I wasn't planning on continuing this, at least not for a long time. However, one thing led to another, and here it is! If all goes well (fingers crossed) this'll be a sort of continuation of MOA, leading into House of Hades. Hope you enjoy, and any reviews = AWESOME!
Three Days Earlier
Leo didn't think it was possible to feel worse.
To be fair, the giant statue staring him down probably wasn't helping.
Leo looked up and across the hold towards the head of the Athena Parthenos, which stood as tall and intimidating as ever, refusing to be cowed by the cramped, dark quarters. The godess' piercing eyes seemed to be staring at him reproachfully, as if she was debating whether or not to incinerate him.
He probably deserved it.
Leo sighed, chin in his hands. He'd never been the type to wallow in self pity, certainly not when there was such important work to be done- and he hadn't; not at first, anyway. On the contrary, he'd thrown himself almost worryingly into the manning of the Argo II, dashing around the ship with an almost manic kind of determination. He had tried to do everything because, really, that was the least he could do.
And the kicker? It would never, not in a million years, be enough.
Leo perked up automatically as the door to the hold creaked open behind him. At first he thought it was Jason, coming to tell him off for not resting. It had been nearly forty hours that Leo had gone without sleep, and Jason had approached him on the deck, stepping directly into his path as Leo ran towards the wheel.
"I need to-"
"No." Jason had said, authority clear in his tone. With Percy and Annabeth... gone (Leo couldn't let himself think about it), Jason had unofficially stepped in as leader, attempting to keep some kind of order. Which was why Leo had been so surprised when Jason had blocked his path.
"I've got to steer the ship." Leo'd insisted, trying to sidestep Jason, who had simply mimicked him, further blocking his path.
"You need to sleep, Leo. We need you at full strength, not running on fumes."
Leo had felt the beginnings of flames licking the tips of his fingers, but had stuck to shaking his head vigourously. "I can't."
"You have to-"
"I can't!" Leo insisted, and barely thinking, he'd shoved Jason backwards, stumbling to maintain his balance. Piper, who Leo hadn't realized had been watching, had stepped forward, holding out a calming hand. She'd glanced nervously at Jason, and had Leo cared to think, he would have been worried of Jason's reaction.
He hadn't cared, though. It was easier that way.
Leo had backed up nontheless, knowing he'd crossed some invisible line. He'd held up his hands pleadingly, attempting to make Jason understand. "Man, Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus. They're probably dead, or dying- if they're lucky! I can't just sit around and do nothing." He hadn't been able to keep a pleading note out of his voice, and felt like a little kid again, trying to beg his mom to let him stay up late.
Of course, he'd thought, somewhat bitterly, he should be used to losing by now.
Leo'd met Jason's eyes, and the two had locked gazes unrelentingly. The waves, lapping against the hull in the background, were the only sound as Leo glared at his best friend. That was when he'd realized something.
He was really, really tired.
Also, being the weaker one sucked.
"Fine." Leo'd said, breaking Jason's gaze. He'd turned, and seen the rest of the crew scattered across the deck, not even trying to hide the fact that they'd been listening. Leo'd scanned the group, and locked eyes briefly with Frank, who's tense look softened minutely. "Fine." Leo had repeated, looking back towards Jason. "Three hours. Then you wake me up."
"Fine." Jason had echoed, in a purposefully light tone.
And so Leo had staggered off to the lower decks, towards his cabin- at least, he'd intended to go to his cabin. He'd been walking down the hall, and then had caught sight of the doors to the hold.
What? He was ADHD.
So there he was. Sitting in the company of an ancient, much too realistic statue that had come at much too high a cost. He braced himself for a rallying talk from Jason, but as footsteps creaked on the floor, Leo realized the person was walking with a limp.
He instantly ruled out Annabeth, then hated the fact that he did.
"That won't help, you know."
Leo let out a dry laugh, with none of his usual humor, as Nico Di Angelo sat down carefully beside him. "Don't know what you're talking about." Leo responded, not making eye contact. It was quiet for a moment, then he looked over at Nico, studying him curiously, but somewhat warily.
He was a weird kid- the kind that wouldn't survive a second in the streets, at least not at first glance. Gaunt, pale face contrasting almost comically with his night black hair, Nico looked like a goth who didn't get enough hugs as a child.
Although, when Leo looked deeper, he thought he saw something more. Some kind of deep-rooted, primal urge; not to survive, but to fight. Nico looked as if he'd seen every dark secret the world had to offer, and had emerged unimpressed and a little broken.
This scrappy kid had seen a lot.
Too much.
"Are you here to yell at me for Jason?" asked Leo conversationally, looking back towards the massively creepy statue.
Nico shrugged. "I'm not much for yelling."
Leo nodded, glancing towards him. "Draws too much attention?"
The black haired boy smirked dryly. "Who's listening, anyway?"
It was ominously quiet for a long moment, and Leo pulled a few bolts out of his belt, absently playing around. The words he wanted to say were heavy on his tongue, and he couldn't seem to force them out.
"Are they dead?" Leo choked. "Annabeth and Percy?" Nico turned his gaze to him, no expression on his face. Leo thought he seemed unusually unaffected, but when the boy spoke, his voice seemed to waver slightly.
"They're in hell." He said, then looked straight ahead.
Leo fought a lump in his throat. "Is that my answer?"
Nico looked up at the statue with mild interest, looking right into its eyes as the remnants of a cobweb drifted down towards them. "I think," Nico began, "It should be. But it's not. Maybe it's Percy, or maybe I'm wrong, or maybe they're just lucky, but they're not dead. Yet."
Leo smirked, and for the first time in what felt like forever, felt a ridiculous urge to laugh.
"Lucky." He said, shaking his head. "That's it."
The only good thing that had come from this: Leo wasn't the crazy one anymore.
Oh, who was he kidding? They were all nuts.
Lucky.
