On My Own
A "The Dimension Walker" Short Story
Summary: Leo was convinced the Fates hated him. He and Calypso were supposed to return to Camp Half-Blood. He was supposed to be reunited with his friends. Things were supposed to be semi-normal again. But no, that wasn't the case. Calypso turned out to be a backstabbing liar. Ogygia was a dimension where time literally stopped. Camp Half-Blood had changed. And, the most important of all, his friends were gone.
Disclaimer: I do not own Leo Valdez. He belongs to Uncle Rick. Also, some OC's do not belong to me, but belong to my friend Cara, aka Carabootoo. Also, if there are any mistakes I apologized. I tried my best to fix them all.
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~Chapter Two~
~Leo~
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Before the dream starring Dirt Face herself, Leo's day was just getting crappier and crappier.
The Shadow People—which he dubbed them "SP's"—have been relentlessly chasing him for hours. Leo was pretty sure they crossed almost all the states in the west and mid-west. He couldn't hold them off with fire or with Festus. Every time he threw a fireball at them, their bodies would absorb the fire and their eyes would glow with a creepy green light. And when Festus tried to fight them off, they would phase into him and mess with it. Thanks to that, Festus kept breaking down. He had to steal supplies countless of times, trying his best to fix his bronze dragon. His magical tool belt could only do so much. Also thanks to all the detours and repairs, Leo had given up trying to get to Camp Jupiter. If he was going to get those fricking SP's off his tail, his best chances were going to Camp Half-Blood and getting some help there. Maybe the Hecate kids have a magic trick or two up their sleeves.
But, the SP's and fixing Festus were the least of his problems. Each town he went to, some kid or teen would see him and they would freeze up and gape at him. In Colorado, a teenage boy saw him stealing some dude's McDonald's. The dude literally spat out his Red Bull and started telling his girlfriend what he saw. His girlfriend started freaking out, too. When he was in Nebraska, he was at a hardware finding some oil when a random—and pretty—girl screamed and pointed at him. She caused a scene, and she scared the crap out of Leo. He didn't know why or how people knew who he was. Maybe they were campers that heard about him, or something. Leo just didn't know.
Now, here he was, stuck trying to repair Festus after the SP's tried clawing at his wings in some warehouse in Michigan. It was cold, damp, and smelly. Leo didn't have enough supplies to fix Festus's wings properly. He was stuck sleeping on the ground, with no food or water.
"Guess it's just you and me, eh Festus?" Leo said, looking over at the bronze dragon. "I've got no idea what happened, no idea how long I've been gone, and the girl I fell in love with turned out to be a liar." He glanced back up at the sky. "Add that to the list of crappy days..."
Festus made a creaking sound. Leo shook his head, and sat up.
"Maybe things will make more sense once we get to New York," the Latino muttered. "I just gotta stay positive, gotta be optimistic. Hey, maybe once we get there, things will be normal again. Well...kinda normal." He chuckled. "We'll all have a big ol' sappy reunion, with waterworks and everything. Piper will probably smack me and say I was such an idiot for going through my plan." Then, he paused. "No wait...I'm pretty sure everyone would be hitting me for being an idiot. But, I'm pretty sure it'll be mostly Piper. Maybe Jason will give me a good smack or two."
The bronze dragon turned its head and rested it on the ground. Leo sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He turned to Festus, and placed his hand on the dragon's forehead. Taking in a deep breath, Leo laid back down. He stared up, looking through the large gaping hole in the ceiling. The dark sky hung overhead, with twinkling stars dotting the sky. The thin, crescent moon gave off an ivory glow, which Leo hoped that meant Artemis was in a good mood. Air planes flew through the air, their lights blinking just like the stars. The Latino let out a sigh, crossing his arms behind his head.
"Of all the things the Fates could do to me," Leo muttered. "They chose to make the one girl I loved a liar. They chose to make her in league with some chica named 'Melantha'. They made these fricking SP's chase after me like I'm some kind of prey." He laughed, bitterly. "Rejection and crappy luck...guess I'm totally used to it now..."
As he stared off, Leo started to realize a lot of things. Yes, his plan worked and he helped defeated Gaea. Yes, he used the physician's cure to come back. And yes, he managed to save Calypso. But, at what cost? Calypso turned out to be a liar, only using Leo to gain her freedom from her "savior". She let those freaky SP's hunt him down to bring him to their "mistress". Calypso never loved him. How could she, anyways? He was just some stupid, naive son of Hephaestus with fire powers. He would run from his problems, hiding his pain with jokes and fixing stuff. Leo was the odd one out, the seventh wheel. He wasn't like the other heroes she fell for. He wasn't a genius like Odysseus. He was a powerful, loyal dude like Percy. He was a scrawny, idiot repair boy. He had no chance with every girl he has ever flirted with. Why would he think he had a chance with Calypso?
And what about his friends? Even if he did return, they would hate him. He never once thought of them as he went to save Calypso. He never once thought of trying to contact them when he arrived at Calypso island, or when they were at that high school. He never thought about how would they react to his death, then promptly finding out he was resurrected to go save this beautiful girl who he thought loved him. Leo was so focused on finding Calypso, so focused on the thought that when he returned to Camp Half-Blood that everything was going to alright, that he didn't realize the pain and guilt his friends would feel. He knew what it felt like to mourn and blame yourself for someone's death. Leo never wanted to let his friends feel the pain he went through, and yet he did.
He could already see their reactions if he returned to camp. Hazel would be crying, never one making eye contact with him. Frank would be frowning with this heartbroken expression on his face, holding Hazel close as she cried. Annabeth and Percy would—even though he didn't know them that well—probably be disappointed and angered at him. Annabeth would be glaring at him, shaking her head. Percy would just be like "Dude, what the actual Hades?". But, the worst reaction would be from Piper and Jason. His two best friends, the one he had been through so much with him, would be livid and would never forgive him. Piper, with tears in her eyes, would yell at him and smack him. Jason would have this calm, but fierce look on his face. And, Leo could almost hear what he would say.
"Did you really even wanted to come back?"
He would lose his friends, all because of his stupid idea.
Maybe he should've said yes and joined this "Melantha". By the way those SP's talked about her, she sounded like a kind and helpful person. This Melantha went through so much trouble to help Calypso, all because she understood her pain. Melantha probably helped a lot of people, since the SP's talked about these guys called the "Fallen Ones". The Fallen Ones were probably the people who had gotten help from Melantha and were just like him: people who were broken and rejected and made stupid choices.
But she's probably a baddie like Dirt Face, a voice in the back of his mind warned him. What if she's gonna use you, Valdez?
So fricking what? Leo had nothing to lose. The dark side sounded more appealing than the good side right now. He could forget about all his troubles and finally be with people who understood him. He wouldn't be the odd one out anymore, he wouldn't be a seventh wheel. He could have a place where he could belong, where he knew he was wanted. Leo could have a family, friends, and live a new life. Maybe there was still a chance to join in.
Leo shook his head and stared sullenly up at the moon, a million emotions passing through his eyes. Usually, Leo would laugh it off and crack some jokes. But, right now, Leo was so somber and melancholy that it scared him. He couldn't find a reason to laugh it off or crack a joke. For the first time, Leo didn't want to fight off the sadness. He didn't want to move on. Leo Valdez wanted to deal with the pain.
With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and slipped into a dream.
/~Ω~\
He was standing at top of the Empire State Building, looking over the New York skyline. The sky was dark grey, making it hard for Leo to determine if it was night or day. Thunder echoed through the air, and Leo nearly yelped when a loud crack of thunder boomed. Lightning lit up the sky, and large raindrops started falling down. Above his head, Olympus could plainly be seen. The thundering (no pun intended) voices of the gods seemed to rival the thunderstorm.
Leo looked around, confused. "What the...?"
"Took you long enough," a voice scoffed.
Leo turned around, and a woman stood behind him. She looked about twenty or so years old, with curly black hair and a scowl on her face. Her skin was dark, dirt brown and her eyes were startling green with swirls of black. The woman wore a green blouse with a matching flowing skirt and a brown shawl wrapped around her head and shoulders. Her hands were on her hips, and her eyes were slightly narrowed. She was glaring at Leo as if he did something to tick her off, which wasn't very reassuring.
At first, Leo didn't recognized the lady at all. She looked like some regular woman he would see walking on the streets. But then, he looked deeply into her eyes and saw the entire Giant War flash through his eyes.
Leo narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Dirt Face!"
The earth goddess scoffed. "Yes, it is I. Gaea, primordial goddess of the earth. Or perhaps you prefer my Roman counterpart, Terra? She is much more peaceful and kinder than I. But then again, when I am in this realm I am both of them. So, perhaps call me Gaea Terra instead."
"Dirt Face suits you," Leo said with a roll of his eyes. "Now, how did you survive that explosion? That should've scattered your essence for good!"
The goddess snorted. "Leo Valdez, do you know what I am?"
"A messed up goddess that's all kinds of crazy and evil?" he deadpanned.
"I am a Protogenos, a primordial," Gaea Terra stated proudly. "Yes, you may have weakened me, but I am one of the most important primordial that cannot have her essence scattered for good. My family and I are essentially the universe itself, as well as the pillars of life. We keep the universe at balance and peace. Without me, the earth itself would crumble and turned back to its former self, which is matter from the Void. My mother revived me a few months after your 'victory'."
She paused, grimacing and crossing her arms over her chest. "After I was revived, she...erm...punished me for trying to take over the world. Forced to help her with her duties while also having a block on my powers; the exact same punishment as my stupid husband! Stupid Mother. Always saying, 'Be like your siblings and cousins! They don't try to rule the world! They make sure it is safe and sound. I should've know that Uranus would corrupt you, that no good airhead. Why did I let you marry that insufferable fool?' Ugh...she can so unfair..."
The Latino blinked, the corners of his lips tilting up. He let out a snort and burst into laughter, holding his stomach and doubling over. "Oh gods, your mommy grounded you. I didn't know high and mighty goddesses like you could be grounded!"
Gaea Terra narrowed her eyes and growled. "Oh, hush up! I came here to warn you that you are far from home."
"No duh." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Why ja think I'm heading for New York?"
"Do you not get it, Leo Valdez? Have you not been curious why you have been feeling this way? Wondering if Calypso never had fallen in love with you, why had the raft appeared for you?"
Leo quickly shut up, furrowing his brows. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Dirt Face was right. The raft only appears for those who Calypso fell in love with. If Calypso didn't fall in love with him, why did the raft even appear? Was it possible that Calypso did love him but her so-called "savior" made her think she never loved him? That could explain a lot of things. Calypso really did fall in love with him, and her so-called "savior" made her think she didn't.
"Actually," Dirt Face spoke up, "Calypso never really fell for you. She was cursed to fall for the stereotypical hero. Strong, powerful, brave, almost perfect, et cetera. You are not the stereotypical hero, Leo Valdez. Calypso really did made a deal with her savior, and her savior orchestrated everything. Especially your time in Ogygia. She made the raft appear, since the gods were too busy dealing with their split personality dilemma."
Leo leaned against the railing, staring down at the ground in shock. "Wow...just...wow..."
Gaea Terra's face soften. "Leo, there are many things you will learn that not many demigods have learned, nor have most of the Olympians. Only Protogenoi like myself and other gods know the truth." The earth goddess pointed up at Olympus. "Another war is approaching, and the Olympians are convinced that someone among them knows who the threat is."
"And let me guess," Leo said, halfheartedly. "Calypso's so-called 'savior' is the threat?"
She nodded. "Yes." Gaea Terra looked away, staring up at Olympus. "The Underworld is in chaos, and many restless spirits are vanishing. Tartarus itself is stirring, with monsters going on rampage and the most ancient of monsters are rising. Nyx, Erebos, and Tartarus—the god, not the pit—are trying their best to control all the monsters. Even Olympus itself is becoming unstable. Minor gods and goddesses have been falling ill or going into a deep slumber. The Olympians themselves have heard strange voices whispering in their ears and seeing visions of darkness and death."
"Well, I need to get back home to help!"
The goddess raised her hand. "Leo Valdez, you are needed somewhere else. You are one of the most powerful demigods from the Seven. You may not be at the power level as Perseus Jackson or Jason Grace, but you are at a level all on your own. You may be the seventh wheel, but you're just as important."
Leo looked down his hands. "A level all on my own, eh? Hm...I like that sound of that!"
The goddess rolled her eyes snapped her fingers. A scroll appeared in Leo's hands, along with a pendant. The pendant was a fire opal flame inside a onyx circle, hanging on a bronze chain. The flame glowed softly, just like an actual fire in a hearth. Gaea Terra walked up to him with a sour pout on her face, and placed the pendant around his neck.
"This map shall help you on your journey. The pendant is a good luck charm, but also a way of telling others that you are under my protection."
"And why—?"
"Because Mother says if I want to redeem myself, I must help a hero on a quest." She scoffed. "I will not call you my champion, however."
"Trust me," Leo said, dryly. "I wouldn't want to go around announcing that I'm the champion of Queen Dirt Face herself."
Gaea Terra smiled slightly. "You must wake up now. You're about to be mugged by a boy."
"Wait, what?"
The goddess waved her hand, and the whole scene became fuzzy. Leo fell back, and his vision went black.
...
Guess who had a writer's block halfway through this and ended up rewriting the entire chapter? Guess who also took forever fixing up the chapter so that it's presentable? *hangs head* This always happens to fics that I'm really passionate about.
Also! *shakes fist at the sky* For gods' sake, wHY IS LEO'S POV SO HARD FOR ME TO WRITE? HE'S MY FAV CHARACTER. WHY IS HE HARD FOR ME TO WRITE? WHY THE FUCK DOES HE SEEM OOC WHEN I WRITE IN HIS POV TO ME? UGH...
But anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! I tried to make it kinda angst-y, but I'm pretty sure I failed. :/
Thank you for all the reviews! :) I really do appreciate you guys for voicing out your opinions!
Don't forget to leave a review and I'll see ya next time!
~Ari