Hello again!

Disclaimer: I own nada.

I need you to know

I'm not through the night

Sometimes I'm still fighting to walk towards the light

I need you to know that we'll be okay

Together we can make it through another day

-"Courage" by Superchick

Leo always hated Royal Blue Treatment Center.

It is an Eating Disorder Clinic that has very strict rules. You have to eat in the dining room, have to eat this many calories, have to go to Group, have to do this and that.

There are no doors. You have to have permission to use the bathroom and a staff member has to stand outside the door to ensure that you're not purging. Your bags are checked upon arrival.

The only part Leo likes about the Treatment Center were his roommates, Andrew and Clayton.

Andrew has anorexia, and he really knows how to hide food. He'd been there for six months because while he avoided eating, he didn't know how to make it look like he was gaining weight. He'd gotten the feeding tube twice.

Clayton has bulimia, and he always purged on the terrace. If the staff got suspicious of what he was doing, he stole paper bags, purged into them, and hid them under his bed until he could dispose of them.

But aside from their disorders, they're great. Funny, kind. Andrew's smart, and Clayton is so helpful. They're every parent's dream kids.

Leo's the goofball of their group, and the staff calls them the Golden Trio, like the one from Harry Potter. You never saw one without the others.

Leo sits up in his bed and swings his legs over the side. Andrew is awake, reading his science book (he insisted on keeping up with his schoolwork, even when he was too weak to stand, which was more often than not). Clayton snores, softly, in the other bed, and Leo stands to get ready.

He falls right back to the floor.

Andrew glances up, but he doesn't rush to help like he usually does when Leo has a dizzy spell.

"Stay strong, Leo," he mutters.

"Strong," Clayton echoes as he sits up in his bed.

"What?" Leo mumbles, sitting up. When he tries to stand, however, he falls to the floor as though his feet are glued to the ground.

"Don't join us," Andrew says.

Leo frowns, but then, the scenery changes and he's standing in a cemetery that goes on for miles.

"All those that died from eating disorders," Andrew's voice suddenly explains, and Leo whirls to see Andrew and Clayton standing behind him.

"All of them?" Leo asks, staring at the thousands, maybe even millions, of graves.

Clayton nods, and he and Andrew point at two graves that sit side by side.

Leo follows their gesture and falls to his knees, crying.

Andrew Barron

April 11, 2001-October 17, 2016

Clayton Rhodes

September 6, 2001-January 12, 2017

"No," he whimpers.

Andrew points to another gravestone, but this one in placed beside a square hole that goes about six feet down.

A newly dug grave.

Leo Valdez

July 7, 2001-July 13, 2017

Leo screams, and the scenery fades away, Andrew and Clayton vanishing last.

"You dug your own grave," Andrew whispers before he dissolves into dust and blows away in the wind.

Leo cries out as he sits up in a bed in the Infirmary, and he finds two sets of eyes gazing at him, worriedly.

Jason and Annabeth.

"What happened?" He asks, holding his pounding head.

Annabeth frowns. "You got hurt in the fight against the monster. You left it untreated, and you passed out."

Leo nods, tiredly. "Right... How are Percy and Hazel?"

Jason nods, pursing his lips. "They're fine, but Leo, we need to discuss something."

Leo's eyes widen. "Discuss? Oh, gods, that's what a therapy session always starts with."

Neither smile.

"Leo, how much do you weigh?" Annabeth questions.

Leo shrugs, taken off guard by the sudden question. "I don't know- 80, 90 pounds? Why?" He lies.

Annabeth shakes her head. "Leo, your ribs are jutting out of your skin. You look like a skeleton. How do you explain that?"

Leo opens his mouth before closing it. Even he doesn't know how to lie his way out of this one.

"I-I had a bad cold..." He trails off, knowing that was an awful lie. "Look, the truth is that when I was on the run all the time, I didn't eat much. That left me scrawny, and now, I don't have a very big appetite, so... look, guys, I'm sorry. I try to eat, but sometimes I forget or I'm just not hungry. It won't happen again."

"Leo, Frank heard you throwing up," Annabeth states.

"And you were exercising when I found you," Jason adds. "You were wounded and practically running on empty. I saw you eat breakfast, but that wasn't enough to keep you running for so long."

"It wasn't that hard to put the pieces together," Annabeth finishes.

Leo purses his lips, not knowing what to say. Every liar runs out of lies, eventually.

"I've struggled with this kind of stuff for years," Leo finally blurts. "I have it under control."

"Leo, where are we?" Jason asks.

"The infirmary," Leo responds.

"Exactly."

Leo bites his lip. "Alright. Maybe I did let it get out of hand, but I can fix it."

"No, you can't," a voice says from the doorway, and Leo looks up to see Piper frowning at him. Before he can ask what she means, she continues, "Not alone."

She traverses the floor until she's sitting beside Leo, and he frowns when he sees a stack of papers in her arms.

"What-"

"Leo, we're not going to keep you locked up with a strict schedule like they do in those eating disorder clinics. But... you need to eat. We will make sure you eat at meals, and you won't be allowed out of our sight for an hour and a half afterwards. No excessive training. Sound fair?" Piper questions.

Leo leans back against the wall. "Piper-"

"Leo, it's either that or keep you in here with constant supervision," she interrupts. "What will it be?"

Leo doesn't respond, but she seems to know his decision because she stands and grab a tray from a nearby table. It holds pancakes, bacon, and a glass of orange juice.

Piper sets it on his lap, and Leo stares at the food like it's going to attack him.

"Piper-"

"Eat," she says, firmly, not using Charmspeak. Yet. Something in her voice tells Leo she's not above persuading him to stuff his face.

Leo picks up his fork and nearly drops it. The Arctic cold of the metal seems to burn his hand as dread wells up in stomach, and he knows that'll only make it harder to force the food down.

Reluctantly, he chokes back a bite, all too aware of the others watching him like a hawk.

The food would probably taste good if he'd eaten it when he was ten or younger, but now, food has no appeal. It tastes like cardboard to Leo. He chokes down the food like it's poison.

After a few bites, Leo starts to feel nauseous, but he knows that the others won't let him go until his plate is spotless.

He continues to eat, and finally, the food is churning in his stomach and the plate gleams. He feels so guilty.

Piper nods. "Good. Now, you can leave the infirmary by dinner. Jason will stay with you for the next hour and a half."

Leo nods, not meeting her eyes. He's afraid he'll attack her for making him eat if he looks into her eyes.

Annabeth and Piper leave, and for a very long time, Jason and Leo are silent.

But the voice isn't.

Distract him! Why didn't you hide the food? Why were you so weak? Strong people don't pass out! I guess you don't want it enough!

STOP! Leo screams back, but only in his mind, lest Jason think him to be crazy. Or crazier, I guess.

Don't tell me what to do. You'd better be prepared for a lot of pain. Not only will you be taking the laxatives, but you're going to get reacquainted with our old exercise routine.

Leo flinches at the thought, and unfortunately, Jason notices.

"Are you okay?" He asks. "Uh, I mean, of course you're not, but... you know what I mean."

Leo laughs. "Yeah, I'm fine. And don't worry, Sparky, I'm the same Leo I was before you found out."

Jason purses his lips. "Of course you are. Sorry."

Jason falls silent, and Leo sighs before making the inevitable occur sooner.

"I know you want to ask."

"What?" Jason asks, surprised at the abrupt question.

"I know you have questions. Ask. I promise I won't break down or anything."

Jason hesitates. "All right. Why?"

Leo takes a deep breath. "When I was eleven, I went to an awful foster home. They hated me. Didn't pass up an opportunity to insult me. I hid in my room when I could, and at some point, I stopped coming to the dinner table. It was just another opportunity for them to call me names and stuff. I guess... it just became a habit, not eating."

Jason won't meet Leo's eyes. "Did you ever... get treated?"

Leo nods. "Royal Blue Treatment Center. Eating disorder clinic. I, uh, lied my way out of it."

Jason frowns. "How?"

"I snuck in small weights and rolls of quarters. Purged on the balcony. Found creative ways to get rid of food. After you do this for a while, you start to pick up some tricks."

Jason doesn't know what to say to that.

"You don't have to do it, you know," Jason blurts.

Leo frowns. "Jason, you don't under-"

"No, I do. You've been doing this for a long time, and you have no idea what else to do. All these years, you had nobody that was willing to help you, to fight for you, except for the people that sent you to Treatment. But now, you do. You have us, and we are not ones to give up so easily, especially on our friends. You're not alone."

Leo nods. "I know, but you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

Jason shrugs. "Maybe I don't, but no matter what it is, we're not giving up on you. I'm not giving up on you. "

Leo smiles. "Thanks."

Leo has had his share of sappy 'I'm here for you' speeches, but for the first time, he believes one of them.

That night at dinner, everyone stares at Leo like he's a glass figurine, ready to shatter at any moment, and everyone watches Leo as he eats. They eat as well, but there's no conversation.

The food slips down much easier this time, and Leo's relieved. Jason smiles as Leo finishes his plate, and then, Leo surprises himself by getting seconds.

Maybe he can do this, after all.

Two hours later, Leo returns to his cabin, Piper and Jason having finally left his side.

For about a half hour, he catches up on his inventions and there's no anxiety, no Voice.

Until he finds the picture.

Leo stumbles across it by accident while he is searching for his hammer. He finds it in an old box under his bed.

Him and Mamá.

Leo stares at the photograph for a long time, and usually, it makes him stop starving or stop purging or stop binging, but today, it does the opposite.

He stuffs a hand full of laxatives down his throat before he knows what he's doing.

That should've been enough, but after the laxatives do their work, Leo lies on the floor and starts doing sit ups. He won't stop until he does a thousand.

About half way through, he starts crying, and he really doesn't know why.

Maybe it's because the Voice is screaming, and the emotional pain is so overwhelming.

Maybe it's because he feels so out of control, and he knows that he can't stop.

Maybe it's because seeing Mama's photo reminded him of the crippling loneliness that Jason had chased away temporarily.

The door opens, and Leo doesn't even notice until a hand grabs his shoulder and stops his torture session.

Jason doesn't say anything. He just holds Leo in his arms, and to this day, Leo doesn't know how Jason knew Leo needed him. But he never asks; he's just grateful Jason came when he did.

And for the first time in many years, Leo has a shoulder to cry on.

What'd you think? There will be some bonding with other members of the session later, but I love Jason and Leo's friendship, so that will play a huge part in this.

Just so you know, Leo will be on a roller coaster for a while. His recovery will have tons of ups and downs, and the change can happen in the blink of an eye.

Also, remember Andrew and Clayton. They'll be important later on.