A little hurt/comfort for Leo before getting to Calypso. I wanted to do a Jason chapter since I hadn't done him yet. Maybe next I'll do Percy or Annabeth, though I doubt I have the ability to do both for the remainder of the story.
This story is really close to being finished, now. But beware, before this is over I'm gonna give you all the biggest, nastiest cliffy you've seen from me yet. Mwa ha ha! :D
I own nothing you recognize as canon.
XXXVI
JASON
After years of knowing Leo, Jason would never have guessed his family had been so…big!
The cemetery was very large, especially for a plot of land dedicated to a single family tree in the middle of Houston. They'd already been walking for a few minutes and Jason still couldn't see the end.
Tulio had given Leo the Telekhine leash. The son of Hephaestus was determined to not stray from the path, never looking around or pausing.
Espie was holding Tulio's hand in comfort. His gaze was down, Espie's looking ahead.
Sammy Leo seemed to be intrigued. He walked a little closer to Espie. Jason heard him whisper, "So, your family is buried here?"
She answered, "If by family you mean my great-great grandfather and grandmother, then yes those two are buried here."
Sammy frowned. "But there are more members here…"
Tulio gave him a hard stare. "Most of these are so old, they were originally buried in Mexico. Some were moved from New Orleans. But the ones from Houston…they aren't our family."
Jason blinked. How could that be? There were hundreds of headstones with the Valdez name on them. Why weren't they a part of Leo's family?
"Why?" Jason blurted. "Are they too far removed?"
Leo halted. He didn't turn around. He just stood still. "Because," he murmured, "they don't deserve the Valdez name after…after what they did to me."
Shit, Jason cursed in his mind. That's right…Leo's family abandoned him after his mom died! I'm such an idiot for forgetting that.
"I'm sorry I brought it up," Sammy said.
Espie took his hand and squeezed it.
Leo sighed and turned around. His eyes looked a little broken, but he smiled. "It's fine. I came to terms with it years ago. My au…Rosa signed away the land to the bank when she began having money issues. She had been the last owner of the cemetery, as it was passed to her through the family. I bought it back before it was made into a parking lot. It'll be in my will to pass it to Tulio and Esperanza when I'm gone."
"You won't acknowledge the family as yours but you still keep the land?" Annabeth asked, curious.
Leo nodded, still smiling. "My mom lies here, as does my bisabuelo. The generation or two before me—even my own—can rot for all I care, but those who have been here since before I was born deserve to keep the land. I make sure that someone cleans it monthly. It's the least I can do for my ancestors, even if I didn't know them."
Jason looked around and was surprised to see that most of the graveyard was clean, as if no leaves or trash could ever end up here. The only ones that didn't seem to be clean were more recent. The headstones looked filthy and the dirt was littered with trash.
Leo frowned at them as they continued to pass. "They were the ones who left me. Didn't even give me a chance because I was illegitimate. Thought I wouldn't amount to anything."
Piper looked at them sadly. "Terrible," she said. "Those people sounded terrible."
Leo shrugged. "I shouldn't have been surprised. Even when my mom was alive they treated me like I was the devil. My fascination with fire made them wary and when Mom…" He coughed. "Let's just say it didn't take much for Rosa to convince them I should be cast out and put in the system."
Tulio broke away from Espie and Sammy. He veered off the path, trotting away from the group.
"Tulio," Espie whined. "Where are you going? Mom…"
Tulio waved her off before crouching down in front of one of the tombstones. Espie blinked and walked over. Sammy, still attached, followed.
Jason got curious and broke away as well.
He crouched down beside the teens, reading the tombstone.
Here Lies Esperanza Ramira Valdez
1971-2003
Beloved Daughter, Sister and Mother
"Nothing is unfixable."
Tulio bowed his head, as did Espie.
Jason caught himself praying, Mrs. Valdez…I hope you know how great your son is now. He's an amazing friend and an awesome father. The rest of your family may have been terrible, but at least you were enough of an influence on him. I wish I knew you…I would love to tell you thanks for passing down your greatness into Leo.
A shadow crossed over the stone. Jason turned and saw Leo standing next to him. His face was masked with sadness.
Jason put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You okay?"
Leo nodded. He grinned. "I'm fine."
Espie glanced at him. Tulio muttered, "Liar."
Leo kicked his son in the butt. "Let's go, then, smart-ass. Your mom's waiting."
The teens rose. Jason held Leo back a bit longer. "You sure you don't need a minute—?"
"No," Leo said with authority. It was unusual seeing the son of Hephaestus this way. "Calypso needs me more. After this is all over, I'll visit her. I haven't done that in a while."
He turned away. Jason followed him as he weaved back through the tombstones. Piper intercepted the son of Jupiter.
"He okay?" she asked as they continued through the cemetery.
Jason nodded. "He'll be fine. He knows we need to do this first. After we save Calypso, let's let him come back here and visit his mom, okay?"
Piper smiled. "I think that's a great idea."
She passed that info on to Hazel and Frank, who nodded in agreement.
"I've kinda wanted to see Houston's sights," Hazel commented. "Y'know, see what drew Sammy here. I'd love for Leo to give us a tour later."
Annabeth nodded. Percy shrugged.
"It's hot, it's muggy. What's there to experience."
All three women glared at him. He had the audacity to look confused.
Mark sidled up to the Valdez twins and Sammy. Sammy glanced at him and smiled.
Bobby and Lacy had moved away from Percy, afraid that their mother would hurt him and that they'd be in the crossfire.
Andy halted at the end of the cemetery. He pointed a flipper to a grass-covered manhole cover.
"There. That's the entrance."
Frank stepped forward and lifted the cover. He leaned over to inspect the entrance. "Seems safe enough."
"Don't jinx it," Percy warned.
Leo tugged on Andy's leash. "Lead the way, then."
Andy worked his way down the wall ladder. Leo went next, then Tulio, Esperanza, Sammy Leo, Mark, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Lacy, Bobby, Percy, Annabeth, and finally Jason.
When Jason splashed down onto the wet concrete, he grimaced.
"It stinks down here," Mark complained.
"Welcome to the Houston sewage system," Leo said, waving his arms around like he was saying ta-da. "Home of the famous Houston sewer rats, hundreds of homeless people, and the ever-popular Sewer Water Tunnel of Love, guaranteed to establish your love for fresh air! Tickets for the ride are 5 bucks a person."
"I'll pass," Annabeth said, covering her nose.
"Suit yourself," Leo said, shrugging.
"You said homeless people live down here?" Lacy asked incredulously.
"Mostly near the entrances," Leo explained. "Never this deep into the system. Not unless they're on the run."
"You seem to know a lot about this," Frank observed.
Leo's face darkened. "I've slept in this system a few dozen times. And a few other sewage systems in other cities. Trust me: it's not fun."
Jason coughed when a particularly nasty breeze picked up. "Can we keep moving, please? I'm starting to taste the air."
"Can we make it cleaner?" Mark asked.
Jason shook his head. "If there was fresh air to mix it with, sure. But the fresh air is too high above and we'll be moving too far away."
The legacy shivered. "Man," he whined. "I don't like smelling this."
"Get used to it," Leo said with a grin. "Maybe later I'll cook up a tasty rat taco."
"Please tell me you're joking," Piper said as they walked down the path, following Andy as he led them further into the tunnels.
"How could you possibly think I was?" Leo asked. He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
Jason stuck out his tongue. "Change the subject please."
They continued on in silence after that, deciding not to change the subject.
After a while, the sewers became more cavern-like, and eventually, all evidence of man-made stones and rivers ceased. The water became less sludge-like, but the smell was still awful.
Andy halted before rounding a corner. He looked at Leo with huge eyes. "Please," he pleaded. "We are near the entrance to the small earth tunnel that leads to Calypso. The entrance will be guarded, I assure you…don't blame me, please, for the delaying battle…"
Leo nodded. "Fine. Just so long as you don't join in."
"Believe me, I'm too little and too inexperienced for that," the monster informed him. "I didn't much care for gym class."
Jason cocked an eyebrow. "Your gym classes had battles?"
"Not my favorite part, I assure you," Andy said. "I preferred the obstacle courses. The How-To-Fight-Demigods games didn't suit me very well. I was usually cast out early on."
Jason blinked.
Leo coughed. "Anyway," he said. "Shall we go?"
They all nodded, pulling out their weapons. Leo handed Tulio his hammer and pulled out another one. When everyone was ready, they slowly walked around the corner.
Jason sighed.
Of course, Andy had been telling the truth.
A huge crowd of monsters, ranging from empousai, Telekhines, and draconae to a couple baby drakons, nasty harpies, and dozens of Cyclopes, formed an amateurish defensive line against the small entrance to Calypso.
Leo hefted his hammer.
"I'm coming, mi sol," he shouted.
The entire rescue party yelled in agreement and charged.
A/N: Woo! *chants and cheers* Let's go Team Leo, let's go! *clap clap*
Oh, and Happy New Year!
