read94- HAHA you knew it! and thank you!
radoddish- lol yes indeed! it's me slightly altering the plot lol
TheMushroomGuild-indeed it can't be
In the four days that he and Max Reiger had been together, they had exchanged….maybe five words to one another.
They finally landed, on a little shore off the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Max uneasily got off Festus, dropping his bag of books onto the ground. He shuffled down the shore, a look of discomfort on his face.
Max dropped to his knees, throwing up.
"Ah, dragon sickness," Leo said with a laugh. "Happens to all the rookies."
Max gave him a look as he used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth.
"So….good news is we've landed somewhere," Leo said, sitting down on the sand. "Where? Beats me! Hopefully I can find somewhere to fix Festus, or some tools…"
Max got up, brushing his knees off as he walked back to his duffel, opening it. He pulled out a book, sitting back on the sand and opening it.
"Whatcha' reading?" Leo asked.
"Astrophysics Volume 16," Max muttered.
Leo blinked.
"Huh. Cool, cool, cool- was that made into a movie?"
"No."
Leo smiled tightly, getting up and walking back to Festus, who was resting now, weak puffs of smoke coming out of his mouth.
Leo lit up his arm, opening up the control panel of Festus to assess the damage.
"You're a fire user?"
He turned around to see Max raising his eyebrows at him.
"We're fire and rain, Mini-Reiger."
"I've never read of a Hephaestus kid being a fire user," Max said bluntly. "It's super rare."
"Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket," Leo said with a laugh.
"You aren't eighteen," Max said, frowning.
"Er-right," Leo said with a wince. "I'm a law-abiding citizen."
"I don't think you are….considering you came to get me."
Apparently there were no books on sarcasm.
Leo stripped off his shoe, using it as a hammer and securing a loose screw on Festus.
"Can we go back to the no tools thing?" Max asked, giving his shoe a questioning look.
"Well, Mini-Reiger, let me give you some wise advice from an elder: trading with a god will get you caught with your pants down."
"What?"
"Don't mess with Hermes," Leo said tiredly.
"So...you've managed to become enemies with Hermes, Zeus, and my dad?"
"Your dad doesn't like me?" Leo deadpanned.
"You won't be getting a Christmas card anytime soon."
"So you do speak sarcasm!"
"Dad says I don't have sarcasm, just bluntness."
Leo waved him off. "Same difference. I'm going to...survey, so you occupy yourself, alright?"
Max shrugged, returning to his book.
Leo hurried down the shore, sure to be out of earshot from Max. He pulled out the clunky red phone receiver Hermes had given him- that thing weighted down his pocket, not to mention the magnitude of its importance adding to its weight.
He took a breath, placing it to his ear.
"Give me Rosie Reiger."
The phone started ringing- that was the worst part, the fact that it always sounded like it was working.
And then the noise stopped, and it was dead air.
"Rosemary Reiger?" He tried.
Nothing.
He sighed, placing the phone receiver back into his pocket. He was hoping that somehow, the phone would connect once they reached solid land.
Leo brushed off the disappointment, realizing that all hope hadn't failed yet. Good things- he had Max. They were on their way home. He would find tools.
"Alright!" Leo made his way back to Max, shooting him a wide grin. "I say we go further inland, see if we stumble upon a village or something. There's gotta be a store around here."
Max closed his book, placing it into his duffel. He gave Festus a look of disdain. "What about him?"
"Aw, you're warming up to Festus, aren't you?"
"No. No," Max emphasized. "It just doesn't seem like a good idea to leave him here."
"Touché, which is why…" Leo bent over, pressing a concealed button on Festus. "Voila!"
Festus retracted into a gold carry on with wheels.
"Interesting," Max said, crouching down and inspecting it closely. "I think I prefer him in this form."
The similarities between the two siblings were once again made clear.
"Let's go!" Leo grabbed Festus' handle, starting to wheel him in shore.
Max threw his duffel bag over his shoulder, following him.
"So, Christmas is soon. Any traditions you want to keep going?" Leo asked Max on the way.
"We weren't Christmas people."
"Oh. I meant traditions you had with Rosie...or your mom...I know they're big Christmas people."
"No. I don't remember holidays with them."
Leo tightly nodded upon hearing this, shutting up. He didn't know how to talk to Max. After all, what kind of demigod had actually been raised by their godly parent?
Leo cut the conversation off after that, him and Max walking in uncomfortable silence They reached a town, filled with red-roof shops and bustling townspeople and vendors.
"Stay close, okay?" He told Max. "You're definitely pinging every monster's radar."
Max frowned, placing his sweatshirt hoodie on.
"Right," he mumbled, gripping onto his duffel bag tighter.
Leo scanned the Main Street, hoping the words AUTO or TOOLS would jump out at him. He noticed Max's eyes grow wide as he took a step closer to Leo. This must have been the most Max had seen people since he was taken- it would be a shock to anyone.
"Fish?" A vendor stepped up close to Max, holding up a trout. Max jumped back as if someone set him on fire.
"No thanks," Leo told the vendor, grabbing Max's arm and dragging him along.
He noticed Max reached into his pocket, pulling out his rubrix cube, as his fingers frantically went to work.
"A-ha!" Leo exclaimed suddenly, coming to a stop.
FELIX'S FIX-IT was tucked away into the corner of Main Street. The windows were filled with chainsaws and work tables- this was perfect.
"Wait." Max paused at the door, rummaging in his pocket again. He pulled out a brown sack, handing it to Leo. It jingles and jangled as Leo shook it in his hand.
"What is this?" Leo asked.
"Money- from Dad."
"Oh. Right." Leo laughed. "Money is good- thanks."
The two of them entered the shop. They were the only ones in there, besides an older, bearded man in the back standing besides the cash register.
"What do you need?" Max asked Leo, following him down the aisles.
Leo shrugged, glancing at the price tag of a hammer. "A few basic things, just to patch Festus up a little. I'll have to get... creative to solve some of his issues."
"That doesn't sound good."
Leo swiped a hammer off the shelf, waving Max off. "Remember, Mini-Reiger, I can fix-"
"Anything," Max finished, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
Leo picked up a few more items, then heading over to the cashier. Max's eyes scanned the store cautiously, as the cashier rang up the total.
"Do you have a phone by any chance?" Leo blurted out.
The cashier nodded, gesturing to the right of the store.
"Over there," he said.
Leo's eyes landed on a phone receiver attached to the wall, and he gulped.
"Give me one second," he muttered to Max.
He sped over to the phone receiver, picking it up. He quickly dialed the number of camp- of the phone in the Big House.
The phone started ringing, and Leo's heart started thumping. Maybe the problem wasn't him- maybe it was just because he hadn't been around mortals.
The phone went dead, and Leo's heart sank. He put the receiver back on the wall with a little more force than he intended, causing Max to turn towards him with raised eyebrows.
Leo ignored this, walking back to join him and the cashier.
"I, uh, think your phone is broken," Leo said gently to the cashier.
The cashier shrugged. "Weird- it was working half an hour ago." He handed Leo a bag of the tools. "Have a nice day."
Leo and Max continued on their way- Leo wheeling Festus, Max carrying his books.
Max didn't bring up the phone. Leo was grateful for that.
As Leo spotted a tiny inn, he was struck with an idea.
"We'll stop there for the night," he told Max. "We'll...regroup in the morning and continue moving."
Max shrugged. "Fine by me."
They got a tiny room, two small twin beds and no windows. Leo lingered in the doorway, as Max launched himself onto one of the beds.
"I'll...I'll be back, alright?"
Max paused. "You said I shouldn't be alone."
"I'll be gone five minutes, okay? Just..use your powers if you need to."
Max's face hardened, as he turned away from Leo, propping open a book.
Leo needed some alone time- well, sort of alone time.
"So, it's not just me," Leo said to Festus, as he was elbows deep in his control panel.
Festus blew steam out in disagreement.
"Okay, maybe it is just me," he admitted. "That doesn't change the fact that we're getting closer to her, and she doesn't even know I'm alive."
Another burst of steam.
"She's...she'll be mad," he said with a nervous laugh. "I...I lied."
Festus' eyes blinked twice at him.
"Lied a lot."
Festus' metallic creaks were slowly returning as Leo finished up work on him- creak creak creak.
Leo paused, listening- Festus was trying to give him a Morse code message.
Creak creak creak.
She loves you.
She loves you.
She loves you.
Leo slipped back into the inn room an hour later, just as the sun was setting. Leo walked around their room, lighting candles as he went.
As he turned around from the last candle, he made direct eye contact with Max, who was sitting on one of the beds with an open notebook and a pencil.
"I have some questions."
Leo paused at his tone- cold and deadly, the kind that made Leo nervous. "Oh. Okay. Shoot."
Leo sat on the ground across from Max's bed, pulling his legs close to his chest. He felt like he was on a job interview.
"You're friends with my sister," Max said quietly, his face illuminated by the candlelight.
"Is...is that a question?" Leo asked nervously. "I have to be honest, I suck at tests."
"My dad...he mentioned something about a ship. A quest you went on with her."
Leo grinned. "Let me tell you the story of how I almost died."
He began, as one does….dramatically: with the blonde boy that showed up next to Piper on the Wilderness bus. He made the story as epic as he could. Much to this chagrin….Max didn't react that much. He took notes here and there, but for the most part...he was silent.
When Leo finished, Max stared back at him for a second.
"So, Rosie…" he finally started. He stopped and cleared his throat. "My sister. She...she thinks…"
"That you and I are dead," Leo finished quietly.
"Dad said it had to be that way."
"I know," he responded.
"He was good- he made sure I had fun," Max emphasized in an adamant tone.
"That's...that's good."
"He said they would be taken care of," Max said in a low tone.
Leo hesitated. "They?"
"Rosie. Buzz. My...my mom."
"He did...I mean, he probably did," Leo offered. "Listen, Mini-Reiger, gods say things-"
"Why didn't she come?"
"What?" Leo asked.
"Rosie, she didn't come to find me, no one did."
Max didn't seem angry. He seemed so...monotone, matter of fact. Like he was just stating facts from a textbook.
"They thought you were dead."
"I don't know Rosie as my sister."
Leo winced. "Come again?"
"I just know her as the person who read me a bedtime story everytime. I don't remember anything else."
"Rosie...Rosie's hilarious. And- and loyal. She's the greatest friend someone could have-"
"She's not my family." Again, not even angry, just blunt. Stating the facts. "She doesn't mean much to me, not as much as it seems she means to you."
"Max...give her a chance, man. I promise you won't regret it."
"Why do you care so much if I like her?"
Leo quickly flattened his face. "Doesn't matter to me. I don't even know Rosie that well."
"You're lying. I can tell because everytime you lie you get this panicked look in your eyes."
"I do not!" Leo said.
"If you love her, just say so."
Leo let out a high-pitched, nervous laugh. Was he sweating?
"Okay, Mini-Reiger...man, they should stick you in an interrogation room. Dude, I'm sweating." Leo brushed his face with the back of his hand.
"You have oil on your forehead."
Leo took a handkerchief, burying his face into it. "I love her." Admitting his love for Rosie to her ten-year-old brother certainly wasn't on his bucket list.
When he looked up, Max was scribbling away in his notebook.
"Don't put that in your creepy notebook!"
"I need the facts, ignore the notebook." Max said, writing. "Let's see…..Leo….LOVES….Rosie."
"Say it a little louder, Maxwell, I don't think the ocean heard you."
Max paused, a serious look appearing on his face. "And I have a brother, don't I? Percy."
Leo nodded. "You do. He's great, too. Your siblings are great people."
"Hm," he said, making a noncommittal noise as he continued note taking into his notebook.
"It's true. Just give them a chance."
"What's your problem with the phone?" Max blurted out suddenly.
"I...I'm not sure. Something's off. Scrolls don't work, phones don't work...any form of communication is broken. But...I have some ideas to figure it out. I'll figure it. I promise I'll let Rosie know that we're okay."
Max shut his notebook sharply. "One more thing, Leo."
Leo gulped. "Okay…"
"I will never use my powers. So don't ask."
Leo felt his face burn with shame as he took in the serious look on Max's face. He had left Max alone, and told him to use his powers- how stupid was that?
"Alright. I'll never ask again...sorry for suggesting so in the first place."
"Okay," Max said, placing his notebook on the nightstand as he crawled under the covers of his bed. "That's all I have."
"Okay," Leo said. "Um...sleep well?"
"Uh-huh," Max muttered, eyes already closed.
Leo himself crawled into bed, blowing out the nearest candle, plunging the room into darkness.
Coach's hands gripped at the steering wheel tightly as he peered up in disdain. Leo didn't even know Coach could drive.
"I don't know about this, kid," Coach grumbled. "Are you sure about this?"
"I am," a voice said with certainty. It was Jason. He was glancing up with Coach, a smile on his face.
"Even with everything going on?"
"Even with everything going on," Jason confirmed.
What? What was going on? Where were Rosie and Piper?
Coach sighed. "Well...you know where to find us, Jason. We'll always be there."
Leo woke up in the dark, the soft noise of a sleeping Max across from him. He glanced at the clock, seeing it was about two am.
Whatever was going on in the world, he was sick of how incredibly frustrating it was. He was out of the loop- sure, for good reason, but he felt helpless.
Where were Jason and Coach going? Why weren't Rosie and Piper with them? Leo had been imagining all his friends at camp the past few months, at least spending time together, maybe grieving a little. Now, he wasn't sure how accurate that was.
It was good to hear both Coach and Jason's voices. More often than he cared to admit, he missed the old goats flinging insults at him. He missed Jason- for a second, he wished his best bro was on this trip with him. Leo wasn't meant to be the leader, the hero, the "chosen one". Sure, Max wasn't going to look up to him anytime soon like the crew did to Jason...but Leo still felt like Jason would be doing a better job with Max than he was now.
Leo sighed, rolling back over and closing his eyes.
As much as his dream sometimes sucked, he wished for another one.
These brief glimpses of his friends were fueling him, making him feel that somewhere on this earth, he still had a family.
