The Problem With Leo Valdez
Disclaimer: All characters[aside from a few OC's] belong to RR.
Leo Valdez is-unfortunetly- not my creation as with the other demigod characters.
They're pretty cool, though.
Good job, Rick.
A/N: With the recent Blood of Olympus cover release and the theories sworming around two certain demigods and giants, I have either a new short story idea, or finally an actual plot for this thing.
Whichever one I pick, I am so so sorry Piper & Leo.
Also! Please do not worry about Frank being dead... because he's still very much alive and he WILL return sometime.
... Perhaps an antagonist due to an Eidolon, hm?
oOOH and YES I am aware of how short this is.
Chapter: XI
Piper
Decisions
Piper was exhausted. Her brain needed a rest, her legs hurt, and her arms ached as if she had been hanging in a tree all day. She was tired, and all she wanted to do was lay down in her bunk back at Camp Half-Blood and have a nice, long nap.
That, however, would not be happening any time soon.
She had been woken up to the sound of inaudible muttering (though she wasn't sure when exactly she had fallen asleep) and had kept her eyes shut tight until she could understand what the speaker was saying.
"Really!" He insisted. "I don't remember how we got here, but I got you out of that hell-hole, didn't I? Stop with the freaking ropes already!"
Automatically, Piper recognized the voice.
"Leo," She said, opening her eyes. What she saw surprised her. Back where the Argo II had crashed, Piper was laying beside a sleeping Annabeth and a sitting Hazel while Jason and Percy tied Leo's arms up.
The boy's head turned to her at the sound of her voice, and Piper flinched when she saw his golden eyes light up with excitement. The Eidolon still hadn't left, even after it had somehow taken Frank away. Who else did it want from the group?
"Tell them to let me go!" Leo pleaded, narrowing his eyes at Percy. "Where'd you get the ropes, anyway? Didn't they go kaboom with everything else?"
Percy just pulled the ropes tighter around Leo's wrists.
Piper forced herself to her feet and wandered towards them. "What are you doing?" She asked, her question directed at Jason.
He lowered an eyebrow. "What does it look like?" He retorted, then let his shoulders fall. "I don't like it either, but at least this way we'll know when he's about to do something."
"Right, right. 'Cause we just can't trust Valdez, can we?" Leo huffed.
"Yeah, we can't." Piper frowned, remembering their earlier conversation. "Not with the freaky eyes, at least."
"I told you already," Leo groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance. "I don't know any more than you do!"
Jason only shrugged. He had been so serious before, but now, out in the open and not in a situation where he could drown, he looked like his regular self. "Which gives us all the more reason to not trust what you're telling us, man. Eyes don't change colour for the fun of it, alright? You could be being controlled right now and not even know it."
"Whatever." Leo muttered, pulling his hands away after Percy had finished tying them together. "We're not going to get anything done if we don't start working together on this."
"What we need to do is go East so we can get to Athens." Hazel muttered, rubbing her temples. "All before the Feast of Spes, which is on. . . August first. Oh gods, how are we going to get there on time? And without Frank, too. . ."
Piper gave her an attempt at an uplifting smile. The daughter of Pluto was strong, but they all had been through so much and it was no surprise that she was worrying.
"We'll do it. Somehow, we'll figure out a way." Piper promised.
Percy kicked a stray pebble. "Gaea will probably drag our butts to Athens, anyway. You know, to use two of us as sacrifices and whatnot."
Jason nodded, his expression grim. "One way or another, I guess we'll be there on time."
Sitting down on his plot on the grass, Leo tried to throw dirt at the two boys with his feet.
"Can you guys stop being a bunch of lousy downers?" He snapped, frowning. "Like I said, we gotta work together. I can whip up a chariot or something, and Percy can call Blackjack and Jason, you can try to get your horse shaped storm cloud under control. If not. . . Hazel, can Arion fly?"
Hazel put her hands down and glared at him. "Does he look like he has wings?"
"Woah, alright. I was just-"
"No, Leo. He can't fly. And he's a cavalry horse, anyway, not a chariot one."
"Right, right. 'Cause I know all about horses. My mistake." Leo huffed, looking away from her.
Hazel, however, kept her gaze fixed to the boy. "You're the one that got us in to this mess in the first place, Leo." She hissed at him. "You do something!"
Leo's eyebrows furrowed, and Piper could literally feel the frustration circling around him. "What do you think I'm trying to do?" He nearly shouted, his voice sounding strained as he tried not to yell. "I'm sorry I did a bunch of stuff that I don't even remember doing, okay? Sorry for messing things up!"
"Like you always do." Hazel spat, sprouting to her feet. She glanced over at Piper, a defeated look in her eyes, then hung her head. "I'm sorry." She said quietly after a few moments. "I just. . . I need a walk."
As soon as she was out of earshot, Percy wacked Leo on the head. "Way to go." He muttered before flopping down on the grass as well. "So I guess we're totally going to die, huh? I mean, at least if we had Frank he could have turned into a dragon and we could fly or something, I guess. . ."
Jason raised an eyebrow in amusement. "A son of Neptune pondering defeat? Well, give me sandels and call me Mercury." He chuckled. Piper guessed that it had sounded much funnier to her boyfriend, but to her it sounded like something straight from a cheesy Roman-based kids cartoon.
"Neptune may be different, but Poseidon would be telling me to sit back and enjoy an iced-tea right about now. Of course, that'd be if he bothered to chat." Percy muttered, flicking a strand of grass backwards.
"Father issues between you and Big P., fantastic. Can we figure out how we're gonna get out of here now?" Leo chipped in.
Jason shrugged. "We don't even know where here is."
"Then let me go check if the ships GPS is working!"
Piper frowned. "Was it with the computer system stuff you had going on up at the main deck?" She asked.
Leo nodded.
"Then it's gone."
"You saw it?"
Piper gestured to the remaining half of the Argo II, and then to all its bits scattered around.
"I'm pretty sure it's gone, Valdez." She half-laughed.
Leo clapped his hands together and turned towards Jason. "Come on, man!" He begged. Even with the Eidolon eyes, he managed to pull off a pretty good pleading puppy face. "Let go of the stupid leash thingamajig, and me and Beauty Queen can go check for supplies on the ship!"
Piper felt a chill go down her spine. After their conversation in the water... she hardly comfortable going anywhere with Leo, let alone completely by themselves.
"Maybe one of you two could come too, then?" Piper offered, looking at her boyfriend.
"I think I'll stick here with Annabeth and wait for Hazel to get back." Percy muttered, shooting a glance at Leo. "But you three can do whatever, I guess."
"Great!" Leo grinned, shooting to his feet. "Let's go?"
Jason nodded. "Let's go."
