Hello again everybody, I am in a great mood as I got back from comic Con a few days ago, so this chapter should be quite long. And also because of 600 REVIEWS. Wow, thank you so much for all of the support that you guys have been showing me. It really brightens my day when I read your lovely reviews. Some racist views will be expressed in this chapter, however I do not believe any of them, some people have requested a memory in which Leo experiences racism. Also, please excuse the Bieber joke, it is just that, a joke. Thanks for all of the faves and follows.
Iluvbooks : I'm sorry that I took so long.
Bearah cubecars : Don't worry, he'll (probably) be alright ;)
IraTamashi99AmyliaZanpakuto : Sorry for driving you insane, but thank you for your review. I don't know how I manage it (most of the time I feel like I'm just smashing the keyboard and hoping for the best). And I'm pretty certain that I'm nowhere near as good as Rick.
Enhisbeautiful : Thank you, and I wanted to make the last line of that chapter really show how far Percy is willing to go for his friends.
MakaylaCO : Thanks, and it's fine. I have two chapters left and then the sequels.
TeamLeo'sVeryOwnFlinxShipper : I would also be very rich... and yup, Leo is a bad ass. I hope that you also have a good week.
Awesomesauce90 : Thanks, and I'm glad that the different emotions were conveyed in that chapter.
Melancholy's Sunshine : I've always thought of Hera as being closer to Leo then she is with the other prophecy seven, after all she did help to raise him and he was mainly responsible for releasing her from the cage. And yes, the sequels will contain a lot of Leo loving.
Bluecookiedough : Thank you.
Guest : I loved that show.
Our Mismatched Socks : Is that good or bad?
Guest : I hope that this is soon enough to keep your soul intact.
Sidda : Teehee, the Sidda kind of gave it away. And your welcome (I hope that you enjoyed your sister's graduation). We are definitely awesome, we're demigods after all.
Flinxbbraecaleo : She's one of my loveliest reviewers :)
Queen of Sarcasm : I'm glad that my story helped you out and good luck for your finals.
Abigaia the Drakoness : Should I be sorry for that, or were they good tears?
Mondmaedchen : You're very welcome, and it is an important part of Leo so I suppose that they couldn't really learn about Leo without learning his fatal flaw.
Zoethezany III : I'm not sure if that's a good O.o or a bad O.o.
Greenwatermonk3y : I hope that my story could help to cleanse your mind after that experience.
AC : I will :)
The Steaming Cactus : Thanks, I love the Assassin's Creed games and couldn't help sneaking in a reference.
Bris38 : I wouldn't put it past a truly determined Percy Jackson.
Bullkitty51 : Yep, this and chapter 30. I then will be writing two sequels. And thank you :)
Iluvbooks : Thank you so much, considering all of the brilliant fics out there, I'm honoured that you consider mine to be one of the best.
Catsrawesome : Thanks, I wanted Percy to realise the full effects that his actions had had on Leo.
AmaebLEO : It's fine, please don't feel pressured to review, your exams are more important )good luck with them by the way). And I'll put the first idea in this chapter but for the second, will you be okay if it hurts his hand or his foot instead (I don't feel comfortable writing about a you know what, childish I know but that's the way I am).
Killua minamoto : Thanks, and I appreciate al reviews no matter how small, but even so, please don't feel as if you have to constantly review, if you don't have the time to review then I understand.
Guest : Thanks, and I was planning on putting that scene in next chapter anyway :)
Willowleaf : Hey, at least he admits to his insanity :) and he is my favourite no matter what.
HoOisawesome : Thank you, and I'll put that in this chapter for you :)
Leo is ma BAE : It's a good name, and thank you for your review. Lea will make a comeback next chapter, and I think that I understand you.
Piper Mclean : Ah, Piper, I'm sorry that you had to find out this way...
Guest : Nope, it's fine and I'll put it in this chapter.
Connwaer Heap : That is a coincidence :)
Darkstar420 : Wow, thank you, but please don't bow to me, you'll make me blush. And I hope that the crying has been worth it.
Kaylee : I think that by now they've all caught on to Leo's fatal flaw but as it ties in with the last memory from last chapter then there has to be a discussion on it, sorry. All of your ideas will crop up in either this chapter or the next so thank you for them (and for the compliment).
Cats : That will be in next chapter for you, so thanks.
FracturedSanity419 : I think that I'm crueller than you (and this story can be used as evidence). Sure I'll put those in for you next chapter. And I'm sorry but I don't have a Wattpad account, I'm not really sure what it is :(
Lady Sarcastic : That can be arranged for next chapter, and thank you.
Bullkitty51 : I'll put that in next chapter :)
ObsessedwReading : Thank you, and I think that Leo and Nico definitely have the most tragic pasts on the Argo.
Disclaimer : If only I owned everything in this fic. Also, one of the memories is based on a scene from the Incredibles so I don't own all of that either, and I have altered it slightly.
Jason's P.O.V
Jason immediately followed Percy's example, enveloping the younger boy in his arms and ignoring the twinge of pain that came from hugging a human furnace.
"I would be right next to Percy, and no one would be able to get in my way." Jason spoke with complete and utter conviction. Leo sniffled, and Piper leaned forwards.
"Please never, ever attempt something like that again." She pleaded, and Leo stiffened.
"I already said that I wouldn't." He sounded a little vexed, and Jason backed of slightly to try and assess what was going on.
"It's not that we doubt your promise, it just hurts to see that you were in so much pain and that none of us even noticed." Leo's eyes turned cold, and Jason freaked out, wondering what he could have said wrong.
"It doesn't matter. And Percy, Hazel and Frank had no real obligation at that point to worry about my mental health." This was stated in a very matter of fact way, and it chilled Jason to hear Leo say something like that.
"You're one of the seven, of course we're obligated to care about you." Annabeth stuttered, and Jason and Percy had to throw themselves off of the couch once again to avoid the heat emanating from Leo.
"So you just see me as an obligation. Is that all that matters to you Annabeth, the fact that I'm part of the quest, part of the seven?" Annabeth hurriedly started to try to fix her mistake, and Jason observed Leo diligently. And then he caught it.
A spark of fear in the swirling depths of Leo's eyes. Fear that the seven really did only care about him because he was part of the quest. Fear that Leo was expressing through anger, because Leo didn't want to show them weakness. And Jason wouldn't stand for it.
"What Annabeth meant to say was that you are part of family, and therefore we both want to take care of you and are obligated to take care of you." Leo's eyes fixed onto his and Jason was terrified to find that the fear in them had doubled. And then it clicked.
Maybe Leo was afraid of both rejection and of acceptance. After all, his fatal flaw seemed to be inferiority and that would mean that Leo probably feared not being worthy of being with his friends whilst also fearing that that was what his friends thought.
As Jason tried to gather his thoughts together, around him an argument raged. They were all trying to convince Leo that he belonged with them and that they cared about him, whilst Leo was vehemently denying being upset despite the damning evidence of his tears.
"Leo." Jason's voice silenced the room, and all of the demigods turned towards him, even Leo.
"You are a part of our family because we care about you. We don't expect anything from you and we don't want you to think that we only care about your ability on this quest. But we do value your contribution, and I don't think that we've said that enough." Leo's eyes watered, and he flung himself at Jason, hugging the older boy desperately.
"I don't want you getting hurt because of me." Leo's voice was heartfelt and Jason was touched and yet worried at the same time.
"Were demigods buddy, we can't really avoid getting hurt sometimes. And when we do it won't be your fault." Percy's voice was soothing, but Leo's body shook harder.
"Everyone thinks that they will be different. That they will be the house that I don't screw up. They've all been wrong."
"They've all been right." Leo pulled back from Jason, offended at that remark, and Jason scrambled to explain himself.
"I mean that you haven't screwed up every house. A lot of outside factors affect a household, and any one of them could be the reason why you've felt the need to leave. But it's not always been solely your fault. You can't take everything onto your shoulders."
"Lots of different things have culminated in your need for leaving in the past, but you can't shoulder all of the blame, Leo. You'll destroy yourself with guilt. And none of us could bear to see that." Piper chimed in. Leo buried his head deeper into Jason's shoulder.
"Dude, holding everything on your shoulders isn't fun, literally or figuratively. But the burden can be eased through sharing." Jason marvelled at how wise Percy sounded but Leo just continued his attempt to tunnel through Jason's shoulder.
"Please Leo, we want you to trust us." Hazel begged, and Frank placed his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder before adding his piece.
"We know that you find it hard to settle in one place. But we all want you to settle with us."
"We need you with us, not just because your part of the seven but also because you are our little brother." Annabeth's tone was solemn. Jason slowly extracted Leo's face from his shoulder (he was pretty certain that he was going to have an imprint of the Latino's face in his shoulder blade from the force of Leo's hug). The boy's shimmering chocolate eyes looked into his, and Jason smiled before ruffling Leo's hair.
"Come on, we still have some videos left to watch." Leo nodded shakily and slid onto the couch so that he was no longer sprawled on top of Jason. They remained sitting like that for a while, everyone digesting what had just occurred and praying that they had gotten through to the fiery demigod.
Eventually, Leo smiled at them and muttered thank you. The memory started before they could say any more on the subject.
Teen gang Leo was sitting nervously in a dirty house surrounded by the other members from the drinking video.
"Come on Leo, you want to be a member of the beasts right? You were practically born for it, your name means lion." Leo appeared to still be unsure when the boy who had forced him into drinking stepped forwards.
"Don't you want to be a part of my crew? Remember, if you aren't with us then you're against us." Leo gulped, and then he nodded.
"Fine, but my foster parents will freak if they find out about this so it will have to be somewhere unnoticeable." A girl who also looked older than Leo stepped forwards, blowing a bubble with some gum.
"Foot okay?" She asked after popping the bubble. Leo tipped his head to one side, resigned.
"You know that this will hurt like hell to walk on?"
"Better than being booted out of the house."
He removed his shoe and sock from his left foot and propped it up on a stool that was placed in front of him. The girl knelt in front of him an pulled out a tattoo gun.
"WHAT?" Annabeth spluttered.
"No comment." Leo's expression was awkward.
She put the tattoo gun down next to her and started tracing a pre-made design onto his foot. After she was satisfied with the placement, she swiftly got to work with the tattoo gun. Leo's face remained stony as the ink was tattooed onto his skin.
The screen flashed the words "an hour later".
The tattoo artist whipped out a camera, still chewing away on her gum and snapped a few pictures of Leo's foot, handed the camera to him and then sat back calmly.
The screen zoomed in on Leo's foot instead of the phone screen, revealing a beautiful tattoo of a pouncing lion with the words "The Beasts are loose" underneath it. The lion itself was beige with a brilliant fire-red mane that faded to orange at the tips with small sparks dancing off of the tips in gold. The words were all green, but done in such a way that they looked to be glowing. The lion also had gold jewel like decorations on its face.
Leo gasped.
"At least it looks good." He gaped at the phone.
"You got a tattoo!" Annabeth sounded outraged, and Leo rolled his eyes.
"So did Frank, Percy, Hazel and Jason. You aren't chewing them out for it." His tone was petulant, and Jason had to agree with him. If Leo hadn't got that tattoo then the Beasts probably would have torn him apart. And the Roman demigods (and Percy) all had tattoos to prove their allegiance. Sure, Jason disapproved of the situation, but Leo could have done worse things to his body. Leo had done worse things to his body, and Jason was willing to accept a tattoo as the lesser of two evils.
"Is it still there?" Frank inquired. Leo snorted.
"Tattoos do happen to be permanent, cat boy. Granted, it has faded a lot since then. I didn't exactly go to get touch ups." Frank looked a little annoyed at the mocking undertone, but he seemed to take the comment in his stride.
"How come we've never seen it before." Jason was truly curious about how they could have never noticed this before, especially considering the fact that Leo burnt his clothes off often and had to walk around barefoot. Leo's taunting eyes turned on him.
"I don't think that you spend a lot of time studying the bottom of my foot, and if you do then I'm mightily concerned for both your mental health and for your eyesight." Jason rolled his eyes at the semi sarcastic answer.
"Can we see it?" Piper spoke up, and Leo gave her a curious look before nodding slowly.
He removed his shoe and sock and then hoisted his leg up. The demigods crowded around him to gape at his tattoo.
The colours had indeed faded over time, but that didn't make the image any less impressive. The green had dulled, as had the fiery mane, but this gave the tattoo a more distinguished look. Instead of it's original eye catching appearance, the tattoo was now humble but at the same time elegant. And the design of a lion perfectly suited their Latino brother.
"Wow, you were right about it being pretty." Jason knew that Hazel enjoyed art so it didn't really surprise him that she was the one to say this. Annabeth grudgingly agreed that the design was stunning and the demigods retook their places on the couch.
The next memory slowly started up.
A baby Leo of about two sat in front of his mother, gurgling happily. Esperanza was cross legged in front of him, holding up a flash card.
"Triangle." She pronounced slowly, and Leo giggled. She held up the next one.
"House." Leo mouthed the word, and clapped enthusiastically. Esperanza smiled lovingly.
"Camp fire." She intoned, producing the next card. Leo studied the tiny camp fire picture for a moment, before smiling sweetly and promptly bursting into flames. Esperanza freaked out as Leo almost set the carpet on fire, but luckily Leo put himself out a few moments after setting himself alight.
"Camp fire." He spoke proudly.
"You sound so proud of yourself." Percy snickered, and Annabeth punched him on the arm. Jason smiled as Annabeth berated Percy about how Leo's mom had probably been terrified.
"Don't worry, she was more scared that I was going to cinder the carpet. She knew what I was capable of at that point, and although she wanted me to be more careful, she knew that I wouldn't hurt myself."
"That was kind of funny." Hazel giggled slightly. Leo sent her a huge grin, and Jason casually draped his arm over his friend's shoulders. He was relieved that Leo's temperature seemed around average for the mechanic, that is to say feverish for any normal person.
"I did look really pleased with myself." Leo capitulated. Then the next memory began.
Third grade Leo sat in front of a computer, swinging his legs cheerfully. Clearly this was third grade Leo before his mom's death.
Some sort of maths game was playing and Leo was excitedly running through it. But the math looked incredibly advanced, and Leo was solving it like it was child's play.
"I can't even do some of that now!" Annabeth looked outraged (Jason wondered if the rumours about all of Athena's children having the fatal flaw of pride were true) at the fact that the child Leo was obviously better at maths than her.
Percy was rubbing her knuckles -to calm or comfort, Jason didn't know- and Leo looked a little guilty.
"That's a pretty amazing skill." Jason wanted to assure Leo that his skills were brilliant and that Annabeth would get over it. Leo shrugged, and apparently Annabeth caught on to how her mood was affecting Leo as she sent him a reassuring smile.
"It is pretty awesome." She said, and Jason wondered how much it had hurt her to swallow back her pride and say that. Though, whatever the cost, it was worth it as Leo smiled radiantly at the praise from the older demigod.
Leo was chilling next to Alvin outside of a Wal-Mart, an evil grin lighting up his face.
"Truth or dare?" The answer was asked in a serous tone, but the devious twinkle in Leo's eyes confirmed that Alvin was screwed either way.
"Dare?" The way Alvin replied made it sound more like he was asking a question instead of answering it.
"I dare you to go and do the worm across the aisles." Alvin gulped, and the boys entered the shop. Alvin seemed to be deliberating whether or not this was a good idea, but eventually lay down across the floor. Leo stood a short distance away, devilish snickers occasionally exiting his mouth.
Alvin got a few strange looks, but luckily no one called security on the boys. After an impressive worm attempt, Alvin whirled on Leo.
"Truth or dare?" A challenge was visible in his eyes, which Leo answered with a winning smile.
"Dare my dear chipmunk." Alvin glared at him, but then he also grinned deviously
"I dare you to set up a satanic ritual around a can of monster in the middle of the store." Leo cackled.
"Challenge accepted."
It skipped to Leo sitting in the middle of a pentagram in the centre of the store, holding a can of monster. The pentagram and all of the "demonic" symbols were drawn in red lipstick, and fake candles dotted the points. Leo was humming lowly to himself as shoppers gathered around him. He was facing the floor.
The screen zoomed in on a small button held in Leo's hand before retreating to it's previous angle. Alvin was standing of to one side, one hand covering his mouth and his expression filled with mirth. The other hand clutched a mini speaker.
Leo subtly pressed the button, and Justin Bieber's Baby started blaring out of the speaker that Alvin was holding. Leo had obviously placed other speakers in discrete locations as the music surrounded his pentagram.
"El Diablo volveré debido a esta musica (The Devil will return due to this music)." Leo chanted six times, before his head whipped up, revealing blood like make-up trailed down his cheeks and staining his lips.
Some people laughed, others screamed. The security guard did neither. As the burly guard pushed his way towards him, Leo dropped some money on the floor (Jason assumed that it was to pay for everything that Leo was including in his stunt) and bolted, grabbing Alvin as he ran.
The boys easily outpaced the guard, and exited the store in a burst of laughter, Leo still clutching his can.
"Seriously, what did you say?" Alvin asked as they ran.
"The truth."
Everyone was laughing along with the boys, but Jason could tell that Annabeth was holding herself back from commenting on the irresponsibility of the prank. It was even better for them than for Alvin because the screen translated the words for them.
"You really can't resist a challenge, can you?" Frank admonished. Leo winked playfully.
"I might as well go all out. It's more fun like that."
"That's an understatement." Piper leant on his shoulder, and Jason felt a rare sensation of peace despite himself. No monsters attacking, his girlfriend on one side and his best friend on the other and the rest of the seven near to them. It was quite peaceful.
Motorbike Leo was back in the air, merrily flying over the same trees as in the previous video.
"Congratulations, you're wearing a shirt this time." Leo glared at Frank.
"Congratulations, you're a real boy this time." Jason stifled his laughter.
The camera panned down to reveal the same man who had seen Leo flying previously, except this time he was holding a shotgun.
"Damn hallucinations aren't getting me this time!" He exclaimed before taking aim. A shot rang out, piercing the motorbike in a seemingly innocuous place, but it was obviously a critical area as the bike began falling.
Leo's face dropped as he tried to keep the bike in the air, but his efforts were in vain and the bike continued to drop.
Jason was aware of a shift as everyone (sans Leo) leant forward in anticipation, trying to deduce what was going to happen to their friend.
Leo's face then creased in concentration as he removed one hand from the handles and rifled through his pockets for a tool.
Tension rose in the room as Leo began his mid-air repairs.
Fortunately, Leo was able to slow the bike's descent. Unfortunately, the bike still crash landed onto the same road from whence it had first set off.
Leo was thrown along the gravel, rolling to a stop as the bike smoked. Nasty road burns were littered his arms and a small one grazed his cheek.
"I don't like that man." Leo pouted, churlishly.
"Why the hell did he shoot you?" Percy raged, and they all seemed at a loss to explain the man's unexpected behaviour.
"Humanity is an odd race." Hazel suggested and they all agreed.
Thirteen year old Leo was still sobbing next to his grandmother's grave. Footsteps alerted him to someone else's presence, and he looked up, straight into the cold eyes of Aunt Rosa.
His sobs quietened but he remained on the ground. Decades seemed to pass as the two stared at each other.
"You couldn't just be content with killing my sister, could you?" Her voice was quiet, brimming with anger, pain and sadness.
"You had to curse my mother as well." Her words were icy, her eyes boring into the crying boy.
"I'm sorry."
"Well sorry isn't good enough!" Her voice rose only a fraction, but the fury in her words emphasized her point. Leo smiled warily, pain still lacing his features.
"Well that's all I can offer you." Leo stood up, brushing as much of the dirt off of his legs as he could before saying one last goodbye to his grandmother and walking up to his aunt. The woman flinched, but stood her ground.
"What?" She asked after a minute or two of this stand off.
"I have lost everything time and time again, Aunt. So I'm sorry for your losses, but that was my nan and I have also lost my mother so don't you dare as if I wanted this." Leo started walking away, but then he stopped to utter his last words to his aunt.
"You lost a mother and I lost the last family member who actually cared for me. You can return to your husband and sons but I will return to the system or the streets."
"I'm glad that you stood up to her." Jason hugged Leo gently.
"I was sick of the way she treated me. I loved mi abuela and I couldn't deal with Rosa accusing me of her death.
"Well she deserved a lot worse then that." Percy spat venomously, but Leo shook his head sadly.
"I'll hate her forever for condemning me to the system, but she did loose her sister and her mother. She got worse then she deserved." Jason once again marvelled at Leo's ability to find justice. Here was a lady who basically doomed Leo to a life bouncing through different homes and the street, yet Leo was still willing to try and see her side. His friend was remarkable.
Six year old Leo was rushing around the workshop, placing colourful streamers and other decorations wherever he could reach. Some of the mechanics were helping him out, whilst some other people were working on the refreshment table. Children raced around helping Leo.
"Our neighbours." Leo clarified before anyone could ask.
"Right!" Leo called out, and everyone turned towards him. It was adorable how all of these men were obeying Leo's orders.
"My mom said that she'd be back in an hour so we have exactly five minutes left to hide if she's on time." The men all nodded seriously and Leo flashed them a delighted grin.
"Okay men, scatter!" At Leo's yell, everyone in the room scrambled into (predetermined) hiding places. Leo sprinted over to the light switch and the room fell dark. Leo also hid himself.
Keys were heard jangling, and Esperanza came into the room. She flicked on the lights, confusion evident one her face.
"SURPRISE!" The word rang out and Esperanza jumped. Leo ran up to her, hugging her tightly.
"Happy birthday!" He shouted enthusiastically. Esperanza appeared shocked as she observed the vibrant colours decorating the workshop and the array of people inside of it.
"Did you organise this, mijo?" Leo nodded joyfully. Esperanza kissed him on the head.
"Gracias." Leo simply grinned wider and lead her over to the table were a glorious cake resided.
"Aww." Piper placed her head on Jason's shoulder as the memory faded out. Jason was overwhelmed at how adorable Leo had been as a child. He had planned a surprise party for his mother at the age of six and somehow conned a load of adults into helping him out.
"How did you organise all of that?" Hazel asked.
"I'm awesome."
"Seriously."
"I asked some people very nicely. Turns out, I'm very charming when I want to be." Hazel must have accepted that explanation as she didn't inquire further.
Leo was sitting alone at a table outside of the Wilderness school. In the background, a group of teens were laughing and joking around.
"Dylan." Jason hissed in sync with Piper and Leo. The others looked befuddled so Jason filled them in on how the ventus had posed as a popular kid before trying to kill them.
The group made their way up to Leo, and Dylan sneered at the boy.
"Eating alone I see. Did no one want to sit with the little freak.?" His tone was vicious, but Leo just stared at him blandly.
"I know! As you've got nothing better to do, why don't you go and mow my lawn for me? You are a Mexican after all." Leo's fists clenched as the so called popular kids tittered.
"Were you too stupid to work the lawn mower again?" Leo retorted, and the other teens instantly went silent, except one who continued laughing for a few moments before catching on to what was occurring and shutting up.
"Excuse me?" Dylan hovered over Leo menacingly, his voice a hiss.
"You're excused." Leo sat back on the bench a little, looking up at Dylan squarely.
"Now you listen here, runt. I am way better then you, and you should feel lucky that you are even allowed to attend the same school as me!"
"I feel honoured." Leo drawled sarcastically. You could literally hear Dylan gnashing his teeth together.
"Just leave him Dylan, he isn't worth it." A few of the girls clamoured for Dylan's attention, but he remained staring down at Leo, nostrils flaring.
Leo had clearly gotten bored as he was currently fiddling with some coils and springs. Dylan slapped Leo's hand and the small collection of parts fell to the floor.
"You'll regret this." Dylan stalked away, his posse following like the sheep they were.
Leo calmly picked up the parts and continued tinkering.
"You were so sassy." Percy high-fived Leo who mock bowed.
"I didn't know that Dylan was racist as well as being a monster." Piper bit her lip as she glowered at the screen.
"Lets add that to his list of endearing qualities." Leo smirked and Jason laughed at the thought of Dylan being endearing in any way.
Twelve year old Leo was walking down a dark quiet road, hands in his pockets as he mooched along dejectedly.
Screams shattered the silence of the night, and Leo's head snapped up. He took off towards where the scream had originated.
He skidded to a halt as he saw the reason for the screams.
A relatively young couple were surrounded by thuggish teens, each holding some form of weapon from crowbar to knife.
One of these knives was pressed into the throat of the young man as the lady emptied out her purse, crying softly. Red marks adorned both of their cheeks, they had obviously been punished for screaming. Leo's eyes darkened.
"Excuse me, gentlemen." Leo called out. The gang turned as one, but the couple remained in their grasp. Masks concealed their faces, but Leo remained undaunted.
"Are you crazy?" Piper screamed and Jason backed her up.
"What in the name of Hades were you doing?" Leo frowned at them.
"Saving people, hunting things. The family business." Jason decided to ignore what was clearly a reference to some TV show in favour of questioning Leo's sanity.
"There were nine of them and only one of you. Did you have any plan at all." Annabeth had her mother hen look on again.
"Yep. Save the couple and don't die."
"That's not a plan." Frank yelled. Leo smiled smugly.
"It worked."
"What the hell is this brat doing here." One gang member asked, his voice muffled through his mask.
"I don't know, but the punks seen to much for us to just let him go." Another replied. Leo looked vexed.
"Don't you know that it's rude to talk about someone as if they aren't there?" Leo tutted.
"Don't you know that it's foolish to interrupt a mugging?"
"Touché." Leo countered good naturedly.
"Don't just say touché, he's right!" Annabeth scolded. She turned to Percy, who grimaced sheepishly.
"I think that I'd do the same thing." Jason was pretty certain that Annabeth growled after Percy agreed with Leo.
"Viper, Cobra get him." Two gang members split away from the main group. One wielded a crowbar and the other had a chain wrapped around his fists. Whilst the latter lashed out with his chain, trying to ensnare Leo's legs, the former used the crowbar like a baseball bat in an attempt to knock Leo's head off of his shoulders.
Leo managed to weave around both weapons, before he pounced at the crowbar guy. He got in the man's face and slammed a foot into the front of his knee. The man's leg snapped inwards and he went down howling.
He spun just in time to jump over the wildly swinging chain. He flipped confidently, grabbing the fallen man's crowbar as he went. The next time the chain was whipped at his feet, Leo rammed the crowbar into the floor between one of it's links and then ran towards the gang member who was clutching the chain in confusion.
A quick foot to the head toppled the second man, and Leo stood a fair distance away from the other members. Nine had been reduced to seven in the space of a few minutes, and two members will still grasping the struggling couple. Well, the girl was still struggling, the man had gone limp, a small wound on his temple indicating the cause.
Jason winced in sympathy, his head had been acquainted with many hard objects and he knew that the repercussions stung.
Leaving five able to fight. Four of the five ran towards Leo after the initial shock of seeing their comrades being taken down by a scrawny runt of a boy.
The first to reach Leo was utilising a mallet as a weapon. Leo deftly avoided the first swing of the heavy weapon, but then he almost lost his balance avoiding the next thug who had a knife.
"It's never one at a time." He grumbled, before he hooked his foot around mallet guy' leg, causing the taller male to topple to the ground. He blocked another swing from the knife guy, wincing as a third member lunged forwards with a knife, slicing his leg.
He back flipped to away to give himself some room to operate but the fourth guy moved in on him, giving him no space to breathe. This one simply unleashed a flurry of punches and Leo was forced onto the defensive as the other three advanced towards him.
"Come on Leo!"
"You can do it!"
"Beat the schist out of them!"
"Coach Hedge would have your head if you lost to those idiots!" They all laughed at that despite the fearful atmosphere.
Leo managed to successfully block many of the thugs attacks, but some landed and Leo was quite bruised at this point. But then Leo managed to counter attack, throwing some of his own punches. He leapt up to try and kick his opponent, but his foot was caught.
Leo instead placed his hands on the floor and used the rest of his momentum to swing his other leg round to nearly crack the older man's jaw.
Another gang member down, but Leo had no time to celebrate as the other three were right behind their companion, ready to fight. Mallet man raised his weapon and Leo grinned, jumping in front of one of the others. Mallet man swung and Leo leapt out of the way. Mallet man's eyes widened in horror but it was too late for him to alter the trajectory of his weapon. Leo then used this time to strike the hand that was holding the mallet with enough force to make him drop it, disarming the man with a quick jab.
One foot securely grounded, Leo forced his other foot into the thugs belly and then fell backwards, using the strength in his legs to flip the thug over. As Leo's back hit the floor, the thug became temporarily airborne before crashing into the second knife wielder.
The couple had been chucked to the floor, and Leo sized up his final three opponents as the girl desperately tried to wake up her boyfriend.
Energy still seemed to pour into Leo even though he had already taken down six adults. He cracked his knuckles.
The two who had been keeping the couple hostage moved forwards, both holding wicked knives with serrated edges.
Leo crouched, and then jumped up over their heads. Before they could even turn around, Leo had chopped them both in the back of the neck. They stayed down.
Leo twirled around to face the final member who was currently attempting to flee with the couple's valuables. Leo sighed, wiping some blood from his nose before walking over to the discarded weapons that his enemies had been using. He pulled the crowbar out of the ground with surprising ease and picked up the chain. The Latino swung it experimentally before it snaked out and bit into the ankle of the retreating coward, bringing him to the ground with a loud thump.
Leo made his way over to the young woman.
"Are you alright?" The lady nodded, and Leo tossed her the valuables. The woman slowly produced a mobile phone from within the confines of her sleeve and Leo grinned as the phone revealed that the police were on their way and had indeed been alerted a few minutes after Leo had arrived by the clever young lady.
"That was one of the coolest things that I have ever seen." Jason was completely stunned at Leo's fighting prowess. Truthfully, he had never really considered Leo to be a fighter even with the evidence from that earlier video, but now their was no denying it. Leo was far beyond just extraordinary.
Everyone was enthusing about Leo's brilliant skills.
"I really don't see why you don't try transferring those skills into your fights with monsters." Annabeth casually remarked, and Leo rolled his eyes.
"Fighting monsters is a whole different ball game to fighting common street thugs." Jason face palmed.
"Leo, your fighting was spectacular. Those sort of skills can be used in pretty much any type of fight." Leo blushed, and Jason hoped that meant that Leo understood that Jason was telling the truth.
A five year old Leo was clinging to his mother's hand. A large sign claimed that they were in Virginia and Esperanza was clearly nervous to be in a different city with her young son. They made their way towards a shopping mall, but suddenly a huge influx of people surged towards them. Leo was separated from his mother, and was carried of wailing into the crowd.
Once the rush had quietened down, Leo was left sniffling by himself in front of a dark alley way.
"Hey kid, are you okay?"
They all froze at that voice. It was impossible. Annabeth had already said that the odds of Leo meeting any of the demigods were huge, never mind two, but this was really pushing it.
A seven year old Annabeth stepped out of the shadows, followed by a miniature Thalia and a boy who Jason didn't recognise.
"Luke." Annabeth breathed, and Percy muttered.
Leo glanced at the small band of children, before shaking his head miserably.
"I've lost my mommy." He stared up at the trio with trusting eyes, and you could almost see the three melt with the cuteness.
"Where did you lose her sweetie?" The one who Percy and Annabeth had called Luke stepped forwards as Thalia said this, smiling softly at the crying boy.
"We'll help you find her." At this declaration, Leo cheered up immensely.
"We were outside a big mall." The trio of runaways silently conferred with each other through a series of looks.
"Okay, I think that I know where you lost your mommy. Come on." Leo followed the trio cheerfully humming in a jumbled mix of Spanish and English.
They reached the mall where Leo had first lost his mom, and sure enough, Esperanza was visible in the distance, talking hurriedly to a police officer.
"There's my mommy!" Leo declared, before turning to look at the trio who were already walking off.
"Wait!" He called, darting forwards and grabbing Annabeth's wrist.
"Where are you going?" He questioned, lip quivering. Annabeth stared at him sadly.
"We found your mom so we're not needed any more."
"But my mommy has to say thank you." Leo seemed genuinely confused, and Annabeth smiled slightly before leaning down and kissing him on the forehead.
"Well you can tell her your welcome for us." She said before she joined the other two and ran off.
"But you didn't tell me your names..." Leo gazed at their departing figures for a moment before running towards his distraught mother.
"Well now you know them." Jason pointed out, and Leo ran a hand through his hair.
"Do you have to defy all odds?" Annabeth asked exasperated.
"Yup."
So here is the second to last chapter *sob*. And pay attention to the bottom of the final chapter as I'll be putting the information about the sequels there. See you next time.