VI

Leo

A surge of energy pasted through Leo. He was in for a hard investigation and he knew Annabeth wouldn't have good words to say about this. It was like he they had came with a good argument and to stand their ground at getting the other camp to help, but Leo had messed that up in less than an hour. He knew Piper would be shocked he lasted thirty minutes, but not by much, she'd still give him a stink eye.

Leo pictured an image of Jason months ago. Him walking with Drew to the Big House wondering what creature he was about to face. Leo felt the same but he hoped the first things Lupa said to him wouldn't be you're supposed to be dead. He thought the best thing to do was try to reason with the emotionally disturbed girl that was dragging him to the big FBI type building.

"Reyna… I can…tell you… what the… quest was about," She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him, not daring to let go of his shirt. It was obvious she was waiting for an answer, "First things first," He paused waiting for her to except his condition.

"What!" Reyna was getting annoyed and Leo decided not to mess with her like he was planning to do; this girl was like Annabeth. Not a person you'd want as an enemy. He saw the tattoo on her arm: a crow with the barcode-like lines beneath it the letters SPOR. This girl was a daughter of Apollo or whatever his name was in Rome.

"Hey you're dad's Apollo?" Leo asked, "What's his roman name?"She looked at him like he was most unguarded thing in the world and to the Romans that was almost the foulest thing.

"His name doesn't change idiot! His name is still Apollo and stop trying to change the subject!" Reyna shouted at him, "Your taking too long, are you going to tell me or not?" Leo stood there silent not paying attention to her pressuring brown eyes, he was weighing his options:

If I tell her I know something that might make her want to tell Lupa even more, Leo thought, But I don't have anything so I mines well tell her just to take me to Lupa, that way I can figure out things and try my best not to let anything slip. Just think what would Jason or Annabeth do?

Leo heard a clatter coming from the headquarters –like place. Would this be his distraction? He figured the only thing he had to lose was every Greek camper being mad at him for life, or at least ten years since Leo didn't know any halfblood that lived pass twenty five. That thought made the next thing he did a lot easier.

"Take me to Lupa and I'll speak with her alone." Leo said with confidence in his voice trying his best to convince Reyna he was also not to be crossed. It seemed to be a slight success but Leo knew that she didn't like him defying her. She took him to the building as he wished.

As they got closer the commotion became clearer and clearer. Leo could now tell that it was about three people arguing with one another. Though Reyna wasn't holding his shirt Leo continued to walk towards the building, now twenty feet away. Even though he was determined to talk to Lupa and about the quest only, he walked slower and slower as he got closer to the entrance.

Finally he was as the door standing next to Reyna. Reyna knew he was uneasy about the situation so she laughed at him and entered the headquarters. Leo took a deep breath and followed her.

The Headquarters was a brightly lit building. The sun shined through the glass ceiling and waved over the entrance room with great power. Reyna looked dead at the sun as if it hadn't hurt her eyes at all. The room was something like the Big House at Camp Half Blood. It had its living room and its kitchen and its halls full of rooms and its stairs but it didn't feel like home to Leo. Otherwise it was different. The furniture was different, hair was everywhere, the smell of dog ruled the air, and there were pictures of famous roman history figures such as Alexander the Great, Brutus, Julius Caesar, and other unknown people that must have been demigods. The rest was blocked by four people yelling at one another. This was the commotion Leo had heard.

Annabeth, Piper, some dude about Leo's age, and a women dressed in black were standing in the center of the room. Immediately Piper shot a finger at Reyna and yell "It's her fault! She put us in that cabin because she was freaked that Jason had another girlfriend. Talk to her about it, she knows," Piper gave a laugh and said, "I bet she was thinking I'd fall for him and ditch Jason."

Reyna regarded Piper and addressed the lady in black: "The boy has information for you Lupa. Apparently the Jason went on a quest with him and the brunette over there." As soon as the word information spilled out of Reyna's mouth Annabeth and Piper looked at Leo, both their eyes asking, what did you do! Suddenly Leo hadn't felt the confidence he had when talking to Reyna a couple minutes ago.

"Ah, I sensed you'd be the one to spill," She had a voice that was ancient but she look as young as a twenty-five year old women, not a wrinkle, or, seeing as she was a wolf, a fur ball.

Leo felt a jolt at his stomach. Of course, why hadn't he seen it earlier? This was a woman he had seen before. This was the women Tia Callida, his old evil babysitter, had taken him to see when he was about three years old.

Leo was little and in his car seat. Tia Callida was driving him to the park for a picnic. When they got there she seemed as calm as she always was, though she seemed to be waiting for someone and asked Leo to set up the picnic himself. By then Leo still hadn't known how to control his fiery power and heated the food himself, when he turned there she was. A tall beautiful woman, black hair tied back in a bun, blood-red lipstick on, and her black dress and heals. Even then Leo thought she was overdressed for a picnic. She had seen Leo use his power and was obviously satisfied. She turned and faced Tia, "This will do brilliantly. I haven't seen a demigod with such power in centuries. How did you find him?

"I didn't," Tia replied, "He was chosen by the fates themselves," At that the lady had a big smile on her face.

"It won't be a pleaser to work with Greeks again; however, we mustn't jump ahead of ourselves. The Great Prophecy that we are in today still hasn't got a hero. My hopes he will be Roman. Perhaps the boy you gave me last year. He is working quiet hard for his age. What one can do at age three has proven itself."

"Lupa don't go getting your hopes up there are five others I believe and that one is a part of the next prophecy I know, though Poseidon and Hades have not seen it right to tell anyone, no others know but me. I, being the goddess of Marriage and Family, have the power to know when any is born." Lupa gasped. "One of those five I believe is Roman, a son of Neptune." Lupa put a hand to her heart.

"I haven't been told anything about a son of Neptune, or Poseidon, or any children of Hades. However everyone knows about the daughter of Zeus," She huffed, "It's just like them to keep quiet about this kind of thing. Anyway, what news do you have on this son of Neptune?" She asked, by this time Leo was tired of waiting on his babysitter and their guess and just started to pig out on some sweet potatoes.

"All I know is he was given to an orphanage when he was born, one in California, and his mother was aware that she'd given birth to a demigod and wanted nothing to do with him. This one had a strong aura. You shouldn't be too quick with your fauns on finding him until the Greeks find you all because with the strong aura he has it'll get stronger as he grows and I am sure this one will be part of the next prophecy so he needs his training. I'll provide him a Pugio when he is of age and you'll do the rest, though I don't think fauns will be enough to take him." She winked and Lupa got the message, her hopes had been crushed because no one hero had been a part of two great prophecies and she knew the hero in the prophecy they were in was a Greek child.

"What be this great heroes name," she said looking at Leo.

"His name is Leo…Leo Valdez."

At that Leo returned to the room, still staring in awe at the lady inn black that was Lupa. She looked exactly the same. Everyone was looking at him; apparently he'd been out a while.

Leo shook his head, "Um… what?" Leo had been in a trance and apparently Lupa knew and knew why.

"I said I knew you'd be the one to tell." She repeated herself.

"How could you possibly know Leo would give you information, he's not as weak as he looks!" Annabeth said.

"Well thanks for defending me Annabeth," Leo said, still looking at Lupa, "But this is okay, I want to talk to her." Leo felt more confident now he knew, or remembered, Lupa already knew. He wasn't scared at all.