As always, I seem to get the most reviews when Leo is hurt/dying/etc. I don't care about the count (btw, it's awesome how many reviews this story has now), I just love watching you guys squirm and write about it.

I still don't regret anything.

Before you sharpen your pitchforks, let me distract you with this... *gasp* LEO CHAPTER! :o

I own nothing you recognize as canon.


XLI

LEO

Leo was confused.

He couldn't remember anything.

He had no idea how he had gotten here.

Or even where he was.

But he knew he'd been here before…

He was…underground? Yeah, that sounded right. And there were people here. A lot of people. They seemed to be moving slower than him, though. They were in lines. To where, Leo had no idea. There were signs, but the words were blurry and smudged, as was anything he tried to focus on.

He ignored the lines and went for an archway. No, not an archway. It was a dog…? A big one. Why was that familiar to him…? Did it have three heads?

The dog didn't acknowledge him as he went underneath.

Leo blinked and found himself in a bigger cavern. There were a few footpaths to take. One led to a dark and spooky castle. He thought that was creepy, so he ignored that path.

One went to a large field. People were milling around as shadows. They seemed like they were lost, just like him.

Should he go there? That seemed right. A place for lost souls…like himself…

Before he stepped that way he examined the other two paths. One went to a red area behind a hill. Leo could hear screams. He held his head when the screams got louder.

Then he realized it was him screaming. He was thrown back into a memory.


Leo couldn't move. All he saw was fire. All he felt was pain. And all he could do was scream in agony.

His skin peeled and melted off him. When there was nothing left of his body except bones, everything came back and his pain was increased.

A voice could be heard in his head. "You brought this upon yourself, Leo Valdez. Without that oath, you could be enjoying the Isle of the Blest by now with the other great heroes. You earned it with that final sacrifice…instead you broke your oath. Now you will suffer."

Leo screamed as his skin kept melting and his bare muscles burned. "I…" he tried. "I'm going back!"

Hades himself appeared in the flames. "And when you return, I hope you fulfill your promise. As the destroyer of Gaea, I will allow you to return—but only when the cure is administered. Until then, you will suffer."

Leo howled in misery, his tears evaporating. "Please…have mercy…!"

Hades shook his head. "I don't do mercy. We've had this conversation before. Hundreds of times, already. You are paying for your crime. Be thankful that this won't be eternal."


Leo screamed, sinking to the ground. He had forgotten how much the Fields of Eternal Punishment had hurt!

Fields of Eternal Punishment…

Leo gasped. How was he in the Underworld!?

He staggered backwards, away from everything. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't!

"…trapped under…"

Espie! That was her voice. Leo tried to shout. He opened his mouth and tried to scream as best he could…but nothing happened. He was silent.

"I can't heal…too much…"

Tulio's voice.

Tulio, he thought. Keep trying, mijo! I'm not dead! I can't be dead…I can't…

He held his head in his hands. I can't be dead…

"Leo."

Leo's eyes opened. Calypso. She was there. Her voice came again: "…Leo…come back…"

He wanted to. Gods, did he want to go back! He stood up again.

Mi sol, he thought. I'm here! Help me, please!

He wanted to cry.

"This way."

Leo froze. He looked around and saw a hooded figure walking down the last path—the path to Elysium, Leo realized. He was leading someone along. They were moving slow, just like the people before.

Leo followed, catching up easily. Maybe he could get the attention of the hooded fellow. Maybe that guy could help him leave…and if not leave, at least be here properly? Leo felt like he wasn't really here, but maybe he was supposed to be.

"Hope you enjoyed your experience," the figure said, bored.

The other person nodded. Leo nearly choked. Was that him?

Curly black hair, short, scrawny, suspenders…

…wait. Leo blinked. That wasn't him. It was…Sammy!

Sammy Valdez smiled. "I enjoyed it, yes."

The hooded figure tilted his head. "What is in your pocket?"

Sammy's hand twitched. "Souvenir?"

"Give it."

"It's just a picture!"

The figure snapped and the item in question floated out of the spirit's pocket. He examined them, then shrugged. "Not really contraband. I guess Lord Hades won't mind it…"

He handed it back to Sammy, who scrambled to put the photo flatly in his pocket.

The Elysium gates opened. The hooded guy gestured inside. "Have a nice afterlife."

"Thanks," Sammy said with a grin.

The hooded guy nodded. As he was closing the gates, Leo felt the urge to follow Sammy. He squeezed inside.

Before he did anything else, Leo looked at the hooded figure. He didn't raise an alarm, nor did he even register Leo moving past him. He just walked away.

Leo had half-hoped the guy would have seen him. But then, he wanted to see what Sammy was up to, more. He followed his ancestor deeper into Elysium.

Maybe if everything wasn't so blurry and slow, Leo might have enjoyed the paradise of the afterlife. In the distance he could see the really sought-after Isle of the Blest, but it was blotchy next to the smudge that was supposed to be the Fields of Punishment. A tiny voice in the back of his mind echoed, You should be there. Go there and establish your place. No one will stop you.

He ignored that voice. Maybe before he saw his bisabuelo he might have done what it said. Now he was too curious. Where had Sammy gotten a photo? And what was the photo of?

Sammy seemed to enjoy himself, bouncing as he stepped. Leo could hear him humming happily.

At least I know he's happy, Leo thought. I wonder if…

Before he could form a real thought about anything else, Sammy skipped up to a house. It had a big garage next to it, with clanging metal and drilling sounds coming from inside. Sammy went straight for the garage.

He paused at the entranceway. He cleared his throat and called, "Oh Anza~!"

The drilling ceased. Leo heard a female voice say, "Can you handle that while I'm out, Charlie?"

"Sure, ma'am."

Charlie? Leo cocked an eyebrow. Why did the name Charlie sound so familiar?

He froze when the female voice's owner appeared. She was wearing dirty coveralls over a simple white blouse covered in grease. Her curly black hair was tied into a loose ponytail that draped over her shoulder.

Mom, Leo thought. He reached out for her, but his not-really-spirit-y hand reminded him that he wasn't exactly like her. She couldn't see him.

Esperanza Valdez examined Sammy with a cocked eyebrow. "What exactly are you wearing, abuelo?"

Sammy grinned. "Something I got while on an adventure."

"An adventure? To where, the other side of Elysium?"

"Nope. To the living world!"

Esperanza's eyebrows shot up. "Are you insane? If you had snuck out and gotten caught—"

"It wasn't like that, Anza," Sammy said. "Lord Pluto actually brought me back for a purpose. I was to help rescue an old friend of mine."

"Oh? Well, I supposed that's great." Esperanza was about to turn around. "You can tell me about your little adventure inside. Your project from the other day is collecting dust. You know how many times I've told Charlie to keep his big paws off it?"

Sammy rolled his eyes. "It can wait. This can't."

He pulled out the photo from earlier. "I think, dear Anza, you'd like to see this."

She narrowed her eyes. "A picture? Really? You smuggled a picture down here?"

"Lord Pluto won't mind. It won't affect your status down here."

She took the photo. Immediately, her eyes began to water. "Oh…oh, dios mio."

Leo got closer and examined the picture. His eyes widened.

It was a portrait of the entire current Valdez family. Aria was in front, with little Zachariah on her lap. She was wearing a pretty grey/white long-sleeved dress, he a little pair of jean overalls and clean, white t-shirt. Zac was holding a plastic wrench that had Zachariah engraved into the side. In front of Aria was a certificate that read Julliard Award for Gifted Young Musicians—to Violinist Aria Valdez. That award was usually given to kids in junior high to high school. Aria had received it as an eight-year-old. Pure awesome.

Behind Aria, sitting on higher stools, were the twins. Espie was wearing her high school choir robes, holding her most recent painting in one hand, and a state choir ribbon in the other. The painting had gotten various awards and an art dealer was willing to buy it, but she had chosen to keep it. She said it was her favorite, seeing as how it was just a simple, yet elegant, painting of a couple's hands holding each other—one was smooth and pale, the other was calloused, scarred and tan. Each one had a wedding band on their ring finger. Espie said it was Leo's and Calypso's hands.

Tulio was wearing semi-dirty overalls, a dirty Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and work boots. In his lap was a miniature Icarus—the prototype for Icarus' future body. It was his entry for the state engineering competition. Tulio was proudly holding up the blue ribbon that proved he won, along with a scholarship for an aerospace engineering degree. He would be studying those classes while still in high school. Leo and Calypso were so proud.

And, of course, behind the kids were Leo and Calypso. Calypso was wearing a beautiful sleeveless white gown, holding up a bouquet of flowers. Leo was in his usual coveralls, a patch on his chest reading Team Leo (custom-made, of course). He held up a small sign reading Leo & Calypso's Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters. His chest was puffed out a little, prouder than a peacock.

Esperanza choked on a sob. "Mijo…My baby…You've grown so much…"

Her fingers traced over Leo's face. "Look at you," she said, her voice pained. "Oh, mijo. A family of your own." She looked at each child and smiled wider and wider. "They're all beautiful, Leo…and your wife! You couldn't have done better, it seems."

She sobbed happily. "Oh, Leo, I'm so proud of you…"

Sammy smiled and pulled his granddaughter into a hug. "He's a nice lad, Anza. A responsible father, fantastic mechanic—seriously, you should see the things he's built—and a great friend. He's grown into a respectable man, Anza."

Esperanza cried, "I'm so happy for him. After I left, I was so worried he wouldn't recover…"

"That reminds me," Sammy said. He looked her right in the eye. "Your sister is terrible. If I ever see her, I'm going to kick her ass."

"Abuelo," she chuckled. "You cursed? That's not like you."

"Your son rubbed off on me," he said with a shrug. "Such a sailor's mouth!"

She laughed. "I'll fix that when he gets down here…"

Sammy began recounting his adventure in the world above. He made sure to keep Leo in the story as much as possible. When he told her of his appearance as a fifteen-year-old, she laughed so hard she cried. He told her of Leo's preference to wear suspenders and why. At the mention of Teresa, Esperanza's face contorted in anger.

Throughout the tale, she kept staring at the family portrait with happy eyes.

Leo smiled. Mamá, he thought. I want to be here with you… He reached out to touch her, but once again phased right through. His heart was in his throat. Let me be with you, please. I want to…

"Leo."

Calypso's voice made Leo tense up. He blinked and moved away from his mother. No, he remembered. I can't be here yet…I have to…I have to be with Calypso! My family!

He backed away from the dead Valdez duo. He shouldn't be here yet. He shouldn't be dead!

"…wake up…"

He was suddenly running. The Underworld blurred around him. He didn't even feel like he was moving, more like everything was flying past him. Lights and shadows blurred and blinked around him, like Vegas inside a tornado. Sounds of laughter, screams, and groans whirled past him. Where was he? Still in Elysium? The Fields of Asphodel? Eternal Punishment?

"My love...please..."

The ground swallowed him. Or was that the ceiling? Leo couldn't tell which way was up anymore. His limbs froze up. One of his arms burned on the inside, like his bones were broken. His legs went limp.

Mi sol, he screamed in his head. Calypso…

With one broken arm and one working one, he clawed his way through the earth. The more he went up, the slower things became. The ground shifted from brown to black. His hearing was muffled, and eventually his bad arm stopped working, like it was frozen.

Ca…lyp…so…

He willed with all his might to get out. He needed to go back. No matter what. With one last push of effort, Leo dragged his body up. His voice returned. He opened his mouth, not caring if he was going to swallow dirt in the process.

"I LOVE YOU, CALYPSO! I'M COMING!" he screamed.

Everything stopped around him—including his own body—and he completely blacked out.


A/N: What a rollercoaster, huh?

Oh, yeah, and of course I did a little Beckendorf cameo. Anyone catch that? :P