TRIGGER WARNINGS- THIS FIC WILL INCLUDE ABUSE, DEPRESSION, MURDER, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, AND SIMILAR THEMES. PLEASE BE WARY WHEN READING

Hey guys.

I know. I'm sorry.

I promise the story is not on hiatus, and neither are any of my other stories. I've just not been able to get around to doing them.

But the good news is, I'm on holiday in Algeria and I'm bored, so I will be trying to write more. If I have Wi-Fi. It depends.

I have another chapter pre-written, so if it becomes too long between updates, I'll post that. I get back in about 3 and a bit weeks, so we'll see what happens.

This chapter's quite short, but I hope I can make up for that with quick updates. Again, I'm so sorry about the delay. I know how annoying it can be when fanfic authors don't post.

Anyways, hope you enjoy, I love you all so much and stay safe besties!


Leo was back on what was now his favourite balcony, staring at the picturesque landscape. He closed his eyes, basking in the gentle breeze. The sun's rays hit his skin, heating it up until he was pleasantly warm.

Leo was left alone to his thoughts. He was still slightly conflicted about this whole thing. On the one hand, they were seeing some of his worst memories. Memories Leo had kept buried for years, forcing them below the surface so that he didn't have to deal with them or tell anyone. And if this kept going in the direction it was, the memories would get worse and worse. Leo didn't know if he could deal with that.

But on the other hand, was it really so bad?

To be fair, this meant that he wouldn't have to tell them. Well, they would find out, but he wouldn't have to describe it to them, which would have been ten times worse. And besides, they were fighting a war together. They had been stuck on a somewhat small ship together for quite a while at this point. Surely that warranted some degree of trust.

Leo just wasn't sure if it was that much trust.

Leo tilted his head back ever so slightly, choosing to ignore these thoughts, at least for the time being, so that he could truly enjoy the beautiful place that they were in. If he was going to be reliving some of his worst memories, he might as well enjoy being in this place.

It seemed to be made perfectly for them. There was obviously the tower which he was free to climb, which Leo would most definitely be taking advantage of. He had always loved climbing. There was just something about being above everything, all alone where it was peaceful and silent which made Leo fall in love with heights. Being above the whole world, impossible to be reached by anyone. Not by crazy goddesses who put people in fireplaces, not abusive foster oarents, not cops who framed him- no, he could just sit in peace, untouched by his past, present, or future.

And then there was a colossal lake, which Percy had been spending the majority of his free time around. He was often seen around there with Annabeth, lying with his head in her lap as she leaned against a nearby tree and read a book. He would control the water to form beautiful patterns in the air, occasionally splashing Annabeth gently, causing her to laugh and shove him playfully. Leo could understand why the Aphrodite cabin was so obsessed with their relationship- they really were the perfect couple.

Piper and Jason were sitting on a picnic blanket quite a long way away from Percy and Annabeth. Leo couldn't quite make out what they were doing, but it looked a lot like they were talking and cracking jokes. This theory was proved when Piper laughed and playfully slapped Jason on the shoulder. Leo assumed that he had just made a joke. Jason was funny like that.

"Hey, Leo."

Leo started slightly. He had just been getting accustomed to the silence, and being left alone to his own thoughts.

He opened his eyes again, his peace disturbed by the new voice. He turned around and was surprised to see Frank looking slightly sheepish in front of him.

"Hey man, what's up?"

Frank shuffled his feet. "I, um… I wanted to apologise to you."

This caught Leo off guard. "Um- what?"

Frank seemed eager to get this over with. "I treated you really badly when we were on the Argo II, and I'm sorry for that. I thought you were hitting on Hazel, and I used that as an excuse to be horrible to you. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."

Leo was still slightly stunned, but hurried to assuage Frank's concerns. "It's fine, man. Seriously. No biggie." He shrugged.

"No, it's not fine. I treated you unfairly, and I really am sorry."

He held out a hand for Leo to shake. "Friends?"

Leo grinned and took his hand. "Friends."

Frank smiled then, a real smile filled with warmth and friendship.

And at that moment, Leo decided. Maybe this whole watching his memories thing wasn't quite as bad as he had first thought.