Leo's Pov
There I was minding my own business eating my tacos and daydreaming about Calypso when Annabeth decides to randomly jump out of her seat like she'd sat on a thumb tack or something. Her unexpected movement scared me so much I almost dropped the taco I was about to take a bite of. I wanted to be angry with her but she seemed so hopeful about something that I decided not to ruin her mood. She left without explaining herself very well so I figured I would ask her later. I finished my food while making small talk with Hazel and Frank about our favorite drink brand which actually turned out to be an interesting topic.
After dinner I went up to the deck to check on Festus and the ship. I wanted to make sure nothing else would go wrong cause we really didn't need any more problems in our lives, especially right now.
After fine tuning a few things I found that Festus was running better than ever and only seemed to spew oil out of his ear as a sign of playful affection. In addition to having my dragon masthead in near perfect condition, the other good news was that there hadn't been a single monster attack since the stupid sea serpent incident. Maybe the gods really were watching over us.
Despite our stroke of luck, this week was still a never ending nightmare. Nico made it to the ship but he was so weak when he got here that it made everyone even more worried. Then there was Percy who'd be absolutely fine one moment then on his death bed the next which was stressful to say the least.
Some of the only happy moments I had anymore was during my walks with Annabeth. We had these excursions several times day which really helped keep us in good spirits with everything going on. Our little chats distracted our thoughts and gave some hope and stability for our ever uncertain future.
When Nico appeared it wasn't a huge shock. I mean yeah he just walked out of a shadow which was super creepy but I'm getting used to crazy things happening out of the blue. Besides, It was obvious that the son of the underworld had a thing for Percy. Hey it's none of my business but Jason spilled the beans and confirmed my suspicions while letting me know that Nico was coming back to see Percy no matter the cost. If that doesn't scream love then I don't know what else would.
At around midnight I decided I'd spent enough time tinkering with my ship and since it was getting late I should really get to bed. After putting my tools back in my magic belt I walked down to my room and set my alarm so I could get up early to check on Percy and Nico before everyone else woke up.
Once my clock was set, I laid in my bed and thought about what I would say to Calypso when I finally saved her from Ogygia after this quest is completed. After running through a few good practice speeches my eyes grew heavy and I slowly drifted off to the comforting tick of my clock.
I slept surprisingly well and luckily without any nightmares for once. I dreamed I was back on the island with Calypso and we were talking about our workshop and garden that we'd someday build together. It was so amazing and it was so natural being with her. Nothing that great could last forever though. At least not for your man Leo 'the unlucky' Valdez. My wonderful dream was abruptly cut off by the piercing sound of my alarm clock.
My eyes flashed open and in my grogginess and dazed stupor I accidentally shot a small ball of fire at the clock as a reflex. The alarm was silenced abruptly and I sighed at its destruction, adding it to the list of repairs that I needed to make later today. With a stretch and a yawn I got up, changed, and headed to the med bay to check on my patients.
When I walked through the door I was stunned to see Jason still fast asleep but holding Percy's forearm loosely in his hand. I knew that Jason and Percy had a special bro bond and this whole situation was taking a heavy toll on Jason even if he'd never admit it out loud.
Jason muttered something but all I could make out was a panicked, "Jackson!" A second later he let go of Percy's arm and his chair fell backwards as if he'd been shoved by an invisible force. Jason hit the ground with a loud crash which in turn startled Piper awake.
I rushed forward and knelt next to Piper who was at Jason's side in a heartbeat. Piper looked from me to her boyfriend with worry flickering in her eyes. "What was that???" She asked frantically.
Jason's eyes opened and he looked from Piper to me with astonishment. "Pipes? Leo?"
Piper spoke again before I could form any words, "Jason what happened? Was it a nightmare?"
Jason seemed to remember something as his eyes widened and he ignored her question, scrambling to his feet. He rushed to Percy's bed and pulled the sheets down to reveal a faint golden glow where the injury resided.
"What is that?" A weak voice asked with concern.
The three of us looked over to see a sleepy looking Nico Di Angelo sitting up in bed and looking at Percy's glowing stitched up gash with surprise.
Jason took a deep breath and sat heavily back in his chair after Piper picked it back up for him. I quickly grabbed a glass of water for each of us and then gave Jason some crackers to calm him down.
Jason thanked me and munched on a few of the crackers before telling us about his dream, Percy's curse, and the possibility of a cure. By the time he finished filling us all in Jason was shivering and Nico looked like he was about to be sick.
Piper rubbed Jason's back and encouraged him to drink more water, not liking how pale he looked. It must've been horrifying to be in Tartarus but even worse to find out that Percy was trapped there for a second time.
As I watched Piper take care of Jason I tried to stop my head from spinning so badly. The stakes were higher now. Percy was trapped in his mind. Or wait was he in Tartarus? Or was Tartarus trapped in Percy's mind? Jeez this was confusing. Whatever the situation it didn't really matter. All that mattered now was finding this cure and getting Percy back to the land of the living.
"So what do we do now? There must be a way to find this cure. Someone has to know what it could be." I said, hoping Jason would have an answer since he usually did.
Instead of Jason I was surprised when Nico spoke in a quiet voice, "The curse must've been from an arai. They're the children of Nyx. If you kill one of them, a curse from a previous enemy bestows itself on whoever killed the ara. Percy's taken down a ton of baddies in his life so we might never find out who cursed him. We need to talk to Annabeth. She'll at least know when he was cursed and how many times."
Jason and Piper looked at each other and nodded as if they'd just shared a whole conversation with a single glance. "We'll watch Percy and keep Nico company. Why don't you look for Annabeth and try to find out more about these Arais and her and Percy 's encounters with them. She trusts you the most and might be more willing to open up to you."
Obviously Piper and Jason knew me well after all our time together but I never realized just how much they paid attention until now. They clearly knew that Annabeth and I were the closest besides her and Percy. She was like an older sister to me. In the last few days we'd grown so close that I felt like I could tell her absolutely anything. It made sense that I'd be the one to talk to her about such a touchy subject. I just hoped she wouldn't kill me the second I brought it up.
After giving Jason and Piper a quick hug I said goodbye to Nico and glanced back at Percy before heading out the door.
My feet carried me to Hedge's old room where I knew Annabeth would be. I listened at the door for a moment and heard Annabeth's quivering voice say, "Tyson I don't care if my mother finds out. I need to see Poseidon. If I don't Percy will die."
A sad whimper sounded from Tyson who if I remembered correctly was Percy's cyclopes brother...err half brother?
"Tyson please...I-I can't live without him. I need him. We all do." Her voice sounded so full of desperation and sorrow that it brought a painful stab to my heart.
A loud sniffle was heard and Tyson spoke in a garbled and melancholy voice, "Daddy will meet you under your ship at midnight. Tell my brother I miss him. He will be okay." Another sniff sounded and I could imagine fat tears rolling out of the poor Cyclopes's singular big eye.
Annabeth's voice broke as she replied, "You're right buddy. I'll tell him. Thank you...talk to you soon Tyson."
After exchanging their final goodbyes I heard Annabeth let out a small sob. The iris message had clearly been hard as I listened to her crying. I immediately felt like I was intruding on a private moment but I knew that finding out more about this curse could help Percy and that's what Annabeth wanted most. With that thought in mind I slowly knocked on the door and waited for a reply.
Annabeth sniffled and said, "Come in." In a small voice.
With quiet movements I twisted the brass knob and slowly pushed the door open.
Annabeth was sitting at Hedge's desk, wiping the tears off of her face and looking over all pretty darn miserable. "You could've come in sooner Leo...but thank you for waiting." Annabeth said softly.
My hand instinctively went to scratch the back of my head with embarrassment at being caught. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I promise!"
"Leo it's okay. Really! Anyway, what's going on? Is Percy okay???" Her breathing hitched and she stood up quickly as if the thought just occurred to her that something could be wrong.
My hands moved in front of me with my palms facing out toward her to try and calm her down. "He's okay. Jason had a dream...or a vision maybe? He talked to Percy and he mentioned a curse. Annabeth we need you to tell us what happened with the Arais in Tartarus. I hate to ask but it could mean the difference between life and death." A loud growl sounded and startled me but I blushed at the realization that the noise was just my stomach yelling at me to feed it.
Annabeth who'd been on the verge of tears again, cracked a smile at my weird belly noises. She even laughed when I jumped with a start at a particularly loud gurgle.
"Oh ha ha very funny." I said resting my hands on my tool belt and rolling my eyes playfully.
In a few movements Annabeth had moved passed me, heading to the door and calling, "Come on Valdez let's feed that angry stomach of yours." With a smile I caught up with her and walked in silence until we reached the dining hall.
"We should call a meeting. I doubt Jason would want to tell his news three separate times." I said knowing it'd be hard for him to recall the vision even a second time.
Annabeth nodded, "I agree." She looked away with a dark expression. "Who'll stay with Percy?"
With a slight smirk I replied, "Oh I think Nico can handle it. He was awake this morning and seemed to be doing a lot better. Besides he already knows about Jason's vision so we can tell him your news later."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow at my smirk but just shrugged and nodded with confusion.
"I'll rally the troops. Can you get some grub going?" I was either super hungry or really nervous because my stomach would not stop making weird noises. It was probably a mixture of both hungry and nervous at this point.
Once Annabeth agreed to the plan I went off to gather my crew mates.
Jason and Piper were still in the med bay when I arrived. Jason was at Percy's side, mumbling words of encouragement like Percy could actually hear him and Nico was sitting up in his bed, watching Percy with a furrowed brow. Piper also gazed on with a frown, her hand resting gently on Percy's blanket covered foot.
Not wanting to scare anyone, I coughed lightly into my fist to alert them of my presence.
The trio looked over and Piper said, "Did you find her?"
"Yes...she's waiting in the dining room. We're calling a meeting to discuss everything we know and how we need to move forward with the information. Can you guys get Hazel and Frank and meet us for..." I looked at my watch and realized it was already eleven. "Brunch?"
Piper nodded and put a gentle hand on Jason's shoulder, "Ready?"
Jason's face was stoic as he turned to us and gave a reluctant nod as he stood up to leave. I felt bad for asking him to go when he so clearly wanted to stay but I needed him for the meeting.
When Jason and Piper left the med bay I went to Percy and felt his forehead, sighing in relief that he had no fever. Then I turned to Nico and got him a small glass of nectar. "Drink this. You look a lot better, how do you feel?"
Nico shrugged, his eyes never leaving Percy. "Better physically..." He let his sentence fade. "Can I stay with him?"
A sad smile appeared on my face, "Of course Nico. We'll fill you in later. If anything happens just send Hazel a signal and we'll come down right away."
Nico thanked me and I took my cue to leave, heading back to the dining room.
My stomach was making all sorts of strange noises the closer I got to food. I could smell bacon and maple syrup from down the hall and my mouth began to water.
Hazel, Frank, Jason, and Piper were already seated when I walked through the door. They seemed to be catching each other up since they rarely had time to talk except for the short periods when they were switching shifts in the med bay.
Annabeth was sitting in her usual spot but she was staring at the chair that Percy normally sat in with a faraway look in her eyes.
Once everyone noticed my presence I cleared my throat and spoke up. "Annabeth is going to tell us everything she can about the Arais and their curses along with some other recent news. But first, Jason could you share your dream-vision please?"
Jason seemed to steel himself further as he prepared to speak. As Jason told his story the rest of us picked at our food unenthusiastically. I shifted my focus from Hazel and Frank to Annabeth and back again as I watched their posture and expressions change with the news of Percy's curse.
By the time Jason had finished explaining everything Annabeth and Hazel had tears dripping down their cheeks and Frank had turned a light shade of green.
Annabeth looked like she was using every ounce of strength to keep from dissolving into sobs. She took a couple of deep breaths before addressing the room. Her voice was shaky but otherwise she appeared brave and in control. "I spoke to Percy's half brother Tyson. He works in the forges in Poseidon's domain so I asked him to set up a meeting. I think that Poseidon might be able to help cure Percy's curse."
Jason stood up quickly and exclaimed, "Of course! The water! Percy said that he'd almost been killed a few days ago but he felt a surge of strength and was able to make it out alive. Frank and Hazel put saltwater on him and his fever went away almost immediately!"
Piper gently took his hand and pulled him back into his seat. I had to suppress laughter at Jason's blush as he realized he'd pretty much yelled his idea.
Annabeth managed a small smile and continued, "I think you're right Jason. Tyson was able to convince Poseidon to meet with me tonight at midnight. But if any of the other gods find out it could be a big problem. If Zeus or my mother finds out..."
Annabeth trailed off and I spoke up, "They won't find out. It'll be dark and Poseidon will be careful. But before you do this we need to know what happened with the Arais in Tartarus. Everything you can remember about them."
A flash of fear passed over Annabeth's face but I could tell she was doing her best to hold it in. "I-I can't remember everything...Every time we killed one of them a curse would be unleashed on us. I was blinded courtesy of Polyphemus and then..." She paused and looked at me nervously.
Standing from my chair I moved to her side and gently took her hand. "It's okay, please go on."
Annabeth took a slow breath and continued, "I was cursed a second time with a feeling of utter hopelessness and abandonment from...Calypso."
My eyes must have gone as big as saucers when I heard my girlfriend's name and curse in the same sentence. She cursed Annabeth? Why would she do that!
"She didn't know Leo...she thought Percy had abandoned her." Annabeth squeezed my hand to assume me that she wasn't mad about it.
Annabeth forgave Calypso so easily that my anger faded almost instantly. I nodded at her to let her know she could continue.
With another breath she spoke again, "Everything was kind of fuzzy after that until we were saved by Iapetus or...bob the titan. When I was healed I found that Percy was in really bad shape. He got way more curses than me and was about to die. Iapetus told me that he couldn't help but knew of someone who might be able to. He led us to a giant, a son of Gaia and Tartarus who helped us and saved Percy. Honestly I don't know how he healed him...I was too tired and hungry and I didn't pay much attention." She looked down with tears slipping down her face.
With another squeeze of my hand I said, "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. You told us everything you could and now we have something to go off of."
Hazel added, "Poseidon can help. I'm sure of it and Percy's strong. He'll survive this."
Annabeth nodded before taking a deep breath. "I'll talk to Poseidon and see what he can do. Frank...will you go with me? I think Tyson would want to see you and I'd really appreciate the company."
Frank smiled kindly and said, "Absolutely. I would be honored to meet Poseidon and visit Tyson with you."
Annabeth let out a small sigh of relief and smiled, "Thank you Frank."
For the remainder of our meeting we discussed the fine details of how Annabeth and Frank would go about asking Poseidon for help. The gods weren't supposed to interfere with their children's affairs after all. It would be a huge risk for Poseidon to help us but it was our best hope of saving Percy.
We ended the meeting by planning out our jobs for the day. Frank and Annabeth would figure out a more concrete agenda of what to talk about with Poseidon. Jason and Piper were going to be on danger watch and be ready to help if Frank and Annabeth ran into any trouble. Hazel, Nico, and I decided to stay with Percy and try to reach his mind like Jason accidentally had.
With our plans for the day set in place we separated with our partners and said goodbye to the others, knowing we would meet again for dinner later in the night.
A long chapter for today :) I might be a broken record now but thank you for reading! Reviews are always welcome as I love hearing what you think.