Argo looked like she was going to pass out. Her face was a garbled mess of confusion, fear, and other emotions, like she couldn't sort out or recognize what they were.
Jason felt Pipers arm slip away from his waist. She flashed him a look of worry over her shoulder as she walked carefully up to Argo, who was now holding her head with her eyes squeezed shut.

He nodded grimly back. Whatever had just happened, it wasn't good.

"Just breathe, it's going to be okay, just breathe," Hazel soothed.
Hazel had heard the commotion, pretty much everyone had, and had come over to see what was happening. She had been in the middle of a practice session, so she was in full armour.
Argo was now kneeling on the floor, curled up smaller, still holding her head.
"What's wrong with him?" She whispered. No one answered.

Jason shuddered involuntarily, as the vision of Leo crept back into his mind. His friend had gotten carried out on a stretcher, bleeding heavily and twitching. He was struggling against the restraints that held him down, his hair smoking, his hands flaming, and screaming with laughter.

The only thing that comforted Jason was Leo's attempt on Argo. Seriously, even when that guy was delusional and injured, he still tried to get a girl. That's dedication. Or maybe just desperation. Jason thought, bringing himself back to Piper and Hazel.

"What. Is. Wrong. With. Him?" Argo repeated. She lifted her head slightly, shaking. The tremor in her voice suddenly knocked Jason back a few days ago, when Leo had spoken to Vulca- Hephaestus.
Her voice matched Leo's exactly, practically mimicking his anger.
"Where is my ship?"

Reyna's words cut through the air, and sliced against the back of Jason's neck. "What does it matter? It is no issue with the Romans if a Greek is lost, simply an easier victory," she spoke with some bitterness, as if not just addressing Argo. "Not that your friend was probably of much use anyway."
Ouch.
Argo was up in a blur of light, the knife in her hand, digging into Reyna's neck. She had pushed Reyna against the wall, knocking over a rack of helmets that clattered loudly to the floor.

Jason blinked. Twice. "Argo.." Piper started, her voice laced with charmspeak.
Argo put up a hand, "No, don't."
Piper stumbled backward a few steps, as if Argo had just punched her in the stomach. Jason ran over to her, helping her to her feet.

"I don't know where you've been, but you know obviously know nothing about Leo." Her other hand suddenly burst into a searing hot flame, concentrated and deadly, much like the weapon she had pressed against Reyna's throat. Hazel gasped.

Reyna glared, her chin pointing defiantly at the ceiling. "I know he fired on Rome. I know he endangered not only the legion, but those who live in our city. Small children, mothers, fathers, daughters. He threatened us. Do we not have a right to be even slightly resentful?"

Argo faltered, but not for long. "That wasn't his fault, he was being controlled by an eidolon. He would never do anything to hurt anyone, not intentionally!"
Reyna didn't say anything. She sighed, bringing her eyes back down from the roof, to meet with Argos fiery ones. Her face took on an expression Jason had never seen on her before.
Was it.. Fear? No, not Reyna.
It was pity.

"Do really believe that?"
Octavian appeared in the doorway, mid-sneer. Argo didn't turn to look at him. The flame sputtered.

Octavian laughed. "You do!"
He walked inside, striding past Jason who tensed. Octavian had no idea what he was getting into. Argo had never experienced anger, or true fear, and had no way of knowing how to restrain herself, even from possibly killing someone. There was no telling what she would do; she was a loose canon.

He quickly stepped between Argo and the Auger. "Octavian, enough."
Octavian turned toward him sharply. "And you, the Great Jason Grace. An idolized 'Roman' warrior. Look at you now, your fellow praetor being threatened and you just stand by, letting her be attacked by a deluded young girl."
The last part he said to Argo, leaning over Jason's shoulder.
Argo turned around slowly, and Octavian's mocking smile widened. "I'm not deluded."
Octavian scoffed. "You say your companion is innocent, but what of all the monsters he has slain, even on your own decks?"
Jason hesitated, surprised. Apparently, word of Argo has spread quicker than he had realized. Octavian continued. "Did no one tell you it was your dear Leo that attacked a Goddess? That he destroyed her? Think of all the people he would of hurt, with the power he recklessly commands, the power you threaten me with now."
Argo had long since taken the knife away from Reyna's neck. Her hand flickered. She glanced at it.
Octavian noticed. "Yes, that. I do not fear you, and no one ever will. You are afraid, as you should be with your staggering ignorance."

And that's when Argo broke.

Leo rubbed his eyes, but the blackness remained, no matter what he did.
Even when he was in full flame, no light was shed onto anything, as if he was in a living shadow. He had been in this weird twilight zone for what felt like twelve hours. Though it was hard to tell, the time was probably different in this place, hidden in his own mind.

The emptiness was daunting. It tore at his clothes, like the opposite of the wind, still and silent, but with similar effects; Leo was freezing, his fire somehow gave off no heat anymore. Actually, his hands were colder than the rest of him, which didn't make any sense.

"Remind me to never come here for vacations." Leo muttered to no one, then decided to not speak. Words felt alien and weird when spoken. Like they got sucked out of existence by the huge expanse of emptiness. Could there be an actual amount of emptiness? Maybe if..
With nothing to do, Leo's mind went into overdrive, getting so excited it almost started to seem to talk to itself.
Leo was on the middle of an argument, when a small laugh somewhere far to his right broke in on his statement on the effect of rusted spokes on ten bicycles fused together.

Out of hope, Leo ran in the direction of the voice, praying to pretty much every God he figured might just barely care enough to hear him. The list wasn't very long.
As he started to get closer to the source of the laugh, a sense of hopeless washed over him, soaking his thoughts in pure misery.

There was no point to this. Or to anything. Life was totally useless, especially his own. He was worthless, fated to be the seventh wheel forever. All he caused was trouble, his own aunt didn't even want him. Jason had Piper now, and Piper had Jason. They wouldn't care anymore. No one would care if he disappeared.
He killed own mother, it was no wonder he wasn't wanted.
He should just go curl up in a ball and die.
Yeah, die. Leo slowly sunk to his knees, as darker thoughts ran through his head, digging him deeper into the hole he was creating with each idea. I wonder if my tool belt can bring out a knife. It probably can.. Maybe a gun.
Leo's hands traveled slowly downwards, reaching for his tool belt. Halfway there, his brain finally made a last-ditch attempt to save him.
What about Argo? Leo stopped.
What about her?
Well, she likes you, she thinks you're amazing. The bomb.
Leo shook his head at the words in his mind, no one liked him.
What about Festus? His head pressed on. If you leave, he'll be all alone, and so will she.
Alone. I remember alone.
That snapped Leo out of it, his mind had won. He shivered, wanting to get rid of the poisonous thoughts..
He stood up slowly, and his legs groaned in protest. Just how long had he been like that? Then he laughed nervously. How could I of died in a dream anyway? Then he frowned. He was talking to himself again, that was happening a little too often.
"Yes, how? How could he of died? Many, many ways, my dear, but he still lives. Perhaps I have been far to generous. Should I kill him now?"

Leo whipped around, looking for the owner of the voice. He found nothing. Just more blackness.
"He searches for me now, does he fear us? No?"

The voice definitely belonged to a woman, but it was nothing like the voices of anyone Leo had ever met. It was cold, but also sweet, syrupy, persuasive.

"He is analyzing us. We should give him something to consider, perhaps a choice."
The world lightened slightly. Leo felt relieved, any longer in the dark and he would of died of suffocation. Then suddenly, a dark shape loomed before him, an entrance to a cave. Screams emanated from its depth, where many unknown tortures lay, hurting many unknown souls.
Leo stared at it, pulling out him out of the trance; he really did not want to go in there. When he turned around, he found a wall, higher than he could see, and farther on both sides.
Then the voice who had laughed before spoke again, urging him to walk through. "Forward, Brave One," it said mockingly. "Forward into death. For bravery is just another word for stupidity. Forward, to the inevitable." It went on, encouraging Leo to March to his doom. Though tempting as she made it seem, Leo still was not inclined to die, not anymore.

Nope, not happening, thought Leo, who was reaching for his tool belt.
He never felt it. All his hand touched was his pants, grazing the once-full belt loops. He stiffened, panic surging through him as he checked each loop individually, once, than twice, than a third time. The voice chuckled smoothly, "Confused, little carpenter? You shall now see, helpless, as you struggle through the figments of your imagination."
Leo straightened, trying to hide the shaking of his hands, took a deep breath, and walked through the cave door.

What he saw made him stop short. It was brighter in the cave than the outside, and chained to the wall, playing cards, was Hephaestus and Jason. Only Jason's hair was a bright shade of pink.
"I don't-" He was interrupted by Jason, who glared at him. "I have always hated you. You were never my friend, so stupid and annoying."
That took Leo a minute to process, but by then Hephaestus was already speaking, "I am not your father, you are not my son. I am ashamed to call you my offspring. He is to replace you." Hephaestus gestured to Jason, who was still looking irritated.
Leo's mouth went dry. What?
No, he wasn't surprised, hadn't he been expecting to hear this for months? Years? Then Leo shook his head, these weren't real. Neither of them were. They couldn't be.
"Doubtful, puny tinkerer?" The voice said, teasingly. "Do not worry, there is much more to come."

Augh! Sorry for the lack of quality, I been seriously busy lately, so this did not really turn out as nicely. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but there has been technical difficulties. So, um.. unintentional semi-cliffhanger.