Hey, everybody! You did it! Thanks for all the reviews :D I almost forgot to put this up today 'cause I was busy, haha. But I did promise, so here it is!

Thanks again! Longer this time, too, though still sort of filler-y. Enjoy!

XLIII
LEO

Leo quickly learned that there was nothing like returning from the assumed-dead to make a guy feel loved.

It was a little overwhelming, actually. During the two and a half hours he spent in bed at the infirmary, he had more visitors than people whose names he knew. What felt like the entire camp stopped by in shifts to make sure that he was really as alive as people were saying. All the attention didn't really bother him—on the contrary, it was kind of gratifying to know how glad everyone was that he wasn't dead. The problem, though, was that almost all of them wanted to know what had happened in Death Valley, and he was getting a little tired of recounting a story he only half-knew.

He should've died. Of that much, he was relatively certain. He remembered rigging Nyx's castle for demolition, and he remembered making no effort to get out before the collapse. He even vaguely remembered the explosion—he had never particularly wanted to know what it felt like to be buried under one-hundred-plus tons of stone and glass, and looking back it had felt exactly how you'd expect—painful. But only for a split second before everything had gone dark.

But by some stroke of incredible luck, he'd survived. He'd woken up some indiscernible amount of time later and fought his way free of the debris to find the palace in ruins and the valley deserted. He'd been sore and exhausted—which was to be expected—but decidedly alive. He'd found Festus hiding nearby and was glad to see him, though evidently not nearly as glad as the dragon was to see him. It had taken a considerable amount of time to calm the automaton down enough to get him into the air and set a course for New York. During the trip, his mind stayed stuck on one important question: how was he alive? Even if by some miracle the worst of the demolition had missed him, he'd lost way too much blood from where Nyx had stabbed him. But oddly, even that seemed to have healed a bit. It shouldn't have been humanly possible—which led him to believe that maybe it wasn't. His only idea was that somehow, someway, his father must have done something to help him. He must have given him some kind of protection, saved his life at the last second. It was the only thing that made any sense to him. He only hoped that at some point he'd have a chance to find Hephaestus and thank him.

Over the course of Leo's many visits, he learned what had happened at camp since he, Nico, and Reyna had first departed a few days ago, and aside from Nyx's defeat, none of it was good news. A warning from the Oracle, the death of a camper, a threat from Erebos, Percy disappearing—it was problem and worry after problem and worry. Not to mention the fact that the gods had yet to resurface and Hypnos was nowhere to be found. The entire camp was in a state of extremely high tension, like a balloon stretched so thin it could pop with the slightest prick. One more tragedy or disaster could send everyone into an uproar. Gods or no gods, Leo knew they were running out of time.

Since the medics wouldn't let him leave until they were absolutely certain he was in pristine condition, he spent the time he wasn't asking or answering questions on weighing their options and mapping out any and all possible courses of action. He was busy deciding how effective it would be to send a flock of low-explosive, kamikaze automaton birds to Mount Olympus when Piper, who had been forced by the medics to leave after bringing Leo into the tent and had yet to return, finally came striding into view, dragging Jason behind her.

Leo grinned unconsciously as they approached, glad to see his two best friends back on good terms. So he'd been right in assuming that Piper was the only one who could knock some sense into Jason. Part of him kind of wished he'd been there to see it.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them with a wave. "Done avoiding me? I promise I'm not a zombie. Haven't developed a taste for human brains quite yet."

Piper chuckled. "Sorry, we've been busy. Feeling better?"

"Almost good as new. Wish these guys would let me outta here, though. After a fourteen-hour flight all I really want is a little exercise." Piper smiled sympathetically and sat down on the edge of Leo's bed, but for some reason Jason hung back. He had a reluctant, pained sort of look on his face, which made Leo strangely uncomfortable. "What?" he asked him. "Is there a reason you're looking at me like I'm dying? I just told you I'm fine—"

"I'm sorry," Jason interrupted in a firm voice. "I'm sure you've noticed, but… I've been a jerk lately. I said some pretty messed up things to you the other day, and… now I kind of owe you a major apology."

Leo frowned, thinking back on the last time he and Jason had spoken. The day he'd left on the quest felt like so long ago, it took a minute for him to figure out what Jason was talking about. "Oh, that?" he said, flashing back to the brief argument they'd had at the mess hall. To be honest, with everything else going on, he'd completely forgotten about it. "Man, don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean what you said."

Piper shot Jason a look that clearly read 'I told you so' but he only shook his head and went on, "But that doesn't mean it was okay. When you didn't come back, and I thought you… Look, it doesn't matter, I guess. Just… I was outta line. Way outta line. You're my friend, Leo—forget what I said then. I just want you to know that in case, you know…"

A little surprised, Leo cracked a grin and arched an eyebrow. "Since when are you the mushy, sentimental type?" he said in a tone of feigned disbelief. Jason chuckled and rolled his eyes, seeming to relax. "I get it, okay? You were messed up. That being said… It's good to have you back."

With a relieved smile, Jason dropped onto the bed beside Piper. "Back at you. Did I mention how awesome it is that you're not dead? I still hadn't even gotten over the fact that you were gone when you just suddenly dropped out of the sky. Man, we haven't had a good surprise like that in ages."

Leo laughed, suddenly feeling more content than he had in a long time. Something about having Jason back to normal made the war seem so much less terrible. His moment of relaxation was deflated somewhat, however, when Piper sat forward and said, "Speaking of surprises…" Eyes brightening, she reached over and swatted Leo on the shoulder. "How long have you and Reyna been a thing?"

Leo hesitated. "We're not a 'thing'," he argued. "Or, maybe we are—you know, I don't really know." He hadn't been sure what to expect from Reyna when he'd gotten back to camp earlier that evening. At first he'd been relieved that she was okay. Then, that scary look on her face when she saw him had basically terrified him half to death. Then she'd hit him, which was unexpected but maybe not undeserved now that he understood the situation. And then she'd rounded it off by kissing him, which was—to say the least—a very pleasant surprise. If only he hadn't gone and ruined it by almost passing out directly after. She hadn't been in to see him since.

Piper shook her head in exasperation. "So how'd it happen?" she prompted impatiently.

Thinking that she was getting a little too into this, Leo shrugged. With a light smirk, he replied, "I've told you, Piper, chicks just can't resist me."

Piper rolled her eyes as someone else interrupted, "Is that so?"

Leo flinched, groaning inwardly. He glanced to his right to see—naturally—Reyna standing a few feet away, arms folded in front of her chest and a dark eyebrow quirked in mild interest. The burn mark on her face was still visible and there were bandages wrapped around her neck; but aside from that, she looked considerably better than she had when she'd left Death Valley with Nico.

"Of course you're right there," Leo said wryly, glancing at the ceiling. "Why wouldn't she be right there?" The corner of Reyna's mouth turned up in amusement and Leo raised his eyebrows a bit in tentative surprise, having expected an annoyed scowl.

Jason stood up suddenly. "Uh… You know, we've got that… thing to do, so… we're just gonna go," he said smoothly.

Piper frowned as he pulled her to her feet. "What thing? There's no 'thing'. I'm not missing—" She broke off at Jason's less-than-subtle look and sighed in defeat. "Fine. See you later, Leo. Reyna." She smiled brightly and arched her eyebrows, and Leo grimaced as his two friends hurried out of the tent.

Reyna stared after them and was quiet for a long minute. Leo felt like he should say something—like it was his move, in a way. He wracked his useless brain, trying to come up with the right words that wouldn't make him sound like an idiot, but before he could decide Reyna turned to him and said flatly, "I told you not to die."

Raising his arms, Leo pointed out, "I didn't."

She breathed out shortly as though frustrated. "But to us, you did. It's the same thing—we thought you were gone. We thought you weren't coming back. I thought I'd never see you again."

He didn't miss that abrupt switch from 'we' to 'I'. So she'd felt personally betrayed when he hadn't returned right away. That could only mean that despite the constantly-aloof appearance she tried to maintain, she'd missed him. Oddly, as this sank in, the nervousness started to fade away. What was there to be nervous about anymore? Leo leaned back against the pillows propped up behind him and tried not to smile. "You know, Your Highness," he said, "you volunteered to fight Nyx alone before I did. And if I remember correctly, you almost died, too."

Reyna's eyes narrowed. "That isn't the point. I heard what happened after we left. You wanted to die, didn't you?"

"I didn't want to," Leo insisted truthfully. With a twinge of guilt, though, he added, "But… I was going to, I guess, yeah." Reyna lifted her chin a bit like he'd just justified her argument. He sighed in frustration, not willing to admit complete defeat. "Look, what's it matter now? I'm here, alive. You're here, alive. Who cares what could've happened?"

"I do," she argued. "Because if it could've happened once, it could happen again."

Leo felt a sudden wash of understanding. "You're worried about me," he realized.

She stiffened. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You don't want me to go off and get myself killed for real." He grinned in spite of the look on her face. "Aww, Reyna. I didn't know you cared." He wiped away a fake tear and she scowled.

"Whatever," she said flatly. "I'll leave you alone now."

As she turned around, Leo's grin vanished. "No, wait!" he called out. He leaned forward, reaching out an arm, but froze and hunched over with a grunt when pain shot across his right side where Nyx had stabbed him. It was healing relatively well, but it was still the only injury that continued to bother him. He glanced at the white bandages covering the lower half of his otherwise-bare torso and didn't see any fresh blood, which was a welcome relief. When he raised his head, Reyna was watching him with an apprehensive expression. One of her hands had risen a few inches and was resting midair.

"I'm sorry," Leo said seriously, taking a deep breath and wincing as the stinging in his stomach died down. "Look, it wasn't my original plan to go down with the ship. But she trapped me in the castle. I had two options: get out and give her time to break free, or bring the whole thing down on us both. What would you have done?"

She didn't answer, but she didn't need to. The look on her face told Leo clearly that she couldn't argue with that logic. She was quiet for a long minute, and her voice had lost almost all of its rigidity when she finally said, "It was brave. What you did. …But that doesn't mean I want you doing it again."

"See? I knew you were worried about me."

"I don't worry," Reyna said with a small hint of sharpness. Though again it didn't last. "…But I do care."

Leo smiled. "So do I."

"And you're right. I don't want you to go off and die again. It was bad enough once, especially since I hadn't told you… everything."

Noticing the spark of discomfort in her expression, he shook his head and suggested, "You don't have to—"

"Yes, I do," she insisted at once, some certainty returning to her tone. She stepped slowly forward and went on, "You and I… We lie. We lie to ourselves and we lie to others and we hide how we feel because we're afraid that it makes us look weak. But we do… feel. I… feel. I just… don't like to open myself up. It's like it makes me…"

She trailed off, looking troubled, and Leo finished heavily, "Vulnerable." He knew what she meant; he often felt the same way.

Her dark eyes lifted from the floor and met his. "But it's different with you," she said. "When I told you how I was angry and insecure about losing New Rome, you didn't look at me differently. You didn't patronize me like everyone else. You… yelled at me, told me I was wrong—that I was being selfish. People don't… do that, usually. It's like they're… afraid of me."

"They are afraid of you," Leo pointed out. "Heck, I'm afraid of you, too. I just don't know when to keep my mouth shut. It's always been a bit of a problem."

"Yeah, I'm learning that," Reyna said with a small chuckle. Leo shifted sideways as she sat down on the bed beside him, staring at her hands for a few seconds. "You know, for once," she began again, "I don't want to hide how I feel. It's strange, but… you're the only one who makes me want to tell the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yeah. The truth that…" She twisted sideways and looked him right in the eye. "I like you. A lot. It doesn't make sense, but… I guess it doesn't have to. All I know is that I feel like you… understand me. And nobody else has ever done that."

It was a little amazing how a few simple words could take away all the pain and fear Leo had dealt with over the past few weeks. Suddenly, somehow, everything felt so much lighter. Just knowing that Reyna felt the same about him as he did about her made him feel like he'd just had a miraculous recovery. Surely, with his luck this presently high, he could do pretty much anything—even march up to Olympus and defeat Erebos singlehandedly. For some reason, things like that didn't seem so hard anymore.

Suppressing a smile and sighing shortly, Leo said ruefully, "Well, I don't know how I'm gonna top that speech." He shrugged as Reyna rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "Eh, I guess I don't have to. Done deal, right? Like I said, chicks just can't resist me."

She glanced at the ceiling, shaking her head. "I swear, I am gonna kill you someday," she threatened half-heartedly.

Wiggling his eyebrows, he countered, "Now is that any way to treat a new boyfriend?"

She blinked and met his eyes again with a vaguely questioning look, and for a heartbeat he felt his throat tighten in apprehension. The jibe had been his way of gauging her intentions, and it all weighed on her response.

So when she smiled and admitted, "No, I guess not," he grinned in relief, reached a hand around the back of her neck, and pulled her mouth against his own. This was the first kiss that they were both fully aware of and ready for ahead of time, and felt better and more right than all the others combined. As Reyna's arms slid over Leo's bare shoulders, he wasn't sure if the heat rising in his skin was due to a lapse in focus on his power over fire or something else entirely. It may have actually been a combination of both, because when they separated a minute later and Reyna breathed out slowly, there was smoke on her breath.

"I feel like I just swallowed a mouthful of jalapeño juice," she muttered, fanning her mouth and sounding a little winded.

Leo laughed. "Guess I'm too hot for my own good." He did feel a little bad, but in actuality Reyna didn't really seem to mind.

"You're lucky I like spicy food," she said wryly.

"Um… Sorry to interrupt," someone cut in. Reyna twisted sideways and Leo leaned around her to see Hazel standing a few paces away, a very insistent blush on her face and neck. Leo suppressed a grin when he thought back on the last time she'd 'interrupted' them, the night at the Cloud Nine hotel. Now, looking back, that whole situation seemed rather hilarious.

"What is it?" Reyna asked in a business-like tone, rising to her feet and frowning at the look of reluctant urgency on Hazel's face.

"Clovis has called a council meeting."

"Clovis?" Leo repeated, raising his eyebrows. "You mean he woke up long enough to get the words out?"

"He says it's important," Hazel reported. "Something to do with the gods. Leo, I know you're still recovering, but I was asked to bring Reyna—"

"Oh, no way I'm missing this," Leo argued, throwing back the loose blanket covering him and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Are you sure?" Reyna asked skeptically, watching him with critical eyes as he grabbed the clean, white T-shirt on the table beside him and yanked it on over his head, ignoring the painful pull on the stab wound in his side.

"I'm done sitting around here feeling useless," he said firmly. "If something's going down, I want in on it." Pulling on his shoes and standing up, Leo suddenly thought forlornly of his magic tool belt, which he'd somehow lost in the building collapse in Death Valley. Not that he should need it for a council meeting, but it just wasn't right not having it. He felt uncomfortably exposed without it.

But that was a problem for another time. Shaking himself off, Leo shot a grin at Reyna and Hazel. "So what are we waiting for? I'm dying to know what's got Captain Naptime up and about."

As is my nature, of course I'm not telling you everything right away. What fun would that be? Heh heh. Don't worry, though, you'll find out soon enough.

Alrighty, things are about to get moving, as you can imagine. Update will be sometime next week. More reviews mean I'll put it up faster!

Later days, gang!

-oMM