2 years.

It had been 2 long years since he had run away from the only place that felt like a home to him since his mother's death. Since he had left his closest friends. No. Since he had left his family and he missed them everyday. But he just couldn't stay. He couldn't. Leo was having so many mixed feelings at the time of his departure and he still does. He couldn't be around camp or Hazel and Frank anymore, it was slowly killing him the way they loved and cherished each other openly. Leo wanted that. To be loved and cherished by someone who actually cares about him. But that would never happen. They would never love him like they love each other, nor would anyone else.

"Leona! Get back to taking orders!" Leo sighed as his boss yelled at him from the other side of the small cafe. Leo gave a sigh and tugged his short flared black skirt down as he went to a table full of rowdy teenage boys about Leo's age. He took out a notepad and pen from his apron's pocket and looked down.

"Do you know what you would like to order today gentlemen?" Leo's voice had a slightly higher pitched thanks to his amazing impressions, so it could pass well for a girls voice.

"Yeah, you in my bed." One of the rowdier boys answered.

Leo's face turned red but he kept his voice steady. "I need an actual order sir." The group of boys gave him their orders and then proceeded to make many lewd and sexual comments ad gestures towards Leo. Leo hurriedly left the table to give the cook the orders, his face a darker red adorning his Latino skin.

After Leo had run away from the camp, he had returned to the town of his birth, Houston, where he swore to himself he would leave and never return. Well, he returned.

Leo had slept in alleyways and on benches like a bum for the first few months and stole what he needed with skills he picked up from the Hermes Cabin, especially from the Stolls, while he desperately searched for a job. He got lucky when he saw the cafe was hiring. Sadly, they were only accepting women. So in Leo's messed up head, he devised and idea: he would steal female clothes and accessories then apply for the job. And he did. Surprisingly Leo passed for a woman with ease with his curly brown hair that had grown longer since he left camp, his feminine hourglass-like figure, and his naturally hairless body. He used to hate how he looked more feminine than masculine but now he loved it. He was hired by the manager who thought he was a woman named Leona soon after.

Leo is snapped out of his thoughts as the cook shoves a tray full of different orders into his hands. He gives a huff of indigence and carried the tray to the designated table. Leo carefully set the plates in front of each person, tucked the tray under his arm and turned to leave the table.

Whack!

Leo jumped, dropping the empty tray and whirling around to stare at the smirking boy and his laughing buddies. His face was red, not in embarrassment, but in anger. He felt fire flickering on his finger tips so he took a deep breathe to try and calm down as he bent over to pick up the tray and retreat to the kitchen. There wasn't a single sound in the cafe except for the raucous laughter of those perverse boys.

How dare they slap his ass?!

Leo just ignored the staring of the patrons and waitresses as he went out back to take his break. It was sunny today, at least. He sat down and leaned against the wall, letting the window blow his hair around. Leo pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. A few silent tears ran down his face as he stared at the ground. They dribbled down his cheeks and dripped off his chin and down onto his knees. Gods, he absolutely HATED his life now. He missed the camp, he missed the forges and his cabin with his comfy bunk, he missed Bunker 9 where Festus was almost completely rapaired and waiting for him to finish the job, he missed his friends, he missed his family. But it was too late. He could never and would never return to Camp Half-Blood or even Camp Jupiter. Besides, how awkward would it be if he showed up in his Cafe uniform looking like a girl after 2 years of being gone?

Leo was truly alone in the world now.

ENough with these painful thoughts. Leo stood up, brushed dirt off and straightened his skirt before returning inside to continue working.

"Leona," his co-worker, Susie, approached him. "You have a group of new teens in your section." Leo gave a barely audible sigh and approached a large group of teens that had to resort to pushing two tables together for themselves. But as soon as Leo took a look at the teens himself, his blood ran cold. No, no, no, no, no. Oh Gods please no.

It was them!

What were they doing here?! Were they looking for him? Or were they on some quest for the camps? Most likely the latter. They wouldn't be looking for him. Leo took a deep breathe. Maybe they won't recognize him. Hopefully. Leo approached the table and kept his head down.

"Hello, may I take your orders?"

-Break-

After walking around Houston for six hours straight looking for their fire starter, the large group of demigods and two incognito satyrs was starting to get tired and hungry.

"I'm tired," whined Connor.

"I'm hungry," groaned Travis.

Annabeth gave a sigh and glared at the twin-like brothers. "There is a cafe up ahead. If we stop to eat and rest will you two shut up?"

"Yes Ma'am," they chorused together to which Annabeth rolled her eyes at. The cafe they stopped at was a cute little place with a few other occupants. The first thing the noticed upon entering was the table of rowdy teenage boys. Thalia shook her head in disgust as they all pushed two tables together so they can all sit together.

"This is hopeless," Piper spoke quietly. "We''ll never find Leo at this rate. It's already been 2 years."

"We'll find him," Jason assured his sad girlfriend though his voice didn't hold much hope. 'We have to find him.' Suddenly a quiet voice spoke up.

"Hello, may I take your orders?" They all looked towards the waitress that had approached their table and every single one of their jaws had dropped. There was no doubt in their minds that this was their Leo. Except he looked exactly like a girl. He wore a white button down blouse, a light orange miniskirt, an apron, and a pair of black 3 inch heels. His dark, curly hair had grown longer and he wore it in pigtails held in place by pink ribbons. He had makeup lightly painted across his face. But his eyes are what definitely told them it was Leo. The crazy took-too-much-caffeine look was still there even though it was dulled considerably.

"L-Leo...?" Hazel spoke brokenly. Leo had his eyes downcast and seemed nervous.

"I'm sorry miss, but I think your mistaken." Leo said in a robotic voice. "My name isn't Leo." His voice shaking was all the confirmation they needed. Piper and Jason jumped up from the table and wrapped Leo in a crushing hug that knocked the breathe from his lungs. Leo immediately started to struggle desperately. No, no, no, no, no! They held on tighter as everyone else stood. In a desperate attempt to escape, Leo swung his leg and it collided solidly with Jason's thin making him curse and drop Leo to hold his hurt shin. Leo was then able to escape Piper's arm, who stared at him with wide eyes. He backed away slowly, taking note that the whole cafe stared at them.

"Leo," Frank and Hazel spoke and approached Leo as if he were a skittish animal. But thats all it took. Leo turned tail and ran out of the cafe, cursing as he heard the thumping of running footsteps behind him. They were calling his name, begging him to stop, begging him to come home. But Leo couldn't, he wouldn't. He ran as hard as he could, his crummy apartment building coming into view. With a final burst of energy he ran inside, up the stairs and was digging in his apron's pocket for his keys as he run. They were still close behind him, running up the stairs after Leo. He finally found his keys as he got to his door. Leo jammed them into the lock and and quickly entered his apartment, immediately slamming and locking the door behind him. Leo heard them on the other side of the door begging him as he caught his breathe.

Leo ignored them as he walked into his bedroom to change out of his clothes.

-Break-

They group of friends was letting out curse after curse after Leo locked the door, only for the smirking Hermes boys to come forward.

"Allow."

"Us."