AN: I don't own PJO or HoO. Please leave a review or follow/favorite this story if you like it.
On the screen, Leo sat on top of a garbage can in a dark alley. He wore the army jacket and dirty torn clothes. On the bottom of the screen appeared the words, Dallas, Texas, Serpent Territory, and Leo's age: nine.
"This must be right after he left Lilian." Annabeth said, noting Leo's age. He was only nine years old and he was living in an alley.
"Hey, kid," A voice came from the mouth of the alley. Leo's head jerked up, his face panicked. There were four teenagers in the entrance to the alley, all at least seven years older then Leo was. They didn't look friendly.
The one that had spoken swaggered forward, one hand loosely holding a crowbar that he swung at his side.
"He better not hurt Leo," Nyssa muttered, glaring at the screen. Piper's hand rested on her knife, and Jason was getting seriously close to accidentally electrocuting his friends.
"This is our territory, kid," The guy growled. He had shaggy brown hair and sharp features. "So either pay the toll or get lost." A name appeared over the guys head; Slade.
"Dude, how much is the toll? 'Cause I left my wallet in my limo around the corner." Leo said with a joking smile, but he slid off his perch, eyes flicking to the end of the alley and back to the guy. "I can have my butler get it, but he's scared of rats. I don't think he could get near you."
"He shouldn't have said that." Percy said nervously.
Instead of attacking, Slade threw his head back and laughed. It was a cruel ugly laugh, but Leo was still alive. Leo cracked a grin. "Don't got any money on me, but I got a monkey wrench and a couple of screwdrivers. That enough?"
"I like you, kid," Slade laughed, slapping Leo on the shoulder so hard he almost fell over. He half-led half-dragged Leo towards his friends, still smirking. "You're either real brave or real dumb. Which is it?"
"I like to think I'm a little of both." Leo replied with another smile.
"You live in that hole?" Slade asked, glancing back at the alley with disgust as he and his friends formed a circle around Leo.
"Hey, the politically correct term is alley."
Slade grinned. "You want to come with us? The Serpents don't usually take strays, but the boss might make an exception for you. Said you had tools, right? Good with your hands?"
"I've been told I'm pretty good." Leo said, puffing his chest out proudly. "But I'm not so sure about joining anything. I only work alone. And only in black."
"I insist!" Slade said, setting a hand on Leo's shoulder. It was necessarily friendly. "Need another set of hands anyway. The boss will love you."
"Not so sure about bringing Jamie a kid, Slade," One of Slade's friends said nervously.
"She'll love 'im." Slade said confidently, and Leo was herded along the sidewalk by the gang members. That must be what the Serpents were.
Leo was led down the sidewalk and along the streets. They finally stopped at an abandoned brick building-there were boards over the windows, and graffiti on all the walls. Trash spilled across the sidewalk, and loud shouts and laughs and bangs could be heard from inside.
"I don't like the looks of this place." Hazel said doubtfully.
"Me neither," Frank agreed.
Leo was pulled inside, and the door closed behind him. The inside of the building was full of people, between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. Most of them were armed, and several of them had definitely been drinking. There was rock music blasting from somewhere, and as Leo was led inside everyone turned to stare at him and whisper.
"Where's Jamie?" Slade demanded of the woman behind the counter of the bar. She was tall and curvy, and long blond waves of hair were piled on her head in a messy bun. She wore a white shirt and black skirt, and a denim jacket. A name appeared over her head; Emma.
"Downstairs. Want a breath mint?" Emma asked, wrinkling her nose and offering Slade a tin of breath mints.
Everyone laughed. "That must be why Leo does that!" Percy grinned. "He got it from Emma."
Slade glared at her until she sheepishly put them away. As Slade led Leo away, Emma shouted to the other gang members, "Get back to it!" Leo was led down the stairs to a large room full of crates. Smoke clouded the air, and guns were stacked against one wall.
"Jamie? I got a new recruit here. Found him in the alley on sixth an' first." Slade called.
All of a sudden a woman came around a stack of boxes. The demigods could tell right away that she was dangerous. Her eyes were dark and wild, like a cornered animal. She had a round pretty face and dark makeup, but there was something frightening about her. She held herself like a leader, chin raised defiantly and shoulders tensed. She had a stud in her nose and left eyebrow, and several in both ears. A tattoo peeked out of the right sleeve of her black leather biker jacket. She wore black leggings and a blood-red short skirt, and black combat boots. She had a gun in her belt, and the top of a knife stuck out of her boot, but she was only around eighteen. The name over her head was Jamie.
"That's Jamie?" Percy marvelled. "I thought she'd be taller."
"A kid?" Jamie said disdainfully after a quick glance at Leo.
"He talks fast, and he's good with his hands." Slade said.
"What's your name, kid?" Jamie asked, dark eyes fixing on Leo's. He looked nervous.
"Leo McShizzle Valdez, ma'am." He squeaked. Jamie cracked a grin, but it wasn't friendly. "Talk fast, walk fast, eat fast."
"Alright, you can stick around, kid." Jamie said. "But only if you pull your own weight. You slip up, slack off, turn us into th' cops, you're out and it won't be a happy goodbye. For you." Jamie said, getting down to Leo's level. Her face was totally blank, not even bothered by threatening a nine-year-old.
"Yes ma'am."
"And if you want to stay, you won't call me ma'am. It's Jamie, or boss. Got that?"
"Yes Jamie."
"Better." Jamie snorted. "Go help Emma at th' bar. She'll show you what's what, and get you some chores assigned around here. Most members don't have to help out, but if you want room an' board, you'll have to." Leo nodded eagerly.
Jamie nodded to Slade, and he led Leo up the stairs again to the party. "Hey, everyone!" Slade yelled, and everyone turned. "This is Leo Valdez, our new member!" Everyone cheered. Leo grinned.
Emma smiled kindly at Leo. "C'mon, Valdez. Let's get to work, huh? And don't take Jamie's threats too seriously. She doesn't like hurting kids." Leo nodded. "Hey, want a breath mint?" Leo broke into a grin.
The memory ended.
"Leo joined a gang? When he was nine? Seriously?" Annabeth said, shocked.
"I didn't really see him as the "gang" type." Jason said, equally shocked. "But all he had to do was joke around, and they let him in without argument. That's nuts."
The next memory started. Leo looked almost exactly the same in this memory, but he sat on the bar, fixing a microwave. Emma was wiping off the counter and watching him work. Nobody else was there, except for a few young men talking and a woman talking to Slade.
"That's crazy how good you are with these things, Valdez." Emma said, setting down the rag and leaning against the counter. "Where did you learn to do that?"
Leo shrugged without looking up from the circuits he was re-wiring. "My mom taught me some, but mostly I just… know how it's supposed to go. Mama said it's a gift."
"It really is." Emma said. "I have no idea how mechanical things work, personally. I only understand people." She smirked. "I guess you could call that a gift, too."
"How long have you been with the Serpents?" Leo asked, glancing up from the microwave for a moment.
"For about six months. I usually don't stay places this long, I'm kind of a nomad. Go wherever the wind takes me."
"Yeah, me too." Leo said, puffing his chest out. Emma laughed lightly. "Or, I would be."
"What do you mean by that?" Emma asked raising an eyebrow. She found some dirty glasses and started wiping them with her rag, still leaning against the counter by Leo.
"Well… there's this girl…"
Emma grinned. "Oh, same old story! What's her name? I'll give you five bucks if it's Juliet."
"Would my nickname then become Romeo?"
"You have to ask?"
Both of them were grinning, but Leo twisted a piece of copper wiring in his hands. "I really like her, but she's like my best friend… I don't want to go anywhere without her, because I promised I'd visit, so I don't want to leave Texas so I can still see her. But she doesn't… I mean, I don't think she feels the same."
"I think all you can do is be the best you can and if it turns out she really does like you then you'd just have to tell her." Emma advised.
Leo looked surprised at the advice. "I kinda thought you'd tell me I was just bein' silly."
"I've never called you silly!"
"You did this mornin', and yesterday afternoon, and the day before that during dinner, and-"
"Okay, okay." Emma shook her head in defeat. "You're evil, kid."
"You bet I am!" Leo cackled, making Emma laugh. Leo set the back onto the microwave, and the machine immediately beeped and switched on, the panel on the front glowing slightly. "Good as new. What do you even use this thing for?"
"We have to heat the circus peanuts somehow, kid!"
They both laughed, but they stopped when Jamie threw the front door open. Everyone turned to look at her. "New shipment." She snapped. "Need a few hands out here to help."
Leo was about to slide off the counter, when Emma caught his arm and shook her head subtly. When everyone else was busy carrying more crates to the basement, Emma whispered Leo an explanation. "You don't want to get too mixed up in Jamie's business. Arms dealing, everyone in town comes to the Serpents for guns." She shook her head. "Not good for a kid."
"I'm a member of the Serpents!" Leo protested. Emma offered a half-smirk.
"You're still nine, Valdez. Got a long life ahead of you. Don't waste it here. In the slums of the city, fixing microwaves and selling guns. I think you were meant for more."
Leo frowned at her. "You been drinking something from the bottle with the skull on it again?"
Emma laughed and slapped his shoulder in a friendly way. "I'm not kidding, Leo. Bigger things. One day. I can feel it. Now help me put this microwave back, would you?"
The memory ended.
"Leo was with Emma and Slade and the other Serpents for three years?" Frank asked, frowning. "When Leo was leaving with Lilian, didn't he say he had made enemies? Who was that? When does that happen?"
"Maybe something goes wrong with the Serpents?" Annabeth guessed.
"Maybe they turn on him, or they fight another gang that goes after Leo?" Percy asked, glancing at Annabeth for confirmation.
"Or maybe it's something to do with someone we haven't met yet." Jason added.
The next memory started. Leo looked slightly older, if only by a month or so. He was arguing with Emma quietly while crowds of people partied in Emma's bar. "It's just one job, nothing will go wrong!" Leo said. The words on the bottom of the screen were; Dallas, Texas, Serpents Bar, Leo's age: nine.
"You can't do this, Leo. I'll talk to Jamie, change her mind, you don't have to-"
"It wasn't Jamie's idea," Leo interrupted. "I asked to go."
"Leo! This is crazy, you're nine. You'll become a criminal and there won't be any going back."
"Wait, Leo asked to help the gang sell guns?" Percy said, looking startled. "Why would he do that?"
"Why would you even want to do this, Valdez?" Emma demanded onscreen.
Percy went a little pink, while Harley snickered.
"People are getting rubbed the wrong way by me," Leo argued. "They don't think I'm paying my way. If I went on a job, it would get them off my back. There's nothing else broken around here that I can fix, anyways. They're right, and I won't get kicked out by Jamie."
"What about that friend of yours? The girl, Lilian, right?" Emma demanded. "What would she think about you becoming a criminal?"
Leo hesitated. "She would tell me that I can do what I want if I remember what I am. And what I am is a survivor-if I don't do this I'll be kicked to the curb and my chances are better with you guys. You can't stop me, Em."
Emma looked shocked. "You're right. I can't." A drunk twenty-year-old man was trying to hit on Emma, but she swatted him away without looking away from Leo. "But I'm warning you, Leo-it won't help. It won't make things better for you. It won't bring your mom back to go on a job with the gang."
Emma immediately winced, and Leo's eyes grew watery. "You're right. I never said it would."
"Leo, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"I'm going." Leo snapped, rushing out of the bar and down the stairs to the darker basement. Emma sighed, staring after him, and leaning against the counter.
"Wanna have some fun, baby?" The drunk man giggled, putting his arm around Emma.
"F*** off, loser." Emma grumbled.
"I have the feeling that Leo's job goes south." Nyssa said nervously.
"Leo will be okay!" Harley said immediately. Nyssa winced, and the other demigods pitied her. She had been the one to tell Harley that Leo was dead, and they weren't sure the younger demigod was totally convinced Leo was gone yet. "Leo's always okay."
"Harley…." Nyssa reminded him sadly. Harley shook his head.
"He's not dead. You'll see. Dad wouldn't let that happen."
"Sure, kid." Nyssa said, not wanting to smash his hopes. But she couldn't look at him.
The next scene started. Leo's army jacket was zipped all the way up, and he wore a black ski hat, which was kind of cliche. He stood in an empty lot, holding a gun. He was slightly behind and to the right of Jamie. On Jamie's other side was Slade. Another large man stood on Leo's other side, as if Leo couldn't cover Jamie on his own.
A few feet in front of Jamie was a large wooden crate with it's top off, black guns showing. On the other side of the crate was three large guys, also all armed.
"Final price is two hundred. Take it or leave it, and we'll go home with the goods." Jamie said coldly to the three unfamiliar men.
"Two hundred, then. Timmy," The man in front said, inclining his head, and the man behind him walked forward with the money in one hand. Timmy handed the money to Jamie, who glanced at it and tucked it in her pocket.
"Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen."
"Actually, on second thought… I don't think I'll be paying. Fire!" The man in front shouted, and the two other men he was with were firing towards the Serpents before anyone could shout a warning. Jamie gasped and fell forward onto the concrete, not moving. Leo and Slade both threw themselves to the sides and behind construction equipment. More shots were fired as the man that had been standing with Leo jerked back and fell on his side. His eyes were glassy.
"Ohmygods they're shooting at Leo!" Piper spluttered.
Nyssa reached forward and covered Harley's eyes with her hands so her brother didn't have to watch. For once, Harley didn't argue.
Leo crouched behind a steam shovel, eyes wide. He looked down at the gun in his hands. More bullets from their attackers were fired, and one clanged off the metal right where Leo had been a moment before. Slade was firing back from behind a large metal storage container.
"No!" Leo gasped, dropping the gun like it was on fire. "I can't… Emma was right." He cursed.
There was a cry of pain from Leo's right, and Slade clutched his arm. Slade dropped his own gun, clutching his arm and running towards the street. "Run, kid!" He shouted. Leo's eyes widened.
"He left Leo on his own while they were getting shot at?" Hazel hissed. "He's such a coward!"
Leo scrambled to the side, the bullets stopping. He scrambled out from behind the steam shovel, more bullets hitting the ground around him, and he dove into an alley, screaming curses. "He went down there!" Someone shouted.
Leo tore the black hat off, his hair and face wild. He sprinted down the alley, and around the corner behind a row of trash cans. "Find him!" Leo was whispering in Spanish too rapidly for Annabeth to be able to translate anything. The armed men stormed past Leo's hiding place. When they were gone, Leo poked his head out.
Seeing that they were gone, Leo scrambled out and ran in the opposite direction from where they had come. He turned around corners and along streets, running as fast as he could until the front of Emma's bar came into view.
He blasted in, dodging among the legs of the bar goers until he found Emma. "Em! They're shot! The deal went south and they hit Jamie, Jameson, and Slade was hit in the arm! We have to send help!"
Emma's eyes widened, and she glanced around. She grabbed Leo's arm and pulled him through the bar, tapping people on the shoulder as she went. Those people quietly followed, grouping in the basement.
"Leo, tell them what you told me." Emma said kindly, one hand on Leo's shoulder.
Leo quickly recounted what had happened. The men started talking to each other, picking up guns and making plans. Emma crouched in front of Leo, big green eyes worried. "Leo, this is important. Did you see where Jamie was hit? Head, stomach, arm?" Leo shook his head. "Okay. Go get some rest, I'll close up the bar and come see you. There's nothing more you can do for Jamie and Slade right now, okay?"
Leo nodded. Emma smiled sadly at him. "I'm sorry, Leo. You don't deserve a life like this." She quickly hugged him, and Leo stumbled away through another door to a small room. He collapsed on a sleeping bag, and the memory ended.
"Dam," Percy said, sounding half-impressed half-sick. "Nine years old and in a shoot out."
"I wish he had told us this!" Piper burst out. "So we didn't have to find it out from a stupid god and his stupid TV!"
"Pipes, calm down…" Jason said with a nervous look to the ceiling.
The next scene from Leo's life started….