There was a bit of a shocked silence after they got Percy out, where nobody knew what to worry about. Should they focus on healing Percy? Finding shelter now that the Argo II was demolished? Or should they search for Leo, who'd been missing for hours now? Annabeth wasn't going to be of much help, she wasn't going to leave Percy's side. So, Frank decided he might as well speak up.
"What's the plan, then?"
Hazel sighed and Jason furrowed his brow.
"I say we try and find Leo. The sooner he's back, the sooner we can get back on track, if he can fix the ship. And that's a good-sized if." Jason suggested.
Hazel nodded along, her dark curls bouncing as her head moved. She rested a hand on her hip confidently. "Okay. Piper, can stay here and guard Percabeth? The guys and I can go out and look for Leo in the forest."
The daughter of Aphrodite gave a thumbs-up before racing off to the tree Percy was lying under. Annabeth was gently lifting his head to stick a pillow they salvaged from Jason's cabin under him. Percy was conscious, but weak from his head injury. They could only risk so much nectar and ambrosia before the demigod would burn-up.
Meanwhile, Frank, Hazel, and Jason started planning.
"I turn into a monkey so I can scout from the trees," Frank restated the plan.
"I fly up and see what I can see," Jason continued.
"And I'll be looking on the ground," finished Hazel, "Perfect."
The three wasted no time divvying themselves up and going their separate ways. Their quest had a time crunch. And if Leo was in any sort of danger, there was an even shorter time limit to find and rescue him.
Frank shrugged carelessly, morphing into a spider monkey so he could quickly jump through the forest. Leo probably just got distracted and left them behind on accident. He doubted their fiery friend would be in any real trouble.
His tiny hands gripped around the thicker tree branches as he propelled himself forward, the gentle breeze that trickled through the forest far more noticeable at such a fast face. Then a sound made Frank freeze, almost causing him to slam into a tree trunk.
Frank instantly recognized the sound of Leo screaming, the repair boy's voice in complete and raw anguish, jumping octaves unnervingly as it cracked from whatever pain Leo was experiencing. It sounded like it came from just up ahead, too.
Frank half tumbled, half jumped down out of the tree, and raced to where he knew Hazel was nearby, turning back into a human on the way. Jason had already landed, muttering nervously to himself.
"Was that…" Hazel said, fearing for the worst.
"Leo?" he said, his voice hollow, "Yeah."
They didn't hear any more screaming after that.
