Only four more reviews till 200!
200th reviewer will get the dedication for the next chapter :)
Thank you all so much for reading this story and commenting, and putting up
with all the fluff and danger and whatever comes along.
To Alice: Thanks so much :) I'm glad you like Pen, and my plot line, your review was lovely to read!
Of course all the others were as well.
So I don't own PJO/HoO, as I'm almost certain we all know by now.
Cheers, and please enjoy and review!

Chapter fifty-eight: Warming Memories
~Penelope's POV~

In. Out. In. Out.
This was the rhythm to which Penelope had to force herself to breathe, as she lay in the dark, dank underground cell. It was difficult not to panic, as the shudders of claustrophobia racked her body.
She'd never known that she was afraid of small spaces until that day she'd somehow gotten herself locked inside the Demeter's cabin's tool shed.
Horrible scenarios of suffocation had played in her head, and she'd been curled up on the floor until Leo had found her. After that it had taken nearly ten minutes to calm her down, Leo telling her it was okay again and again, while holding her in his arms.
How she wished that could happen right now as well. It was almost more unbearable than the tiny space, having Leo so close to her, yet so unreachable, except for the tiny spot where their hands met. They hadn't spoken since Leo had sworn to get them out of here, something Pen wished he hadn't done.
An oath to keep with a final breath.
The line of the prophecy played around her head and all she could do was pray that it wouldn't be this oath, that it wasn't Leo's final breath.
But somehow even praying to the gods seemed pointless to her. They were inside the earth, shut away in Gaia's realm, so closed off from everything that Pen doubted even the gods could reach them here. Not that her mother, or creator or whatever would care enough to rescue her anyway.
Since she'd learned what Hecate had told Leo, Penelope felt hollow somehow. Even though she'd discovered the true reason of her existence before her death, she'd still made herself believe that the goddess did love her.
That she'd only let Penelope meet her destiny because it was the only way to ensure her friends safety. But no, Hecate had been thinking solely of herself all the time.
Apart from these dark thoughts, the cold was also starting to creep into Pen's body, which was still so weak, she could barely move. Coming back from the underworld, or land of souls or whatever had made her feel more empty than ever before, and still some vital part of her seemed to be missing.
And the cold made everything worse. Penelope could feel Leo's fingertips trembling, he was shaking so violently. Without his fire-affinity, he would be feeling the cold a lot more than she was. She had to help him somehow, distract him from the icy feeling that was probably creeping into his skin.
"Leo?" she asked, her voice slightly hoarse from thirst.
He didn't answer immediately, but then a croak came back "Yeah"
"How're you doing?"
"Great. This is exactly what I was planning to do on vacation, didn't you know?"
Penelope laughed softly, relieved.
If Leo still had the strength to make sarcastic remarks, he was still holding up.
"Nice spot, isn't it?" she commented, trying to sound casual.
A little laugh came from beside her, but quickly stopped. The trembling in the fingertips resumed, even stronger than before.
She had to think of something else to keep his thoughts of this horrible situation. Casting her mind around, Pen suddenly remembered something she'd wanted to ask Leo anyway.
"Hey" she said, turning her head in the general direction of Leo's voice. "You never told me what I said that time the snake bit me."
Silence. "It doesn't matter anymore Pen" Leo told her, and her heart stopped at the hopelessness in his voice. How could his mood change so quickly?
Gaia, she decided. The earth goddess was sucking them dry, emptying them of any emotion or strength they had, until she was powerful enough to rise and they were dead.
"Come on," Penelope said, her voice slightly edgy. "I want to know."
A sigh came from beside her, and then Leo said "Fine, if you insist. You know those meds Coach Hedge gave you made you kinda loopy, right?"
"They did?"
"Holy Hephaestus, yeah." Leo now sounded a little amused, which was a good thing. "They made you all weird, like you were drunk or something. And I think they must have altered your, er, receptivity or something. Cause you" he laughed "you thought I was Annabeth."
"What?!" Pen cried, a little horrified. The prospect of thinking Leo was Annabeth was kinda frightening, as she'd told Annabeth all about her feelings for him, even back then when they hadn't been as strong as they were now.
"Yeah." Leo's voice now shook with suppressed laughter. "So you was all like 'Oh hiii, Annabeth, loog a' the preddy ligh's' and stuff like that"
"Oh gods.."
"And when Annabeth came in, you thought she was Chleo."
Pen could feel her face reddening. At least the embarrassment made the cold go away a little. Still, she wasn't so sure if she still wanted to know what she'd told Leo back then. Yet Leo was already continuing.
"Well, Annabeth or Chleo, whatever, she left and you said..er.." now Leo sounded embarrassed as well, which struck Pen as odd. Why would he be uncomfortable when she'd been the one all crazy and saying silly things?
"Er, you asked me if I knew what else was pretty, except the lights."
Oh no.
"And what did I say...?" Penelope whispered, thinking she already knew the answer.
"Leo." said Leo, before he elaborated "You said Leo, er, I was handsome. And nice. And funny. You said you were glad I was your friend." he rushed through this, obviously highly embarrassed.
But somehow Penelope no longer felt like that. Instead she had to smile. It was all clear to her now, why Leo had been so upset when she'd said she didn't mean any of those things. She'd thought that she'd told him of her inexplicable feelings towards Percy, which, back then, had been a mystery.
"It was true." she said, pressing her fingers against Leo's.
Leo seemed taken aback as he said "It was? Even back then?"
"Yeah" Penelope answered.
"But I thought Percy..."
"Jeesh, Leo, I told you. That was more like family, and it's obvious why I felt like that now. Poseidon's blessing, my purpose of keeping Percy alive, that's why I felt like that around him. But you, Leo, how I felt about you was so different. I mean, you saved me the very first time you met me, and about a billion times since then. We always had a really good time together, and even when we found out about me being part of the prophecy, you didn't treat me any different. Of course I liked you. Still do, in fact" Penelope added as an afterthought, grinning.
Leo was silent. "Well, if you put it like that" he said slowly, and Penelope laughed.
For a moment, their horrible situation seemed forgotten, and Pen felt like the earth around them had grown warmer and softer somehow in the light of their happy memories.
If only Aphrodite could see her now, Penelope thought, remembering her encounter with the goddess of love. She had been right, of course, in some things she'd said, but completely wrong in others.
Suddenly, Penelope heard a voice inside her head, but it wasn't Gaia's cold laugh.
As a matter of fact, I can see you right now.
Somehow, Aphrodite had managed to reach them.