god says. But… it's not like she said anything that wasn't true. She certainly didn't say anything I didn't already know."

The last sentence was bit out with a bitter edge to it, and Percy drew up short as he reached the last step. Leo was standing by the main mast, some kind of tool held easily in his hand as he pried at something that Percy couldn't see. The smaller boy's hair was still greased back from he and Hazel's encounter with Narcissus, the words 'Hot Stuff' and 'Team Leo' smudged along his forearms in a way that suggested he'd tried- unsuccessfully- to rub off the sharpie marks. He hadn't even changed out of his clothes: the white collared shirt he wore in favor of the orange Camp Half-Blood one still stained with tar and peppered with holes and claw marks.

That same creaking and clicking noise resurfaced and it took Percy a moment to realize the sound was an intentional one: not a sign that something was about to fall apart as he'd imagined.

Leo sighed, reaching down with one hand to pull a wrench from his toolbelt. "It's fine, Festus, really. I'm fine. Besides," he added, voice softening, "I can't really blame them. If someone had fired on our camp I'd probably be just as mad."

Percy remained frozen at the top of the stairs, which creaked again in that same deliberate manner. He felt suddenly uncomfortable, as if he was eavesdropping on some private conversation; though Percy had no idea who Leo was supposed to be talking to seeing as they were the only two demigods there.

"It was my fault." Leo continued speaking, oblivious to the new arrival, his tone shifting to have more of a hard edge to his words as he snapped the panel shut. "Trying to deny it won't help anything, and besides, it's not like I can just go back and change the past. But! You know what I can change? The setting on your stabilizer's tandem synchrometer." He made a clicking noise with his mouth, pointing finger guns at the spot where he was working. "That's right, baby! We'll be flying straight as an arrow from here until Kansas!"

The tone shift caught Percy off guard: having changed from somber to overly optimistic in the half-second it took for the younger demigod to turn around…

… and see Percy, standing at the top of the stairway, watching him.

His words halted, and the smile that had begun to stretch across Leo's face faltered. Chocolate eyes widened with surprise and the kid's posture stiffened in a way that made Percy frown.

Even from the short time he'd spent with the Hispanic, he knew Leo was usually a very relaxed person (except for his hands, which never seemed to stay still for any length of time). When they were fighting off the lake Nymphs, Leo had been (relatively) calm and controlled in his actions as he'd coaxed the hastily repaired Argo II into the sky. Even at the forum in Camp Jupiter, the kid had been nervous and fidgety, sure, but never stiff or scared.

Something had changed since then, and Percy had a growing suspicion that Leo was somehow afraid of him. He just couldn't fathom why. His query was all but confirmed as he stepped out onto the deck, seeing the younger boy's shoulders hunch and his head duck slightly towards the ground like a guilty child who'd just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Despite the sudden tension in the air, Percy put on his most easy-going grin, sticking a hand in his pocket as casually as he could while he sauntered over, waving with the other.

Leo swallowed, a strained smile pulling the corner of his mouth up. He cleared his throat, but that still didn't entirely get rid of the waver as he said, "H-hey man, what- er- I didn't realize anyone was still awake."

The irony of the statement almost made Percy laugh. Instead his grin just grew and he looked meaningfully at the other demigod. "I could say the same. From the look of things I didn't expect anyone to openly defy the satyr's curfew rule. That baseball bat looks pretty solid. And yet," Percy spread his hands to either side of him, and he wasn't expecting Leo to flinch quite as hard as he did at the sudden movement. Percy quickly dropped them back to his side as he continued, "and yet, here we are."

"Here we are." Leo repeated quietly, his hands fiddling with one of the straps on his toolbelt. "So, uh, why are you awake?"

"Couldn't sleep," Percy answered with a shrug, casting his gaze over the side of the ship and out among the dark expanse of the night sky. "It's been a long day. A lot happened and I guess I'm still trying to wrap my mind around some things. Figured stretching my legs and getting some fresh air couldn't hurt."

There was a flash of lightning in the far distance and Percy tried not to shudder at the thought of Zues watching him as a low rumble rolled among the clouds they flew parallel with. As if he didn't have enough on his mind.

"Oh, well, the deck's all yours then." Leo said, gesturing with a hand at the open space around them. Despite the clear invitation to leave and end the awkward conversation, Percy stayed where he was, looking back at the younger demigod and raising a curious eyebrow.

"Why are you still up?" And okay, maybe the words had come out a bit more pointed than he'd intended them to. The Hispanic's cheeks flushed and the arm that had been extended moved to the back of his neck.

"Just getting a head start on the repairs." He said, tilting his chin towards the starboard side of the ship. Percy's eyes followed the motion to see a small pile of bronze oars stacked neatly by the railing. Even from a distance the Son of Poseidon could see that some of them were bent to an abnormal degree.

"After all, we can't have this bucket of bolts falling out of the sky now, can we?" Leo smiled, looking up at the sails as he tapped on the mast with the side of his wrench, the noise echoing through the hollow metal. Then he seemed to realize what he'd actually said, because a slightly panicked look overcame his features and he hurriedly amended the thought. "Not that- not that the ship's in danger of falling out of the sky or anything!"

Percy hummed in acknowledgement. "Good to know. I like not falling out of the sky." He nodded towards the pile of parts. "Need any help with those?"

Leo started at the question, staring up at the taller demigod with no small amount of bewilderment. Then the mechanic frowned, like he hadn't heard Percy properly.

After another moment, Leo seemed to snap himself out of his shock. He shook his head at the offer. "Nah, it's cool. Besides, I just finished re-calibrating the tandem synchrometer to account for the reduced number or oars on the…" Leo trailed off at the blank look Percy was giving him. With a huff that sounded like he'd encountered this problem before, he clarified, "those oars were broken and causing the ship to rock. I took out the oars and adjusted the tande- mechanism that makes us fly straight."

"So the rocking wasn't intentional?"

Leo's gaze dropped to the floor as he twisted the wrench in his hands. "No. It wasn't. But it should be fixed now."

Percy recalled the words he'd overheard and smirked. "Straight as an arrow?"

Leo snorted.

The ship creaked.

Only this time, it was coming from the bow. Percy leaned around the mast to see the dragon figurehead looking right back at him with it's beady red eyes. When he'd first seen the dragon move, Percy had been simultaneously surprised and impressed. Having a moving dragon at the bow of this ship was pretty badass. Of course, he had no idea how Leo was controlling which direction it moved, or when it released steam from it's nostrils like it was doing now.

He just chalked it up to mechanical ingenuity and left it at that.

Which was why Percy was caught off guard when Leo leaned around the other side of the mast, looked directly at the dragon, and said. "I know arrows don't technically fly straight, Festus. It's just an expression."

Percy's gaze waffled between the mechanic and the dragon, the latter of which whirred again.

Leo rolled his eyes. "No- not- ugh, nevermind. Remind me to upload some basic idioms into your circuits when we get back to the Bunker."

"Are you guys… talking to each other?"

Both Leo and the masthead turned to look at Percy. Leo tilted his head as if the answer to that was obvious. "Who else would I be talking to? Myself? I'm not that crazy... at least, not yet."

Percy scratched at his head. "But I thought… I thought you were controlling that thing."

The masthead snorted and Leo's eyes sparked slightly at the comment. "That thing is named Festus, and he just so happens to be a completely self-sentient animatronic and the one piloting the ship at the moment."

"Really?" Percy looked back at the living metal with a newfound appreciation. "That's pretty cool."

Again, the Son of Poseidon's words were met with a strange reaction. The drag- Festus raised his head so that the curve of his jaw resembled that of a smile as gears whizzed in what Percy could almost describe as 'happy' if he had to put a name to the sound. Meanwhile, Leo leaned back, the intense look fading from his eyes to make way for that same bewildered expression from before.

"Uh…" Leo blinked. "Y-yeah, Festus is pretty cool. Oh, don't you go getting a big head- I say that all the time." He added, glaring at the masthead when the dragon whirred again. When it became clear that the animatronic wasn't listening, Leo groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now look what you've done- you realize he's gonna be expecting more compliments now that someone else has recognized how awesome he is, right?"

"Sorry?"

Percy could tell that the words were meant as a joke, and Leo's posture had eased noticeably since he'd first come up on deck. The smaller demigod leaned back with a soft smile, eyes crinkled at the corner as he looked on fondly while Festus continued to preen. It was the most authentic smile Percy'd seen from the kid since they'd met.

The moment was over far too soon as Leo stretched his hands above his head with a grunt. "Alright, alright, I get it Festus, you're the best dragon there ever was. Now can you please just run the diagnostic stabilization test? I'll take the oars down to the storage room and when I'm done I wanna know if the synchrometer needs any more adjustments, okay?"

Festus creaked and Leo nodded in satisfaction.

"Good." He then glanced over to Percy. "Like I said, deck's all yours, Aquaman."

Percy frowned. "Aquaman?"

And with that, the tension returned in full measure. Shoulders tensed as Leo rubbed the back of his neck, eyes slipping sideways. "Well, you are a child of the sea god, and Piper said Annabeth told her you could talk to dolphins? Or something like that? So…"

"Ah…" So that's where the nickname had come from. Honestly, Percy didn't mind it so much; it was much less insulting than the occasional 'Seaweed Brain' that Annabeth would throw his way. Then again, the latter was one that had become more endearing over the past few years.

"Anyway- have a good night." Leo concluded hesitantly in the silence, moving away from the center of the ship and towards the oars.

Percy watched him as he levered three of the large bronze beams over his shoulder, stumbling back a step and windmilling his free arm for a brief moment before catching his balance.

If he had to sum up the younger demigod in a word, Percy would've had to use the term 'harmless'. Sure, Leo had fired on Camp Jupiter with the ships' weapons. But the kid himself was pretty unimpressive, all things considered. He wasn't muscular like Frank, he didn't have the same charisma and charm as Piper (although his jokes did draw the occasional laugh), and he wasn't terribly smart in the way of tactics, like Annabeth. He was adept at operating the ship, which itself was essentially a war machine, but Leo himself? Percy would be hard pressed to find anything intimidating about the scrawny mechanic.

Percy was just about to turn and make his way towards the other end of the ship when Festus snapped his jaw, creaking urgently. Leo turned at the sound, a pinch forming between his brows as he listened.

"The fuel pressure? Are you sure?"

Festus clicked.

"What's the EGT in the right engine?"

There was a pregnant pause as the dragon went silent for a few seconds. Then Festus creaked out an answer with a sharp grinding of gears. Leo's eyebrows shot up, disappearing beneath his hairline.

"Seventy degrees lean of peak!" The oars crashed back to the deck as Leo dropped them, rushing over to the side of the ship and leaning over to railing to stare back at the aft section of the boat. "Mierda, esto es malo."

Percy jogged over. "What? What's going on?" He looked over the side, seeing the low red glow of the engines exhaust but nothing else that would be overly concerning. There was no fire. No smoke pouring from the back of the ship. Nothing to warrant the fear that tinged the words of the younger demigod.

Instead of answering him, Leo pushed away from the railing, taking the steps two at a time up to the quarterdeck. He glanced over the control console for a split second, hands hovering over the controls before calling out, "Festus! Close the shut-off valve from the right side fuel tank and apply power to the emergency pump, I'm gonna open the transfer lines from the left system."

While he may not know exactly what had Leo in such a panic, the word 'emergency pump' was something Percy didn't have to be a mechanic to understand. "What's wrong with the engine?"

"Nothing's wrong with the engine." Leo answered as he adjusted the controls. "We've lost pressure in the right fuel lines and the exhaust temperature skyrocketed for some reas-" His hands stilled for a moment and Leo frowned, eyes darting between the gauges. Then his face paled. "Oh… oh, esto no está bien."

"What's not good?" Percy asked for the third time, recalling what little Spanish he'd learned in school to translate Leo's words. He didn't know what the heck an 'esto' was, but 'no esta bien' was one he recognized- if not because his teacher would say that about his homework more often than not.

"No time to explain-" Leo said, already moving back down the stairs and making for the lower decks. "Gotta stop the fuel chamber from exploding."

And then he was gone. Leaving Percy alone on the deck.

"Heh, that's a good joke." Because it had to be. There was no way someone could so casually announce that a part of the ship they were all essentially living on was about to blow up. His eyes slid over to Festus, who was staring right back with his unblinking gaze. "He… was joking, right?"

The dragon simply stared.

Okay… so, hopefully that was a joke. Percy didn't exactly speak creak and squeak. But just to be sure, Percy hurried to follow after the mechanic.

His footfalls pounded down the hallway, his earlier caution against waking the satyr forgotten as Percy hurried to catch up to the other demigod. Leo practically jumped down the second set of stairs leading to the lower floor, and as Percy followed suit, he could hear the muted rumbles from the bowel of the ship.

Percy rounded the last step just in time to see Leo yank open the door to the engine room. A burst of steam immediately plumed out of the entrance, obscuring the younger boy from view. From somewhere within the cloud, Percy heard Leo yelp, followed by a dull thud as the door was slammed back shut, cutting off the rising vapor.

Leo stumbled back from the door, arms waving in front of his face to disperse the steam cloud. His clothes and forearms were coated with small beads of water that glinted in the artificial lights hanging above them.

"Damn it-"

"You okay?" Percy asked, looking from the door to the demigod.

"Fine," Came the immediate answer, the mechanic huffing in annoyance as he watched the remaining steam disperse. "I'm fine, I was just… I was…" Leo's brows pulled together and he blinked a few times. "I was down here for a reason…"

The ship clacked in what Percy now realized was Festus' way of talking (although what he was saying and how they could hear it all the way down here, the Son of Poseidon was still in the dark about), and whatever he said only made Leo's frown deepen. Before Percy could ask, Leo ran a hand across his forearm, unable to hide a pained grimace as he did so, raising the appendage to his nose to give it a quick sniff- only to immediately jerk back, away from the door.

"Shit-" Leo hissed, rubbing his hand off on his trousers with frantic swipes. He then did the same with his arms, pulling out a rag from his toolbelt and dabbing at the exposed skin. "Joderme- why did it have to be the water."

Percy took a concerned step towards the younger demigod, about to ask what exactly was going on, when brown eyes flicked up at the motion and widened with fear.

"Stay there!" Leo cried, flinging out a hand to warn Percy back. He then directed his voice upwards. "Festus, activate the ventilation system in the engine room and lower deck."

There was a creak as the fans turned on, and only when the last of the lingering steam cloud vanished did Leo lower his arm, a breathy sigh slipping from his lips. "That could've been bad."

"What could've been bad? What was that all about?" Percy asked, channeling his 'senior camper' voice. He was tired of not knowing what in Hades was going on.

Leo winced, shoulders hunching slightly. "One of the lines that carries fuel to the mixer leaked."

"Okay," That sounded decidedly bad, but that still didn't explain the panic he'd seen in the younger demigod's eyes. "So then why all this?" Percy gestured towards the vent which had since turned off. The vent inside the engine room was still running, the noise audible even through the thick metal.

Leo, who had begun to roll down his sleeves and pant legs, raised an eyebrow and looked at Percy like he was the one who wasn't making sense. "Well I wasn't about to let you walk into a vapor cloud of Lethe River water, now was I?"

Percy blanched, "That was- hang on- why is the fuel made of water from the River Lethe?"

The memory of his time in the Underworld rose, unbidden from Percy's memory. Suddenly he could see Thalia and Nico crossing under the dark waters as he struggled to hold the river up. He could feel the water fighting his control, felt himself falter as his strength gave out and the River of Unmindfulness came crashing down, felt the dark liquid trying its best to wash away his thoughts, his memories, who he was.

A shudder rippled through Percy's shoulders.

Leo seemed oblivious to the older demigod's brief trip down memory lane, too busy pulling out a thick set of work gloves from his toolbelt. "The properties of the water when it's vaporized enhance the fuel." He said in a matter-of-fact way, strapping on a thick pair of goggles and wrapping a bandana around his nose and mouth to complete the crude Hazmat suit. "How're we looking Festus?"

The ship groaned and clicked, and Leo nodded, moving over and reaching for the door handle again. It slid to the side on well-oiled tracks, no steam cloud billowing out this time. Leo took a deep breath and moved inside, Percy hesitating only for a brief second before doing the same.

It took a moment over the sound of the vent and the general rumbling of the engines, but soon Percy heard a soft plunk-hiss noise. It was methodical, like the ticking of a clock, and Leo had already gravitated towards the source of the noise. Looking over, Percy saw that one of the metal pipes was leaking. As he watched, another drop of water fell, landing on the pipe below it where the liquid instantly vaporized into a puff of steam. Leo glanced from his watch to the drip, softly counting aloud.

He stayed there for a while, allowing time for the older demigod to take in his new surroundings.

The engine room was… complex. Hoses and pipes ran the length of every wall, some even snaking across the floor in what Percy was sure counted as a tripping hazard. The near wall was covered in cubbies of varying sizes, pieces of spare hosing and spindles of wire peeking out from over the edges of each box. Sheets of celestial bronze were stacked along the floor in small piles. On the far side of the room were five large, cylindrical columns with ovular glass panes bolted to the front. Inside each one was some different colored substance- neon green, coal black, deep blue, burnt orange, and an almost translucent white.

Pushed into the corner, seemingly like an afterthought, was a narrow workstation and a thin folding cot covered with all manner of parts and pieces Percy would be hard pressed to name.

Bolted to the wall above it was a metal plaque with the words "Crew of the Argo II" etched in the center, two dozen names scratched on the surrounding surface; and one rough sketch that closely resembled the Argo II's dragon masthead. Three pictures were taped on the wall next to the plaque. One showed a wide-eyed, slack-jawed Leo standing next to a dark-haired girl, his hand positioned awkwardly on his head. Another showed the same girl with a big pink bow in her hair and a murderous look in her eyes as she stared down whoever was behind the camera. The last showed a slightly older version of Jake Mason- the demigod who had taken over for Bekendorf when Percy had been at camp- sleeping on the floor next to the same cot Percy now stood besides, the blond cuddling with a toolbox as drool pooled besides his mouth.

"Okay, that's not as bad as I thought." Leo said, drawing Percy's attention back to the problem at hand. Leo's hand trailed the length of the pipe, coming to a junction with a handle which he promptly twisted ninety degrees. That done, he pushed the goggles up onto his forehead, sliding the makeshift mask down to hang loosely around his neck.

"Looks like the pressure line's just been bleeding slowly over time." The mechanic seemed to be talking more to himself than to Percy as he continued, "Go ahead and shut down the vent, Festus."

Festus obliged with a creak, the droning sound of the vent ceasing as Leo pulled off his gloves and began rolling his sleeves back up; paying absolutely no attention to the other demigod in the room. The demigod who, by all accounts, still considered the words 'leaking pressure' to be more than a little concerning.

"So…" Percy cleared his throat, "we're not in danger of blowing up, then?"

Leo looked over and stared, confusion flitting across his face for a split second- like he couldn't figure out why Percy was still here- before he shook it off and said, "Oh, yeah, we're fine. I mean, it was only the Lethe water, thankfully. I can handle it from here, man. I mean, if that had been the Greek Fire line, it'd be a totally different story, but-"

"Greek Fire?" Percy's gaze darted to stare at the containers again, seeing the flickering jade substance for what it truly was.

The alchemical concoction was easily one of the most deadly substances he knew of: the fire could eat through solid stone and metal like it was tinder soaked in gasoline. The brief thought of 'how is it being contained in that cylinder?' flitted through Percy's mind only to be replaced by the stark fear of what would happen if- as Leo said- it somehow leaked into the rest of the ship.

He amended his earlier thought- Leo was the most dangerous person on this ship. A ship that was not safe by any sense of the word.

"Why the hell are you using Greek Fire?"

Leo barely spared a glance up at him, saying, "Because it's the only thing hot enough to vaporize the Lethe Water."

And Percy swore that, by all the gods, Leo sounded completely serious.

"Do you realize how dangerous that is?" Percy shouted, barely registering that his raised voice caused the younger demigod to flinch back a step. "If that stuff gets out, not only will it eat through the ship, but have you even considered what it would do to us? Not everyone is fireproof like you-"

"I know!"

Percy realized then that he'd never heard Leo shout before.

Sure, the kid was loud when he talked and joked around, but when he shouted there was a harder edge to his words. An edge them that cut Percy off and almost dared him to interrupt the other boy. His eyes blazed with an emotion Percy couldn't quite describe: it wasn't exactly anger, but more like… frustrated exasperation? But there was also a weariness in them that made his next words sound heavy.

"I know it's dangerous." Leo repeated, hands clenching and unclenching by his side. "Why do you think we installed safety measures?" He gestured up at the now-silenced vent and then something else among the mess of pipes that the Son of Poseidon didn't recognize. "The vents, the fire suppression system, all of it was put in because we know how dangerous the fuel components are. If we could've used anything else, we would have: but it takes a lot of energy to keep something this large airborne twenty-four seven. Nothing's meant to fly forever. And I know," Leo ran a hand through his hair, looking away from Percy, eyes fixating on the plethora of indicators along one of the walls, "it's not ideal. I know we should've found another way; but we were running out of time, and nothing else we tried was able to produce the same power output so…"

Leo words trailed off and he sighed heavily. All at once, it seemed like the emotions roiling in his eyes just evaporated; faster than the Lethe Water. His shoulders slumped, baggy eyes closing as he pinched the bridge of his nose with a grimace.

He looked… tired. In that moment, Percy was struck with just how young Leo was. The kid couldn't have been much older than Percy was when he'd first arrived at Camp Half-Blood. The images of the three pictures hanging above the cot returned to his mind and the Son of Poseidon realized that the childish prank-like pictures were just that: childish. And yet, here Leo was, standing in the heart of a ship any experienced mechanic would call a marvel, partaking in a quest that even the most experienced demigods would hesitate to join.

"I know I messed up back at the Roman Camp." The words were hollow, but his eyes were filled with disgust. An anger that Percy quickly realized was directed inward, as Leo continued speaking in Percy's extended silence.

"I still don't know why I did it, but I know what I did was wrong, and I really am sorry. A-and I'm trying to make thing's right, and I know that it's not enough, but I'm just-" Leo cut off the thought, eyes closing and lips pressing together in a thin line before he finally said. "I'm just one person."

Something told Percy that wasn't what the younger demigod was initially going to say.

Festus' creaks reverberated through the room, the sound seeming to snap Leo out of his thoughts. The Son of Hephaestus blinked, eyes flicking to Percy's and cheeks darkening in shame before he deliberately turned away from the other demigod and towards the faulty pipe.

"Sorry, Festus, I'm working on it now." Leo pulled out a pair of wrenches, placing them on the fitting and pausing. His shoulders rose and fell as he took a deep breath, and when he spoke, Percy was surprised that the words were directed at him this time. "Look, man, I- I didn't mean to yell at you, I'm sorry. It's not your fault that- I mean, they're valid concerns, but this… I need you to trust me when I say I wouldn't allow anyone to be on the Argo if I thought it was unsafe."

Percy found himself reevaluating his view of the younger demigod for the third time that night.

Leo wasn't harmless. With the right tools and equipment, the Son of Hephaestus could create weapons that any Ares kid would be eager to get their hands on. Leo wasn't physically strong, but he had shown that he possessed a determination and willpower rivaled by few heroes. Leo wasn't charming or charismatic. He was emotional, and he felt everything to its fullest, be it joy, anger, or even fear. Leo was not tactically intelligent, and yet, he knew everything about the ship they were currently flying on- even designed most of it, from what Annabeth had told him when she'd been recounting her time during the months Percy'd been gone.

Leo was also trying to apologize for something he had no reason to be sorry for. Something Percy had instigated with his own lack of trust in his fellow demigod.

"You're right." Percy said. "I shouldn't have doubted you, I'm sorry."

The mechanic's hands- which had been detaching the line- stuttered to a halt, one of the wrenches slipping off of the fitting. Leo looked over at Percy and his eyebrows had shot into his hairline. "Uh… i-it's fine. You had every reason to."

"That doesn't excuse it." Percy shook his head. "But thanks anyway. So- how can I help?"

This time, the wrench slipped entirely from Leo's grip, clattering to the floor with a echoing 'clang'. Leo's lips had parted slightly as he stared, his expression caught somewhere between insulted and grateful.

For the life of him, Percy couldn't figure out why the smaller demigod seemed so surprised by the offer for help. Unless… unless he's been doing all of the maintenance on the Argo II alone? But, no- that couldn't be right, Percy thought with a mental shake of his head. Surely Leo wasn't the only one repairing the ship. He must've been getting help from Jason, or Piper, or, hell, surely Annabeth wouldn't pass up the opportunity to learn about what made the skip fly. Maybe it was just because it was Percy who'd asked- after all, they did barely know each other aside from basic introductions.

"I… I guess if you really want to help you can take off the clamps?" What should've been a statement came out as more of a question, as if Leo was asking Percy if he was being serious about helping. Then he cleared his throat, "Really, though, this is a quick fix, so it won't take long for me to-"

"Are the clamps just screwed in?" Percy interrupted, moving to inspect the fasteners. "Or is there some special trick to them?"

Leo was quiet for a moment longer, still staring like Percy had grown a second head. Then Festus creaked and Leo blinked out of his stupor.

"Uh, no, they're just screwed in place. Here-" He held out a phillips head which Percy accepted, before bending down to grab the fallen wrench and return to loosening the pipe fitting.

As he reached for the tool, Percy frowned. "What happened to your arm?"

"Huh?" Leo's own gaze travelled across the appendage, eyes alighting on the growing red mark that stained the top of his left forearm. The confusion cleared from his eyes and he shrugged. "Oh. That was probably from the steam when I first opened the door." He pressed a finger to the reddened skin lightly, wincing slightly at the gentle pressure. "Nothing a quick sip of ambrosia can't fix. Or aloe vera? I heard that was good for burns."

Burns? "I thought you said you were fireproof?"

Leo snorted at the comment. "Yeah, fireproof. Not burn-proof. Hot steam still hurts. When you're done with the clamps, I'll need you to help me carry the tube over to the worktable." He nodded towards the cot.

"Sure thing." Percy agreed, beginning to loosen the screw holding the clamp shut.

Working on the ship was… actually pretty nice, the methodical motions and slight dexterial skill needed to manipulate the tool properly becoming somewhat soothing after a time. Once in a while, Festus would relay something down to them and Leo would respond, directing the dragon through a procedure while his hands continued to work on the pipe. When it was finally free of it's mount on the wall, they carried it over to the workbench where Leo began changing out the damaged connector.

"Hand me that MS sleeveless fitting."

Percy frowned at the compartmentalized parts, none of which had any labels. "Uh…"

"The blue one, second from the top, far right." Percy could hear the amused smile in Leo's voice. He found the fitting, sliding it across the table where Leo snatched it up and began reattaching it. "Thanks, Percy."

"What. No 'Aquaman'?" The Son of Poseidon smirked, sitting down on the cot and watching Leo work.

The fitting was fumbled between long fingers and Leo snapped his head up, a guilty expression stealing across his face. "Sorry, I- nicknames are kind of something I do to help me remember people."

Percy smiled easily, leaning back against the wall. "It's all good. I kinda like that one- it's better than 'Seaweed Brain' in any case."

Leo's grin returned. "Seaweed Brain? That's not bad, actually!"

"Yeah, Annabeth seemed to think so too when we first met." He said with a roll of his eyes. They completed their aerial loop just in time to see Leo's soldiers tense slightly at the utterance of his girlfriend's name.

"Ah, well, I'll just stick to Aquaman, then."

There was something there that Percy was missing. Something in the way the younger demigod's tone had shifted, something in how the smile wavered on his face. But the engine room was warm and Percy's mind was relaxed from the motions of removing the clamps.

His jaw opened in a yawn, his mind idly wondering what time it was. It had been past midnight when he'd finally decided to get up and move, and he and Leo had been up for at least a half-hour… maybe more? The older demigod couldn't tell down in the engine room. There were no windows or clocks with which to tell the passage of time.

Leo noticed the yawn, a crooked smirk tugging at his lips. "Get some shut eye, Aquaman. The repair's gonna take a minute and I'll wake you if I need help to put it back."

That sounded like a wonderful idea to Percy, and it didn't take long for his eyes to slide shut.

When he woke, the first thing Percy realized was that he was not in his room. He pushed himself up from the horizontal position he'd found himself in, hearing the cot creak below him. A blanket identical to the ones in their individual rooms slid from his shoulders as Percy wiped the sleep from his eyes, the pillow under his hand soft as it compressed under his weight. The Son of Poseidon yawned, stretching his arms above his head as he glanced around the room, expecting to see the mechanic somewhere among the mess of pipes and gears.

But Leo was nowhere to be seen.

Fin! Thanks for reading!

Side note: Does anyone know WHY only transfers over the italics words some times, but not every time? Having to go through and manually reenter the italics stuff takes up a surprising amount of time.

Final things:

First, to justapercyjacksonfan: Haha- I was wondering if I would catch anyone with that ;) Start off thinking the last chapter is from Leo's POV after he gets knocked out, but nope! Instead we get our lovable bronze dragon! Thank you so much for the review- I hope you continue to enjoy the story as these crazy characters try to save the world :)

Next, to gachawolf 11: Dude I'm blushing, you really like this more than any book you've ever read like WHAT?! You stay safe as well! Sorry to hear you'd had a rough day, but trust me- the bad times don't last forever. Sending good vibes your way!

Lastly, to J-fandoms: Oh no! Don't cry! Or, well, if they're happy tears then that's okay... I guess. And Festus is probably the only one on that ship with any brain cells, hahaha. Thanks so much for the review! It really made my day :)

As always, I encourage you to leave your thoughts in the box down below :) Oh- and I've begin the process of cross-posting these stories to AO3 because that website actually lets you respond to comments- like WHAT? Yes please!

Wishing everyone a FANTASTIC Friday and a wonderful Weekend!

-Ardoa88