Madds-Chikistorm- thank you so much! I had so much fun finally writing some bonding between them

SEASBLU- i love haikus! and yes, nico do be gay tho...I love him and Will together

MaryamClaus- i totally agree! externally, they're pretty different but internally they have alot of the same struggles and pain. as far as poseidon, his perspective will be a little clearer in Boo hopefully :) i hope you are doing good as well!

AyeraeW- i agree! healthy relationships, whether platonic or romantic, are essential in life. i've always had such a soft spot for Nico tbh

and quick call for help from you all- as i am rereading BoO and preparing for the next installment, i am reminded by how...underwhelmed I am by BoO. it's the weakest book in the series, imo. I have come up with some cool plotlines, (and a way to kind of include the whole nico-reyna-coach thing) but I still feel like it's going to be a challenge writing it. So i want to know- what are your thoughts on BoO? What did you like you about it!? What didn't you like? Let me know in the comments, I'd really appreciate it- I feel like I'm going to have to rework the plot slightly, but I like doing that :D thanks everyone!

"I told you, a black eye makes me look edgy," Rosie stuck her tongue out at herself in the bathroom mirror.

"You do tend to get them often," Hazel observed with a giggle.

Jason was currently on deck, directing a pack of horses with wind ropes. The crew, Jason included, had been shocked to see Rosie and Nico, and the extent of their injuries. No one quite knew what happened- Rosie and Nico had decided to keep that to themselves. Telling the crew about Karey was enough- she would've broken down into tears if Nico hadn't stepped in.

"Are you sure you don't want ice for that?" Piper asked in a worried tone. "Or maybe some more ambrosia?" Piper and Rosie's fight had been forgotten about- Rosie wasn't mad at her, anyways. For crying out loud, it was Piper- her best friend.

Rosie shrugged. "I'm good," she said. "It doesn't hurt that much."

Her mind had been a little clearer since leaving the wind palace. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders- she rested easy now, knowing her powers had returned. The next step, she decided, would be granting herself slack for using them- maybe even being proud of what she could do. She wasn't hopeful about returning to a normal life- as much as she wanted it, it was still out of reach- but maybe she could do her best in the quest with what she was going. She was trying to accept her life's purpose- whatever that may be.

And there was the other thing- they were headed Leo's way. Jason was directing the horses towards Malta, where Leo was currently. She couldn't contain her excitement.

A knock came at the door. "Guys?" Frank asked cautiously. "Can I...um, come in?"

"We're having lady talk, Frank," Rosie said, knowing this would make Frank squirm.

Frank went silent, as Piper and Hazel giggled besides her.

"Um…"

"Periods and such."

Hazel and Piper exchanged amused looks, covering their mouths to keep the laughter in.

"Oh, god. All I wanted was to tell you guys is that we're here."

Rosie opened the door immediately. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yup."

Rosie turned back to face Hazel and Piper. "Let's go get our idiot back."

They found Leo at the top of city fortifications, sitting at an open-air cafe. As the group excitedly approached him, Rosie hung back, shocked by the sight: not only was Leo drinking a cup of coffee, he was wearing the same outfit he was the first time they ever went to Camp Half-Blood. This included jeans, a white t-shirt, and that old army jacket Leo used to wear all the time. That part didn't make any sense, for that jacket burned months ago.

She hung at the back of the group as everyone greeted Leo, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically shy.

Piper was the first one to reach him, nearly knocking Leo off his feet with the force of her hug. "Leo! Good god, where have you been?"

Leo winced in pain, giving her a small smile and a squeeze of her shoulder. "Geez, Pipes, a little harder, I don't think you've completely broken my ribs yet…"

"Valdez!" Coach Hedge grinned. It quickly disappeared- he probably remembered he had a tough guy front to keep up. "You disappear like that again, little punk, and I'll knock you into space! I mean it!"

Leo's eyes finally landed on her, and she was suddenly struck by how...sad he looked. She expected whooping from Leo, cheering as they approached him. She knew her best friend, and something was off.

Leo must've sensed this in her, because his face soon lit up, a tight smile on his face.

"You look like shit," he announced in a false cheery tone, taking in the sight of her, bruises and cuts and all.

She smiled back at him. Whatever had happened, it couldn't have been too bad if he was still teasing her.

"You should see the other guy," she said with a wry smirk. She gave him a light, playful tap on his shoulder, too afraid to hug him. He seemed so frail.

As they grabbed chairs to join Leo at his table, Rosie heard a low whisper from Jason.

"Dude," he said to Leo softly. "Are you alright?"

"What?" Leo replied loudly with a nervous laugh. "I'm fine! I was marooned, that's all...what about you guys? What happened with Khione?" He kicked Rosie under the table. "By the way, remind me to never save your life again."

It was obviously a joke, but the tone of it...felt wrong. What had happened to Leo? She frowned, and noticed Leo quickly looking away from her.

Coach Hedge launched into the story of how Piper defeated Khione, albeit with a few more embellished details. This all became white noise to Rosie, because she couldn't stop looking at Leo, the concern probably evident on her face. He was so...still, so subdued. He looked years older, somehow. It was almost as disturbing as the cup of coffee he was drinking- Leo and coffee did not go together.

"Coach!" Piper exclaimed, snapping Rosie back to reality. "That's not what happened- I couldn't have done anything without Festus."

"Festus?" Leo asked with raised eyebrows. "But he's deactivated."

"Right, about that...I sort of woke him up."

Leo tapped his fingers on the table, a sight that comforted Rosie immensely. He was fine, she reminded herself- he had to be fine.

"Shouldn't be possible," Leo murmured. "Unless the upgrades let him respond to voice commands. But if he's permanently activated, that means the astrolabe and crystal…"

"Crystal?" Jason asked, confused.

"Er, nothing. Tell me, what happened after the wind bomb went off?"

Hazel launched into the story, as their group settled in, eating sandwiches and drinking sodas. Rosie hardly touched her food, aware that the entire group's mood seemed to be off. Without Leo's spastic humor, the group seemed...subdued.

"Rosie?"

"Huh?" She snapped back into focus, aware that everyone was staring at her. "What?"

"I was just up to the part where you and Nico were attacked…" Hazel said, unsure of how to continue.

"Oh. Right. Karey died."

Leo didn't lift his eyes from the grilled cheese in front of him. "I'm sorry, Freckles."

As they finished telling their story, Frank observed a tourist brochure on the table.

"Huh," he said, an interested look on his face. "It says here Malta was where Calypso lived."

Leo's face went red. "Say what now?"

"According to this, her original home was an island called Gozo...just north of here. Calypso's a Greek myth, isn't she?"

Coach Hedge slammed his hands down on the table. "Ooh I bet we fight her! Can we fight her? Because I'm ready."

"No," Leo said softly. "No, Coach, we don't have to fight her."

Piper frowned at Leo. "Leo, what's up? You look kind of-"

"Me? Nothing!" He quickly shot to his feet. "We have to get going, don't we? There's work to be done! People to see!"

"But...where were you?" Hazel asked in a motherly tone. "And...how did you even get those clothes? What-"

"Geez!" Leo interrupted in a panicked tone. "I appreciate the concern, ladies, but Leo Valdez doesn't need two moms!"

Piper smiled hesitantly. "Alright, but-"

"Ships to fix! Festus to check! Earth goddess to destroy, chop, chop, chop, people!" Leo exclaimed, clapping his hand together. "What are we waiting for? Leo's back, baby!" He grinned wildly at them.

Rosie saw right through his crap: he was anything but okay. Something had happened to him.

Jason got up, clapping Leo on the shoulder. Rosie saw a brief flash of concern on his face before he smiled.

"Leo's right, guys. Let's get going."

As they began to clean up their area, Hazel suddenly gasped. "Guys!"

She pointed to the northeast horizon. Rosie couldn't see anything, except the sea. She wasn't the only one who was having trouble: she noticed some confusion on Piper and Frank's faces. Leo wasn't paying attention; he was observing his fingernails, looking to be lost in thought.

"I don't see anything," Coach grumbled.

Piper nodded. "Yeah, me either."

Nico, Hazel, and Jason seemed to be the only ones who saw something in the distance.

"That can't be…" Nico muttered with an anxious look on his face. "Greece is still hundreds of miles away."

"You think it's Epirus?" Jason asked him.

Nico nodded. "Looks like the House of Hades is open for business."

"It's begun," Hazel said in a strangled tone, her mouth wide open in shock.

"Um...what exactly?" Rosie asked nervously.

"Gaea's final push," Hazel said darkly. "The Doors of Death are working overtime. Her forces are entering our world rapidly."

""We'll never make it," Nico moaned miserably. "There'll be too many monsters to fight by the time we get there."

"We'll get there," Jason said in a fierce, reassuring tone. "We'll make it there fast- we've got Leo back, after all." He clapped Leo on the shoulder, as Leo quickly looked up from his hands.

After a second, Leo smiled. "Time to fly, boys and girls. Uncle Leo's still got a few tricks up his sleeve!"

Even as he glanced her way with a shaky smile, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened to Leo. And maybe, just maybe, it had to do with Calypso.