Chapter 7: Stories of Leonidas: Parts 3&4

(Author's Note)

Hey everyone! I'm back, back again with another chapter. Did you all like the bonus chapter? Did any of you skip it? I hope not, we got two major details for the story. Anyway, I want to thank you guys for all of the positive Reviews and helping us smash through my all time Views record last month. We beat the previous record of 11,303 views back in 9/2018. The total for February was 12,070 views! That's insane! Can we beat the record again this month? I'll keep up with the chapters if you guys keep up the Reviews and views like you have been! Make sure to vote on my Poll as well if you can. Can we get 10 Reviews this time?

Just to let everyone know, Leonidas' Weightlifting feat last chapter was 800kg(1763.7lbs), 300kg(about 300lbs) over the current world record at 500kg(1102.31lbs) made by Eddie Hall in 2016. Some people may say that Leonidas' record is too far fetched, but he's a demigod, I like to think that Percy or Frank may be able to lift 453kg(1000lbs), so to say that Leonidas(whose power is literally his strength) would be able to lift and surpass 500kg with ease. Just wanted to make sure you all knew how heavy and impressive that was. It'll come back up in this chapter.

I have a question for you guys, I changed the summary for this story a few days ago, do you like it? I think that it more accurately describes the story now. Let me know.

So I should have mentioned this back in the last 'Stories of Leonidas' chapter, but his yells/bellows are based off of Frank Castle's aka The Punisher's from the Marvel Netflix show that they foolishly ended. For reference, when Leonidas is calm and fighting normally, he is utterly silent and completely focused on the enemy, but when he's enraged he bellows, roars and screams like Frank, almost like a feral animal. Just a little info for you guys for this chapter. Also, remember that 'dory' is a traditional Greek spear, 'hoplon' is a round shield and a 'xiphos' is a Greek short sword. Didn't want anyone of you wondering why I was saying dory or hoplon a lot.

Follow me on Twitter. Same name as on here: HephaestusBuil1

Have a great day! I'll see you at the bottom.


Chapter 7: Stories of Leonidas: Part 3: Leaves a Spartan

(December 23, 2003 - A small farmhouse in Minnesota)

'Thud' Thud' 'Thud-thud' … 'Thud' 'Thud' 'Thud-thud' Leonidas' cloth-wrapped fists struck the padded truck of a tree with a perfect rhyme. His strikes in perfect sync and form as they shot at the buckling tree. It was just before dawn and he was getting his morning training in before he had to do his chores. 'Thud' Thud' 'Thud-thud' His right fist struck the tree followed by his left and then was followed up by his right then left striking the tree in rapid succession.

'Thud' Thud' 'Thud-thud' … 'Thud' Thud' 'Thud-thud' … 'Thud' Thud' 'Thud-thud' The rhythm was almost soothing to the twelve year old demigod and soon he was almost in a sort of trance as be practiced his forms for another hour, his mind only focusing on keeping his form perfect, lest his mother criticize him and give him more chores.

'Thud' Thud' 'Thud-thud' Giving one last combo, he stepped back from the tree, unwrapping his large fists as he reached for his large container of water and taking a long drink. Putting the water down, he moved over to the lake that sat behind their house at the edge of his mother's gardens, their only source of food besides their few chickens and goats. He had been taught to tend and look after the animals since he was a small child, it was now his job to fully look after them. After feeding the animals and letting the goats out of their pens, Leonidas made his way to the back of the house before the beautifully stunning lake where his mother, as always, sat at a worn and weathered gazebo, staring fondly at the rising sun as it stretched out over the crystal clear lake.

He watched for for some time as she sat at the lake, two cups of tea and small loaf of freshly baked bread sat next to her on the table, something she always prepared- something she had done every single day of Leonidas' twelve years of life- just in case his father arrived that morning like he promised her all those years ago.

But he never came.

He never would.

Leonidas knew that, but it didn't mean that he was able to convince his mother that, not that he hadn't tried many times over the years, she just wouldn't entertain the idea and continue to stare longingly at the horizon. It didn't bother him, not like it used to when he was a child and strived for his father's approval, not love, for he had never felt love from his mother, the only person he had ever met, and therefore never sought love from anyone, even his mother or father. Love was a useless, abstract concept that the boy of twelve didn't understand. It held no substance in his mind, it could not be weighed or measured, quantified nor examined, it held no importance in any history or textbook he had ever read, except to be the cause of war, bloodshed, strife and hatred.

So for his mother, the single strongest, smartest and independent- and only- person he had ever met to be essentially crippled and chained by this abstract concept she called love, made her utterly foolish in Leonidas' twelve year old mind. Why would she, or anyone for that matter, subject themselves to such folly? As far as he could see, neither his mother nor his father received any benefit from their love or marriage. They were never in the other's presence, so even the comradery or union that should have existed after their marriage held no purpose. As far as Leonidas could tell his father received no benefit from the 'love' that was between them. And the same went for his mother, she was slowly driving herself to madness as she brought herself closer and closer to death with each passing day. After twelve years of analysis Leonidas had figured out what love truly was.

Love was hardships, pain, endless longing and unfulfilled promises.

Love was a vile, vicious, useless thing.

If this is what love had in store for him and the rest of humanity, then Leonidas would rather snuff it out before it managed to somehow latch its claws into his skin then subject the rest of the world to this pain. Maybe the virgin hunters of Artemis had the right idea in forgoing any sort of romantic, sexual or physical love. As far as he had experienced, Aphrodite and her Domain were vile and caused more harm to the world than good. The world and humanity were better off without her and love. And one day he would do something about that.

Love was utterly useless. And his mother would realize this when she died without her husband ever returning to her. It was dishearteningly pessimistic, but it was true.

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Leonidas suddenly woke to the sound of shattering glass and in the fraction of a second he jumped out of bed, grabbed his xiphos from his bedside table and rolled across the wooden floor with a mechanical, practiced action to the wall next to the door, pressing his back against the rough wood, his breath stilled as he held his xiphos above his head behind the door, ready to kill anything foolish enough to break into his house. But his calmed, steady breaths stopped entirely when he heard his mother's cry from downstairs.

Recklessly throwing his door open, he barreled down the hall and came face to face with a small Cyclops. Leonidas was utterly silent as he sliced his blade through the Cyclops' chest and neck, the only sound escaping his lips were his quick, hushed breaths. With maneuvers that had been drilled into him since he was a boy, he silently rolled under the swing of a club before cupping his hand over a Cyclops' mouth to silence it as he ran his xiphos through its heart and jerking the blade to finish it off.

No sound came from him as he made his way through the small band of Monsters, using the narrow hall to his advantage by jumping off of the walls to dodge attacks and strike at the beasts' heads.

"Gaaah!" A Cyclops bellowed as his severed, bloodied arm hit the floor.

A Hellhound let loose a chilling howl as it too was thrown through the exterior wooden wall and fell to the dirt a story below.

'Thud-thud-thud!' Another Cyclops fell after Leonidas caved in it's face with a brutal combo of punches, then picked up the spasming body and hurled it down the stairs knocking down a few more Monsters.

From the top of the stairs he could see his mother cutting a swath through the Monsters, already dressed in full armor and wielding her dory and hoplon as she flawlessly struck down all of the Monsters around her. Leonidas halted as he watched her, amazed, he had never seen his mother in her armor before and had never seen her fight with such ferocity, it was almost like watching a goddess on the battlefield. Her shining silver-plated Celestial Bronze breastplate reflected the eerily dimmed light of the scattered torches on the ground brought by the hordes of beats as she danced around her opponents like it was a well choreographed performance, each movement, each step she made was flawlessly calculated and utterly beautiful to watch. Her blue dyed leather and chainmail skirt twirled like the dress of a ballerina as she effortless spun to avoid strikes and counter attacks. Her long, curled brunette hair swayed in the air as she jumped, twirled, dodged and lunged at her enemies, as it came out from the sides of her matching silver-plated traditional Athenian helmet. Adorning the shining helmet were twin owls- one on each side- etched and molded onto the metal over each cheek. And atop of her head sat a tall, stunning blue plume of horse hair in the shape of a mohawk. If Leonidas hadn't recognized her, he would have mistaken her for a goddess with her appearance and how she effortlessly cut through the Monsters.

It seemed that he was staring for too long because his mother yelled to him, catching him off guard because it was the first time he had ever heard her raise her voice in his twelve years of life. "To arms, Leonidas!" She called out as she spun on her silver-plated knees under the swing of a massive club before countering the attack by impaling the Cyclops with her dory. "The stronghold has been invaded, do your duty soldier and defend it! Kill all of the trespassers!"

"Yes ma'am!" He complied, jumping into the fray and swinging his xiphos through the arm of a Cyclops. He and his mother fought back to back after she threw him his hoplon shield, the two using their massive circular shields to protect the side of the other as they fought in perfect sync.

After another minute the last Monster in sight fell to his mother's dory and he turned to face her, using the break to catch his breath as he took in her appearance up close, she looked like a goddess with her flawless skin, youthful face and seemed at home in the Athenian armor, no wonder his father fell for her, she was breathtaking when she was in her element. He was used to seeing her sit or pace around the house and yard in normal clothing with a vacant or lost expression on her face, not in a full set of armor. "Mother…" He breathed out. "Your- your armor… I've never seen it-."

"T'was a gift from your father." Her battle hardened expression softened when she mentioned his father. "He had this armor forged from the remaining pieces of armor from Athens by Lord Hephaestus himself and charmed by Lady Hecate to ward off Monsters. It is molded after the set of armor that I received from my mother as a young girl..." She smiled fondly, a rare sight these days and foreign on her usually stern or distant face. "He gave it to me on our wedding day… it was the greatest gift I had ever received from him."

Leonidas' brow peaked slightly, kind of confused. "But how did you have the time to don your armor, mother?" He asked, inspecting the armor before looking down to his bare chest and shorts, he hadn't even had time to even grab his belt with his dagger and she had somehow had the time to dress in her full armor, greaves, boots, arm bracers and all. "Did the magical wards alert you to their presence with enough time? Why did you not wake me?"

She lightly shook her head, looking at their open door out into the abyss-like darkness like she was waiting for something she knew was going to arrive. "Today is the day, Leonidas." She told him, her voice turning more distant like it usually was. Like her mind was far away and her emotionless shell of a body was only relaying the message.

"What day, mother?" He asked her. "What do you mean?"

"I have received a vision in my dreams, Leonidas." She called him by his name as she always did, him not ever remembering a time that she referred to him as 'son' or 'my child'. "For names had power and honored those we are named after", she told him. "My time on this world has come to an end, I have taught you everything I know, you no longer have any need for me. The stronghold will be overrun by a small army in a mere matter of minutes. We will attempt to fight them off… but ultimately you will flee from here and never return."

"But- but what about you, mother?" His voiced raised a little but. "What are you going to do?"

A wave of peace washed over her helmet covered face, Leonidas seeing it through the slits in the metal. "I shall hold them off to ensure your escape. Then…" Her voice softened and lowered just above a whisper. "I shall fall in battle… truly, a death worthy of a soldier. Then I will finally be reunited with your father once again… with my love." A bellowing cry of a Monster shouted out of the darkness beyond their door, his mother gripped her dory and hoplon and marched up to the door and planted her feet at the threshold. "My love built this house with his bare hands…" She spoke to the pitch darkness, most likely completely unaware Leonidas was there now. "I shall not allow another filthy Monster to desecrate his gift. I shall wait for you at our gazebo, my love. Please, take care of Leonidas."

"But mother," He called out to her, stepping up next to her, trying to pull her to cover only to be shrugged off. "We can retreat to cover and-."

"No." She cut him off. "This is our home that your father built for us." She shook her head, her long hair shaking from the sharp movement. "Did I ever tell you of how he constructed it? He felled a dozen trees, prepared the land and set the foundation in a single morning. By the afternoon he had the walls set up and laid out." She smiled fondly at the memory, but Leonidas scowled, thinking that this was not the time to be retelling a story he had heard a thousand times. "I promised your father to wait for him here at the gazebo at sunrise, I shall not abandon my home."

"But then you'll die!"

"I told you, Leonidas, I have seen my death in my dreams. I have been ready for them to arrive all day. You cannot fight against fate." She dropped to a defensive stance as the cries of the Monsters grew louder. "Retreat through the backdoor, Leonidas. I shall hold them back long enough for you to escape."

"But we can still try-!"

"Silence!" She cut him off with a bark. "Listen to your mother, you foolish child. It is not your destiny to die today, Leonidas. It is mine!" Her voice dropped to a normal volume. "I have seen what you must do in my dreams. You shall flee East from this place, towards your father and he shall meet you in the woods and grant you with a gift."

Leonidas' breath escaped his lips, his eyes wide. "I- I will see him?"

"That I do not know, Leonidas. But I saw his symbol in the air above your head…" She tore her eyes from the darkness and faced him, her eyes were soft and her face wore a relieved smile. "...Today is the day that he finally claims you… make him proud."

"But mother-."

"Go, my Leonidas." A Monster's cry came from close by. "Your father is waiting to meet you. You must not keep him waiting."

"But-."

"Go!" She yelled. "While you still have the chance! Go to your father, claim your birthright and join your rightful place among the pantheon! You are a Prince of Olympus, the gods of old shall bow to you one day. You are the child of a great- the greatest hero to have ever walked this earth, go out and claim your fate!"

"But what is my fate?" He asked, slightly hopeful to actually be told his destiny.

"That I do not know, Leonidas." She whispered, now being able to hear the pounding of the earth as the army of Monsters crept ever closer. "But you shall achieve a feat above any man or god before you. You shall reunite with your father one day, climb Mount Olympus to claim your dreams and rise into the sky and live among the stars forever. That, is what I see in store for you." Without warning she pushed him back, a feat Leonidas didn't think possible for her with her malnourished and weak body against his large and muscular body. "This is farewell, son. I pray to the Fates that I do not see you in Hades too soon."

It was at that moment that a massive Cyclops burst into view and swung his club in the air, only to be impaled through the heart by his mother's dory. Leonidas doesn't remember much of what happened after that, but at some point he realized it was futile to try to convince his mother to flee with him and accepted that she was going to die. He ran through the back door and fled from the house as fast as he could, his bare feet pounding against the stone and dirt.

He didn't look back once.

That is until he heard a faint cry from behind him.

A feminine cry.

His mother had fallen.

His father hadn't arrived to save her like he hoped or like his mother thought. Leonidas grit his teeth as he increased his speed, running ever East towards where his father supposedly was, trying to find some sign of his father's symbol in the darkness.

He was right…

...Love was useless.

. . .

After running for nearly half an hour and being pursued by several hordes of Monsters, Leonidas was tiring and losing ground as he had to continuously fight off the Monsters that got too close. He was an the verge on turning back to face them all to avenge his mother when he heard a great tear in the sky above him, shaking the earth under his feet like a thousand drums were playing at once and causing all of the Monsters to cry out and try to shield themselves from the immense amount of power-radiating light as it shot down like a laser from the rumbling sky and began to burn the horde alive. Leonidas had to shield his own eyes and face the other way to avoid getting caught up in the attack.

"Gaaah!" A Dracaena cried as her flesh started to boil under the shining light. "Nooo!"

"It's the Great One!" A Monster bellowed.

"The divine protector of mankind!" Another shouted in fear, knowing that as a Monster it stood no chance. "Ahhh!"

"Ahhh!" A Cyclops bellow as it's singular eye began to burn under the light.

"Nooo! Not him!" An Empousa cried. "Noooo!"

"Forgive us, slayer of Giants and beasts!" Another Dracaena slithered forward. "We did not know-AHHH!"

The entire army of Monsters were reduced to mere charred ashes when the radiating light increased before finally fading away, Leonidas' eye sight returning after half a minute and causing the boy of twelve to blink his eyes to remove the stars from them as he looked out over the charred ground and uncountable remains of the Monsters as what was left of their bodies burst into golden dust. At Leonidas' feet several weapons burst out of a shining light. He leaned down to inspect them, there was a large, ornate warhammer with a lion's maw for the head, a traditional Spartan xiphos, a dory, a bow and arrow along with twin gauntlets in the shape of lion heads. With a cautious hand, Leonidas went to pick up the warhammer but as soon as his finger touched the glowing wood, the hammer, as well as the other weapons, burst into light and traveled onto his arms and palms and a second later were replaced by radiating tattoos. He looked around him to try to find his father but saw no one around him, until he noticed a green light above his head and looked up. Leonidas' breath stopped when he saw the glowing, hologram of green flaming energy above his head in the shape of a roaring lion's head, the rumble causing the earth under his feet to shake like a army of men were charging at him. The sky boomed and all of the animals of the forest fled from his presence. Then without warning Leonidas fell to his knees, his body in immense pain. It felt like every muscle in his body was on fire as he felt his bones grow denser, his skin grow thicker and his strength increase ten fold. With shaking knees, the boy slowly rose to his feet, inspecting his body with widened eyes, he had grow a few inches taller and was noticeably more muscular.

He had received a Blessing.

His father had finally claimed him.

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(A few minutes earlier - With Sara(Leonidas' mother))

Sara thrust her dory through the neck of a Cyclops as she used her hoplon to block a Hellhound as it tried to leap at her. She had moved out in front of the house, in order to free herself from the constraints of the narrow doorway and to ensure that no more Monsters entered her house. She twirled around an Empousa and introduced the vile creature to her spear. She danced, dodged and weaved through the horde of Monsters like a professional dancer, her movements quick, graceful and powerful. She had trained every day as a child and teeneager, mastering every form and strike she had been taught, a true prodigy among her fellow soldiers, and it showed. Her four legged mentor would have been proud if he could see her now. The encompassing army stood no chance against a warrior of her caliber, her brilliant mind and lightning fast reflexes were as sharp as the dory she wielded.

Her last stand against the horde would have impressed the likes of the gods themselves if it were not for the magical words her husband set up for her years ago before Leonidas was born to protect them from Monsters and keep other gods from discovering their presence. Truly, she was a natural on the battlefield, a graceful machine of death and destruction, beauty and violence in one person.

'FLIT' 'FLIT' 'FLIT'

She spun quickly on the spot to block several flaming arrows shot at her, only being able to see the projectiles because of the ever-burning Greek Fire flames on their tips. 'FLIT' A fourth, delayed shot managed to escape her notice until she felt the stinging pain of an arrow as it embedded itself into the exposed skin of her upper arm in between the pieces of armor. She winced at the pain as she gripped the shaft of the arrow with her teeth and ripped it from her skin as she defended against a Hellhound with her dory and hoplon.

When she got a free second she tore the still burning, Greek Fire engulfed arm bracer and threw it at one of the faces of an approaching Hydra. She could feel her arm weakening as she danced around the monstrous beasts, its never-ending barrage of heads snapping and biting at her, the arrow she took was no doubt laced with Hydra venom, without a cure she had no longer than a few minutes until the toxin seeped into her bloodstream and entered her heart.

More than enough time to deal with this Hydra.

She charged at the demon with her dory out in front of her, attacking the Monster's legs and soft underbelly instead of foolishly trying to cut off the heads without a plan, her mother would have been ashamed if she had. This was not the first Hydra she had ever faced and she knew how to deal with a beast like this. For her husband had slayed such a beast before and had told her of the story when they first met, along with a history book worth of stories, adventures and quests he went on when he was younger.

She ran up the back of the creature and grabbed the flaming part of her armor from earlier and used it to cauterize the bloody flesh of the beast after cutting the heads from it, all the while dodging the never ending array of maws as they desperately tried to swallow her whole.

After the beast fell for the last time she jumped from its body and onto the head of a massive troll, impaling the beast as her armored weight crushed the Monster's head and forced it to meet it's spine. Rising from a roll, she was hit with another arrow, this time hitting her exposed skin on her leg and nearly bringing her to her knees. But she forced herself to fight through the pain and launched herself at the massive horde screaming loud enough to be heard by the gods.

"Gyaaahhh!" She roared as she attacked the Monster, her spear and shield moving like a blur as they cut a swath through the enemy.

But she couldn't last forever, her weakening body had reached its limit and without warning Sara found herself on her knees, coughing blood as the Monsters crept ever closer. "'cough' 'cough' … I am ready. 'cough' For you, my love." She whispered as she wiped the red from her lips, looking to the moon above her. "Let us slay these beasts together." She waited in silence for a few seconds as if she were expecting him to descend from the clouds on a white steed, club over his head as he charged the beasts and came to her aid.

But he didn't come.

"My love?" Her eyes widened as little as they scanned the sky and her voice turned a little worried. "Where are you?" Her voice grew louder, more fearful and panicked. "Let me see you one last time before I die… please, my love. Please…" She scanned the heavens with wide, expectant eyes, looking for her love, waiting for him to come to her aid and see her before she fell to her fate. "...I shall wait then…" With a tight nod to herself, she forced herself to her feet with the assistance of her Dory and hoplon, fighting through her screaming body and shaking vision as she made her way to the small, unassuming gazebo behind the house to wait for her love. This is where she would make her last stand, she promised to wait for him here so she stood that the center of the gazebo as the horde of Monsters crept ever closer. Her vision was nearly gone, her body was numb and she could barely hear the cries around her as a Hellhound lept at her, its gaping maw aimed at her throat.

She thrusted her dory at the Monster but at the last second her wobbly knee gave out under her and she fell to the wooden floor, her dory dropping to the earth just as the Hellhound reached her.

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(AN: If we get 10 reviews

I'll put the next chapter

Out a day early!)

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Chapter 7: Stories of Leonidas: Part 4: The Cost of Strength

(Camp Half-Blood)

It had been several days since he and Leonidas had last talked in his office about Emily and that fact that she was going to die, so Percy was seeking the man out in order to talk more about it and see if there was something Will and the healers, the satyrs, or maybe even the gods could do for her. After not finding the towering twenty one year old man at his usual spot at the training grounds or at the small apartment he had been given, Percy went off in search of him and asked the first person who he came across.

"Hey, Lou." He greeted the daughter of Hecate, walking up to her.

She smiled in greeting. "Hey, Percy. What's up?"

"Have you seen Leonidas?" He asked. "I've been looking for him at the training grounds but I couldn't find him."

The girl nodded, pointing her thumb off into the trees. "I passed by him when when I came back from putting a few more magical wards on the walls around camp." She explained. "He was by Thalia's tree."

Percy's eyes widened slightly, Thalia's tree was at the entrance for the camp. "He wasn't leaving, was he?"

She shook her head, a little confused. "No… Why would he?" She asked, not knowing that Leonidas had left once before. Percy had kept that information secret from the rest of the Council, including Lou, in order to respect Leonidas' privacy.

"No reason." He lied. "What was he doing then?"

"Just sitting on the hill looking over the grass and watching the tree." She told him with a light shrug. "Don't know what he was doing but he's been there for the last week or so whenever I go over there. Why do you ask?"

"Because I need to talk to him."

Her smile faltered a little. "You… uh, might not want to talk to him when he's sitting there." She told him. "He looks like he's thinking and wants to be left alone. He ignores people whenever they try to get close to him."

Percy let out a breath. "Well, it's important. Besides, I think he'll talk to me." He told her, stepping away and heading for Thalia's tree. "I'll talk to you later, Lou."

Percy arrived at the hill that sat next to the tree and spotted a large, bronze-colored, serpentine-headed dragon with yellow eyes sitting at the base of Thalia's tree, lounging in the sun like a large cat. Percy smiled seeing the dragon known as Peleus, with all the work he's had over the past few weeks he hadn't even had time to stop by the young dragon and give his belly a rub. From the corner of his eye, Percy spotted who he was looking for a few dozen or so yards away sitting on the grass about halfway up the hill, watching the tree and it's protector. Letting out a long breath, Percy steeled his nerves and headed for the large man.

Without so much as a greeting Percy dropped onto the grass next to Leonidas, being sure to leave a comfortable distance between them. Percy thought that Leonidas would say something at his arrival but he just continued to keep his gaze focused on the tree. It wasn't until a few minutes had passed that Leonidas spoke.

"I assume that you are here to talk about what we discussed in your office?" His tone was low, tired and seemingly unfeeling. After Percy nodded he continued, letting out a long breath. "Then you would remember that I said that there was nothing you could do… this path… my destiny… is my own."

"But that doesn't mean that other people can't help you along the way." Percy told him, looking up to the clear blue sky above them. "Gods know that I would have never managed to achieve any of the quests I went on by myself. No demigod- no human, can do everything alone." He shot a quick glance to the other man. "That is why we're here, Leonidas. That's why we train, we are a family, we help, look after and love one another."

"I didn't used to believe in love." His words were sudden, causing Percy to double back and look at the man, Leonidas doing the same and looking at Percy. "I did not understand nor believe in the power it held as a child. I didn't experience love until I met the Johnsons and fell for Mary…" His fist clenched in anger, a low growl escaping his lips. "Then they were torn from me by the vile natures of mankind and the gods, my family, the only love I had ever experienced until Emily." He made a scoffing sound as he leaned back on the grass, his large arms behind his head.

"...But now… she's going to be torn from me too." He shot the sky a hate-filled look. "This world, the gods, are cruel, sinful, corrupt, devilish beings." He told Percy. "They deserve nothing less than to be struck down for all of the pain they have caused over the millennia. They would see fit to take everything away from me, again? What did I ever do to them? They think that they can control me like this? That I will play along like a puppet on its strings? No." He shook his head to himself, his jaw set tight. "That is why I must achieve my goal before they have the chance to strip what happiness and light I still have inside of my heart."

Percy didn't reply for a full minute, taking in everything Leonidas said. It seemed like he had some personal grudges with a few of the gods, not something Percy could really fault him for, some of the gods were assholes sometimes. "...What is your goal?" He finally asked. "What is your dream?"

Percy didn't miss how Leonidas' eyes scanned to the magical tree. "... A cure…" He finally muttered, his voice soft and empty.

"A cure for what?" Percy asked for clarification. "For whatever Emily has?"

Leonidas lightly shook his head. "No… A cure… for me." He brought his hand in front of his face and inspected it like he could see something about it that Percy couldn't. "...I'm dying as well, brother. And if I cannot obtain my goal… then I will die before I have the chance to save her."

Percy eyes widened. "...What?"

Leonidas nodded. "My body…" He sat up and examined his arms and legs with his eyes. "Is rejecting my godly abilities." He faced Percy, a sad, tired expression on his face. "Do you have any idea what kind of physical backlash my strength has on my body? I am over four hundred pounds(181.2kg), that is almost all muscle, yes. But it still takes a toll on my body. My body requires several times as much energy and food to maintain my strength than the average person. I have to eat constantly and in order to grow my strength any more I must increase my power output in order to tear my muscle fibers so they can grow back stronger." He picked up a small rock the size of a baseball, inspected it then crushed it in his hand before dropping the remaining dust and pieces to the grass. "I can punch through a tree with ease, lift a boulder over my head, shrug off a bullet to my skin… but it adds up." He held out his arm towards Percy, showing off a large compression brace over his elbow. "My body may be almost indestructible on the outside, but on the inside I am still only a man, fragile. It is as if I tear my muscles every time I use them. There is a limit to how much damage the body can take, even for use demigods. It does not matter if I can punch with the force of a semi truck… if my body almost shatters after the hit." He pulled his arm back and removed the brace, revealing a swollen, irritated red elbow that almost made Percy flinch.

"Demigods receive abilities based off what their godly parents can do." He explained, taking a soft ice pack from his bag and putting it on his swollen joint. "You, my brother, have control over the seas, earth and storms, but your body has also adapted to be able to endure your powers. If not then you would drown or be crushed in the depths of the seas, like how the children of Hephaestus can resist heat and fire, and the children of Zeus are immune to electricity, if our demigod bodies were not adapted to our powers then we would die. You can control water, some can control plants, the earth, fire… but I can't. My godly abilities are just my strength, I only have my superhuman body to work with. Something that I got from my father. The demigod body can adapt to resist cold or heat or electricity, but not the bone-shattering recoil of my strength." He told Percy, pulling a small metal flask from his pocket and taking a quick swig from it, his face contorting in disgust.

"That's what's happening to me." He held the small flask out to show Percy. "Diluted blood from the right side of a Gorgon mixed with Nectar and ginger. A soothsayer I went to in the swamps of Louisiana recommended it. She said that it would slow the process down." His face dropped slightly. "But there is no cure, at least, not a mortal one."

"But what's killing you?" Percy asked, not understanding. "If it's just that you need to hold back from using so much power then-."

"My muscles and ligaments are deteriorating. If I don't find a cure then I will lose so much strength that I will bedridden until I die and everytime I use too much of my strength my body grows weaker. I am like a ticking time bomb." Leonidas cut him off, tossing the small metal flask between his large hands absentmindedly. "When I was a boy, only six years old, I was harvesting materials in the woods beyond my house when I was attacked by a giant, winged boar. I had already slain my first Monster by that time, so I did not fear it, but I had to admit that it was without a doubt the strongest enemy I had fought at the time." He gripped his fist and threw it out in front of him, the air making an audible sound as it was pushed out of the way. "So I brought my fist back and punched the beast with all of my might, thinking that I needed to use that much strength in order to kill it."

"So did you kill it?"

Leonidas nodded once, dropping his arm into his other hand and looking it over. "Yes, but not without a price. I ended up breaking my arm in three places, crushed my wrist back into my arm, nearly reduced the bones in my fingers to dust and completely tore my arm out of its socket." He sent a quick look to Percy, rotating his shoulder a few times. "I can still feel my bones grinding every time I move my arm. I learned then that my strength comes at a cost. My muscles are deteriorating, my right arm is already numb most of the time." He held out his muscular arm and tested his fingers. "All my hand feels now is the resistance when it makes contact with something of substantial weight, but I can't feel heat or cold, except at extreme temperatures. I can't even feel the warmth of the sun, the cool breeze in the shade… or the feel of her touch."

"Do you remember the other day at the Games? During the Weightlifting event?" He asked, testing his hands as Percy nodded. "When I lifted that 800kg(1763.7lbs)?"

Percy nodded again, remembering when the entire crowd went silent as they watched Leonidas lift the most weight any human- mortal or demigod- had ever lifted in recorded history. It was technically possible that a demigod hero of old back in Greece had lifted more once on a quest, but they had no proof and considered Leonidas' olympic feat to be the pinnacle of strength in human history. The entire camp was ecstatic and went to congratulate Leonidas, only for him to request to be left alone before stumbling off into his room and disappeared until the award ceremony later that day looking exhausted. Percy eyes widened. "Was that why you left?" He asked the slightly older man. "Because you were in pain?"

The giant man nodded. "Yes." He answered simply. "I only held that weight over my head for, what, ten, fifteen seconds? But I ended up almost pulling a disk in my back," He paused to pat his lower back. "I still feel a twinge of pain from that." He told Percy.

He went on to continue after a few seconds. "The human body is not made to be my size or to have my strength. I don't fit in cars, clothes, doorways, my head almost touches most ceilings, I've broken several chairs just from sitting on them." He picked the metal flask up again and took another swig. "On the outside I look healthy, but on the inside my body is at its limits." He started to hold out his fingers and count on them. "My blood pressure, cholesterol, liver and heart are constantly under an immense deal of stress whenever I lift something like that." He dropped his hand and looked back to Percy. "Whenever I push myself and reach my limits my body goes numb, I've bled from my nose and eyes, my vision goes black and I've passed out in training before." He gave a heavy nod. "But that's what it takes for me to get stronger, no matter what it does to my body. And that's what I'll keep doing until I reach my goal."

"I would compare it to osteoarthritis, neuropathy, or spinal muscular atrophy. Maybe even a combination of the three among several others." He explained to a confused and awed looking Percy, looking up to the clear blue sky above them. "I have traveled all across North America in search for a cure, going to every healer, physician, witch, soothsayer, and even voodoo priestess I could find. Trying to find a cure." He let his hand fall heavily to the grass. "But there isn't one… at least, not one any mortal can give me."

"...But it sounds like you might have found one." Percy told him, thinking back on his specific words, he said that there wasn't a 'mortal' cure. "What is it? If you tell me then we might be able to help, I know a few gods, I might be able to ask a few favors."

"Not unless they can make me immortal." Leonidas' voice was close to being defeated, his eyes moved to the tree and the golden pelt around it. "Have you heard of the Garden of the Hesperides?" He asked.

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "It's where Atlas holds up the sky and where the Tree of Golden Apples is." He told the older man. "I went there once with Annabeth, Thalia, Artemis and one of her hunters when I was still a kid."

Leonidas' eyes widened. "You where in the garden?" He asked, astonished. "And you did not take a Golden Apple and become immortal?"

Percy shook his head. "Well, I didn't really have the chance because I was busy getting my butt handed to me by Atlas, then I had to hold up the sky for Artemis-."

"You held up the sky?" Leonidas' eyes were the size of dinner plates. He was looking at Percy like he was noticing him for the first time. "But only one other mortal has ever held up the sky. It should have been impossible."

"Two other mortals." He held up two fingers, correcting Leonidas. "Annabeth held the sky before me, and yeah, it was impossible. I was told that we only survived because of our pure hearts or something like that, if it was a matter of strength? We would have been crushed."

Leonidas wore an contemplative face. "I wonder if I could hold up the sky as well?" He mused under his breath before blinking and facing Percy again. "You do not wish to be immortal, do you, brother?"

Percy shook his head. "Nah, I've been offered it a few times, but it's just not for me." He explained. "Annabeth and I want to grow old and live the rest of our lives together. I don't see the point in living if there's no death."

Leonidas seemed to think over Percy's words for a minute before looking back to the Golden Fleece and the dragon protecting it. "Can I be honest with you, brother?"

"Of course." Percy said quickly.

"...I have been thinking of stealing the Golden Fleece." His words were so unexpected that Percy's breath stopped for a second and he opened his mouth to speak but Leonidas held up a hand to say that he wasn't finished. "It possesses the ability to cure any ailment, with it I could finally reverse the damage done to my body and easily take an Apple of Immortality and ensure that Emily and I live forever." He let out a short, harsh breath, shaking his head like he was upset with himself for thinking it. "But if I were to do that then the camp would be utterly helpless against the Monsters and Titans." He looked to Percy, his eyes not looking to Percy's. "I couldn't sacrifice the lives of all of these innocent demigods in order to save myself. I will not be the cause of any more needless bloodshed. I fight to stand against such needless death, I only chose to take a life when I have no other choice." He paused to rub his sore elbow and adjust the ice pack on his arm.

"I have been sat here the last several days trying to talk myself out of going down there and taking it by force. Never has a cure been so so close yet so far out of reach." He let out a breath through his nose. His next words were soft and quiet. "It would be so easy," He mused to himself. "But I couldn't."

Percy weighed what Leonidas said, he was glad Leonidas was being honest with him, even if it did make him a little nervous that he was thinking it. " I'm… I'm glad you were honest, Leonidas." Percy said slowly, looking up to the other man. "Now I know what's been bothering you all this time. But isn't there some other way we can find a cure? What if I talked to Apollo?"

"The gods have been absent for ten months, they would not respond to you." He scoffed suddenly. "Besides, I doubt that any of them would help me."

Percy's brow peaked. "...Why's that?"

He didn't receive an answer for a whole minute however, so he decided to ask something else. "What's your dream?"

Leonidas let out a long breath, laying back on the grass again and looking up to the sky. "...All I wish is to leave all of this behind and live with Emily forever free of the fear of losing her or her losing me." He faced Percy's general direction. "Is that too much to ask? What must I do to achieve that? I would fight any opponent, do any labor, slay any monster, complete any task given to me, even travel to the edge of the world beyond the horizon… just to be able to be with her."

"Tell me about her." Percy requested softly, gesturing for him to start. "What makes her so special?"

He was silent for another minute before answering, his eyes fixed on the passing clouds. "She makes me feel complete." He finally stopped the silence between them. "I had been hurt for so long, and when I met her she accepted me for who I was and was the one to ask to be together." He told Percy, a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.

"She asked you?" Percy asked, surprised.

"Yeah," His smile was fully formed now. "Truth be told, I did not wish to be in another relationship so soon after… Mary… passed." His jaw was a little tight when talking about his first love. "So I ignored all of her advances at first and honestly, though she had saved me, I wanted nothing to do with her. But she's nothing if not persistent." He paused to reposition his arms under his head, a hint of a smile back on his lips. "She made me feel so special and unique and would constantly tell me how handsome or strong I was. It was a little annoying at first, but I grew to love it. After some time I gave in to her constant flattery, offers to sleep together and advances and agreed to date her. She was a little overwhelming at first, honestly, always wanting to know what I was doing, where I was and for me to come home so we could…" He hesitated for a second, a hint of redness washing over his face. "We could… be intimate." He finally told Percy, avoiding eye contact when Percy smirked and gave him a good natured punch on the arm. "I don't normally like girls like her, thinking that she was vain and only cared about her beauty or my looks and strength and what I could do for her, but I learned to quickly trust her and we have been together ever since. I'd do anything for her. Whenever she asks me to do something for her I do it without question."

"What is she like?" Percy asked, trying to piece together an image of her, based off what Leonidas just said it sounded like she was a little overwhelming. And, if he were to be honest, like she might just be with him because of his looks and strength. Even Percy, as a straight guy with a girlfriend, had to admit that Leonidas was very handsome, with his square jaw, defined face and muscles, so Percy just hoped that this Emily, whoever she was, actually liked him like he did her. He deserved it after the life he had been through.

Leonidas hesitated slightly. "She is… not like you expect when you see her." He finally said. "On the surface she looks like some airhead supermodel that only cares about her looks, but deep down she is kind, sweet, brilliant, caring and sees the world in a way that I just couldn't imagine until I met her. She's able to look past the ugliness of this world and see the inner beauty in it." He looked to the trees around the camp with a smile. "That is why she enjoys the wilderness so much."

"...When you said that you'd do anything for her…, what do you mean?" Percy was good at a lot of things, but he wasn't subtle despite how much he tried to be. He hoped that Leonidas didn't suspect anything. And based of the look on Leonidas' face as he answered, he didn't.

The giant man shrugged. "What I said, anything. I'd do anything for her." He said softly, looking up to the sky. "You would do anything for your love, I would do the same for mine. Anything in order to protect her like I couldn't Mary." His eyes drifted to the East, he spoke, his words so soft and quiet that Percy couldn't hear them as the wind suddenly picked up around the large man, preventing Percy from hearing. "Then I will kill those responsible for hurting her."


(Author's Note)

Hey everyone, how was the second pair of Leonidas' stories? I don't think that they were as… intense as the last one, but still important to his character. What do you think about his dream and goal? What about what he said to Percy at the end? It's official, he's dying just like Emily is, but for completely different reasons that we'll find out later. What do you think he's going to do? Why is he at camp? How will he kill those responsible for hurting Emily?

I hope that this chapter helps those people who don't like Leonidas to get that I thought his character through and gave him a big drawback for his strength. If the haters are even still reading, which I honestly doubt. If you have any questions about it I'll be happy to answer them. If I get a lot of them I might post them in my next AN.

So we finally saw how Sara, Leonidas' mom, died. He told us about it way back at the beginning of the story, so don't forget. What do you think of her character? Who is she and how did she get so strong at fighting? We'll be seeing more of her in a few chapters, so I hope all of your questions about her will be answered then.

Let me know how you liked this chapter and answers to any of my question in a Review. Let's see if we can get ten on this chapter.

Fun Fact: Leonidas' condition can be compared to multiple real life conditions, such as ALS, Guillain-Barré syndrome, muscular dystrophy, neuropathy, osteoarthritis and spinal muscular atrophy among others. He has what can only be described as a deteriorating muscle disease caused by his body not being able to handle the physical strain of his increased strength. He wears joint braces, ices his body constantly and drinks a combination of Nectar, dilated Gorgon blood from the right side of their body and ginger to combat his deteriorating muscle mass.

Bonus Fun Fact: Did you know, that according to the Riordan Wiki at least(and I don't know how much you can trust it as I found several typos) that out of the Seven, that Frank is most likely the strongest in terms of physical, brute strength? It makes some sense though, since he's a son of Mars and combat and strength are their thing. He's also received the Blessing of Mars twice, granting him superhuman strength and near invulnerability like Percy's Curse of Achilles for a short time. I'd have to fact check it before I consider it canon, however. What do you think?

Question of the day: 'What do you think Leonidas' end goal is?' He told us he wants to find a cure, gain immortality and live with Emily forever, but what do you think he's going to do to obtain it? What would he be willing to do? Let me know.