"Leo, it's morning." Nico shook him gently. "We should be out there before anyone else wakes up." It was just past dawn, which technically was supposed to be when the two of them went back to sleep after getting the others up, but Nico figured that it wouldn't hurt to let them sleep a little longer while he tried to get Leo up, first.

"Nnh..." The mechanic groaned and rolled over, tangling himself in a mess of blankets and bedsheets. "Mmphh hmmpph fffhh—" He rolled over again, pulling his face out of the pillow this time before he spoke. "Gods, did you sleep at all?"

"Yes," Nico lied, not wanting to worry him. "I slept for a few hours." But the tired look in his eyes and the weak, weary tone to his voice said otherwise, and it wasn't that hard to tell.

"Liar," Leo said, but he didn't say anything more than that. He was (even if it was a bit selfish) glad that Nico was there, awake, the entire night, because although the memories were fuzzy, they were there: Nico putting a hand on his shoulder while he cried, or whispering something calming after he woke up from a nightmare. If Nico had been asleep, it would've been just the same as facing it alone.

"Whatever," Nico muttered, "let's just go eat breakfast before we wake up everyone else." He put his ear against the door, making sure there was nothing else on board stirring, before opening it and walking down to the dining room.

Leo just yawned and followed slowly, feeling the chill of the early morning air bring him back to his senses. He glanced around him. The last time he was in this room was just before summoning his mother's spirit. It felt like an eternity away, even if it only happened hours before. "Boy, I'm starved," he finally said, breaking the silence.

Nico set dishes out in front of them both, although he hardly had an appetite. In fact, ever since he came back from Tartarus, all he'd been consuming for the most part, was ambrosia and nectar—not exactly healthy, considering the nasty side-effect of burning up from the inside out. With a sigh, he willed the bowl in front of him to fill with milk and cereal.

Leo's plate, on the other hand, already had a stack of waffles with a heaping ton of syrup and whipped cream, along with eggs and bacon on the side. "Dude. That's all you're eating?" he asked with a mouth full of waffle.

"Don't speak until you're done chewing," Nico grumbled, slightly disgusted but also slightly amused. "And yes, I prefer not to stuff myself, unlike you."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. And I thought I was scrawny," Leo chuckled. It was the first time he'd really laughed for a while, and it felt good. Whatever sadness and uneasiness had settled itself in the pit of his stomach had left for now, and been replaced by a few mouthfuls of scrambled eggs.

Nico was slightly amazed at this—how could Leo just go back to normal, as though nothing had happened? His eyes were red and expression tired, making it obvious enough that he'd been crying all night. But his attitude seemed to be normal, happy-go-lucky Leo Valdez.

He ate a few spoonfuls of cereal, and although he wasn't hungry, it was a good feeling to swallow real food rather than godly food that reminded him all too much of the past. The plate magically cleared itself, ready to be put back into the cabinet.

He was about to say something, when Leo shoved the last mouthful of waffle into his mouth, announcing, "Done!" and his plate, too, cleared itself.

Nico scowled, but it was a scowl that almost turned into a smile, because it seemed like Leo was truly back to normal. Some part of him deep down knew that wasn't true, but it was nice to see his friend even a little bit happy. "You're obnoxious."

"Am I? I'll have to add that to the list of things I excel at being," Leo answered, pretending to make a mental note of it. The food had helped him to forget about the previous night—but how do you totally forget something like that? 'Keep moving,' he told himself whenever his thoughts went to those places, 'It's done. The only direction is forward.'

"Let's go—" Nico began to say, but was interrupted when he heard footsteps. "...Hello?"

Jason walked in and he didn't look very happy, but Leo couldn't seem to place his mood. Vaguely annoyed, a bit tired, but still mellow, as though he was still deciding whether or not to be angry. "Were you two ever going to wake us up?" he asked, frowning disappointedly.

Leo gulped, because even if they were friends, Jason was still intimidating when he was mad. "Uh..." he began to speak, but Nico chimed in before he could make a fool out of himself.

"We were letting you guys sleep longer," he explained. "We all need our rest, and you're no exception. With all due respect, this isn't like camp, Jason. We're a team now." What he didn't say was, 'and you aren't the praetor out here.'

Leo was almost sure that Jason was going to fry him with a lightning bolt for that, when he noticed that Nico was standing up straight. He didn't seem to be threatening or challenging, he was only showing that he wasn't afraid. No matter how weak and pale and skinny he was, he had an aura of power around him, and his dark eyes held a stare so intense that even Jason hesitated.

"I appreciate it, but..." Jason struggled to keep Nico's gaze, and he sighed. "Fine," he finally said, and his expression softened a bit. "I guess you're right, Nico," he admitted, and for some reason, Leo got the feeling that wasn't the first time he'd said it. "But you guys get some rest, too. I'm sure it was a long night." And Jason meant it—he could see easily enough that Leo had been crying for whatever reason, and that Nico was about ready to collapse from exhaustion. But he didn't mention anything about it—best to leave these things alone.

Nico smiled slightly and nodded. "Come on, Leo, let's go wake the rest of them up," he said, and he started to leave.

"So... what?" Leo gave Nico a somewhat confused look as they walked. "You and Jason have some history or something?"

"Kind of. I was the Ambassador of Pluto at Camp Jupiter. He, Reyna, and I worked together quite a bit, since I knew more about what was going on outside of camp." Nico shrugged, like it was nothing, but Leo knew he was more important than he was making it out to be. "I wasn't very close to them, if you're wondering. I didn't fit in there—I'm a Greek," he said. "Honestly? I went mostly to see Hazel and sometimes Frank, but since I could help, I did. Didn't change the fact that I was the outsider over there."

The outsider.

The words hit Leo in some part of him that was unguarded, and he winced slightly. "Yeah, I see what you mean," he answered, voice a bit hollow. He began to think of things from Nico's perspective—traveling the country alone, carrying the burden of a secret that had the potential to start a war. His mind flashed back to his own time, running away, carrying the secret that he'd killed his mother. 'You didn't kill her,' he had to remind himself, and he could hear his mother's voice telling him he didn't do anything wrong.

Nico raised a brow, opening his mouth to say something, but decided that it would be best to just let Leo think. The guy was talkative enough—might as well enjoy the silence while it lasted. But that was the thing, he couldn't enjoy it, because seeing Leo think was a rather unsettling thing. It was almost as though Nico could hear the gears, clicking and whirring inside his head, making him wonder more than anything what that idiotic son of Hephaestus had on his mind.

As they arrived at the doors of the bunks, Leo finally spoke—but not to him. "HAZEL! ZHANG! BEAUTY QUEEN!" he shouted so loud he made the son of Hades flinch, banging on the doors of the three sleeping demigods. "Up and at 'em!"

Groans were heard from behind the doors, and Leo could've sworn he heard Frank mutter a 'dang it, Valdez!' and he just chuckled. "Sounds like they're up," he concluded with a grin, an impish glint in his eyes.

"You're heartless," Nico mumbled, feeling a little sorry for the three of them.

The first one out of their room was Piper, with her messed up hair and baggy pajamas, flinching as soon as she saw them. "You guys look kind of..." She wondered how to word it without offending them. "Tired," was all she could say, but she knew it was more than that.

Before they could even answer, Hazel walked out next, wearing a tired expression before her eyes caught theirs, and she gasped. "Oh, gods!"

"Way to be subtle," Leo said under his breath, rolling his eyes and chuckling playfully.

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly, but she ran up and put her hand protectively on Nico's shoulder. "You two look awful! Did something happen?"

The two boys exchanged a quick glance, and Nico answered, "A lot of things happened, but we're fine. Don't worry, Hazel." And he smiled at her—a real, genuine smile—because being around Hazel made him do that.

Frank walked out next, and he was about to glare at Leo, before he took a closer look at the two of them. "Geez," he said, "is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes, for the hundredth time, we're fine!" Leo answered, using hand gestures to emphasize the point. "Now get on down to the mess hall and eat breakfast before a monster gets here first," he told them, "Jason's already down there." He purposely rested his gaze on Piper and winked, and she just scowled at him.

"Alright," the three of them said, but Hazel frowned. "Are you sure you don't need anything?" Typical Hazel.

"Fine, we're fine," Leo waved her off, and Hazel really had no other option than to listen to him and leave with the others even if she knew something was wrong. She just hoped that the two boys could work it out for themselves without screwing up too royally.

"Now," Leo said, turning to face Nico. "You, sir, need some sleep."

He would have protested, but instead he just yawned. "Percy's room..." he mumbled, trying to say that he didn't want to sleep there. For some reason, everything about it just made him feel worse. More guilty. More desperate.

Leo seemed to understand immediately. "Alright, kiddo, c'mon," he said, and soon, Nico was flopped down on a bed that wasn't his, wasn't Percy's, but belonged to none other than Admiral Leo Valdez, and he felt himself smile. Just a little bit, but he smiled, because for once, instead of saltwater and ocean wind, his bed smelled of motor oil and a fireplace.