Chapter 38: There was never an age considered old enough to know everything. The calm seas of hell were only a break before the next storm.

Leo felt as though his eyelids were made of metal and his eyes of sand. He tried blinking them open, realizing he was lying flat. His ribs ached and his whole body groaned with exhaustion.

Where am I? What was I doing before I got here?

The son of Hephaestus tried to push back the fog in his brain. He and Nico had traveled to camp. Nico had been turned into a pig. Lou Ellen and Will. The bunker and the radio…the voice.

All at once, it came to him. The fire. The corpses. Nico and the kids and the gold light.

Leo's eyes flew open and he struggled to right himself. He had to find Nico.

"Take it easy! You're going to undo all of the work I just did." The scene around him was still blurred, but he thought he recognized that voice. "Come on, Leo. Lay back down."

"Apollo?" Leo's voice was hoarse and more of a croak than anything.

"The one and only!" Leo felt hands on his shoulders and downward pressure until he was forced to lay back down. "Now, stop struggling and let me finish what I started."

"What about the others? Celia and Miles? And—and Nico?"

Leo felt Apollo rest his hands on either side of his torso. The god's voice rose in a quiet hymn and warmth flowed over Leo's body. His ribs settled into a dull ache— nowhere near the sharp agony it had been building toward throughout the night.

"Miles is doing surprisingly well—Emmie and Jo gave him a bit of ambrosia before they set off to rescue you. Besides smoke inhalation and general exhaustion, he's right as rain. He's in the dining room now, no doubt being force-fed copious amounts of cereal. And Celia is resting. She had quite the concussion, but I fixed her up in a jiffy."

Leo heard the pause in Apollo's voice and asked, "And Nico?"

"He'll live. It was touch and go there for a while, but he's fine now. Just sleeping."

Leo tried to surge from the bed. The god's gentle but firm hands kept him in place. "I need to see him, Apollo. I—I have to—"

"He's asleep, Leo. I promise—well, maybe you can see him later. Okay?"

All the tension drained from Leo and he sagged back. With the knowledge of safety came a bone-weary fatigue. "Where are we then? Did you zap us? Heard my prayer and decided to answer it?"

"I heard your prayer, all right. I'll have you know I'm not that old. So don't you "old buddy, old pal" me! I'm young for a god! I'm hip and cool and—"

"Completely delusional?" Leo opened his eyes again and rubbed his hands against them, his surroundings slowly coming into focus. He glanced to his left and saw Apollo sitting in the form of a teenage boy— Lester. "So you rescued us? You're the one who brought us…" Leo craned his neck to try to see where exactly he was. "Here?"

"I brought my son and my grandchildren here. You hitched a ride." The voice was cold and commanding, a quiet strength surging beneath the calm tone.

Leo pushed himself into a seated position and, this time, Apollo did not try to stop him. The son of Hephaestus wiped at his eyes again and the room came into focus.

A man stood in the corner of the room, tall and imposing. His bone-white skin stood out in stark contrast to the dark robes he wore. Even though the man's dark eyes bored into Leo, he could see the slight family resemblance to Nico– the set of the man's brow and shoulders, the intensity of his gaze. The god grasped his hands behind his back and his stiff posture spoke to the sudden tension in the room.

Leo cleared his throat and bowed his head, hoping his voice didn't shake too much. "Lord Hades. Thank you for rescuing us."

The god did not acknowledge the words from Leo but instead asked a question of his own. "Why did you come here? With Nico?"

Leo's mouth opened and closed several times before he stuttered, "I only just found him again. I didn't want…" Leo felt his cheeks flame and he trailed off.

"Indeed," Hades pushed himself away from the corner, one hand coming up to tug at the beard that covered his cheeks and jaw. "And why did you so desperately need to be around him? Did you need to report back soon? To find out everything you could and then betray him?"

"Wh-what?" Leo's eyes darted to Apollo, who refused to look at him, and back to the Lord of the Underworld. "What do you mean? I haven't done anything wrong."

Hades' eyes narrowed and Apollo shifted uncomfortably where he sat on the bed beside Leo. "Then how did my grandchildren and Nico come to be under attack?"

"Why are you asking me that?" Leo could feel the heat of anger beginning to color his face and fought to clamp down on it.

"My son has been in constant danger since he came to live at the Waystation. This is a serious error in judgment on the parts of my nephew and his ill-graced camp. The danger he faces when in your presence—"

"My presence?" Apollo couldn't hold Leo down this time as he surged forward, swinging his legs over the bed and onto the floor. "My presence? Are you kidding me right now?"

Apollo cleared his throat and said in a low voice, "Leo, your ears—"

The son of Hephaestus ignored the God of the Sun. "You seriously want to point the finger at me for putting him in danger? What about that dumb quest that you set him? Huh? Finding missing gods and going to the Underworld because you couldn't be bothered to do it yourself?"

"Leo," Apollo hissed. "Now would be a perfect time to stop talking!"

Hades' eyes glittered maliciously. "I see you've gathered more knowledge than I previously thought. I should discuss the dangers of placing trust in those unworthy of it with my son."

At Leo's mute incredulity, the god continued. "Why did you follow him if not to spy? Why should I believe you?"

"Because," Leo erupted, a note of exasperation growing in his voice as he batted at his smoking ears. "Because I wouldn't do that. I— Nico and I— he and I…" Leo trailed off, unsure of what to admit to the cold god. "Why don't you ask him any of this? He can vouch for me. Who the heck would I have told? And what? I don't even know what you think I've 'gathered' for whoever you think I'm working for."

Hades stroked a bone-white hand along his jaw, fingers trailing through his beard as he appraised Leo. "My son is not yet awake. Why did you follow him if not to spy? Hephaestus is not one of the gods who has declared– however subtly– his intent to stand with us. And you—"

"Wait, wait, wait. Stand with you? What are you even talking about?"

Hades glowered. "Do not pretend to be unaware of the circumstances that led to the Dayspring disaster. I have already impressed upon Melinoe her woeful lack of judgment in speaking so freely in that damned forest in Pennsylvania. So tell me," Hades glared at the son of Hephaestus. "When did you sneak away to betray my son? My grandchildren? What has Zeus promised you?"

A knock sounded at the door and, without breaking his stern gaze from Leo, Hades answered, "Come."

The door opened and a familiar god wreathed in black furs looked upon the group with red eyes. "My lord." Zagreus bowed to his father, waiting for the God of the Underworld to speak.

When Hades made no motion to acknowledge his oldest son, Zagreus straightened and hesitantly said, "Father."

Finally, Hades turned his head and pinned Zagreus with his furious glare. "What is it that you should disturb me? I told you that only if—"

"He's awake," Zagreus interrupted. "Nico's awake."

Hades' hands dropped to his side and he strode to the door without a backward glance at Leo or Apollo. He stopped at the door and addressed the God of Rebirth. "He is not to be left alone. You will guard him until I decide what to do with him."

Zagreus nodded, a look of such stern attention on his face that Leo lost whatever relief had welled up inside of him at seeing a familiar face.

Hades left the room. Zagreus gazed at both Apollo and Leo, his eyes and face expressionless. "I will leave you to finish tending to his wounds." The words were directed to Apollo. "When you are finished, you will leave these quarters without Leonidas Valdez."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Really, Zagreus? Are the theatrics necessary?"

"Swear it on the Styx."

Grumbling about gods too big for their shoes, Apollo finally said, "Fine, fine. I swear on the Styx: I shall not leave this room with Leo Valdez. Besides, if you're being a good little boy like your dad said, you'd see us leave, wouldn't you?"

Zagreus didn't rise to the bait. He inclined his head. "Thank you, Lord Apollo. If you were to break your oath, I don't think I'd have to remind you of the consequences. We would no longer be able to offer you shelter."

Nico's older half-brother turned on his heel and exited the room, closing the door behind him with a snick.

"What…what was all that?" Leo turned to Apollo with wide eyes. "Am I going insane or something? Did that really just happen? Am I, like, a prisoner or something now? What the hell, Apollo?"

The god sighed. "It's complicated, Leo."

"Yeah," Leo scoffed. "I could have guessed that."

"Just— sit back and let me finish healing you."

Leo stared at the god. "Finish? You're not done?" At the look on Apollo's face, Leo hastened to add, "Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, dude. I mean, you healed me. Yay! Thanks! I owe you. But, you're a god. Shouldn't it already be done?"

Apollo brushed a hand through his hair, pushing it back before fixing Leo with a stern expression.

"Do you have any idea how much damage I had to fix?"

Leo shrugged, "I know Nico was in bad shape, but—

"Not Nico," Apollo said sharply. "You."

When Leo didn't speak, Apollo continued. "Don't get me wrong. Nico was in bad shape. Horrible shape. But, Leo. You weren't much better."

Leo raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I was fine. Just a couple bruises. Maybe a broken rib. But—"

Apollo cut Leo off again, holding up his fingers to tick off what had been wrong with Leo. "Cyanide poisoning. Swelling of the trachea and lungs. Pneumothorax—"

"Pneumowhatta?"

"A collapsed lung, Leo. For Hades' sake. Not to mention multiple rib fractures, cuts, bruises, abrasions, and, though I'm sure it's not from any of your recent adventures, a hangnail. And I fixed it. All of it." Apollo glared at Leo before saying somewhat acerbically, "You're welcome."

"I was that messed up?" Leo asked, somewhat stunned. "How?"

"Oh, I don't know. Could've been the all-nighters you pulled coupled with two fires in less than two weeks; fighting werewolves and what-have-you; shadow-travel or ghost-travel or whatever it is you two were doing; jumping off buildings; running around and starting fights?"

Leo frowned. "But, how do you know all of that?"

"Uh," Apollo's voice sounded unsure and evasive for the first time during their conversation. "I…well, that is—"

"Have you been spying? On us?"

Apollo raised his hands in defense against the incredulous and angry look on Leo's face. "I just wanted to keep tabs. It's not like I'm watching every second of every day, alright?" Apollo shrugged and looked down. "I just wanted to make sure my friends were doing okay."

Leo sighed and shook his head. "Leave it to you to find a reason to do some dumb stuff." Leo shook his head again and laughed. He sat still as Apollo closed his eyes and hummed. A small pop followed by a wave of relief washed over Leo's shoulders and neck, releasing tension he hadn't known was there. "But, I guess it's better than all the crap you used to do. You haven't cursed anyone who's refused to date you lately, have you?"

Apollo shook his head fervently. "Even if I wanted to, I haven't had time. Or even able to venture out all that much lately."

Eyebrows drawn downward, Leo asked, "What is all that about? Are you living here now or something?"

Apollo gave a half-hearted shrug.

"But why?"

Wincing, Apollo started, "Things are going on— things that—"

"Zeus thinks Hades is making a move against him, doesn't he?"

The god glared suspiciously at Leo. "What would you know about it?"

Leo scoffed. "Please. It's not like it's that big of a secret. The possibility of it happening. But, lately, with Nico…his trip to the Underworld. Did you know about it? Do you know anything that's going on?" Leo licked his lips, his stomach starting to churn at the thought. "You don't….know about the prophecy, do you? Do you know what it means?"

Apollo stood from the bed and crossed to the door. He stilled for a moment and listened before crossing back to Leo. When he spoke, it was in hushed tones. "By now, yes. I've heard the prophecy and I have my suspicions. I hope they are wrong."

Apollo's gaze searched Leo's eyes and he nodded as if coming to a decision. "I'll help you both. But not here. I won't risk being kicked out of one of the only places left safe to me."

The god of the sun stood and brushed his hair back from his face. "You'll make it out of here. I have no doubt."

"That's it?" Leo stared in disbelief at the former mortal. "You're not—you're not even going to help get us out of here? Or explain to Hades that he shouldn't kill and torture me for the rest of eternity?"

Apollo arched an eyebrow. "I've already healed you and told you I'd help you." He held Leo's gaze for a moment before turning and leaving just as he had sworn.

Upon his departure, Zagreus entered the room, closing the door softly behind him. "All healed up?"

Leo scowled. "Yep. All healed and ready to be a super ridiculous spy."

"I wouldn't let my father catch you saying that. He doesn't understand sarcasm all that well."

Fixing the god with a suspicious glare, he asked, "So do you think I'm a spy too?"

"I believe that you and my little brother are too busy making doe-eyes at each other to be much use as spies. My father is just too skittish at the moment to trust much of anyone. He wouldn't even let—" Zagreus broke off with a crooked smile. "Well, he wouldn't let certain benefactors and benefactresses attend his preliminary war council out of an abundance of caution."

"War council? So, he is going to war?" Leo frowned. "But…but why?"

"You really don't know, do you?" Zagreus shook his head in amazement. "Who do you think attacked the center? Who gave the order?"

Leo's heart blocked his throat and his chest tightened with anxiety. He was about to speak when his stomach rumbled. Loudly.

Zagreus' face was an expressionless mask for a moment before he grinned and laughed. "Come on. Let's get you something to eat. Nico did say you're always hungry."

"Is he going to be okay? For real?"

Zagreus nodded. "Nico's come back from worse."

The pair crossed to the door, but Leo paused. "I thought I wasn't supposed to leave?"

"Father never said that. But, as I remember, he said you were not to be left alone. So," Zagreus opened the door and gestured for Leo to exit the room with a grand sweep of his arm. "Shall we?"

"There was never an age considered old enough to know everything. The calm seas of hell were only a break before the next storm." ~Jaxson Kidman