Sorry for the long wait these last few weeks have been literally nuts, for lack of a better term. Most of my family was exposed to covid and was quarantined so that was a bit of an inconvenience. No worries, though. We all tested negative. I'm planning on putting up several chapters this week as a little holiday gift from me to you, dear readers. Enjoy3(Are disclaimers still a thing? if so, I dont own the characters or anything I just borrowed them for a bit)

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Leo had pushed Dike's visit to the back of his mind. There were more important things than meddling minor goddesses. The quest seemed impossible. Seven teenagers and a satyr, armed with nothing but a ship that seemed incapable of not always needing repairs, on a mission to save the world? It would be a miracle if they could do this, Leo thought as he fidgeted with a the small screwdriver in his hand. He had zoned out while attaching another arm to Buford, who had come back after the disastrous attempt to lure the Roman eagles away with Frank's dirty laundry. Another one of Leo's desperate attempts to help. Another failure. It seemed no matter what he did there was always another failed plan, another broken peace of machinery, another insensitive joke, another useless wheel. It's no wonder the other six demigods disliked him, he thought. Besides being their bait and fixing things, he was the odd one out. The seventh wheel, Nemesis had said, which didn't make any sense. What kind of crack fueled contraption would have seven wheels? Sometimes, Leo had concluded. goddesses just didn't make any damn sense.

"Leo?" A voice startled him from his meandering thoughts.

"What the f-", Leo jumped, clutching his heart and dropping his tools.

"Oh. Hi, Beauty Queen. Maybe knock next time?"

Piper flashed him a brilliant smile, sheepishly shrugging her shoulders. Hers was one of the only smiles that ever made its way toward him, and he smiled back.

"Sorry. Annabeth said she wanted to talk to you really quick. Something about a dream?" She picked up the small screw driver that had rolled to her feet and tossed it back to him, before leaving the room. Leo attempted to catch it before it bounced off his hand and back onto the floor. Sighing, he bent down to pick it up and tucked it into his tool belt. Why did Annabeth want to talk to him about a dream? Surely she'd rather confide in Percy? Women were strange creatures.

"Annabeth?" Leo knocked on the door as he cautiously called out. Annabeth was one of the most terrifying people he'd ever met, and as someone who had been through The United States' sinister joke of a foster care system and been through more traumatic experiences than he could count, that was saying a lot. Annabeth was one of those people that would have been terrifying even if she were a mortal. She didn't need fancy powers or big flashy swords. Behind those terrifying gray eyes so many thought swirled Leo wondered how many ways she could think to kill him if she ever needed to. She'd probably think of at least ten before he ever saw her coming.

"Come in." She answered. Leo wiped hair palms on his shirt and opened the door. Annabeth sat amidst piles of scrolls and books, looking at her computer with her back to him. He closed the door behind him, wondering if he was trapping himself as he did so.

"Did you need me to fix something?" Leo didn't mean to sound so curt but he couldn't take the words back once they were out. Annabeth turned, her eyebrows raised.

"Do you think keeping secrets is a good way to succeed on the quest, Leo?" She asked. Oh no.

"Secrets? Nope, I'm an open book-" She raised her hand and silenced him with a glare.

"Dike visited me in a dream. She told me she visited you. Why?"

"Maybe she wanted some company." Leo laughed, hoping to fool her. It was embarrassing enough that the rest of the group treated him like an outcast. He didn't need some random goddess showing up to make them all play nice with him.

"Leo," Annabeth closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose like she was warding off a headache. "This is serious. Dike doesn't usually interfere in demigod quests. If she visited you, I need to know why."

"I don't know. She was there one minute talking about justice and stuff and then she was gone. I swear-"

"On the river styx?" She knew she had him. He wasn't stupid enough to make a binding oath like that, especially when he was lying. His face heated up and his temper rose. So what if a goddess visited him? What business was it of hers? He didn't owe her an explanation, especially not when she treated him like garbage.

"I don't have to tell you anything." He barely had time to register the look of shock on her face before he stormed away. He didn't her to follow him. And he certainly didn't expect her to cause a scene. But then again, he didn't expect to be sixteen and still 5'6' either and here they were. She followed him into the mess hall, practically spitting nails.

"Leo!" He also didn't expect the other demigods to be seated at the table, eating dinner. They all stared, wondering if they were about to witness a murder. Leo privately wondered the same, but he wouldn't back down this time.

"Just back off, Annabeth! Okay?" He snapped. She took a deep breath, steadying her angry breathing.

"What's going on?" Asked Percy, no doubt about to come to her aid.

"Why don't you tell them, Leo?" Annabeth asked.

"What's going in is that you need to mind your business. This doesnt concern you."

"It concerns all of us!"

"Well last time I checked the only thing about me that was important to any of you was fixing things!"

"That isn't true and it has nothing to do with-"

"Just shut up!" Leo snapped. There was a stunned silence, in which the rest of the crew no doubt prayed that his death would be short and merciful. Leo took a deep breath as his vision began to swim. His stomach gnawed at him and his head ached. He realized that he had forgotten to eat again. Then he realized he couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten solid food.

"Leo, calm down please." Piper attempted charmspeak, but her voice quivered. He looked down, his fists were clenched and sparking with flames. Just as he realized that he didn't have the energy to maintain two flames, even as small as these, his vision went black.

Thanks for reading! Another chapter will be up soon. As always, read and review!

-R