Leo's nose sniffled uncomfortably. Bergen-Belson wasn't exactly what he imagined. It looked like, in Leo's vision, a bland sight of grey with big dull clouds filled with chemicals and failed heroes. All there were around him was dry cobble and too many barracks. No weeds grew, no true life appeared apparent. There were a few grey buildings lingering behind the barracks, but those were the only thing sticking out in his vision. The moment he stepped foot into the area, he knew he didn't like it. He already felt the tingly chill that made goosbumps go up and down his spine, making him shiver. There were no voices, no laughter. It was dead silent. He didn't even hear a breath.
When he turned to his left he saw Nico lingering beside him patiently. There wasn't an inch of emotion in Nico's face but the entire morning Nico wouldn't exchange glances with him. The ride here was filled with dead silence. He attempted to speak to him, but whenever he tried Nico would give him a cold, hellish glare that forced him to turn his head toward the window. He didn't mean to do this, he wanted to tell him, he wanted his best friend back. He is not your best friend, a voice in his mind snapped sharply, Nico di Angelo will never be your best friend. Jason is your best friend. Only Jason!
"Welcome boys," a voice projected, "Welcome to your new home." Both Nico and Leo turned their heads to meet Jason's eyes. Jason, who had a large smile touching from ear to ear, held out his arms welcomingly. In the corner of Leo's eyes, he noticed how Nico's face shifted into great loathe. Nico's irises pierced him sharply, as if contemplating what kind of dagger he'd kill him with after Jason went to sleep. But then a thin-lipped smile reflected back.
"It's nice to see you here, General Grace," Nico replied stiffly. Jason chuckled, digging his white fingers into his blonde hair.
"No, don't do that, die Engel," Jason said, clapping him on the shoulder, "Here you can call me Jason. Not General Jason, not Jason Grace, just Jason. Because we're all friends here, right?" His blue eyes danced toward Leo and Leo smiled, though Nico's lips twitched down harshly. Nico clearly didn't want to be friends.
"Let me guide you to the main building, alright?" Jason said, hooking his arms around the boys. Jason pulled them through the camp happily.
"This is where the prisoners will stay. It's a fairly small camp and I want to keep it that way. Only twelve barracks, but so far there are only thirty prisoners here," Jason said.
"Why?" Nico's voice snapped fast. Jason's smile went down for a moment, before replenishing.
"Well, it's a special camp, Nicholas," Jason said, marveling Nico's name on his tongue, "We're not like the others." Nico's face collapsed, but Leo was perfectly okay with that. The smaller the camp, the less people he'll have to see die.
"This is the café," Jason said, nodding to a small, barely lit tent, "But don't worry, we don't eat there. All our stuff is at the good building." Leo's eyes fell toward the large grey building behind it – shiny, clean, stable. Unlike the rest of this. He couldn't help but feel guilty.
"The only thing you won't find there is your beds," Jason told them, "and my office. Your beds will be in individual cabins because you guys are highly-ranked and my office will be at the small left building toward the right of the large building which is where we will meet-"
"Anna," A higher-toned voice interrupted, "Just Anna." A thin, blonde girl, dressed in a male's Nazi uniform exited out of one of the barracks. Her hair was tied up, but Leo recognized the blonde curls that we tucked into the hair band. She walked in front of them, leading them like a true leader.
There was a drop of blood on her forehead.
"I am running this place just as much as Jason here," she told both of them sharply, "So don't assume just because I am a female that I can't kick your butt." Leo would have laughed if it wasn't true. It didn't matter what time period he was in – Annabeth was terrifying. His eyes lingered on her body for a moment, his heart calming as his words echoed again. It was Annabeth Chase. He never imagined seeing her again.
Her eyes caught onto his sharply, as if exchanging an understanding that Leo clearly didn't receive.
"Follow me," she said harshly, continuing their adventure. Nico's eyes squinted.
"I don't know if Jason informed you two about this, but I specifically brought up the idea of promoting you," her voice rang, "You guys are the perfect fit for what we need." A gulp hung in Leo's throat. What was that supposed to mean?
"What exactly is this promotion?" Nico asked as they turned a corner toward a large shed-like building.
"Well, for the most part, you guys are going to be doing the bigger projects," Annabeth said as she pushed open the shed door, "Talking over the soldiers below you, communicating with the prisoners, making sure everybody is following the rules. And some other unique requests." Something sparkled in Annabeth's eyes as she said the last part. Nico's shoulders straightened, while Leo slouched stupidly. What was that supposed to mean?
A light flickered into the shed and Annabeth wavered through. A wave of cool air welcomed Leo as he stepped into the shed. The shed was large – probably half of his cabin at Camp Half-Blood. The floor was carpet, there were two large desks on opposite sides, a mini table, and two pairs of chairs in front of the desks. Of course, there were other things like artifacts, books, and letters scrambled everywhere. Nico took a point to stare at the things around them, but Leo was too surprised to see the luxury of a shed.
"This is Jason's and my office," Annabeth announced, "As I previously said. We will be in here most of the time, so if there is an issue that can't be fixed, we will most-likely be here or walking around the camp." Annabeth, as if to show her superiority, prowled to the other side of one of the desks – Leo couldn't help but notice a mini owl statue on top of the desk.
"Your cabins are behind this shed," she directed, "You may go now, if you please." Leo's eyes shot toward Nico's, who nodded.
"Thank you very much," Nico tried to say in a casual tone, but only came out sarcastically. Nico spun on his heel, nearly hitting Jason, and strutted out of the shed. Quickly, Leo followed him as he cut through some dead bushes and almost stepped on a cat. Leo noticed as Nico's eyes flashed back at him annoyingly, until they made it to the wrecked-up barracks. Sure, it wasn't as bad as the prisoner's barracks, but it still looked like it was made by a two year old.
That's what I'm going to do, Leo decided, I'm going to remake these stupid things.
"Wow, nice cabins," Leo said aloud sarcastically, as Nico stopped two examine – literally – their names engraved on the doors sloppily. Nico couldn't look at him. Instead, he stepped into his barrack, but then Leo yelped.
"Wait!" Leo said. Nico froze.
"I tried saying this in the car," Leo lied, "But last night I was drunk. They were giving us some tough beer at the banquet and I drank too much. Anything I said – anything I did – I'm sorry. It was probably just a sick joke." Nico turned his head just far enough to meet eyes.
"You don't even remember what you said?" Nico asked.
"No," Leo lied again, "I don't even remember what I said." At first Nico hesitated. He stepped away from the barrack and towered over. Leo's hairs on the back of his neck started prickling up as he got ready for whatever fight Nico was going to put him in, but then Nico's arms collapsed around him. Leo sucked in his breath, shocked. Nico di Angelo was hugging him?
"It's okay, man," Nico said tightly, "It's been a rough few weeks. I understand that sometimes you just need a drink. But be careful next time, alright?" But when Nico backed away, Leo saw the doubt in Nico's eyes. He didn't believe him. So why was he pretending to?
"Well, okay then-" But then a yell interrupted them.
"DIE ENGEL! VALDEZ!" A thick voice screamed from the larger building. Suddenly, Leo felt his feet take off. An urgency rushed through him. Maybe this was the moment where he would find the rest of his friends – find the box.
But when he opened the door to the largest grey building, he found Jason waiting for him with a smile. Nico slammed to a stop on his heel, taking husky breaths.
"Sorry for the interruption," Jason said, "I know you guys were trying to go to your barracks, but I have a situation for you that I just discovered." Nico's thick black eyebrows furrowed down.
"What do you mean?" He asked, but then a screech hit his ears.
"Shut up!" A female voice demanded. "Shut your mouth!" Leo's eyes shot toward the closed room to his left. Though he couldn't truly see the voices, the wall that separated them was partially see-through glass. Leo choked as he noticed the blood stains on the walls.
"Bring him in, Anna!" Jason called. The door slammed open suddenly, making Leo rock back on his heel.
The wailing man was dragged into the room roughly. A trail of blood followed his body as two soldiers, neither of them a day over seventeen, dragged him across the tile floor. At first, Leo believed the man was screaming in agony, but then Leo took notice of the mad expression on the man's face. A large smile spread from ear to ear, a painful cackle rising into the air. As the boy lifted his head, and swiped his blood-drenched hair that was glued to his forehead away from his eyes, Leo noticed the overly large green eyes dance.
Leo muttered to himself, "He's crazier than me." But then he saw Nico shake his head, half to himself.
"No , he's a revolutionary," Nico said wistfully, a respectful tone ringing in his voice. Jason didn't hear them; instead he kneeled down to the prisoner's level, analyzing him as if the prisoner were a mutated animal.
"Men, meet Peter Johanson," Jason introduced, "The only man to ever volunteer to join a concentration camp." Leo's suddenly flashed, a cord he didn't notice by first glance, but then he saw him.
"Percy Jackson," Leo muttered to himself immediately as his eyes watched the bloody man laugh. "Seventeen, New York, worldwide leader. Martyr." He recognized the symbolic traits that connected him immediately; the sea green eyes, the lean structure, the black hair, and the determination that beamed off him.
That was four; Percy, Nico, Jason, and Annabeth.
Nico eyes flashed toward him suddenly, staring at him as if he had cursed. Leo's eyes held onto his for a moment, but then pulled away toward Jason.
"Seventeen," Jason confirmed, "I think he has English descent according to his accent… though he refuses to speak in my native tongue. He is probably from London if I'm right and quite the leader for somebody his age. We found him in Berlin with a couple of other youths following his chants against Hitler in an underground railroad for Jews that are on the run. When we crashed the party though, he was the only one left. Immediately, he ran into the streets, cackling and saying he volunteers. He volunteered to be in the concentration camp. To be honest, since he isn't a Jew, I would've probably let him go. But whatever…his loss."
"What about his other details?" Nico questioned as he picked up Percy's file from a small table next to a file cabinet. "It only dates back from when he was fourteen."
"That's the thing, we actually have no idea who this kid is," Jason said to him honestly in a small voice, "Before he was fourteen, nobody knew his name."
(three dashes here)
Leo and Nico followed Anna as she escorted Percy to his new home. They stopped half way to his barrack though, incapable of moving any closer. Leo watched him numbly as Percy was half-dragged away cackling. He couldn't just leave Percy here! How was he going to get him out?! Leo's fingers tapped along his pant leg anxiously until he caught sight of Nico's frown.
"Mentally ill," Nico muttered in Leo's ears.
"Hmm?" Leo asked, feeling so sick he couldn't even open his mouth.
"He's mentally ill," Nico said louder, "You can tell. Only a maniac would have that spirit of Orc embedded into him." Leo's eyebrows furrowed.
"Are you surprised?" But Nico's eyes simply watched Percy until he was out of sight and Leo could see the way his eyes crashed every step at a time.
"No," Nico then said, "Not surprised at all. It just makes me rethink us, you know?" Leo waited.
"You know, our choice in the war," Nico continued, a harshness ringing in his voice, "Our decision on how to impact our side. Is it truly dauntless? Or does it make us cowards, hiding under a fake identity?" Leo's lips pursed.
"I-"
"Bye boys! We'll be back in a jiffy!" A voice interrupted. Both of their heads turned instantly. Jason walked out of the main building proudly, with a Nazi-hat-thing planted on his head and gloves. But Leo's eyes caught hold of the woman next to him. He recognized her immediately.
"Belinda," Leo said, "He brought her here?" The question was stupid when he said it out loud. Where else would she stay? But still, bringing your girlfriend in such a terrible atmosphere shocked him. He would never let Calypso stay here.
"Bye," Leo called back as Jason and Belinda's image faded away toward the train tracks, louder than his previous words.
Nico's eyes followed her wistfully, a craving reflecting in his irises. Leo's lips pursed as he watched her as well. He guessed she was pretty – long dark hair, black-mooned eyes, pale white skin. But she didn't come off extraordinary. She could barely make eye contact with, well, anyone. He was sure she had some sort've attractive features that appealed to Nico, but to be honest he couldn't catch what Nico saw in her.
"Still crushing on Grace's girlfriend?" Leo said with a smirk, but Nico didn't even exchange glances.
"She's quite beautiful, don't you think?" Nico asked, though the tone in his voice seemed mechanic. Leo's lips twitched.
"I mean, I guess, but I had this one girlfriend. Her name was Calypso. She was the most beautiful girl on the pla-"
"I wonder what she thinks about when she looks at me," Nico blurted, "I wonder if she sees me." Leo was quiet for a moment, reminded once again that he was speaking to Nico di Angelo. Nico di Angelo, the same boy who never spoke at dinner or had any social contact with anybody except for Hazel. He saw him kiss her once or twice on the cheek, but that was the closest he had ever seen Nico di Angelo show affection, or even share a piece of his mind. Leo never really tried getting to know him to be honest, but now he wondered what did go through Nico di Angelo's head?
(three dashes here)
Nico and Leo parted almost immediately afterword, but as soon as they did Leo had no idea what to do with himself. Nothing was really in chaos. Nobody needed him. He wasn't exactly in charge of the prisoners – he was only there for "special tasks" (whatever that meant). So he trailed the grounds again, digesting all of the terrible atmospheres. A miserable feeling started to eat him up though, the longer he lingered outside. He felt like a piece of himself was dissolving. He wanted to take everything apart and remake it. He wanted to find his toolbelt. He wanted to be a mechanic again. He wanted to be Leo.
But after the third or fourth time of circling the place, creating different objects in his head which he would need metal to make (which he frankly didn't have) in order to get Percy out sucessfully, he found himself staring at the barrack Percy was dragged in. No other prisoners were placed in there, he noticed. His eyes shot around him quickly. Nico wasn't there. Jason was gone. Annabeth was out of sight. Why didn't he go into the barrack and at least meet Peter Johanson? Sure, he knew he wouldn't get away with dragging him out now, but what was wrong going to speak to him?
He felt his feet walk over to it, slowly caving into the dim light. A thick terrifying smell blew through his nose, making him stumble.
"Oh! For the love of gods!" Leo yelped, covering his mouth tightly. It smelled like death.
He stared around anxiously, hoping not to see any bodies, but it was mostly blackness. How was he supposed to find Percy Jackson if he couldn't see anything? But then he saw the match and candle next to him, hanging on the door. Quickly, he lit it.
"Hello?" His voice squeaked weakly as he slowly inched into the barrack.
"Yes?" A voice answered. The voice was so close that he bounced back harshly, hitting his head on a top bunk. He cursed aloud, but then looked for the voice again.
"Down here," The voice said. Leo slowly followed the voice, finding himself bending over and meeting eyes with a creature under the lower bunk. There were bars placed in front of him, locking him under the bench uncomfortably. Cautiously, Leo waved the candle toward him, trying to get a clearer look.
A thin, white boy appeared before his eyes. His skin was scathed with scratches and bruises. He was shivering. But this time, Percy Jackson looked more normal. Sure, his eyes were still a bit crazy, and he looked like he just had three energy drinks within five minutes, but he appeared approachable.
"Yes?" Percy asked surly.
"Hi, I'm here to talk to you." Percy's left eyebrow rose.
"Prisoner?" Percy asked, though he eyed his uniform considerably.
"Uh, no, not really," Leo said, "I don't have the nerve to steal a uniform. But I need to talk to you, because I need your help. I feel like you're the only one who can."
Percy squinted his madly-crazed eyes at him suspiciously.
"How are you even here?" Percy asked.
"What do you mean 'how am I here'? Okay, look, I need to speak fast before Nico finds me and kicks my-"
"They do understand you aren't white, right?" Percy asked. Leo's eyes stared down at his hands.
"I mean, you're obviously Mexican-"
"Mexican-American," Leo corrected coolly, "Not Mexican."
"But a Nazi?" Percy asked.
"It's complicated," Leo said, considering the label. Percy tilted his head.
"Wait, a real one or-"
Leo said slowly, "Leo is Nazi. Get it? Understand? So we can move on?" Percy's eyes squinted tighter.
"But you're Mexican."
"Mexican-American!" Leo corrected sharply, digging head into his hands hopelessly.
"Look bro, I don't have much time. I need to get home soon, you see, because I'm from the future. I'm not supposed to be a Nazi! You and I are demigods in the early 2000's. Your name isn't Peter Johanson – It's actually Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. We're all a bunch of demigods that live in New York. Me, you, Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace, Annabeth and a few more peeps that I still need to find, you hear me? Now I'm stuck in this stupid past, but I need you to help me." Percy blinked at him.
"Okay," he accepted. Leo's eyes lit up.
"You believe me?" He said excitingly. "Seriously?!" Percy shrugged, leaning against the wall.
"I mean, if you are Mexican-American," Percy said, "I guess anything can be true."
"Oh my gods, thank Hephaestus! I thought you wouldn't believe me! But of you course you did. You and Jason, man, you guys are the leaders! You guys are unstoppable! But you need to help me find something. It's this wacky-"
Percy interrupted him, suddenly lunging toward him and curling his hands around the metal bars, making Leo stumble backwards with a yelp.
"Holly," Percy breathed, "The witch. You must kill the witch!" The roof of Leo's mouth curled upward.
"What do you mean? Who the dingle is Holly?" Leo asked, but Percy's eyes spazzed out again, jotting left to right.
"The witch must be killed," Percy told him urgently, "She is the enemy! You hear me? HOLLY IS THE ENEMY!" Suddenly a black shadow lingered over them. Leo's eyes shot upward as Percy continued to scream. Nico hazed over his vision. His eyes were as cold as stone.
"Leo, get up," Nico said in a thin, cool voice, "Now." Leo stumbled to his feet and Nico, as if he didn't trust him, yanked him by the neck and half dragged him out of the barrack.
"Ow, stop!" Leo yelped as Nico pulled him. Finally, as they made it to a tree, Nico shoved him away from him.
"What the hell was that?" Nico sneered. Leo took a deep breath.
"What do you mean?" Leo asked. Nico's eyes flashed.
"Don't talk to him," Nico said sternly, "Don't ever talk to Peter Johanson." Leo was tempted to ask why, but at the same time he didn't really want to. There was a sick feeling growing in his stomach and he didn't have the energy to care. All he knew was that he was doomed. He was doomed forever.
(three dashes)
"We can get in so much trouble," Nico continued his rant bitterly, "if they find you speaking to prisoners casually, you get that?" Nico had been lecturing him for the last ten minutes after finding him with Percy. After a while, Leo had learned to shut up.
"You and your curiousness is going to get us killed some day," Nico snarled, "What were you even trying to accomplish anyways?"
"Look, theres just stuff on my mind, alright? And the guy looked familiar." Nico stopped suddenly, staring at Leo harshly.
"You want to talk to somebody? Talk to me!" Nico half-yelled. "Don't talk to some creepy-"
"He's just a prisoner," Leo said, as Nico continued to walk fast. He opened a door from behind the grey building, forcing Leo to go in. Leo hesitated at first, but then tiptoed inside. Nico nodded his head toward a staircase which descended down.
"Where have you been anyways?" Leo turned on him. He had watched Nico disappear behind the barracks, obviously up to something. He just never bothered to follow him.
"Trying to find some stuff," Nico whispered as they half-ran down the stairs. Leo couldn't see the end of the staircase, but he saw how it grew darker. A suspicious rumble erupted in his stomach.
"Like what?" Leo snarled. "What happened to 'talking to each other'?" Nico's face hardened. Finally, they made it on the floor. Leo peered in front of him. It was mostly a long tunnel-like hall way.
"Is this an underground-"
"An underground building? Yes. Come on!" Nico said as he pulled him toward a different corridor.
"This is what you've been doing? Looking for underground buildings without me? Not cool!"
"Jason never went anywhere with Belinda," Nico informed him, "He just did a circle and dropped Belinda off at a cabin to rest. So I followed him." Leo's eyes widened.
"You were stalking his girlfriend?" Leo said suddenly, but then Nico grabbed him by the collar and spun him.
"What—Where are we-" But then his voice fell silent. His eyes drew toward a transparent window that rested right beside him, which separated him from the next room, and he let out a gurgling sound. A girl with dark hair and dusty-brown skin was strapped to a table. She fought to keep her head up, her mouth wide and her eyes filled with pain. Leo, as if on instinct, clamped his ears fiercely, though he couldn't hear her terrifying screams. From where he could see, she didn't look much older than sixteen. But then his eyes opened wider and a hit of nausea overthrew him. He knew that girl. He ran into her in his room. She was the maid. She was the minority. She was the girl who wasn't supposed to go to a concentration camp.
And she was getting tortured.
Leo fingers raced to the transparent window, as if clawing to get in.
"Oh my gods," he croaked, "What is this place?"
"One of the torture chambers," Nico said, so calm it was frightening. "It's where they put…special prisoners. Like this one – this was the girl Peter was rambling about. Her name is Holly." Leo's lips shook violently.
"Yeah, and what did she do?" Leo hissed, though he wasn't looking at him. "What did she do to deserve this? Huh, Nico?"
"They think she's psychic," Nico muttered, as if entirely intrigued, "They think she's enlightened and that she can help them with the war. Like she's some witch." Leo's eyes fell back to the screaming girl, remembering Percy's words. You must kill the witch.
"So they're torturing her?" But when Leo turned around to look at Nico, his voice stopped. Nico was standing up tall, his chin in the air, his arms at his sides. He looked professional – possibly even unstoppable. But when Leo noticed the redness forming into Nico's eyes, his anger vanished.
"I don't know, Leo," Nico said, his voice tight yet shaky, "But I swear, that Peter kid has something to do with it. And if I ever find him – if I'm ever alone enough – I'm going to kill him." And before Leo could say another word, he turned away from him and vanished amongst the dark tunnel.
(Insert three dashes)
Leo didn't bother going to find him. Instead, he rushed to his barrack and got settled. It was dark and dusty and smelled like rotten milk, but he didn't even notce. Quickly, he pulled out a scrap piece of paper he found in a burned-out drawer and a pen.
Annabeth
Percy
Nico
Jason
He found himself staring at the names. But what about the rest? He bit his lip gently, plopping down onto his uncomfortable bed. When he closed his eyes, he could hear the faint sound of whispers. Possibly from the guards, or maybe from the thirty or so prisoners. He could just let them out, an idea spurred in him, so at least when he dies he will die for the greater good.
No, a voice stopped him sternly. It took him a moment to realize that it was Hazel's voice in his head. You can do this.
Could he? Nico thought he was nuts, Percy Jackson was nuts, Jason is a hazard, and Annabeth is as stubborn as she has always been. Even if he managed to find the rest of them, he still didn't know how he was going to bring them together.
"What am I supposed to-"
"Hey, anybody in there?" A voice asked suddenly, following a knock. Leo sat up with a jolt and his eyes flickered to the door.
"Nicholas?" He asked, and he was surprised to hear the happiness in his tone. But when he opened the door, it was just another uniformed kid. He didn't look a day older than fifteen. Leo frowned.
"No," the boy said, "This is from General Grace." The boy handed him a folded note, and Leo took it cautiously. Slowly, he opened it.
Meet me at my office at dawn tomorrow. We have some changes to do.
When he looked up, the boy was gone. He guessed that was a good thing, because suddenly his fingers were shaking in anger.
"He's going to do something stupid, isn't he?" Leo heard himself say under his breath. "He's probably going to do something like move me to a different camp or fire Nico or something absolutely stupid that will ruin everything." Quickly, he jumped out of his barrack and ran up to Nico's doorstep.
"Nicholas!" He hissed under his breath, slamming his knuckles against the door. "Open up, I have an issue! Jason changed his plans! He's going to screw us up! Nicholas!" But there was dead silence. He knocked again, harder, but when he jammed his ear to the door he didn't hear a soul.
"Dang flabbit, he's asleep!" Leo growled to himself. "You know what? No! I'm talking to Jason right now! I'm not letting this happen to me!" He, not bothering to put on a proper shirt, strutted away from the barracks. He couldn't even fathom what Jason wanted to speak about. He didn't need to be taken away, he didn't need anything to be changed. He needed to find this stupid box!
Quickly, he found his way to Jason's office. The shed door was left ajar, light leaking out. Leo slowed down his strut, and without a warning he walked in.
He expected the Jason he had seen earlier. In a tight uniform, with a determined look on his face, and an aura of power. But instead when he walked into the shed he found a twenty-two year old boy with only an undershirt, clutching a flask. Jason took hold of the flask, taking a large sip, then putting it down gently.
"Er, Jason?" Leo said, his voice growing softer. What was this? Suddenly, a bad feeling spurred in his stomach. All at once he realized he didn't really want to be here.
Jason looked up at him dizzily, blinking.
"Oh, hello Valdez," Jason said, slurring his words. "What's wrong? Did yo—you get my note?"
"Uh, you know, I don't know why I came in here-"
"Nonsense!" Jason yelled louder than needed. His fingers wobbling, he picked up his flask and waved it toward Nico.
"Come on friend, tell me what's up!" Jason demanded.
"Er, you just gave me a note and I-"
"Oh, that stupid thing? Forget about it. It's just about food for the prisoners. Here, take some of my drink! It's good." Leo walked closer awkwardly.
"Yeah…no. I'm fine," Leo promised him. Jason wrinkled his nose.
"Your loss," he told him coolly, but then laughed loudly. "Your loss. You get it? You lose. You lost." Leo frowned.
"Ah, you know, I don't-"
"You know, I like you Valdez. I mean, you look kinda weird and stuff but I like you," Jason said, "And even that other – what, what is his name? Patrick? Liam?"
"Nico."
"Yeah, yeah, him," Jason said, taking a sip of his drink, "You guys are fabulous. I like you guys. You guys will be great here. True leaders!" Leo's lips pursed.
"Here, Jason, let me take that drink away from you. I think you're getting a little-"
"NO!" Jason shouted suddenly. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine Valdez."
"You're drunk, Jason."
"And shouldn't we all?" Jason said. "Come on, lighten up Valdez. We're young, we're invincible!" Leo shook his head at him disappointingly.
"We're going to be heroes," Jason swore to him, "We're going to be heroes, you hear me! Our kids will hear about us! Uhum, heroes they will call us! Or at least that's just what the government told me." Leo shook his head, about to turn away, but then Jason's tone changed. A dark, coolness filled it.
"You know, they're planning on killing all of them," Jason said, his tone shifting to a cool bitterness, before taking a dangerously large dose of his drink. Leo turned his face away, trying not to reveal that he already knew this. "That's why I'm drinking. They…they are going to kill all of them."
"We aren't supposed to be talking about it," Jason continued, "it's supposed to be a secret. But people will find out soon. Oh yes, they'll find out soon."
"And don't you want that?" Leo said through his gritted teeth. "To murder them?" Jason took another gulp.
"Containment, seizing, making a difference," Jason mumbled to himself. "That's what it is about."
"Then you're happy, right?" Leo guessed darkly.
Jason suddenly slammed his drink onto the table harshly, making Leo jump back.
"You don't get it, Valdez!" He yelled suddenly, swaying to his feet. "It's not about death! What we are doing…it's not supposed to be about ending their lives." Anger surged through Leo. He was tempted to tell him the future – how millions are going to die, how millions are going to perish because of one stupid dope named Hitler that he was worshipping.
"It's about…it's about solving the problem," Jason told him, "To win. But murder…I don't like murder, Valdez. Murder doesn't solve the problem. It just holds it off." Leo had issues with that idea even going inside his brain. Sure, he didn't really pay attention in school, but he knew that being in a concentration camp was a life sentence. He never imagined a leader in the German Army to go against it.
"So what?" Leo asked. "What do you want to do then?" Jason's eyes bored into his, a sadness sprouting into his eyes as he slumped back into his seat hopelessly.
"I don't know, Valdez," Jason said honestly, "I just don't know." Before Leo could respond, the flask slipped from Jason's hand, spilling against his desk. And just like his flask, Jason fell flat on his desk as well, straight asleep.
(insert three dashes)
Leo made sure Jason was in stable position before he left. Sure, he was positive that he would get hell for leaving him there tomorrow morning, but he couldn't stay there anymore. It was making him miserable watching his friend get wasted, so he propped a pillow under Jason's neck and let him dose away softly.
When he walked out, he was planning on going straight to his bunk, but then he saw a light flicker in the large building. Curiousness flowing in him, he walked into the building. It was almost pitch black, except for a small light coming out of the kitchen down the hall. Silently, he crept toward it. Was it a prisoner? Was it another guard? Either way, he was hungry.
"Hello?" He said aloud as he walked into the moldy kitchen. His eyes lingered around, until he saw the freezer door open widely. He crept toward it cautiously, first peering in to see the food. Immediately, he got a terrible whiff of moldy cheese and bad milk. There was everything in there – everything from eggs to frozen noddles. But everything looked terrifyingly gross.
"That is so—Nico?" When he looked farther into the freezer, he saw the towering dark figure. Nico stared at him coolly.
"Hey, are you eating without me? Dude, I am soooo hungry. I could use a-"
"Shut up!" Nico barked, pulling him by the collar and tossing him into the freezer. Nico shoved him so hard onto a sack of meat Leo's vision turned for a moment. Once he blinked, Nico was right in front of him.
"How did you know?" He said, the top of his upper lips curling furiously. Leo heard a click and his eyes stared up. A gun was planted to his head. Leo's breath shook.
"Woah, calm down bro-"
"SHUT UP! ANSWER ME! How did you know about the bloody box?!"
"What do you mean?" Leo asked, his eyes staring at the gun warily.
"Quit being an idiot!" Nico hissed. "The box. That stupid boy was mumbling about a box, you moron! And you knew about it. You told me! Are you keeping stuff from us, Leonardo?" Leo's eyebrows furrowed.
"Percy knows about the box?"
"Who the hel-"
"Peter, I mean," Leo corrected fast, flustered, "Peter knows about the box?" Leo had suddenly forgotten about the gun to his head. Instead, he was rethinking everything. Had Percy gone back in time as well and gone nuts? Or is this just his past self who just happened to know about the box as well?
"He told me," Nico said, his voice calming down, "When I came in later to ki—speak to him. He told me that he had to find some stupid box."
"I told you what the box was about," Leo reminded him fiercely, "You chose not to believe me." Nico flashed his clenched teeth and dug his thin, yet painful, finger nails into Leo's shoulder.
"You're lying," Nico decided, shaking his head, "You're lying! It's an act! You knew of him before!" Leo's lips smashed together firmly for a moment, marveling his words for a second before saying them aloud.
"I promise you Nicholas, I was not lyin-"
"Then how did you know he was a youth leader? That he was a martyr? That he was seventeen?" Nico demanded. "I heard you speak right when Peter came in, getting his information almost completely correct!" Leo lifted his head higher, and shook his head.
"You're so ignorant," Leo decided, "You're too ignorant to believe your own best friend. You say you're not a Nazi, but you are one. You live like them, you think like them, you act like them. The only productive thing I've seen you do lately is follow that stupid girl around like a puppy. Even I, Leo Valdez, am better than that." The gun that was pressed to Leo's head fell to the ground, but then a new dread fell into Leo. He knew he went too far. He could see inside Nico's devilish eyes that something bad was going to happen.
"Okay, fine, I'm sorry," Leo stumbled fast, "I was being a stupid kid. Just forget about it alright?"
"You don't get it," Nico blurted, a little to himself.
They were nose to nose. Leo could feel Nico's breath tickle the part between his upper lip and the tip of his nose. For some odd reason, he didn't back up. The tenseness in Nico's eyes froze him against the moldy meat.
"Er, Nicholas?" Leo muttered. Nico didn't move. There was a sudden rush of adrenaline in Nico's eyes, like he was a ticking bomb. Whether Nico di Angelo could admit it out not, he still had the blood of a Nazi; he was ruthless, powerful, and absolutely terrifying. Except, Leo added to himself, Nico saw love like a dying race that he had to cure. Nico di Angelo was brave. But now Leo was recalculating everything. The way Nico's eyes glimmered was…something he had never seen. Was he truly a spy? Was this the moment Nico would pull out a knife and reveal his identity as a real Nazi?
Still, no response.
"Look, if you're going to kill me can you at least—" but then Nico's lips smothered his.
Thanks guy! Review, review, review! Or else I won't know if you want more. Follows/etc don't count because I don't know if you really want more or if you're just being nice D:
But thank you for reading anyways
