read94- bruhh i'm not ready for the jason plotline! AGREED, poor girl deserves a nap
radoddish- u right ! he should be a teensy more sympathetic
LovelyAstorxia-don't worry, i completely understand having different interests! sometimes we fall in and out of things! i appreciate you still reading this fic tho!
Leo had a new sympathy for Jason Grace.
Jason, admittedly, had been the butt of the jokes on the Argo II. He and Rosie in particular had ruthlessly tore the son of Jupiter a new one 24/7.
As someone who was the butt of all of Max and Bing's jokes, he seriously owed Jason an apology.
Note to self- apologize to Jason the next time you see him. Then, proceed to make fun of the tweed jacket he will 100% be wearing.
"And what's with the phone?" Bing asked Max, the three of them soaring across the desert sky. "I mean, that clunky thing doesn't look like it's easy to carry around."
"Sore subject," Max whispered in a theatrical tone. "I think it was his only friend before he found me."
"It was not!" Leo snapped over his shoulder. "And, funny thing about being in front of you guys- I can still hear you."
"Ooh, now it's great when he gets mad," Max muttered to Bing. "Sometimes, if he gets mad enough, flames will spike out of his arms."
"Oooh, human blowtorch!" Bing said excitedly.
Max's proposal for a "democracy" actually meant a 24/7 torturing Leo plan.
Leo landed Festus, aware that they were going to need to stop for the night. Going through the desert especially meant lots of breaks for Festus, as the sun was relentless during the day. It was setting now, which could only mean one thing: dropping temperatures.
Leo sparked a fire for the three of them, as Max and Bing settled comfortably for the night.
"Now, be warned, I'm not a cuddler," Leo said, mostly for Bing's benefit. He had already dodged multiple hugs from the satyr in the few days they had traveled together.
"Christmas is tomorrow, and I'll be asking for a hug," Bing said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"What's the big deal with Christmas anyway?" Max asked.
Bing got that horrified look on his face, the one Leo had come to anticipate for everytime Max took a shit on the Christmas holiday.
"We're going to have to work on that," Bing said, shaking his head. "The anti-Christmas attitude."
"I'm not anti-Christmas, I just don't have the frame of reference-"
"Christmas," Bing started with a dreamy smile on his face, settling back onto the sand. "Christmas is like...that fire Leo conjured. Depending on where you are, it could be cold...but the day of Christmas is nothing but warmth. It...softens everything, you know? It's the one day you can get away with just….selfless appreciation. Just giving someone the present to let them know you appreciate them."
Leo gulped, staring at the fire he conjured. Bing's description was spot on, but felt like multiple hits to the heart. The past two Christmases...he had been with his friends- no, his family. And now he was here, trying to keep a little boy and a satryr safe, promising them they would be safe when Leo wasn't even sure if tomorrow was a given.
He stood suddenly, feeling nauseous and uneasy.
Max looked over at him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It'll...it'll be dark soon. Get some sleep, okay? We have a long day tomorrow. I'll..I'll be back."
He walked away to the sound of Bing and Max's low murmurs. Maybe they were making fun of him- he didn't care.
Miles and miles of sand stretched out before him, and he walked aimlessly, his hands in his pocket as he kicked sand whilst shuffling.
He didn't know how much longer he could go on. This...was getting exhausting. Everyday, it wore him down a little more.
Leo heard chuckling, chuckling which made the sand around him fly everywhere. He looked up, only to peer into the eyes of his father.
Hephaestus stood before him, towering over him in his godly form. He had on his work apron, smeared with oil stains, and his silver hair was tied back messily. His dad was muscular, but deformed: he had a misshapen head, and he stood at an uneven height due to his leg being in a brace.
"D-Dad?"
"Hello, son." Hephaestus took a second to give Leo a disapproving look. "You didn't have to come all this way to talk to me."
"But...I...I didn't." Leo was having trouble stringing together words.
"It's alright. I can sense when my children aren't working- er, excuse my language. I can sense when my children are hurting." Hephaestus cleared his throat. "And there's a rumor going around that my son is a lost soul. A lost soul with no tools at that!"
"Look, I can explain-"
"No need to, Leo. I trust you, but I am also here to warn you. Zeus is not an idiot. Poseidon is doing his best, but he can only hold him off for so long." Suddenly, he saw a flash of something on his father's face- was it fear? Was that possible? "Alas, I shouldn't even be here, but with the communication problem…"
"Communication problem?"
"Prophecies….no prophecies have been delivered lately, son. Demigod communication is down. And that's the least of your camp's problems…"
So it hadn't been just him- that's why the phone simply wasn't working. The entire world was silent.
"Camp?" Leo's heart started pounding. "What's wrong at camp?"
His father fell silent, and Leo knew he was wagering how much to tell him.
"The less you know...the better your outcome of getting Max back- of getting you back safely. You know that, correct?"
A chill went through the air, as Leo crossed his arms and shivered slightly. He glanced over his shoulder. In the distance, he could see their fire flickering and the sleeping figures of Max and Bing.
"You don't get it, do you?" Leo said with a slight laugh. "I've been out here since August….and it's like I was dropped in the middle of a maze with a blindfold and told to 'make it work'. Going off the grid is seriously overrated. I've been in the dark since August. Can't you give me something?"
"Campers have gone missing."
"What? What do you mean missing? Can you give me names?"
"I've said too much, I'm afraid."
"Please, these are my friends we're talking about-"
"I cannot," his father snapped, his tone angry as he stomped one of his feet on the ground, sand scattering. "I cannot, and I need you to stop asking me. Something…something is coming Leo, something I can't approach with you."
"Got it," Leo said sharply, stuffing his hands back in the pocket. "Well...I should go. We're kind of a magnet for monsters, and I doubt you're helping."
Leo turned, ready to leave his dad behind. After all, he didn't need this- telling him that everything was about to go kaput, but not telling him what or when or why. Enough with the guessing games.
"Hazel Levesque knows you're alive."
Leo stopped in his tracks, the sound of a familiar name stopping him cold.
"She does?" He said softly, turning back to his father.
He hated to admit it, but sometimes, it felt like it was...out of sight, out ofmkind. Like maybe the minute he went out in a blaze of glory (literally) his friends went "Leo who?" and moved on.
"She does," his father confirmed. "She's seen you in her dreams, multiple times- it appears the guilt of keeping your secret is eating her alive. That son of Mars is doing everything he can to calm her down."
Hazel and Frank. The only two people on the ship that he told his insane plan to- sacrifice. And now they were the only two who knew he was alive, and they couldn't even get in contact with Camp Half-Blood.
"And...and they're not coming?"
His father shook his head curtly. "No, Leo, they're not coming. You're in this alone."
Alone.
"Right. Well…." Leo trailed off awkwardly. "I should let you go, then." Something nagged at Leo, though, preventing him from leaving.
"Something wrong, son?"
Hephaestus nearly sounded...fatherly. He couldn't believe Max had grown up with that kind of fatherly behavior in his life.
Leo gulped. "You wouldn't happen to know how Rosie Reiger is?"
He loved saying her name out loud. It grounded him- he often said it like an incantation, like a prayer.
Rosie Reiger.
His father just chuckled- it was loud and booming, surrounding Leo on all sides.
"How do you think she is, son? How would you be?" He turned, but not before saying, "Merry Christmas, Leo."
His father disappeared into the night, the only source of information gone.
"Merry Christmas! Leo, I know you hear me!"
Leo groaned, popping open an eye to see Bing looming over him.
"Hi, Bing."
"Get up! Max has already started the festivities."
He found a grumpy looking Max sitting besides Festus, decked out in a red misshapen sweater.
"Thank god," Max grumbled. "Can you tell him it's way too hot for this?"
"On the contrary, Maxipedia, I think you look fantastic," Leo said with a smirk.
Bing looked touched. "Oh, Leo, I'm so glad you said that, because…" He produced a sweater similar to Max's, only it was green.
"Oh…" Leo tried to muster an enthusiastic smile, ignoring Max's smug grin. "Thanks, Buddy."
"Tell him the agenda for today, Bing," Max said through gritted teeth, shooting Leo a look.
Bing clapped his hands together. "First, Christmas Carols!"
Bing was then properly educated on Bing Crosby by Professor Max. Then, Bing insisted on having Christmas cookies, but settled for Christmas Fonzie's when he realized cookies were out of the question.
It took a spirited performance of "All I Want for Christmas" for Leo and Max to quickly duck away. Considering they were in the open desert, there weren't too many places to hide.
Nevertheless, the two of them hid behind Festus, crouching low so Bing wouldn't see them.
"This-" Max grumbled. "This is torture."
Leo shrugged. "I don't know. It's…it's kind of nice that he's trying." Bing didn't know the specifics of the last six months, after all- no, the last year and a half. And yet, he still made today a holiday. "It is Christmas, after all...even if it doesn't feel like it."
"I still don't get the hype."
Leo chuckled to himself.
"What?"
"I have this friend...Jason. And last Christmas...he really wasn't in the spirit. He was like you. He had this whole amnesia thing- long story- so Christmas didn't mean that much to him. Your sister thought that was a travesty. She loves Christmas. So much that she made it her job to get Jason into the spirit. So me and Rosie and our other friend Piper set up a light display for him." Leo grinned thinking of the memory. "We put the entire camp into a blackout."
Max's eyes widened.
"That's….that's a nice story."
Maybe that was the way to do it- slowly bring up Rosie in stories to Max.
"Do...do you think she'd like me, Leo?"
"I know she will, Max. She already does."
Max got a stormy look on his face, one that Leo had seen on the faces of Percy and Rosie before.
"I think...I think my dad broke the rules for her."
What an odd statement to make, Leo thought. After all, Poseidon had broken one of the biggest rules for Max.
Leo opened his mouth to ask Max what he meant when he was cut off by the sound of screaming.
Max shuddered. "His singing isn't getting better."
Leo felt his entire body go numb, realizing the sound wasn't Bing's off-pitched bleating.
"That's not singing, Max."
Leo popped up, dashing back towards the sound of screaming. Max was on his heels.
Festus popped up, tilting his head in confusion.
"Stay, boy!" Leo instructed.
Bing was sinking into the ground, wailing and thrashing his hands wildly.
"Help!"
Leo stopped quickly. "Quicksand? Seriously?"
It was right out of a really bad action movie.
"Help!" Bing screamed again.
Leo started forward.
"Leo, wait!" Max started.
But it was too late. Leo felt the ground shift beneath him, and he started sinking. Max followed behind with a yelp.
All three of them were trapped now, slowly but surely getting submerged.
"Nobody fight it!" Max instructed, looking calm as he sunk further into the ground.
"We're all gonna die!" Bing wailed.
Leo could feel himself sinking, and he gulped. Bing's screams and Max's instructions were fading.
Gaea appeared in front of him.
Leo started sweating. He knew it was only an illusion, that he was seeing things. Of course, he felt the fear all the same.
"Help!" The scream wasn't coming from Bing this time. Leo thrashed his arms wildly, trying to get away from the image of Gaea laughing at him. "Get her away from me!"
It's not real, he tried to reason with himself. It's not real.
You got rid of her, remember?
"Leo? Who are you talking about?" Max looked over at him, concern evident on his face. "Leo!"
Leo kept thrashing wildly, hearing his heartbeat in his ears. He needed to get away.
Festus flew frantically above in circles. Occasionally, he would swoop down, clawing and trying to pull at one of them.
"Shoo, Festus, you're making it worse!" Max exclaimed.
"Help me!" Leo begged, his voice ragged. "I can't do it again!"
The past six months were flashing before his eyes.
The loneliness of it all. When he was a kid, he felt so alone all the time, and he never wanted to feel that way again. And then he had met Rosie and Piper and Jason and he wasn't alone. Until Gaea- he was happy to do it, he had chosen it but he never wanted to relive those days of loneliness before finding Max.
He never wanted to be alone again.
"Leo!"
The sharpness of Max's tone distracted him for a second, as he glanced over at Max.
"I don't know what's wrong with you, but you need to stop."
"I can't." His eyes wandered back to his vision. Gaea was still there, laughing at him. Leo felt himself sinking further, and he felt afraid that the earth would swallow him whole. There went his torso, his arms-
"Look at me."
He looked back at Max. How was a ten-year-old remaining so calm? Somehow, he even got Bing to stop screaming.
"I don't know what's going on with you, but I need you to stop moving. Okay?" Max's tone was serious enough that Leo found himself nodding. He slowed his muscle movements, and tried not to let the sinking feeling worry him so much. If Max and Bing could be calm, so could he. "Good. Keep your eyes on me. We're going to do this together- slow, steady movements."
Max demonstrated, slowly extracting part of his arm. After briefly pausing for a second, he removed another part of his arm.
"Can you guys do that?" Max asked. "Nice and slow."
Leo took a deep breath, steadying himself. He could do this.
He followed Max's example, slowly moving his limbs. He didn't dare go quickly.
Max had already gotten out. Leo watched as Festus swooped down, Max quickly propping himself onto Festus' back.
"Worst Christmas ever!" Bing yelled, as Festus picked him up in his mouth by the sweater he was wearing.
Leo was almost free.
After one more agonizingly long minute, he felt himself lifted into the air, and found himself on Festus' back.
"Good boy," he muttered. "Now get us the hell out of here."
Festus soared, leaving behind that stupid desert.
"I think we can check that off your bucket list, Max," Leo said lightly, the memory of Gaea still in his mind.
Max clutched onto Leo. "It's strange. Quicksand actually doesn't usually form in the desert, it needs trapped water to form. It's almost like…" he trailed off uneasily.
"Doesn't matter. You really saved our butts, Maxipedia."
Bing let out an embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, thanks Max! It's….it's been a while since I've fought quicksand."
"Did you ever have demigods, Bing?" Leo asked. He and Max sometimes talked about it- how they weren't exactly sure where Bing came from.
Bing cleared his throat. "No," he said in a squeaky tone. "Never had them. Until you guys- three amigos, right?"
Leo heard Max groan.
"Let's not have a trio nickname," Max pleaded. "But, Leo...what was all of that about? In the sand?"
"Don't worry about it, bro-chachos!" He tried to get the bravado back in his tone. "We've got bigger things to worry about, like-"
"Since my performance was cut off, may I continue?" Bing interjected.
"Bing!"
