Two chapters within three hours!? Fuck, I'm tired! D:
But! I love this chapter and just wanted to post it immediately! So, yay for you guys! :D
I hope you enjoy this, even though you guys are gonna hate me for getting the song stuck in your head. 0:)
Saspie: 19
Espark: 18
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids/Teens are mine. The song is also technically not mine. I'll disclaim that at the bottom.
XIV
LEO
Leo banged away at the loose metal hanging off of Icarus's armor. The dragon played around with its neck movements more than Festus ever did as a masthead. Leo didn't know how this dragon had turned out so playful. He wasn't even permanently activated like Festus was!
Icarus creaked at Leo. The son of Hephaestus rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you didn't move around so violently I wouldn't have to do this in the first place. Don't complain to me about being slow!"
Creak. Whir. Tap. Tap.
"I surely hope Tulio didn't program you with such a mouth," he complained. "I should wash your insides with soap!"
"You're complaining about the automaton's potty mouth when you're no better?"
Leo whirled around. Annabeth was leaning against the rail, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Leo said innocently.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You have just as bad a sailor's mouth as Percy. I've heard you when you're away from the kids. Makes me want to wash your mouth with soap."
Leo bowed. "At least I'll be remembered for something other than my good looks!"
Annabeth snorted. "Keep dreaming, Repair Boy."
"You sound like Piper."
Leo looked down. He didn't like the fact that Piper wasn't here arguing with him. Usually Annabeth wasn't this fun to hang with alone. Not like Piper or Calypso. Both of them beat him senseless with insults just to keep him in line. Annabeth just plain scared him.
"We'll find her," the daughter of Athena promised. "We're almost halfway done."
Leo sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just really miss Calypso."
"And I miss Percy." Annabeth patted him on the shoulder. "This is the second time in my life that I've had to be apart from him like this. It really stinks."
"Same here," Leo agreed. "Being apart from Calypso…sometimes I feel like I can't handle it. My heart keeps being tugged in all directions. I just want to curl up and die in a corner I'm so hurt and alone…"
Saying that was kind of embarrassing, but he felt it needed to be said. Annabeth nodded and gently hugged him.
"We can do this," she said. "We've got to trust that our children can handle these challenges. I believe in them, which means I also believe that Percy is still alive out there, just waiting for us."
"Yeah…" Leo closed his eyes and smiled. "You're right…"
A sort of hissing sound caught Leo's attention. He and Annabeth turned around to see an Iris Message floating just in front of Icarus. At the moment it was full of static.
Just as that moment, Mark, Lacy and Bobby all ran up the stairs.
"We all heard the message," Lacy said through a pant.
"What message?" Annabeth asked.
"The one that said 'Get above deck, there's a message waiting for everyone to see'," Mark said.
"You didn't say that?" Bobby asked.
Leo shook his head, really confused. "There is and IM here." He pointed to the misty static in front of Icarus's head. "But at the moment it..."
A voice interrupted him. The Iris Message was saying something:
"Live at the Bellagio Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada: the one-hit sensation that will sweep the nation: Stage in Flames! Featuring our host: Janus!"
"Oh boy," Annabeth commented. "That can't be good. If Janus is sending us an IM, this probably has something to do with the kids!"
The message lit up with a view of a huge, round stage. The camera of the IM panned around the audience of (hopefully) mortals clapping and whistling in approval and excitement. At last it ended up looking back on to the stage, where a tall man in an Elvis-style suit stood, microphone in hand. Leo immediately noticed this guy had two faces.
"Hey, everybody," said the left face.
"Welcome to the show," said the right.
"Tonight, you're about to witness…"
"…the musical talent of an undiscovered person."
"You all are very lucky to be witnessing the one-time-only, one-hit wonder!"
"Now, there is a reason this person is performing in front of you all."
"You all (as well as myself) have to judge this person's performance. If you love it, you'd better show it. If you hate it, show it as well! If they win our approval, they get to keep the prize: This glorious Bengal tiger, descended from the far off land of China!"
The camera zoomed away to view a huge tiger sleeping soundly in a cage. Leo instantly knew that was Frank. There was no way any other tiger would come close to that size.
"If they do horribly and don't get a good score," Janus said. "Then they lose and are shamed in front of all you people of Las Vegas!"
"So, without further ado…"
"We present to you…"
"…singing a special parody of Frozen's 'Let it Go'…"
"TULIO VALDEZ!"
Leo nearly fainted. Tulio was going to sing!? I should have bought earmuffs, he thought. There's no way my son is going to please a crowd with his voice! He's worse than I am!
The stage dimmed. A lone piano and guitar began a duet. A single spotlight shined on a lone figure in the middle of the stage, a microphone clipped to their shirt: Tulio.
Tulio was wearing a simple white t-shirt. He had black pants and suede work boots, topped with a tool belt that looked old and worn. He was wearing suspenders over the shirt.
"He's got your sense of style," Annabeth noted. Leo ignored her.
Tulio breathed in and opened his mouth. Leo sucked in a breath, knowing his son was about to crash and burn…
Then…
A voice rang out in clear and beautiful tones, not a scratch or strain to it. It almost sounded like Esperanza's voice, but way more masculine.
My fire glows bright in Las Vegas tonight
Not a person to be seen
A theatre of isolation
And inside it, I'm the king.
The fires about me rage this swirling storm inside
I can't keep it in
Olympus knows I try…
Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the quiet one you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel,
Don't let them know…
Well now they'll know!
Something happened that Leo couldn't explain. His mouth dropped when Tulio suddenly…
Caught fire!
Let it go!
Let it go!
Tulio opened his palms at different intervals. Tiny flames danced around his fingertips.
Can't hold it in anymore.
Let it go!
Let it go!
Turn away and slam the door!
I don't care what they're going to say
He waved his hands a little and the flames began to spread outwards.
Let the flames burn on
The heat never bothered me anyway.
Tiny bursts exploded randomly onstage, matching the quickening beat of the song.
It's funny how missing parents
Make everything else small
So the fears that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all
It's time to see what I can do
Flames sparked from his fingertips, shooting towards the audience harmlessly like fireworks.
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong
No rules for me…
I'm free!
His stance changed. Leo could swear Tulio looked more confident now. Whatever curse there had been regarding emotion reading, the legacy of Hephaestus wasn't feeling it anymore, it seemed. He was gaining confidence, feeding off of the energy of the crowd instead of resisting it.
Let it go!
Let it go!
I am one with the burning sky
Let it go!
Let it go!
You'll never see me cry!
Here I stand—
He stomped on the ground and flames erupted from his foot. A wave of heat blasted through the audience, who were going 'Ooh' and 'Aah' at the sight.
—and here I'll stay!
Let the heat blast on…
Flames danced around Tulio as the song picked up the pace, the guitar and piano now accompanied by a full orchestra at this point. If he moved right, the fire moved left. If he bowed down, the flames rose. It was like a gorgeous ballet of fire that only a fire user could master.
Leo was suddenly thinking that this resembled a dance version of the firebenders in Avatar: the Last Airbender. It was insanely cool, especially when it was coupled with the words of the song:
My power surges through the air and to the ground
My soul is spiraling in burning embers all around
And one thought builds up greatly like a fiery blast
I'm never going back…
The past is in the past!
He spread his arms and flames burst forth from his body like an explosion.
Let it go!
Let it go!
And I'll rise like the flaming phoenix
Flames widened around his arms momentarily, making Tulio look like an actual phoenix. When he lifted his hands, it resembled a bird about to take flight.
Let it go!
Let it go!
I swear upon the Styx!
Tulio's shirt glowed fiercely for a second. Then, in words that looked as if they had been burned on, the shirt read: TEAM TULIO
Here I stand in the light of day!
Let the fires rage oooooon!
The entire stage was covered in white, blue and orange flames, all dancing around the Latino in beautiful motions. Tulio himself was glowing orange, which stood out against the white flames encircling him. That high note gave Leo chills. It was amazing Tulio didn't crack!
The orchestra disappeared and the guitar gradually faded down. Tulio lowered his arms slowly, the fire on the stage dying down at a similar speed. In a few moments, Tulio was back to being a not-on-fire human.
He looked at the audience, cocked his hip (on which he rested a hand), and put on the most unsettling smug and impish grin Leo had ever seen on any Valdez—including himself. He held up a finger, which was lit up like a birthday candle. Because of the previous bright fire show, there was no spotlight now. Only the candle-like flame lit up Tulio's unsettling face.
The flames never bothered me anyway…
He blew out the flame as a ting from the piano rang through the air. The whole stage went dark.
The audience cheered and clapped furiously. Within seconds, they were giving Tulio a standing ovation. Leo found himself clapping along. He saw the others on the ship cheering as well.
"I knew he could do it," Mark said. When the others gave him a confused look he said, "I got an IM about an hour ago. Sammy Leo said that Tulio needed some charmspeak encouragement. I made Tulio believe he had a great singing voice, that he can sing. If my mom can charmspeak Festus the automaton dragon awake, then I figured I could charmspeak Tulio and give him a beautiful singing voice just this once."
Leo grinned. "Way to go! Calypso will be so proud of him! And Piper'd be proud of you, Sora."
Mark scuffled his feet and sheepishly smiled. "Shucks."
When the applause had died down and the audience had settled back into their seats, the stage lit up again. Tulio was standing next to Janus, nervous as all get-out.
Janus's two heads smiled. "So how was that, guys? I assume that standing ovation meant he earned your approval?"
The audience cheered again. A couple people stood up and sat back down, cheering.
Janus held up his hands. "Then it seems I must make my decision. Will Tulio Valdez receive the fabulous tiger?"
"Or will he be shamed off the stage by my vote?"
There was a dramatic pause. Tulio's face got a close-up. Leo could almost feel his fear, he was shaking so hard.
Janus spread his arms. "Tulio has passed the test!"
The audience cheered and gave him another standing ovation. Janus's voice rang out over the crowd's cheers as the camera panned out to show the whole theatre.
"Thanks for watching 'Stage in Flames'! We hope to see you again for the next new talent! Goodnight, everybody!"
The message cut off after that. The group all exchanged a look before bursting out in fits of laughter.
"Well, that was an interesting way to rescue Frank," Annabeth observed.
"I assumed it would be something that was war-related," Bobby said, wiping a tear from his eyes. "What even was that!?"
Leo shrugged. "Never assume anything when you're on a quest. Weirdness is a given and you gotta be prepared for anything…including performing in Vegas, I guess!"
Lacy giggled again. "That was just hilarious, though. I'm never gonna let Tulio live that down!"
"Me neither," Leo agreed. "I hope they bring back a DVD of the performance. Calypso will never believe me!"
A/N: Obviously, that song is 'Let it Go' from Frozen. The changed words are mine :3
Hurr. This chapter got me all excited. Woo! :D :D :D
Next chapter's still in Leo's POV.
