yes another update! consider these quick updates my christmas gift :)

radoddish- time for some real BIG dam trouble

read94- thank you so much! i loveeee writing rosie and nico's friendship, they give me the feels! LOL and you're right, rosie/apollo will have a dynamic that reminds me a bit of the rosie/frank dynamic- hilarity and fighting!

LovelyAstorxia- thanks so much ! and to answer your question, rosie/leo will be together by the beginning of the dark prophecy...and she will find out that he's alive before they reunite...at some point

TheMushroomGuild- i agree, he's an amazing friend!


It was raining today. Leo decided those days were the worst- he slipped and slid on top of Festus, being pelted with hail the size of golf balls. He was getting freaking sick of water.

He reached for his belt, only to remember it wasn't there anymore.

Right.

His belt had been an unfortunate victim in his trade with Hermes. A belt of magic tools for Hermes' collection in exchange of the phone receiver and to be let go.

Erhm, correction- a stupid, dud phone receiver.

Yup- looking back on it, Leo was pretty stupid to give Hermes his only arsenal of tools. And Hermes had taken advantage of his stupidity, giving him a phone that didn't even work.

It was fine- he could fix it, he knew he could. He would just have to get a little creative without his tools. He'd have to be a regular old MacGuyver.

He activated the wiper blades in Festus, tiny blades shooting out of Festus' eyes, flicking off rain drops.

Yeah, on a list of crappy days, this was pretty high up.

He was frustrated, tired, and wet. He was….rock bottom.

To make matters worse, it was almost Christmas. Although, days didn't even seem real anymore. He didn't even seem real anymore.

Festus sputtered weakly, faint steam coming out of his mouth.

"I know, buddy. You're tired. I am too."

Festus coughed again, his body shuddering.

"Festus-?"

His entire frame started shaking violently. Leo grabbed on, cursing- what now?

No- there could not be a worse time for this to happen.

Think, he thought to himself. Think.

Festus gave him no time for this. His dragon dropped like dead weight, falling through the sky. Leo screamed, opening up Festus' control panel.

The crystal- it was freaking out. It was glowing like a strobe, pulsating madly.

"What the-"

Another shudder came, and Leo was thrown off Festus' body- something that had happened too many times for his own comfort.

Leo flashed back to when Ice Queen Khione blasted him off the Argo II.

Freefalling did nothing but make the Fonzies in his stomach threaten to come up.

He slammed into the water, sinking rapidly as he quickly held his breath. Leo felt his limbs become heavy, as if he was weighed down with rocks.

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see anything-

Leo was falling, so, so fast.

He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. A purple glow was surrounding him as he sunk down in the ocean.

He wasn't Rosie- he wasn't the first one volunteering to dive into the ocean.

He fell onto the ocean floor- at least, he thought it was the floor. He was aware of slamming into something, the sound of crumbling beneath him.

Leo gasped, suddenly aware that he could breathe.

He glanced up, seeing the purple orb completely surrounding him, like he was in a bubble.

And then he heard a voice.

"You knocked over my tower."

It hurt seeing him- looking at him, Leo could only see one face: Rosie's.

Max Reiger stood there, a mop of messy brown curls and blue eyes adorned by freckles, peering down at him with an inquisitive look. The similarlity of the two siblings was crazy. Leo even saw some Percy in him.

He looked like a normal ten year old boy. But Leo knew that he was definitely not normal.

In anything, that ten year old was scarily powerful.

Leo realized he was, in fact, lying on a pile of Legos.

"Did Aloyisus send you? He keeps telling me I spend too much time building with Legos. He won't let me use actual materials."

Leo couldn't speak. He had done it- he had found Max.

He gasped for the words, feeling his heart get ahead of himself.

Max tilted his head in confusion. "So, is talking not a thing you do? Who even are you?"

"You're...you're Max."

Max took a step back, frowning. "How...how do you know that?"

Leo shook his head in amazement. "I can't believe I found you."

"I...who are you?"

Leo sat up quickly. "I can explain-"

Max raised a hand up, flicking it in Leo's direction.

A spray of bubbles smacked Leo right in the face.

"Ow! What-" were his only words before darkness.


"Demigod. Age 16. Hephaestus."

"How on earth do you know that, Maxwell?"

"I took a DNA sample."

"Maxwell, we've talked about this, you can't just take DNA samples from people-"

Leo groaned, his head throbbing.

"He's awake."

Leo's eyes opened a crack. He looked down, realizing his legs and arms were bound with coral.

Max was standing there, arms crossed and glancing at Leo suspiciously. Next to Max was a merman- human on the top, but with a blue, scaly tail. The merman was nervously clasping his hands together.

"There he is- the tower destroyer."

"That could be a good superhero name," Leo muttered deliriously. Where was Festus?

"Who are you?" The merman barked nervously. "We-we demand answers!"

"Okay, first off, people gotta stop putting their things where my butt can crush them," Leo muttered, wincing as the coral dug into his wrists.

"Watch his butt," the Merman muttered to Max.

"Second off- ow, these things hurt," Leo complained. "Could we maybe-"

"No," the two said in unison.

"Yeesh, tough crowd," he muttered. "Ok. Whatever- my name is Leo Valdez."

"I've never heard of a Leo Valdez," the Merman sputtered nervously.

"Let's hear what he has to say, Aloysius," Max said.

He took another glance at Max. Sure, he looked like a ten year old but….he carried himself much, much older. It was odd, to say the least.

"You don't know me," He offered, looking at Max. "But I know you, Max. I know your sister, Rosie Reiger."

"Rosie?! You know Rosemary Reiger?" Aloysius shrieked. "No, no, no, Max, you know the rule about Rosie!"

"That's a sore subject," Max muttered, shoving his hands into his pocket.

Leo couldn't gauge his reaction on the whole Rosie topic.

"Your father will go through the roof when he gets here! And Gaea-"

"She's, uh, taken care of," Leo piped in. "Just an FYI."

"Really?" Max asked, perking up. "That means-"

"Max, no-no. You know that out there is dangerous for you."

Leo was getting serious The Little Mermaid vibes right now.

"I've read a lot on it," Max said a bit impatiently. "I know the risk-"

"How are we supposed to trust you?" Aloysius asked, sneering at Leo. "How do we know you're not working for the enemy?"

"Well, if you release me, I'd be happy to show you."

"Absolutely not!"

Max shuffled forward, pulling off Leo's Coral restraints.

"Maxwell!"

"Well?" Max asked Leo, once he was freed.

Leo reached into the pocket of his pants. He produced Max's rubix cube- thankfully, he still had that.

Max's eyes widened in surprise as he took the cube, taking it in his hands.

"What is that?" Aloysius asked.

"My rubix cube," Max said, the tiniest of smiles on his face. "I used to solve it all the time." He looked at Leo. "How did you get this?"

"Rosie," he answered. "She kept it. She…" He didn't know whether Max knew she thought he was dead or not.

Max looked suspicious.

"How did you find the Oasis?"

"Oasis?"

Max gestured to the purple orb surrounding them.

"Dad created this for me when he heard about Gaea coming. I...I haven't seen him since."

Leo laughed.

"What?" Max asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing. It's just-" Max had a sanctuary- Rosie wanted to build a sanctuary. "Nothing."

"Answer my question- how did you find me?"

Leo winced. "Did you guys happen to see a metal dragon when I passed out?"

"Our security system detected it," Aloysius scowled. "You'll get your toy back later- when you finally leave."

"Toy? Listen, fish boy-"

"How did you find me?" Max asked, aggravated.

"I ran into Calypso," Leo said. "On her island. She gave me one of her magic crystals to find you."

"Callie? She got me my first microscope," Max said.

"Maxwell is an aspiring scientist," Aloysius said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Well...that makes sense," Max muttered, ignoring Aloysius' words. "Those crystals...Dad used them to build this place. Your dragon must have sensed that."

A rumble came from above, and Max and Aloysius exchanged nervous looks.

"Dad," Max muttered.

Aloysius nervously ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, boy."

The last person Leo wanted to see was Poseidon.

The purple orb exploded, showering down purple dust onto the three of them.

Poseidon was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, a bucket hat pulled low over his eyes. He didn't even give a glance towards Leo's way.

Instead, he gave a nod towards Aloysius, all while striding towards Max.

He clasped Max's shoulder, and Leo noticed Max stand up straighter.

"Max," Poseidon greeted warmly. "What's neuroplasticity?"

Max bounced on his heels, looking like a kid on Christmas morning.

"The brain can reorganize itself," he said. "It's constantly forming new neural connections. It's how neurons compensate for injury."

Leo has absolutely no clue what that meant. For a second, he didn't see Max- he saw Jason, his best, extremely smart friend.

"Good," Poseidon said with a nod. "That's my boy. Aloysius, it's been a while."

"It's so good to see you, sir!" Aloysius gushed.

Poseidon turned around, finally looking upon Leo.

"And you," He said, crossing his arms. "You and I need to talk."

Leo stood nervously as Poseidon paced silently. Neither of them said a word.

"My daughter," he said suddenly. "My daughter...has been in pain lately. It seems you brought her a great deal of happiness….and now pain."

"I think the whole pain thing could be attributed to you...you know, lying about Max, but hey! That works too."

He didn't care anymore about pissing off gods- he had been through hell to get here.

Poseidon scowled. "I lied about Max the same way you lied to Rosie. In my opinion, we're the same."

Leo didn't know how to come back from that. He...had a point.

"I don't know why you bothered coming all this way. Max is safe here. Every location I've put him….he has always been safe."

Leo snorted.

Poseidon's eyes flashed murderously. "Excuse me?"

"Sure...he's safe here and wherever else you've been keeping him. But...is he happy? I don't know...is it really worth it keeping him away from Rosie? From Percy? He has this whole family he doesn't even really know. He hasn't been exposed to other demigods, has he?"

Leo remembered how much of a freak he felt like when he was younger. He felt...so much relief meeting others who were like him. Max didn't have that.

"His safety is far more important to me. My son likes it here. He has Aloysius, and his books...it's good for him."

Again, he thought of Jason: how much he read because he wanted to have experiences he never could have.

"Have you ever asked Max what he wanted?"

Poseidon scowled. "I'm sure Max would value his life more than the chance to go outside. My brother...My brother would kill him."

"From what I can tell...Max understands the risks. He doesn't seem like most ten-year-olds."

"No," Poseidon sighed. "He is not like most."

"The best thing you could do for him is let him leave. Let him see Rosie, meet Percy...he needs a family outside of you."

He already knew gods were crappy parents.

"I know what you're thinking," Poseidon snapped. "But I am a good father- Max could attest to that. That boy...he's smarter than any other child I've met. I've poured attention and love into him. I kept him safe, made sure his needs were met. But Max's powers…." Poseidon gulped. "He's powerful and it could cause a lot of trouble."

"Let him go to camp, then. He can get the right kind of help there. It's Max's life...he should get a decision."

Poseidon fell silent.

"Or, don't do it for Max...do it for Rosie. She'll understand everything, and it'll help your relationship. She...she'll forget the pain of everything."

Poseidon's face hardened. "We'll ask Max."

Leo nodded in agreement, trying not to show his excitement. "We'll ask Max."

"But if he goes with you, Leo Valdez, know that I can protect him no longer. If he leaves the safety of my territory, of my bounds...I can stall my brother. But...he will find out. And when he does...I can't stop his wrath. No one would be safe- you, Max, Rosie, Percy...even that other friend of yours. The son of Zeus- Jason Grace."

Well, that was cheery.

"I understand," Leo said. "I just want him to be with Rosie- his sister." He fidgeted nervously. "And, um, one more thing."

"Oh gosh, what now?"

"Minor detail! Just….Calypso. She's the reason I was able to find Max. She...she shouldn't be trapped on that island."

Poseidon was silent, pondering Leo's words.

"I like Calypso," he said finally. "She's a charming girl….I would take Max to visit her sometimes." He shook his head. "I cannot do it."

"Sir, please-"

Leo couldn't break his promise- he'd never forgive himself. Calypso was the reason he could get here.

"It's too risky. It would only be adding fuel to the fire."

"Dude-"

Poseidon's eyes flashed a warning.

"Er, I mean- not dude. Sir- almighty sir. Er...I don't want to...er, blackmail you or anything-"

"Excuse me?"

"Release Calypso. Make it happen, or when the time comes, I'll...I'll make sure your Olympus buddies know that you were the one to decide to release Max….that you wanted this."

All Leo had done all day was make bold decisions, it had seemed.

"I could kill you on spot."

"That wouldn't be in good taste, now would it?"

Poseidon's fist clenched at his side, but he nodded. "Fine. I will release Calypso."

"Hold on." Leo nodded towards where Max and Aloysius were, across the orb and out of earshot. "In front of them."

Poseidon sighed. "Fine," He gritted out. "Follow me."

The two joined Max and Aloysius.

Poseidon cleared his throat.

"I will release Calypso," Poseidon said begrudgingly.

"What?" Aloysius asked.

"Max, can we talk?" Poseidon asked, ignoring Aloysius.

Max nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, let's talk."

Leo was left with Aloysius, as Poseidon led Max away, the two talking in low tones.

Leo noticed that Aloysius was watching the two of them, a sad look on his face.

"So...you must know Max pretty well, huh?"

"I've...I've been with Max since the beginning," Aloysius said in a faraway tone. "Since he was a six year old who didn't know a thing. Now...he knows everything. Everything except...his own kind. You can't read about that in a book. I can't help him with that, his father can't help him with that….I know letting him leave would be the right thing to do, but…" Aloysius gulped, and Leo realized he was on the verge of tears. "I will miss Maxwell."

Leo clasped the merman's shoulder. "He'll be in good hands. I promise I'll get him back safely."

Aloysius nodded tightly, saying nothing.

Max and Poseidon made their way back over. Neither of them had clear emotion on their face.

Leo felt a flash of nervousness. What if he came all this way for Max to say no?

"You better know what you're doing," Poseidon wanred.

Leo snapped his head towards Max. "You're coming with me?"

Max curtly nodded. "I need to pack my books."

Leo winced. "Um, we don't really have the space-"

"I'll help," Aloysius volunteered. He followed Max off.

"Be careful," Poseidon instructed. "My brother...he'll be furious. Your journey becomes difficult now, Leo Valdez."

"I got here, didn't I? I...I did the impossible."

Poseidon gulped. "Let's hope you can do it again."

Leo couldn't think about Zeus; it made him too nervous. He would lie to himself; it would be easy peasy getting back to camp.

Max and Aloysius reappeared, an overstuffed duffel of books on Max's shoulder.

"Aloysius, take Leo to his dragon. I need a minute with my son."

Fetus was beat up, lying on the ocean floor outside the orb, looking completely waterlogged. His red eyes flashed weakly at Leo.

"He, uh, still works," Aloysius said nervously. "It's a little damaged-"

"I can see that," Leo said, somewhat aggravated. He didn't have his tool belt, making this a thousand times harder. They would have to stop somewhere…civilized enough that Leo could work on him.

"Is that our ride?" Came a skeptical voice.

The two turned to see Max, glancing at Festus...suspiciously.

"Your father-?" Aloysius started.

"Gone. He said you could come back to his palace and work for him."

"Right. Well… this is it, then."

Max nodded. "Yup."

"I know you're not a hugger, Max, but…"

Max rolled his eyes, the tiniest of smiles on his face. "Make it quick."

Aloysius wrapped his arms around Max, whispering something into his ear. Max nodded, patting him on the shoulder.

Aloysius gave Leo a final wave, before disappearing into a wave of bubbles.

"So," Leo said with a clap of his hands. "Are you ready for an epically dangerous quest, Mini-Reiger?"

"Are you sure that thing is safe? It looks like it's going to fall apart at any second."

"Old Festus here has gotten into a littleee trouble, but no worries! One thing you should know, Mini-Reiger, is that I can fix anything."

"So fix him now."

Leo winced. "Can't- I, uh, don't have any tools."

"What kind of Hephaestus kid doesn't have tools?"

"The one that pisses off a god," Leo said with a nervous laugh.

"What?"

"And away we go!" Leo said breezily, mounting onto Festus.

Max reluctantly climbed on, sitting behind Leo, clutching onto his duffel.

"This thing makes me nervous."

Leo laughed. "Your sister used to say the same thing! Festus might not be a fan of you at first."

"What? What do you mean-"

Max's words were cut off with a scream as Festus skyrocketed off towards the ocean's surface.