Long story short, no one helped him. Nobody came to rescue Leo as he sputtered and groaned from the agonizing hurting in his arm. He waited for what felt like hours, wondering if his crewmates would be able to find him. No one showed up.
While he waited, not wanting to move for fear of injuring himself, his ADHD started to move to the forefront of his thoughts. To occupy himself, he tapped his mostly uninjured left hand against the ground. Short, short, short. Long, long, long. Short, short, short.
It was the first bit of Morse code he'd ever learned. S.O.S. Save Our Souls, or Save Our Ship, depending who you asked. Leo forced a smile as he thought of a new meaning. Save Our Supreme Commander of the Argo II.
Finally, knowing he had to do something, if not nothing, Leo rolled onto his back, gasping as he did so. He lifted his head just enough to get a good look at his throbbing right arm, regretting it the instant he laid eyes on the limb. The bloodied seeped through his tattered jacket, turning it a very dark red. But jutting through his blood-covered skin was a shard of what looked like a piece of broken plastic. Leo screamed, realizing it was bone.
"NO!" he started panicking, his heart beat rising. He blurted out several curses even Hephaestus would've been shocked to hear invoked. His eyesight blurred from tears and he forgot how to think.
"G-gotta fix it, Valdez," he said, trying to be strict so he would listen to himself, "Just like a broken machine. Only I don't need oil, I need a-ambrosia and nectar."
He shakily reached into his tool belt with his left hand, rummaging through it in hopes of finding the square of heavenly goodness. He circled his hand around the square and pulled it out, rushing frantically to get the healing food into his mouth. He grimaced as he shifted his body so he could eat, until at last he ate the ambrosia and had trickled enough nectar down his throat.
Most of the pain subsided and a wave of relief washed over Leo. He sat up, his breathing evening out. His arm was still a shattered mess, so he avoided looking at it as best he could. While his right hung limply as his side, his left was already tapping away. Sometimes Leo wondered if it was his ADHD that made him feel like talking all the time. A different kind of talking of course. He liked to crack jokes with his friends, but when things got serious, he changed communication style. Morse code - just like his madre taught him. Sometimes he'd pretend his mother was still around, just busy in her workshop, so he'd tap a message on the walls to remind her he loved her. When he felt like he couldn't get the words out of his mouth about how he really felt, he'd say it in morse code. Sometimes it was a message in Spanish. Sometimes in English. Sometimes a bit of both. It occurred to Leo that he'd gone on with those thoughts about himself for a while. He needed to find his crew again. He'd have to find where-
He almost choked at the thought.
Where the Argo II crashed.
His most prized creation, not just the ship he'd been dreaming about ever since he drew that picture as a child. The one he'd spent hours alone in Bunker 9 working to build. And Festus…
It was too much to worry about. At least Jason would've gotten everyone to safety, and Leo knew he could hope his machine wasn't beyond repair from the crash.
Focus on the positives.
Seriously, me? It's hard to be positive when you barely have a right arm anymore.
Leo sucked in a deep breath and stood up, his bruised legs a little weak, but the nectar definitely saved his life. "Time to go figure out where everyone else is. This'll be fun." he told himself sarcastically, clinging to the humour to keep him going.
Thanks for being patient and sticking around for this chapter! Y'all are the best! Please remember to drink water & try to stay safe and healthy, okay? 3
-Apollo
