I just don't know how to thank you anymore for the reviews. I'm sorry, there's no word that can describe how awesome you are.

Here comes chapter 22 :-D

Chapter 22 – A cold sleepyhead

LEO

Leo turned and glared at the others with his super-angry-deluxe look. The others looked a little too terrified, and Leo realized that his forehead was ablaze. Quickly, he forced the flames to die.

"What happened?!" He demanded.

Death Kid looked grim.

"We don't know. I came down here, looking for Hazel and found her like this."

"Leo." Piper's voice was soft, but Leo felt the charmspeak in it. "I know this must be hard for you, that Khione is here, but-"

Leo blinked.

"What?"

He couldn't care less about Khione right then. Hazel was a freaking ice statue!

"Forget Khione, how are we gonna defrost her?!" Leo said and nodded toward Hazel.

Everybody looked with pointed looks at him, and it dawned on him what they needed him to do.

"Wait… No-" Leo started. "I can't-"

He glanced at Frank, who looked terrified but grim.

If Leo made a tiny little mistake, it could set Hazel and Frank's lifeline on fire. If they died, it would be Leo's fault. And Leo didn't think he could bare the guilt of killing his friends, especially after his mother's death and Percy and Annabeth's accident. And, it would (of course) really suck for them.

He locked eyes with Frank.

"Frank, if I mess up-"

"Just do it!" Frank said angrily.

The others were looking confused, but didn't say anything.

Leo took a shaky breath and muttered:

"Here we go, Flaming Valdez."

He summoned fire in his right hand, and moved it slowly toward Hazel's shoulder. The ice melted a little.

Piper inhaled sharply.

Leo got more and more confident. Slowly he moved the flaming hand to Hazel's back, not letting the flame be closer than an inch to her. The ice melted slowly.

It took maybe half an hour to completely defrost Hazel. She was soaking wet now, but at least not covered in ice.

Coach Hedge touched her face.

"She's still very cold." He said grimly.

"She's loosing it." Death Kid murmured.

Right then, Hazel started to tremble. Leo didn't really know if she was awake.

"We have to take her to the sickbay!" Jason said. "Fast!"

Jason and Frank lifted her up. Leo, Nico, Piper and Coach Hedge followed them to the sickbay. Fast, they put Hazel on the bed and opened her arms and legs (she had been sitting with her arms around her legs in the stables). She was still trembling.

"Ambrosia!" The coach yelled.

Piper handed him the godly food. He fed her small pieces and made Hazel swallow it until she stopped trembling and didn't look so pale.

Leo just stood there, and didn't know what to do. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned. Frank locked eyes with him and mouthed: Thank you.

Leo nodded and tried to grin, but he felt really weird. Frank had thanked him for being careful and not setting him and his girlfriend on fire. He didn't know that Leo had a crush on her…

"Leo? You okay, man? You look a little pale." Jason asked.

"What? Uh, I'm fine."

Leo stared at Hazel's unconscious, pale face and his mind started to wander.

Hazel had gotten frozen, exactly like Festus disk. It was either Khione or her brothers, but Hazel had convinced Zethes and Calais that serving Gaea was a bad idea. But they had given up surprisingly easy, and that worried Leo. And if the three ice-siblings worked together, Leo was pretty sure it wouldn't end up well for the demigods on the Argo II.

Frank walked to Hazel and held her hand. Leo almost winced. Would he ever get to do that?

"She just needs to rest." Coach Hedge said after a silent moment. "Let the kid sleep. We'll come back later."

Death Kid nodded.

"It's true. She gets better and better for every second."

"But-" Piper glanced at Hazel, but Jason took her arm.

They left along with the coach and Nico.

Leo didn't know what to do. Frank was sitting on the bed and held Hazel's hand.

"You coming?" Leo said nervously and nodded toward the door.

"Yeah." Frank murmured. "Could you do me a favor?"

Leo shrugged.

"Whatever you want, man."

Frank hesitated, but then said:

"Stay here and warm her with your fire."

Leo almost laughed. Frank seriously wanted him to guard his girlfriend?

"Seriously?" He asked with a sarcastic grin. "What if I accidently set her on fire, and your stick?"

Frank didn't answer, he just walked out from the sickbay. Leo didn't even have the time to stop him.

Slowly he walked to the bed and sat down on it. He gripped Hazel's hand. It was really cold.

"Let's warm you up, huh?" Leo muttered and let his hand catch fire. He did the same thing as when he defrosted her; slowly moving his hand over her body, without letting the flame come more than one inch close.

After maybe fifteen minutes, Hazel was warm enough for Leo to stop. She wasn't even wet anymore.

Hazel's eyes were wide open. She had a scared, but at the same time calm, look in them. Carefully Leo closed them, so she would look like she just was asleep. Then he took her hand.

"You know, I'm not good with feelings and stuff at all." Leo said. "I just know that this will get me into a lot of trouble. Have-a-scary-animal man-after-you kind of trouble. But… I like you."

Leo felt really silly. Hazel couldn't even hear him, and Frank would kill him if he ever tried to flirt with Hazel. And that would have been perfectly fine if it wasn't for these damn feelings he had for her.

Hazel started to move. Leo stiffened and let go of her hand. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"L-Leo?" She asked uncertainly. "What are you doing here? Where am I?"

Leo scratched his head and grinned nervously.

"In the sickbay. Frank wanted me to keep you warm, so… Yeah."

Hazel blinked a few times.

"What happened? I just remember sitting in the stables, and then suddenly getting really cold and hearing a laugh behind me…"

Leo froze.

"Wait, a laugh? Female or male?"

She looked uncertain.

"I-I don't know, really. I don't remember."

Leo's shoulders slumped. He wanted to know if it was Khione or her brothers who had frozen Hazel. Maybe that could help the demigods to fight them. Knowledge is power, as Annabeth would say.

"It's okay. Do you feel any better?"

"A little cold, but I'm fine otherwise." Hazel answered and tried to smile, but her teeth chattered from cold.

"I'm pretty warm. You mind if…?"

Leo held out his arms awkwardly. Hazel blushed a little, but said:

"Sure."

His heart raced when he hugged her. Wasn't this, like, the thousand time they hugged? Was it normal for a guy who is supposed to not move it in on a girl to hug her so many times?

"Do you sweat more because of these fire-powers?" Hazel suddenly asked.

Leo laughed, but then got a little confused. He scratched his head.

"I don't think so. Or maybe I do…"

Now it was Hazel's turn to laugh. She curled herself to a ball and rested her head on Leo's shoulder. Leo felt as if small electric shocks went through his body. Hazel seemed perfectly fine, happy and comfortable, not at all nervous.

He wondered if it was like this to have a girlfriend. Leo imagined himself sitting in a couch with Hazel, cuddling and watching a movie. Kiss each other whenever they wanted to. It seemed almost too perfect. But demigod-couples probably didn't have time to do stuff like that, being responsible for killing monsters so they would't destroy the world.

"Do you think it was Khione who froze me?" Hazel asked Leo after a moment of silence.

Leo frowned.

"I don't know… Maybe. Or Zethes and Calais, if Gaea convinced them to work for her again." He said uncertainly. "But really, I don't know."

Hazel nodded.

"Feel better?" Leo asked her and grinned. "Did 'Leo the Element' make you warmer?"

"Yes, very much." She said, and Leo thought he could see a smile on her lips..

They fell into silence again, and Hazel closed her eyes. Leo just continued hugging her, feeling cozy and comfortable. But still, he couldn't stop glancing at the door, worrying about what would happen if Frank suddenly stepped into the room.

Slowly, Hazel's breaths became heavier. Leo realized she had fallen asleep, and couldn't help but smile a little. She looked so peaceful and cute.

Somebody knocked at the door. Hazel groaned by the sound. Leo shot a cautious look at her and tried to say as low as he could:

"Come in."

Piper peered into the room, first looking worried but then smiled when she saw them. She mouthed: She fell asleep?. Leo nodded and put a finger over his mouth to tell Piper to be quiet.

She smiled again and tiptoed in. She formed her hands to a heart and showed Leo, who blushed and mouthed: Shut up! (which was kinda' weird, when Piper hadn't said anything).

"Why did you come here?" Leo whispered. His cheeks were still a little red.

Piper shrugged.

"Just wanted to check on you two, but you look like you are having a great time together." She smirked.

Leo rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Beauty Queen. Just tell the others that she feels better."

"Great. Take her up to the mess hall when she has woken up."

Piper walked to the doorway, shooting a final amused look at Leo and Hazel, and left.

Leo worried about that Piper was gonna tell everybody that he hugged Hazel and that Frank would hear it.

Nah. She is my friend. And she understands love and stuff better than anyone else here, he thought.

He didn't keep track of time, but it took a while before Hazel woke up. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Leo said and grinned to Hazel.

She looked confused, and blushed when she saw that Leo had an arm around her. Quickly, he let go of her.

"Did I fall asleep?" Hazel asked and fanned herself that cute way she did when she was flustered.

"Yeah, kind of." He said and gave her a nervous smile.

"How long have I been asleep?"

Leo shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe a few hours…"

Hazel's cheeks got even redder.

"You've been here all the time?"

"You kinda' fell asleep on me, so I couldn't really go even if I wanted too." Leo reminded her.

They were silent for a moment.

"I, uh-Where's the others?" Hazel asked at last.

"Piper came and checked on us a while ago, but I guess they're in the mess hall or something."

Hazel nodded, jumped off the bed and dusted off her denim jacket. Leo stretched his arms, happy to be standing on his feet again after hours of sitting down.

"Let's go to the mess hall." Hazel said.

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Can you walk? I think you should rest-"

"No, it's okay."

"You maybe should eat a little more amb-"

"No, I'm fine." She insisted. "I'm perfectly fine."

Leo shrugged and followed her out from the sickbay.

I hope you liked this chapter, because I enjoyed writing it :-) Next chapter will probably come tomorrow. Review please :-D

Bye!