"Welp, that didn't work," Percy sighed, once everyone (except Leo of course) regrouped in the mess hall. Though it was a painful reminder of Camp Half-Blood for all the Greek demigods, what hurt the most was knowing sorry Leo was for modeling it after camp. The little latino confessed that he felt bad about making everyone homesick and excluding Hazel and Frank. Considering that Leo hardly ever shared his feelings, Percy knew it must have been really tearing him up inside.
"Yes, Percy, we were all there," Annabeth replied, "But we've done what we can. It looks like Leo's almost done, considering that he's just screwing stuff in at this point. He'll take a break in the next day or so."
"You could tell all that?" Frank asked. He knew Annabeth was smart, but she must've really been paying attention in the room.
"ADHD brain, buddy. We can't help but notice a lot of things," Percy explained hoping it would make him sound smarter.
"Okaaay," Hazel began, "But even despite him being too busy to rest, I'm worried about Leo's mental state. Even Jason noticed how Leo seems to blame himself for everything, and he's the most oblivious person I know-"
"Hey!" Jason said, slapping a hand to his chest with exaggerated indignity.
"It's all the concussions, not your fault," Piper teased, earning herself a "harumph" from the son of Jupiter.
"But Leo never argued against what Jason said. So he actually does think stuff is his fault," Hazel insisted. The room erupted into chatter about what they could do to help Leo.
"We can ask him if-"
"No, you can't just charmspeak his feelings away, that's actually pretty creepy."
"What can Festus do?"
"I dunno but what if we tried… nah that was a dumb idea."
"Morse code."
Frank almost didn't hear Annabeth's last comment. "What?"
"He was speaking in morse code," Annabeth gasped, "Oh my gods."
"I think I'd know if he was speaking in horse," Percy said slowly, wondering, not for the first time, if his girlfriend was sane.
"Not horse, bro," Jason clarified, "She said 'morse'."
"I don't remember exactly what he tapped out with his fingers, but I'm pretty sure it was morse code." Annabeth said. She started tapping her hands on the table, trying to recreate what Leo had said in morse code.
"I'm…" Annabeth translated, "I don't know. Something about cans I think."
"Cans?" Piper echoed skeptically.
"I said I don't know," Annabeth mumbled to herself, now absorbed in trying to figure it out.
Percy put on a sweatshirt, feeling a little bit of the night time chill. Sometime during their discussion the sun had set. "Whatever guys. Leo knows he can trust us. We shouldn't keep interfering in his business."
"That sounds like a great idea, Water Boy."
The six jumped, startled when Valdez entered the mess hall. His hair was still a mess, but he at least wiped his face off. His right hand held an empty dinner tray. He casually strolled over to the sink and rinsed the plate before stacking it with the others. He let his left hand hang at his side, purposefully brushing against chairs and the wall.
"I'm so glad you all have so much faith in me," he said evenly, closing the door behind him as he left.
Hazel was embarrassed and guilty. She had no idea how long Leo was listening to them. To him, it probably sounded like they were all talking behind his back. She hoped he didn't take it the wrong way. They were just worried about him! But his tone as he left dashed those hopes.
Percy broke the awkward silence with an exaggerated yawn. "I'm going to bed now. Wake me if any venti attack."
With that, they all went back to their individual cabins. In passing, Frank noticed Leo's was still empty. He must be working on the speed upgrades more tonight.
Hello there [General Kenobi]! Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate reviews, either with constructive criticism or just your thoughts when reading this. I'm doing my best and plan to update at LEAST weekly, meaning probably sooner than that but it sets a deadline for me. Tysm! :D -Apollo
