Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been pretty busy lately, but….I've had a hard time recently. I don't really know what more to say then that. I'm still going to be writing, I've just been taking a while with this story because it's near its end. Anyway hopefully things will get better for me soon. Sorry if this chapter is kind of slow. And thanks to those who gave suggestions and comments I really appreciate it :)
I know it may seem kind of confusing, but some of the events in my chapters are over lapping to the next, so like one chapter where it was from Piper's point of view I had part come from Annabeth's point of view and so on. Like the flood happens in both Annabeth and Piper's chapter.
Another side note for those who are experiencing trouble with bullies or people telling you who you are remember that what they say isn't who you are, you are who you want to be. Cheesy, but true.
Excuse me if the Spanish is wrong. I went off of my memory of what I remember learning in my Spanish class.
Disclaimer I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan
Leo had sat in the clearing where he had been talking to Calypso just moments ago. His arm was lain over his face as he waited for something; a voices, music, Gaea laughing in triumph. Faintly he could hear protesting shrieks come from his friends and then a particularly loud scream. He jumped to his feet and tried to run to the ceremony to see what was happening, but a whole group of monsters came stumbling out of the brush into the clearing.
"Where do you think you're going, demigod?" one growled. It had scaly purple skin, but a hairy wolf head and hawk like claws on its hands and feet. "We were just about have lunch."
The fire starter swallowed his disgust at the implication, "I think I'll pass."
"That's not an option!"
The monsters lunged at him together. Leo yelped as he desperately tried to dive out of their reach. He was already unconsciously digging into his tool belt for something that could help him. The Latino demigod retreated away from the clearing and away from the 'wedding'. His fingers brushed against a cool and bumpy surface.
"I wonder." He muttered to himself as he pulled the object out. A grenade! "I love this tool belt!"
Capturing the little metal ring between his teeth, Leo pulled it out and chucked the bomb behind himself. He prayed he'd be long out of the range of fire (not that fire bothered him much or anything). The monsters realized too late what Leo had done. The son of Hephaestus heard the explosion followed by the dying screams of the monsters.
Leo stopped to look at the damage he had caused. Piles of yellow dust made the green grass look sickly. There was a big smoking crater where the grenade had landed. Laughing Leo let himself catch his breath. He hadn't realized how far he had run until he tried to see the pathway to the wedding alter. It was long out of his range of vision.
He realized that he needed to get back into action. As Leo made his way back to his friends he searched for anything useful in the tool belt that could help him. He was pretty sure those monsters had been sent after him to keep him from trying to stop the ceremony. So much for their plan.
The faint cries of battle reached his ears. Leo felt his heart pound heavily in his chest. With an extra burst of speed Leo finally reached the path which lead to the wedding. The ground was drenched and muddy. Any monsters that had tried to rush his friends while they weren't looking slipped on the dark slick and fell onto their backs. It would have been hilarious if it weren't for the fact that his friends were also having a hard time keeping their balance.
The fire starter searched the crowd trying to figure out which one of his friends needed the most help. Without even thinking he found himself looking for Calypso. He wondered how the fight even started. The sea nymph must have taken his advice and let Percy go. Leo felt even more desperate when that thought reached his mind.
After a time too long for his liking, Leo finally found her.
Calypso was sitting at the altar soaking wet and she looked miserable. His heart ached, even if he wasn't her dream guy, he couldn't help but want to comfort her. Leo didn't hesitate to run towards her. His feet slipped as he ran over the wet terrain. She looked up at him as he neared her. Calypso had red rimmed around her eyes.
"Even when I do the right thing things fall apart." She croaked. "Are you happy now? Happy that all of this is happening?"
Leo gingerly knelt down in front of her. What could he say? She was devastated; she believed that he enjoyed the calamity around them. Nervously he grabbed her hand believing that she'd recoil back at his touch. Calypso didn't do anything to discourage him so he held her hand tighter.
"I'm not happy that you are hurting Calypso. That wasn't my goal."
Calypso stared at him with her beautiful brown eyes, "Than what was your goal?"
Leo could faintly hear his friends as they continued to fight the monsters in the back ground. In his rush to Calypso he had ignored everything else around him. It was almost as if he hadn't known the battle was going on at all. Calypso watched him steadily as tears began to roll down her face. Leo refrained from trying to wipe them away.
"To stop Gaea, save my friends." Leo told her and then pulled her to her feet without warning. She stumbled slightly, slipping on the wet grass, and fell into him. "All of them. Including you."
He could only see the top of her damp hair now. Calypso twisted her hands into the fabric of his shirt. Heavy sobs escaped her as she pressed her face to him. Leo wrapped his arms around her like he had secretly been wanting to do since he first saw her. In that moment he realized she had been even more alone than him.
"I should have known it was you who changed her mind." The familiar voice spoke up.
The two separated to look at the soggy Earth goddess standing behind them. Leo dully wondered if all the water around them was Percy's handy work. Gaea's face was contorted in rage as she loomed over them. Leo could feel Calypso grab onto him nervously. If he weren't so afraid he was going to die, he might have enjoyed it.
"Even if you actually were going to let me have Percy, it wouldn't have been real." Calypso told her. "It wouldn't have made me truly happy."
"Happy enough." Gaea shrugged and turned her back to them. "No matter. I'll kill Leo and then continue on my plan. My children will destroy you."
At her command some monsters turned away from the other demigods and onto Leo and Calypso. Leo searched for anything on hand he could use as a weapon, there was nothing and in the time he'd need to dig through his tool belt it would be too late. With a curse he pushed the daughter of Atlas behind himself. The two of them were defenseless. Leo tried to fight the hopelessness, the fear that bubbled inside of him.
Suddenly the monsters stopped moving.
They all snarled and twitched as if trying to get out of the grip of something. Leo blinked twice as if he would suddenly see what was holding the monsters, but there was still nothing but empty air between them and the monsters. They flinched under invisible blows.
"What the…?"
Calypso clutched his arm tighter, "My invisible servants. They are protecting us."
If they could hold of a whole hoard of monsters, Leo could only imagine what they would look like if they could be seen. He wondered if they would look human or like monsters. His thoughts were interrupted when Calypso started dragging him away.
"You and your friends need to get off the island, now." She told him urgently. "You won't be able to halt her attack for long."
Leo instantly caught the part where she said you and your friends not we all. "I told you Calypso, I'm going to save you too."
The sea nymph released his arm and turned to face him. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes glistened with tears. Even while looking so vulnerable she also looked like the fierce and angry girl he had seen when he first arrived on the island. Leo felt defensive, she was going to stay.
"It's too late to save me Leo, get everyone else off of the island."
"You don't have to do everything alone!" He argued. "We can all stop Gaea, together."
Calypso looked down at her feet and Leo let himself look at the battle field. It was starting to look as if his friends were getting the upper hand. The mass of monsters had dwindled into smaller groups. Annabeth and Percy were fending off monsters, each taking the other's weak points and guarding them. The years of fighting together had made them into a well-oiled machine. Maybe even better than a machine, Leo thought ruefully.
"Look," Leo began without looking at her, "I may not be the strongest guy, or the fastest, heck I've probably caused more damage to our quest than the monsters, but I do know that when you are willing to rely on your friends, they are willing to rely on you."
Calypso looked up at him as if she were about to say something meaningful, but following a scream the Earth beneath their feet began to crumble. The once beautiful island cracked and broke like a smashed cookie. With a yelp he snatched up Calypso's arm and pulled her close, just as the dirt she had been standing on fell away.
"My home." She gasped mournfully.
Another large shake nearly sent the two falling over. Leo could hear a sound almost like boiling water. He felt the heat before he even saw the lava rip its way to the surface. A large, almost fountain like spray erupted near them. Calypso shrieked as Leo covered her with his own, thin body.
He probably wasn't providing much shelter, but he knew he could take the heat.
Droplets of the molten liquid hit his back; it didn't really hurt. He could actually feel the heat, but it was more like being wrapped up in a warm blanket rather than a sheet of liquid fire. He would be fine. His shirt, however, would never be worn again. After antagonizing moments the spout finally stopped and disappeared into the small streams of lava that filled each crack.
Leo made sure Calypso was okay and then searched for his friends. The lava and tarnished land scape had taken out the last of the monsters, but to his relief he saw Frank, Hazel, Piper, Jason standing on a larger chunk of what remained of the island. He hadn't seen Percy or Annabeth yet. With his heart racing in his chest he searched for the two missing demigods.
"Look." Calypso pointed.
Annabeth and Percy had been separated by the chaos that Gaea had inflicted on the island. Leo knew it wouldn't last long. Just when he thought it was finally over though, Earthborn broke free from the devastated land and began to attack under the command of their mother.
"Aios mios!" Leo exclaimed. "This is never going to end."
"There has to be some way!" Calypso shouted.
"I think I've got an idea." The Latino admitted. "But it's pretty stupid."
The sea nymph suddenly laughed, "That's hardly a surprise. What do we do?"
"You stay here." Leo knew he had said the wrong thing, but he didn't want her in danger. "I'm going to distract Gaea so that she won't be able to focus on the others."
Calypso clutched his arm urgently. "But Leo I..."
"No time Calypso." He told her as he ran towards Gaea.
"You said we fight together." Calypso called to his back. He tried to ignore the betrayal in her voice.
The Earth goddess was leering over Percy and Annabeth, who had amazingly made her way to the son of Poseidon, ranting about something. Leo didn't really care to listen, he was trying to figure out how to get the goddess's attention. A almost sinister smile came to his face as he let a bolder sized ball of fire grow in his hand. He reared his arm back and then let it go flying right into Gaea's jaw. The earth goddess flinched as the flaming sphere made contact. Leo saw almost all of the Earthborn crumble as Gaea's concentration was broken.
She glared an turned to him, smoke still curling from her jaw. "You just don't die, do you."
"What can I say?" Leo began with a shrug. "Being annoying is one of my specialties."
Gaea dug her large hand into the island, like a little kid digging into sand, and she pulled up a large mound of molten dirt. For a moment Leo felt like an ant. He cursed himself for not having a solid plan for stopping Gaea. With a single flick of her wrist she sent the mound hurling towards him. Leo screamed as he ran to avoid the heap which would surely burry him alive.
It crashed down inches from him.
Sorry again that it's taken so long to update. Anyway, I have at least two more chapters I plan to write and then the story will be done. I'm thinking the next chapter will be from Leo or Calypso's point of view. I'm leaning more towards Calypso. If you guys have any suggestions I would really appreciate it.