Ch. 5: If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other

"Where are we going?" Nico shouted over the sound of air rushing past them, trying his best to hold on to the warm bronze of Festus as they flew over Fort Wayne Avenue.

"You'll see!" Leo grinned, feeling alive and free with the wind whipping through his hair and the warmth of the September sun playing across his skin. "We're almost there!"

Festus dipped down suddenly. Leo heard Nico yelp in surprise before the son of Hades' hands wrapped around his waist unexpectedly. Leo jumped at the sudden touch but grinned again as he heard Nico laugh.

When Festus touched down, Nico's slight noise of disappointment brought a smile to Leo's face. Guess I'm not the only one who enjoyed the ride. "Don't worry. We'll go back home on Festus too."

Nico had a hard time smoothing the happiness from his face and shrugged nonchalantly. "Alright."

Leo motioned to Festus. "Come on, big guy. Let's go get set up." The dragon followed Leo to the edge of the parking lot. It sat between the main road and a building next to a church. A directory sign on the building read:

Dayspring Center

1537 North Central Avenue

Nico glanced around. "What is this place? Is it a church?"

"Not the center." Leo shook his head. "It's a homeless shelter."

Nico fell silent. Once they reached the ideal spot, Leo rubbed his hands down the front of Festus' neck, fingers gliding over a small slotted button. He pressed it, and Festus began to compact but not into the heavy suitcase. One wing lowered and bent back, creating a simple work table while the other arched up and over Festus' spine to become a protective awning. The dragon's neck shortened, and his tail curled around and squared off until it formed a long bench with room enough for several people to sit. His rib cage opened up, revealing an array of tools and materials.

Leo pulled several bronze disks the size of drink coasters from his tool belt. He walked several paces away from the dragon and dropped them to the ground making sure to leave space between them. As soon as the disks hit the ground, they sprang up into small workspaces that resembled picnic tables with benches attached.

"Alright. Well, there's that setup. Now we just wait." Leo took a seat on Festus' tail and smiled at Nico, who had watched Leo's layout with increasingly impressed eyes.

The son of Hades stood with his arms crossed against the front of his black t-shirt. "Wait for what? Why do you have so many of the same tools?" Nico peered at the display of tools sequestered in the recess of Festus' side.

Leo laughed. "Those aren't for me. I need them for the kids. Each table gets a set."

"Kids?" Nico's questioning stopped there as yells and hollers of delight filled the parking lot. The sound of running feet caused both demigods to turn their attention toward the building, where eight children ranging from ages five to twelve came running toward the dragon. One adult walked behind the children- a chaperone. Leo stood to greet the kids.

"Mr. Leo! Mr. Leo! Look what I made today!" A grimy hand belonging to a boy of about seven thrust a popsicle stick sculpture up for inspection upon reaching the tables. "It's your shop! It's Festus!"

The popsicle stick design might have resembled a bus. Or a helicopter. It's so hard to tell with popsicle sticks, Leo thought. The juice-stained wood, almost as large as the child's head, formed a sort of blocky cage. How many popsicles did he have to eat to make this? Four sticks poked out from the top middle in what, Leo assumed, were wings. The mass of posts converging from the front of the sculpture was unmistakably Festus' head.

"Wow! That's pretty neat, hermanito!" Leo smiled as the kids surrounded him, jostling for attention.

"But Mr. Leo, did you see what I made?"

"Don't elbow me, Shauna! Wait your turn!"

"Are we making the fairy gardens today, Mr. Leo?"

"We're making garden beds, dummy."

"Mrs. Gugaitis, Sonny's being mean to me again!"

The adult who had followed the kids out was an older woman. In her late sixties or early seventies, she had so many gray streaks running through her hair it was difficult to determine its original color. Old spectacles framed her muddy green eyes, and her skin had the chalky appearance of dehydration and crepe paper. Still, her smile always warmed Leo's heart.

"You're looking more beautiful every day, abue! How've the little gremlins been?" The children giggled at the name.

"You'll have your hands full today, zuikis." When she spoke, her voice was low and accented- Slavic and Baltic sounding. "Victor fed them popsicles for a special treat after lunch." She turned toward Nico, who had frozen at the emergence of so many children. His dark hair fell around his face and wide eyes set in a pale face gave him the appearance of a startled ghost. "Are you volunteering with Leo today? What's your name?"

Nico glanced at her, pulled from his reverie, and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Nico di Angelo." He stuck his hand out, eyes flickering over to Leo. "I'm helping Mr. Leo out today. It's nice to meet you...Mrs. Gugaitis? Is that Romanian?"

The woman clasped his hand in both of hers. "Lithuanian." She nodded her approval and relinquished Nico's hand. "It's lovely you're helping. We really have needed new garden beds. The current ones are in such a state of disrepair that we haven't used them in the past few years. It would be so wonderful to have fresh produce again."

"Mrs. Gugaitis, what's produce?"

She smiled down kindly at the young girl no older than five asking the question- the one who had wanted to make fairy gardens. Her brown hair was braided into two pigtails and her dress had seen better days. "Produce means fruits and vegetables, Celia."

The girl pulled a face. "I don't like produce."

Mrs. Gugaitis laughed. "Well, it likes you."

After the young girl had turned away again, Mrs. Gugaitis turned to Leo. "I'll see you in a few hours. There is water and snacks in the entryway." She inclined her head toward Nico. "It was nice to meet you, young man. It's so wonderful to see kids your age giving back to the community. The little ones look forward to this all week long."

Leo grinned when she looked back at him. "Best part of my week. See you in a while." He gave a small salute, and the woman walked away back to the building.

The son of Hephaestus turned toward the group of kids. "Alright, guys. Should we get started?" He turned toward the young boy who had made the Festus popsicle sculpture. "Get the plans we made on Monday for me, would ya, Miles?"

The little boy nodded enthusiastically and went to Festus' side, pulling out several simple sets of paper.

"So, we all helped with the planning of the garden beds. Now it's time to actually make them. Let's go ahead and get to it. ¡Empecemos!" Leo clapped his hands together twice, and the kids hurried to sit down at one of the three tables. Celia stayed where she was, hugging her elbows to her side and beginning to cry.

"¡Soreno moreno! What's wrong, Celita?" Leo stooped down in front of the little girl, his hands resting against his thighs.

She sniffled and looked up at Leo through watery eyes, her mouth pulling down at the sides. "I don't have anyone to sit with."

Leo looked about at the tables. Miles sat with two other boys while the four older girls of the group huddled around one table. "Well, why don't you sit with your brother? Miles-scooch over."

Miles huffed and rolled his eyes. The other boys grumbled in annoyance.

Tears welled up in Celia's eyes again and began to roll down her cheeks in fat droplets. "No one likes me! I hate being little!"

Leo opened his mouth to protest, but another voice beat him to it.

"It's hard being a little sister, isn't it?" Nico knelt down on one knee, gazing at Celia. "You know, I had a big sister, and she never wanted to sit next to me either. But," Nico smiled at the young girl. "That's just how big brothers and sisters are. So why don't you come sit next to me? I could use some help- I don't know what I'm doing."

Celia looked up at Nico through wet eyelashes. "Really?"

"Really, really." Nico held out his hand. She took it and let him guide her to the third and empty table. Leo stared at the back of Nico's shoulders. Way to go, Ghost Boy. He kept staring until one of the older girls asked in a high and annoyingly bossy voice, "Are we going to get started, or are you going to just stare at them all day?"

Leo coughed, embarrassed and trying his hardest to hide that fact. Nico looked away from Celia and over to Leo, arching one eyebrow and smirking.

Leo cleared his throat. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hold your horses." He frowned at the girl. "Why don't you get the tools and pass them out, Brittany?"

While Brittany gathered the needed tools and deposited them at each table, flashing a flirtatious smile at Nico in the process, Leo collected the materials and distributed them.

"Each table needs to follow directions clearly. It's all written out on the paper with step-by-step instructions in English and Spanish. If you get lost, look at the picture. If you get even more lost, ask me for help. If we both wind up getting lost," Leo paused and looked around at the group. "Well, I guess Mrs. Gugaitis won't be able to force-feed you any fresh veggies."

The children laughed. Leo continued, "But, let's not let that happen, okay? Otherwise, you turn out as short as me."

Celia turned to her new friend. Leo heard her whisper loudly, "I need vegetables! Right now!"

I'm not that short, he thought indignantly.

"We're working with treated wood so that watering and rain won't make the boards swell." Leo set the last bit of wood down at Nico's table. "We want to-"

Brittany glanced over to Nico as if to say 'I'm-gonna-ask-a-smart-question-pay-attention' and shoved her hand into the air.

Leo paused. "Brittany?"

"Won't treated wood leach chemicals into the plants? I don't think that's super organic." She tossed her brown hair over her shoulder and smiled at Nico. Nico's face remained unreadable.

Leo nodded. "Good question. Normally, the answer would be yes." Leo crossed over to Miles' table and pulled a 2x4 up to show the kids. "However, I've been working with someone who was able to treat these with a special kind of solution. Over many, many, manymanymany years of practice in her own garden, she was able to teach me the solution. So, it won't leach, and Mrs. Gugaitis can rest assured that her tomatoes won't be radioactive."

Leo set the wood down and crossed over to Festus. "Now, just some key things to remember: we're working with planed boards. So, don't freak out when you realize that your 2x4 is smaller than that. Anyone remember why they're planed?"

One of the boys at Miles' table raised their hands. "It's because otherwise, the boards wouldn't all be the same!"

Leo smiled. "That's right, Sonny. We want to get rid of any irregularities, and the best way to do that is to shave them down until they're all the right size." Leo looked over to Nico and Celia out of the corner of his eyes. Nico seemed to be taking in everything Leo said with a serious and studious air. Celia crouched under the table, busily picking dandelions from where they rebelliously grew between cracks in the blacktop.

"Keep in mind to make pilot holes as well. Can anyone tell me why?"

Miles piped up, "Cause of splits!"

"Bingo. If we don't drill pilot holes first, the nails and screws will split the wood, and we don't want that." Leo gazed out over the group. "Remember: if you don't know how to use a tool, ask. We need to treat the tools nice and not waste materials- my hands hurt from writing letters for grants and donations, so don't make me write more." The group nodded solemnly. "Well, is everyone ready then?"

The groups got to work on the three garden boxes. They left the plans on the tables, moving to the side and onto the asphalt to begin the construction. Leo walked around for the first hour, focusing on the children's groups. Nico should be able to handle a simple garden box.

He pointed out joints that weren't lined up correctly and reminded them to watch their fingers as they sawed the 2x12x10s in half. Brittany and Miles' groups were plugging along steadily. Once Leo turned his attention away from them, he realized Nico and Celia were in dire need of help and several steps behind the others.

What in Tartarus are they doing? What is that?

Leo joined the other demigod and the younger girl. "Hey, guys. So...whatcha doing?"

Nico looked up at Leo from where he knelt on the ground. He was hunched over the wood which lay in disarray with one board screwed in at the oddest angle and off-kilter to another of an even longer length. Celia sat next to him, cross-legged and singing to herself.

"I'm trying to screw these," Nico gestured to the 2x12x10s, "into these." Nico motioned to the 2x12x8s. The son of Hades looked down again, making a small sound of annoyance as his hair fell into his face. He brushed it back and tucked it behind his ears, but it fell into his face again after a moment.

He groaned and looked up to the heavens. "What do I even use to drill the...what are they called again? Pilot holes? I think I did it right...sort of." Nico sighed in frustration. Celia kept singing to herself, ignoring the two teenagers. "Just give me my sword and a few monsters any day. This is hard."

Leo couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. Nico scowled and looked over. "It's not easy. Not everyone is a kid of Hephaestus. Hades doesn't do woodshop."

Leo sat down opposite the pair, rummaging in his tool belt as he did so. He pulled a small circle of threaded elastic from the depths and offered it to Nico. Nico studied the small circle and then looked back up at Leo, confused. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

Leo gave a small tut of impatience and sat upon his knees, reaching toward Nico. "Lean forward."

Nico did as he was told but squawked in surprise when Leo gathered the hair from around his face. Quickly, Leo finger-combed the lengths of black hair into a small ponytail and secured it with the band. "There." Leo sat back down and settled in. Stray hairs escaped the confines of the elastic and floated about Nico's startled face. Leo froze.

Can demigods die from shock? Schist, how do I tell Emmie and Jo I killed Nico? SCHIST, how do I tell Will I killed his boyfriend?

Nico sat still, his eyes wide and his lips slightly parted. Red tinged his cheekbones.

Leo cleared his throat. "Sorry. Habit. I had a few foster sisters."

Nico exhaled and nodded. "Right. Uh, thanks. For the help."

Leo shook his head and looked down at the mess of wood. "You need a lot more help than that, Ghost Boy."

Nico let out an explosive sigh as he looked down at the wood. "I don't know where I went wrong." Nico leaned back on his heels. "I followed the instructions. I took the shorter piece-"

"Nico." Leo snagged the papers off the ground and tapped at a line. "Did you read the measurements? Below the picture?"

"Yes, I-" Nico paused for a moment, several expressions flitting over his face: annoyance, frustration, before settling on resignation. "No."

"Alright. Well, there's your problem. Yeah, you do take the short pieces to form the ends of the box, but," Leo pointed at the measurement: 2x12x5. "You need to cut the tens down to fives. Then you screw the eights into the fives to make your box. See?"

"Leo, Leo! Look at ours! I think we're done!" Miles and the boys crowed their success from several feet away. Nico and Leo both glanced over. The boys were, in fact, not only finished but cleaned up as well. While plain and simple, their garden box was immaculate, and their workstation was back in order.

Nico's lower lip jutted out the slightest bit, and he muttered under his breath, "Show-offs."

Leo grinned and pushed Nico's shoulder. "Don't be sour that a group of seven-year-olds built circles around you, Ghost Boy."

Nico pulled a face and groaned. "Don't call me that!"

But Leo was already standing and walking over to the boys. "That's really great, guys! Those edges are just-" Leo brought his fingers to his lips and kissed them. "Muah!"

The trio's smiles stretched across their proud faces.

"You know what? I think your box is so good; I would really appreciate it if you guys could help Nico out with his box." He leaned in with a conspiratorial smirk and said in a whisper that was audible to his help: "I think he's more of a painter than a builder."

Nico growled and stood up, dropping the wood he still had in his hand to the ground. Before Nico could complain, Leo called out to Miles' little sister. "Hey, Celia! You wanna paint?"

A happy squeal came from the young girl. She raced to the finished garden box and began to jump up and down, her pigtails bouncing with her. Leo grinned triumphantly. "Well, Mr. di Angelo. Care to help me grab the paints?"

Leo turned and walked to Festus without waiting for an answer. He went around the back and reached through the other set of ribs. He brought out several paint sticks, large paint brushes, and a mishmash of smaller brushes. He offered them to Nico. "Here are your tools, Painter di Angelo. I'll bring the colors to you and your apprentice Celia. Hopefully, you're a more skilled painter than a carpenter."

Nico grabbed the brushes from Leo and snarled, "Painting requires finesse. I'll be better at it than you."

Leo looked up at the slightly taller demigod and, with a lofty arrogance, wished Nico, "Good luck and godspeed, Admiral Ghost Pants."

Clutching the brushes, Nico stalked over to the finished garden box and joined Celia, ignoring the tittering giggles of the children fixing his mistakes. When Leo brought over the paints, the son of Hades studiously ignored him. Without one word, Nico accepted the paints and popped open the tops.

"Don't forget to stir them well," Leo offered. "You want to mix the binders and pigments, okay?"

At first, Leo thought the son of Hades would ignore him, but after several seconds, Nico gave a curt nod and, using the flat wooden paint stick, stirred each pot of color.

Leo smiled and gave the pair two thumbs up. "I believe in you guys! Now, get to work!"

Leo went over to the boys and gave a helping hand, working steadily for forty minutes. When Leo glanced over again, Nico was staring at the garden box with purpose, paintbrush in hand. A stray bit of hair fell into Nico's face, and he bit his lip as he painted. He looks good when he's concentrating.

Leo smiled to himself and shifted his attention to Celia. She worked on the side opposite the demigod, eyebrows drawn down with furious attention. Occasionally, she would look up and over at Nico, who, sensing he was being watched, would glance up and smile encouragingly before returning to his own work.

The group of girls had finished their garden box and asked Leo to inspect it. Once he had done so, he directed them to grab paint.

Brittany pouted, "There are no more small brushes. How am I supposed to do detailed work with these!?" She brandished a broadhead brush in the air.

Leo fought the urge to roll his eyes. Brittany, who was always a bit extra, was in rare form today. "Just see if you can borrow one from someone." The twelve-year-old smiled and sauntered over to Nico. And now I know why.

Upon reaching the demigod, Brittany crouched down. "Can I borrow this?" This time, Leo didn't try to stop his eye roll. The girl's voice had dropped in tone and contained a sultry air of breathlessness. I keep telling Mrs. Gugaitis to stop watching her telenovelas in front of the kids.

Nico looked over at the girl , not seeming to notice the change in her tone, and tilted his head to a cup of water holding used brushes. "Help yourself." Without so much as blinking an eye, Nico turned back to his painting. Brittany, not to be ignored, sat next to Nico.

She barely studied his painting before exclaiming, "Oh wow! You're terrific. I wish I could paint like that. Can you show me?"

Nico shrugged and shifted so a few inches of space appeared between him and the girl. "Eh. I'm not the best teacher."

Brittany closed the distance between them by leaning over and looking up at Nico through her eyelashes. "I think you'd be a fine teacher."

"Brittany!" Leo's voice was a bit higher, and just a tad bit shrill when he called her. He coughed and cleared his throat. "The garden box isn't going to paint itself, you know."

Brittany scowled at Leo before turning a shining smile to Nico. "Will you help me if I need it?" Nico opened his mouth to answer, but Brittany bounced to her feet before he could utter a syllable. She walked away from Nico, calling over her shoulder, "Thanks!"

Leo shook his head, vaguely annoyed with Brittany but having no clue as to why. Brittany's just being Brittany. Leo went to see what Nico had painted, intrigued by Brittany's gushing. He stopped just behind Nico and crouched down to inspect.

It was beautiful. Nico had painted a countryside landscape along the entire side of the box. Lush green hills rolled across the wood, dotted with cypress trees. Small goat tracks snaked over the knolls in languid ropes. Tendrils of clouds drifted lazily against the azure sky. A detail taking up the left corner caught his attention.

"Is that Festus?" Leo leaned in closer to examine the figure. The dragon soared through the sky, captured in all of his glory. Bronze seemed to gleam from the paint. Little patterns swirled over his neck and sides, tracing gracefully up his wings. His eyes shone with life. His neck craned forward, fire flowing from his open mouth, streaming out and over…

Leo scowled and turned to Nico. "Really? You had to paint my dragon burning me to a crisp?"

Nico's eyes were wide and innocent. "I don't know what you mean. I have no idea who the skeleton was before Festus set him on fire."

"You labeled it, Ghost Boy."

Nico glanced back at the box with a smirk. "Oh. So I did. Well, we'll fix that real quick." Nico dabbed his brush into the blue. Then, adding a small blob of white directly onto the garden box with the paint stick, he smeared the two colors together to blot out the arrow pointing to a skeleton named Valdez the Vexing. The skeleton remained.

Skeletons aside, he really is a good painter.

"Where'd you learn how to paint?" Despite the unfortunate left corner, Leo took in an appreciative eyeful of the garden box. "It's pretty great."

A red blush returned to Nico's cheeks, even more pronounced with his hair pulled back. "My mother." His voice was quiet, full of longing and melancholy and sad happiness.

Leo, his voice equally soft, said, "She must have been a really wonderful painter. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Nico looked away from the garden box and at Leo, a genuine if slight smile on his face. His eyes were glassy. "Don't be. They're happy memories."

Leo nodded. "I know what you mean. My mom-"

"Oh my god! What are you drawing? No one will want to look at that!" Brittany's voice rang out cruelly from across the garden box. The two demigods looked up and over where Brittany stood, towering over the cowering figure of Celia.

The girl's voice was tight, on the verge of bursting into tears, when she answered. "They're fairies."

Brittany laughed. "Those have got to be the ugliest fairies I have ever seen. Don't you know they're supposed to have wings?"

Nico was already on his feet and moving around to Celia's side when the tears started rolling down her cheeks again. He reached down and grabbed her hand before turning his attention to the girl's painting. He narrowed his eyes and brought a hand to his head, tucking stray hair behind his ear. "Well, now. That's rather remarkable."

Brittany scowled and stomped away back to her garden box and gaggle of girls.

Leo moved around the project to join the pair and stared at the painting. It had the lack of artistic grace any five-year-old's artwork did and was done in blues and blacks and grays with splashes of bright color. The side of the box had been transformed under Celia's ministrations into a shadow-strewn graveyard.

The moon shone over tombstones that loomed on the forefront. Behind them stood what Leo assumed was a family- like the pictures kids drew in school of their houses. Celia and Miles were the most prominent figures in the painting. They stood holding hands, the colors matching the outfits they wore today: warm reds and yellows. The pair smiled happily. Standing next to Miles was a tall woman. She wore a bright green shirt and glasses.

The figures on either end of the group were different. Holding Celia's other hand was a young girl of precisely the same height. She wore everything Celia wore but in washed-out hues. Her skin was a stark white with gray circles for her eyes. A gray-green shimmer of paint surrounded her. On the other end of the group, a woman held the hand of the one in green. She wore a flowing dress of black and gray with the same skin coloration as the little girl on the end. Her eyes were wholly black, and the same glow of paint surrounded her.

It's not ugly….but it is definitely creepy.

Miles had come over at that point as well. When he looked at the painting, his face filled with distress.

"Ceilly. Mom told you not to draw them anymore." The boy looked like he was about to cry. "She's gonna be sad."

Nico looked over to the boy. "What's wrong with what she painted? Fairies can look like anything, can't they?"

Miles began to reply but choked off in a sob. Big, fat tears leaked from between his eyelids. Celia pulled away from Nico to wrap her big brother in a hug. "I'm sorry, Miles. Don't cry. I just miss them."

Leo listened to the exchange quietly before asking, "Who are they, Celia?"

The young girl released her brother and pointed. "That's me and Miles and Mommy. And that's Casey and Mama Mellie." Then, she turned and stated matter-of-factly, "Casey died, but we still get to see her sometimes. She comes with Mama Mellie, and we get to talk."

Nico gazed more sharply at the picture and knelt down beside Celia. "Did your Mama Mellie die too?"

Celia shook her head. "No. She's always been like that. She's beautiful. She and Mommy met at school."

At this point, the other children had walked away, pulling Miles with them. Sonny had his arm slung around Miles's shoulder and was talking about what he wanted for dinner.

Something flashed in Nico's eyes as he gazed at the picture. He smiled tightly. "You know, I talked to my sister a couple of times after she died. She looked a lot like your picture too." He paused and bit his lip, looking over his shoulder at the other kids before lowering his voice to a whisper. "Celia, do you believe in ghosts?"

The little girl nodded vigorously. "I do, I do. But these aren't ghosts. These are fairies. Ghosts are mean."

Nico agreed with her, "Oh yes. A lot of ghosts are really mean. They can be pretty scary too." He tilted his head to the side, considering the young girl. "Celia, when do you visit Mama Mellie next?"

Leo didn't wait to hear her answer. Celia's in good hands. She'll be fine. Leo walked over to Miles, who had not wanted to be around anyone- not even Sonny. "Hey, hermanito. Come take a walk with me." He didn't wait for an answer but strolled over to Festus, knowing Miles would follow. Once he arrived at his mobile "workstation," Leo sat on the tail-bench and patted the seat beside him, which Miles took. Leo stretched out his legs, wincing at the twinging pain in his ankle. Think I might have overdone it today.

"So, you wanna talk about it?"

Miles looked away, angrily brushing away the tears from his cheeks.

"It's okay to be upset, you know. I used to cry all the time after my mom died."

Miles' expression was frozen in anger, but his shoulders relaxed, and he looked at Leo out of the corner of his eyes. "You did?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah. I still miss her. I dream about her a lot," Leo admitted.

He jerked his chin at the son of Hades and Celia. "And Nico over there," Leo swallowed, unsure if Nico would want him sharing his past. All of the camp knew about Nico's mom- even if they hadn't been present at the Battle of Manhattan against Kronos. Everyone knew everything about the Big Three and their collective pasts. Gossip traveled fast. Leo decided Nico wouldn't mind if it was to help a kid. "Nico lost his mom and his sister too. Few years apart, but they're gone. He still has one sister left. Just like you."

Miles stared over at Nico, who had gotten Celia to smile. She was giggling as she wove dandelions throughout Nico's black hair. Leo stared for a moment longer, and he could feel his heartbeat against his ribcage. He looks so…

Leo shook his head and peered back toward Miles. "So, we both understand a little bit about what you might be feeling."

Miles nodded and leaned into Leo's side. "I don't want to talk about it now. But, maybe someday."

Leo smiled. "That's alright, kid." The son of Hephaestus slung his arm around Miles' shoulder. "Wanna go get your sister before she buries Nico in dandelions?"

Miles nodded, not quite laughing yet; but, a small smile spread across his face. The two boys stood and slowly walked over to the pair, Leo calling out, "Alright guys! Time for a break before we finish the boxes! Everyone move to the entryway!"

The group of girls left in a flurry of voices while Miles raced ahead with the boys after giving his sister a quick hug. Celia stayed between Nico and Leo, taking both of their hands in hers.

Leo caught himself staring at the flowers in Nico's hair on more than one occasion as they covered the short distance to the building. It wasn't until Nico happened to glance over and catch his eye that he jerked his head around and looked straight ahead, glancing neither left nor right. He heard a slight chuckle come from the other demigod.

They reached the entryway. Nico pulled his hand from Celia's grasp and motioned for her to go on ahead.

"Don't you want some snacks, Nico?"

The son of Hades shook his head. "Maybe later. I'm just gonna hang back and talk to Leo for a minute."

The pair watched her skip inside and join the other kids.

Leo looked down at the ground and scuffed his shoe against the asphalt. "That was really...sweet. Letting her put flowers in your hair."

Nico laughed, and Leo looked up, startled. He didn't think he had ever heard the other demigod laugh in enjoyment. Derisive laughter? Check. Slightly maniacal laughter? You bet. But pure laughter? Leo pinched himself. Yep. Still awake.

"I almost didn't let her. Persephone turned me into a dandelion once. Put me off yellow for quite some time."

Leo gazed up at him. "For real?" He tried to picture the pale and darkly clad boy as a dandelion. But, instead, he could only think of the singing flowers from Alice in Wonderland.

Nico nodded and shuddered. "Not the most pleasant of experiences. Gotta say, though: it was way better than being corn."

"Oh, schist. I forgot about the corn stuff. So...do the gods plan it, or are you just a yellow kind of guy?"

Nico worried his lip between his teeth, and Leo realized he was staring once again. Get a grip, Valdez. "Nah. Just a coincidence, I think. I guess maybe if I get turned into yet another yellow plant, maybe then we can start asking those questions." He grinned and looked over at Leo. "I never knew you were so good with kids. Although, with your height, I guess you would get along with munchkins a lot more than us taller folks."

Leo stared at Nico, flabbergasted. The son of Hades actually joking? "You're barely taller than me! At least I still have my youth." Leo waggled his eyebrows at the other demigod. "What are you now? Pushing eighty or something?"

Nico glared at Leo before adopting an arrogant smirk. "Well, age is wisdom, Valdez. So I might be old, but I'm terribly smart. Whereas you, on the other hand-"

Nico yelped as Leo tugged on his ponytail. "Watch it, Ghost Boy. Otherwise, you can walk home. Don't think I won't leave you here."

The two trailed off into a comfortable silence, watching the kids as they ate their snacks. Leo kept noticing Brittany glancing at Nico, trying to catch his eye. He looked back and forth between the two- Brittany pining and Nico passively watching the scene in the entryway.

"So...Brittany."

"Hmm?" Nico glanced over to Leo and back. "I'm sorry. Just thinking about Celia and Miles. What did you say?"

Leo shrugged. "Nothing really. I just think you have a twelve-year-old swooning over you." The son of Hephaestus smirked. "I remember when some of my foster sisters were her age. They were always gushing over boys. It was kind of annoying. Except for Dezzie. She just liked to collect bugs."

Nico's look was one of confusion. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Oh yeah. She had this one really cool stick bug that was creepy as all get out-"

"No." The sharp bite in Nico's voice brought Leo to a halt. "About someone liking me?"

"Brittany. Likes. You." Leo jerked his chin in the direction of the twelve-year-old in question.

Nico stared at Leo for a moment before whipping his head back to look at Brittany. She was already staring in his direction and smiled widely, winking when she saw he was looking at her. Nico blanched, a tinge of green taking over his ghostly pale features. For once, Nico looked terrified.

"What? W-what should I do? She's just a kid. And she's a girl! I can't…" Nico spun toward Leo, questions swirling in his eyes. "Seriously, Leo. What should I do?"

Leo leaned forward, one hand resting on his thigh while the other clutched his side as he laughed. Nico sputtered in front of him as Leo kept laughing, full belly laughs. All misery over Calypso forgotten for the moment, Leo's sides began to ache with the exertion.

"Stop laughing, Valdez! It's not funny."

"B-but it is!" Leo stood upright and tried to gain control of himself. Chuckling merrily, Leo wiped at one eye. "Bro. Just be honest. You don't have to crush her. Just...wait until she comes to you and then tell her you're gay, dude; tell her you have a boyfriend. Or that she's too young for you. Whatever. Just tell her whatever you want."

Nico seemed genuinely horrified at the prospect. "You don't think she'd actually talk to me about-"

"Oh," Leo interrupted. "It's Brittany. She'll definitely let you know how she feels."

If possible, Nico paled further and started with a jerk when the doors opened back up. The kids came spilling out into the parking lot, Brittany maneuvering her way to stand beside Nico. He could have been a statue with how still he held himself next to her. Is he even breathing?

Leo shook his head with another chuckle and clapped his hands together. "Alright, kiddos. Time to finish painting and clean up!"

Leo let most of the kids run ahead of him to Festus. He hung back, far enough along that Nico could not pull him into a conversation to escape Brittany's inane chatter but close enough to hear all responses. Brittany was prattling on about school.

"I go to H.L. Harshman? Middle school? But, once I graduate from there, I'll be in Ben Davis. I totally want to go to Crispus Attucks, though." She ran her fingers through her hair, shoving it away from her face. Leo noticed she did it in a very calculated movement, unlike how Nico had pushed his hair away from his own face absentmindedly. "Where do you go to school?"

"I don't." Nico's voice sounded wooden, the discomfort plain in his tone.

"Oh? Are you, like, homeschooled or something?"

Nico held still for a moment before nodding.

"That's so cool. I wish I could be homeschooled. All the girls at my school are so juvenile." She reached up and twirled a bit of hair around her finger. "What's your favorite color? Is it black? I love black."

Leo couldn't help it. He looked back with a grin and caught Nico's eyes. The "help me" written across his face was studiously ignored by Leo.

"Uh...brown."

Of course, he wouldn't say black now. I bet Brittany could say her favorite hobby was breathing, and Nico would be sure to choose the opposite. Wouldn't be surprised if he stopped breathing altogether just to prove a point.

Leo waited for the next question but was surprised when Nico continued talking. "Dark brown, though. Like wood after a rain." Leo looked back again, intrigued by the new information. Nico's eyes met his own, but the demigod quickly looked away and down to the ground.

Brittany tried to keep questioning Nico as the group assembled to resume painting. Finally taking pity on the son of Hades, Leo directed Brittany back to her own garden box and began to pack away the tools. Leo felt as though someone was staring at him on several occasions, but every time he looked up, every person was involved with the garden boxes.

Eventually, the spaces on the wood became filled with colorful scenes. Once the last bit of exposed wood was covered in a brilliant scarlet hue, the kids stepped back to examine their handiwork.

Leo let out a low whistle. "Well, color me impressed, guys. I think Mrs. Gugaitis will be thrilled once these dry." The small faces gathered around Leo beamed with pride. Even Nico sported a small smile. "Let's get lids on and brushes washed and put away. Now that I know you can handle stuff like this, we can move on to more complicated stuff next week." The kids were a flurry of activity and movement, eager to get inside for supper. "Be ready with ideas for Monday, people! I wanna hear the best and brightest ones you got!"

Leo noticed Nico headed around to the far side of Festus, carrying an assortment of paints. Brittany, unbeknownst to the demigod, darted quickly behind him, holding a handful of brushes. Leo found himself moving toward Festus' head, trying to surreptitiously overhear the conversation.

"So, Nico. Are you coming back next week?"

Nico must have nodded because Brittany continued to speak.

"Would you want to get coffee or something after? My mom would be totally okay with it. We could talk a bit more or something?"

Nico made a small noise that was very close to a whimper, and Leo couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Poor Ghost Boy.

"Uh, that's... that's very kind of you but, I can't."

Leo could hear the pout in Brittany's voice when she asked, "Why? Are you already seeing someone then?"

There it was. Easy setup for Nico to let the girl down gently.

So, Leo was surprised when Nico answered, "No. There's not... there's not anyone else. I'm not seeing anyone."

Leo's eyebrows almost joined his hairline. But what about Will?

Nico continued, his voice seeming unsettled. "I'm flattered. Really. But, I... don't like girls." There was a heavy pause before, "I'm sorry."

The deflated "Oh" that followed sent a surge of pity through Leo for Brittany. "Well, alright then." Leo heard the disappointment in Brittany's voice. "I hope you have a good night. Bye."

Leo quickly escaped back to Festus' tool side and made himself appear busy until everything was put away. Mrs. Gugaitis came to collect the children.

"Was it a good day, zuikis?" The old woman smiled warmly at Leo before turning her attention to the children. "Did everyone learn something today?"

I sure did.

The Lithuanian woman listened to each child in turn. Leo watched as Nico came back from the other side of Festus and leaned against the dragon's bronze side with his arms crossed, an arms-length away from Leo.

"Need any help?"

Leo didn't look up as he shook his head. "Nah. I'm fine. Once the kids leave, I'll grab the tables, and we can go home."

Nico said nothing but Leo could feel the son of Hades' eyes on him. And he didn't mind it.

Stop thinking like that, Leo. Get it together. You're just lonely.

Once the kids had bid him and Nico a goodnight (with Celia giving Nico a hard hug and a handful of dandelions), and the tables had been collapsed and put away, the two demigods clambered atop the restored bronze dragon and took off. Leo half hoped that Nico would put his hands around his waist again and found himself disappointed when Nico chose to rest his hands upon Festus' back instead.

Leo shook his head. Stop it. You're just in a really weird headspace right now and...just stop it.

But halfway back to the Waystation, Nico quietly slipped his arms around Leo's waist, muttering, "I can't shadow-travel if I fall off and I don't trust you to not have Festus throw me off. So, if I fall, you fall."

And Leo didn't mind. In fact, he rather liked it.

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other." - Mother Teresa

A/N: Thanks so much to Writer2006 for your kind reviews!