Leo had not prepared for this. He stood nervously, leaning against a tree - Thalia's Tree, as the campers liked to call it. It had the perfect view of Camp Half-Blood - The Big House, the cabins, the strawberry fields, and the campers running around in the sun - laughing, talking, arguing, or just lazily lounging about. He could clearly see Chiron trying to break up a fight between the Ares and Aphrodite cabins. He liked that spot, and he had missed it while he was away, doing completely normal holiday things like going on quests across the Earth, saving the world, dying, and coming back to life.

Leo snorted, wondering when the last time he did something 'normal' was. Flying on a ship to make sure the world didn't get destroyed by giants was definitely not normal, even by demigod standards. He smiled, remembering the Argo II. He had some good memories about being on that ship with his friends. Well, he also had some bad memories . . . but he preferred to ignore those.

He checked his watch. Still early afternoon. It had been about an hour since he had met with the rest of the camp, which had involved lots of hugging, kicking, punching, apologizing, and promises that Leo would be in for a far worse welcome if he ever tried that again. The son of Hephaestus grinned in spite of himself.

Leo was now waiting for Percy Jackson, whom he had not seen for months due to the whole dying thing. Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Frank, and Hazel weren't at camp at the moment, but Percy had stopped by to meet Leo. Needless to say, Leo was nervous. Percy could be pretty scary when he was mad, and terrifying when he wanted to be. And Leo was pretty sure that the son of Poseidon would not be happy about Leo letting him believe he was dead. Well, I was dead, thought Leo. For a little while at least. He sighed, folded his arms, and continued to wait.


Percy had not prepared for this. He had just heard from Chrion and the campers that Leo was alive and hadn't come back for so long because he had been getting Calypso, who was exploring the city by herself right now. He was still digesting this when he learned that Leo was here at camp, and now Percy was going to see him.

He walked towards Thalia's Tree, thinking. Dead. That's what Leo had been. That's what everyone had thought he was. But now he wasn't. Percy shook his head. Dying and miraculously finding a way to come back to life after everyone had given up hope sounded exactly like something Repair Boy would do. Percy wondered, a bit unsettled, if Leo had changed since reviving himself.

He reached the tree where Leo Valdez was standing, looking at Percy like he was about to run a sword through him. One look at Leo and all of Percy's fears vanished. Leo was still short and scrawny, his black hair still curly, his hands still fidgety, and his brown eyes and mischievous smile still gave the impression that he was about to tell a joke that would either make you laugh or roll your eyes. Percy felt a sudden urge to hug the son of Hephaestus, but he resisted the temptation, waiting for Leo to talk first.

Leo stared at Percy, wondering what he was about to do. Percy seemed to be studying him, but his face betrayed no emotion. Percy could be infuriatingly annoying like that sometimes. Leo thought he'd seen a fleeting expression of relief on his friend's face when he first saw him, but it was quickly replaced by the same waiting expression that Percy wore now.

Well, Leo thought. Looks like I'm making the first move. He coughed. "Um, hey, Water Boy. Long time no see . . . . . What's up?"

Percy was hit by a sudden mixture of emotions. Relief at the fact that Leo was alive and acting the same as he always had. Incredulity at his casual words. A sharp pang of something he couldn't quite recognize at the old nickname. And anger and frustration at Leo being able to act so normal after everything he'd made Percy and his friends go through. He decided there was only one way to solve this.

Leo's eyes widened as Percy drew back his foot and kicked him in the shins. "Ow!" he protested. "What was that for?"

Percy glared at him. "I. Thought. You. Were. Dead. And. All. You. Say. Is. What's up?" With each word he gave another kick. He ended with a particularly hard one, which made Leo cry out.

"Owwwww. I'm sorry! I was dead - but not really! I was getting Calypso and -"

"Sorry? Sorry, Valdez? Do you think, after everything, saying sorry will help? I thought you were dead! Annabeth thought you were dead! Jason and Piper thought you were dead! Everyone thought you were dead! And you have the nerve to come back and say that you're sorry?"

Leo cringed. Not just because of the kicks, but also at the fact that Percy's glare was making his legs shake a little. Leo could see why people said he was the most powerful demigod of the generation. "Look, dude . . . I am sorry." Percy opened his mouth again, and Leo hurriedly said, "I know that doesn't make up for it, but really, I had to die in order to destroy Gaea. The world would have ended otherwise! And if I'd told any of you, well . . ."

"We would have tried to stop you." Percy sighed. That explanation was so . . . Leo. To his own surprise, he had to bite back a smile. "And why didn't you come back?" He tried to keep his tone angry, but somehow he couldn't.

Leo must have sensed this, because he smiled that mischievous grin Percy had missed for the past few months. "I was getting Calypso from Ogygia, which isn't exactly the same distance away as the nearest restaurant. And we stopped at a few places she wanted to see. I'm sorry. I came as fast as I could."

Percy seemed to be thinking about that. He didn't say anything, just looked at Leo intently with his sea-green eyes. "So . . ." ventured Leo. "Do you forgive me now?"

Again, Percy had to fight back a smile. He studied Leo for a few more seconds, then said, "You're just the same as ever. Including the scrawniness."

"Yes!" Leo threw up his arms and cheered. "That's a yes, right?"

This time Percy couldn't help it. He finally cracked a smile. "Yes, Fire Boy, that's a yes."

Leo looked relieved. "Good." He shook his head. "I'd forgotten how scary you look when you're mad, Kelp Head."

Percy grinned. His expression matched Leo's when he was thinking of a particularly good prank. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

Leo grinned back, and the two boys laughed. They didn't laugh for any particular reason. They didn't laugh because of humor, or happiness, or even relief. They laughed because they had not laughed together in a long time. Too long, some might say. But they both knew that they would make up for that soon enough.