Didn't you just say like 2 weeks ago that you usually gave 'consistent updates'? Yes, yes I did. I honestly don't know why I've been so slow lately. I'll try to not have updates too far apart but apologies in advance if they are a few days late!
Leo kept his head down as he moved through the crowd, hands stuffed in his pockets.
After the incident with those guys immediately after he landed, he did not want to be noticed. He could draw the unwanted attention of even worse people. And if things got really bad, the Avengers would find out where he was and take him back into custody, and that could not happen. There was too much at stake.
He had to make sure he got to Camp as soon as possible and give them the cure. Who knows what would happen if he didn't.
He walked past a small café and quickly dipped inside, desperate to have a moment to think. He walked as casually as he could to the bathrooms in the back, locked the door and released a breath of relief.
He leaned on the sink and looked at himself in the mirror, taking in his dishevelled appearance.
"Okay, Leo, you can do this," he said to himself. "You just have to keep a low profile and get to Camp. That's all. And walking walking to Camp would only take..."
He groaned as he realised the distance he would have to cross. It would take hours to get there, and by then it might be too late.
No, walking wasn't an option. He would have to find some other way of transportation.
He reached into his pocket to find one dollar and seventy five cents, a screw and an empty sweet wrapper.
"Great," he muttered. "There's no way this will be enough to get me to Long Island."
He would have to try and swipe some cash and then he could maybe afford to take the bus, seeing as a taxi was definitely out of the question. Although, from the stories he had heard from Annabeth and Percy, demigods and buses didn't fare well together, but it seemed to be his only option.
"Okay, let's do this," he said, standing up straight and shaking himself in preparation before unlocking the door and heading out.
Leo walked up to the person behind the counter and asked them for a map. She handed one to him, smiling, and he quickly scanned it over.
The nearest bus station was only five minutes away. Perfect.
He handed it back to the lady, thanked her, then walked out the door, ringing the bell that hung above on his way out.
He paused to take a breath before rejoining the hustling people on the street.
The station came into view quick enough with a few buses waiting outside in the bus park and he made his way over. He had spied passersby who looked like they may have a hefty amount in their wallet, but he decided against the risk when he couldn't see it visibly. Hopefully there would be a good opportunity once he was inside.
As he made his way over to the entrance, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He kept walking to maintain a casual appearance but was now on high alert.
As subtly as he could, he looked to his left in his peripheral vision. Sitting on a bench was a beautiful girl in a long dress wearing a sunhat, despite it being not nearly sunny enough.
She looked up at him and gave him a playful smile and a wink. Leo smirked and without realising what he was doing, he had begun walking towards her. He stopped and narrowed his eyes at the girl, who continued to look at him sweetly.
"Hello," she said, half looking up at him in a shy way. "Hey," replied Leo, still hesitant but feeling his guard drop. "I'm just waiting on my bus. What's your name?" she asked, crossing one of her legs over the other and offering the spot next to her.
"Leo," he replied, taking the seat and grinning. "Leo Valdez," he said, giving her the usual flirtatious look.
She giggled. "It's nice to meet you, Leo Valdez. I'm Kelli," she told him, holding out her hand daintily for him to shake, which he did. "It's so nice to meet one of Percy's friends."
Leo froze, his hand still in her grasp. It was at this moment that she raised her head so Leo could see her eyes. They were jet black and staring hungrily at him.
Leo's breath caught in his throat and he tugged his hand, but she held it with an iron grip. It was then her entire appearance began to morph. Her black eyes turned blood red, and her brown hair turned into fire. Leo now spotted as well that beneath her skirt where legs should have been, was one bronze leg and one donkey leg. An Empousa.
Leo frantically reached into his toolbelt with his free hand and grabbed a screwdriver, which he plunged into her hand.
She hissed in pain and released his hand, allowing Leo to scramble away, stumbling over his feet and landing on the ground.
Kelli jumped up from the bench they had been sitting on, snarling at him. "Gaia couldn't have you running off to save your friends," she said, walking towards him. "That would ruin all her hard work."
Leo clambered backwards. Her pulled himself to his feet, but Kelli was still advancing. "Yeah well, maybe if she wasn't such a sour loser-"
He wasn't given the chance to finish, as she let out a roar and had hauled the bench off the ground, throwing it towards him. He dodged just in time, lunging out of the way.
How do I beat this girl? I don't have any weapons, and there's no imperial gold or celestial bronze nearby to destroy her. What could I...
His eyes widened as he rummaged in his tool belt while simultaneously dodging trash cans and other various items being thrown at him.
That screwdriver had managed to hurt her, even if only slightly. That must mean...
He pulled out another screwdriver, this one sharper than the previous. But what Leo was most pleased about was that his theory he had hoped was true was indeed correct. It was made of celestial bronze.
Just as he grinned triumphantly he felt himself be knocked to the ground, letting out a pained grunt as Kelli landed on top of him, fangs bared. When did she get fangs?!
Her red eyes shot into him like daggers as she tried to pin him down while Leo struggled. He finally managed to free his hand and yanked her hair, releasing a pained noise from her as he pushed her off of him.
She recovered quickly though, continuing to slash at him with her claw-like nails, sneering at him as he narrowly dodged her attacks.
"You can't escape me," Kelli growled at him as he jumped away to put a bit of distance between them. "I can try!" Leo called back, attempting to slash at her with his screwdriver while staying out of her reach, which was a lot easier said than done.
Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any mortals around, as the station was rather quiet, with people either inside listening to music with their backs to the bus park or the staff working on computers, oblivious to what was going on outside. The mist also probably had something to do with it, which was especially helpful right now, when Leo had been trying to avoid the government's limelight. Yeah, that had not been going very well.
Thank the Gods no ones around, because having to deal with mortals as collateral damage would be really annoy-
"There he is! Thought you could get away from us, didn't you?"
Leo groaned at the familiar voice, glancing over to see the guys who had greeted him earlier on his arrival walking up to him, smirking proudly that they had found him. There were only three of them at least, probably because they had split up to search and hunt Leo down.
"Not a good time, guys," called Leo, eyes going wide as he ducked another incoming bench, seeing Kelli's glare pierce into him at missing her target.
The boy in front, the leader apparently, scoffed. "I don't see you doing anything important," he said before his eyes landed on Kelli.
He grinned. "Well, hello there," he said, looking her up and down, presumably seeing the pretty girl Leo had seen earlier as opposed to the monster that stood before him now.
He strutted up to her. Leo attempted to grab him as he walked past, but the other two boys stopped him by catching his arms and holding them behind his back.
Kelli narrowed her eyes and grinned mischievously at Leo before replacing her expression with the sweet, innocent façade she had used earlier.
"Hey," she said as he stopped in front of her. "You're very handsome."
The boy smirked as he came right up to her. "I'm glad you think so," he replied.
"Oh, I do," she assured, her smile then morphing into the evil look of hunger she previously possessed. The boy froze, the illusion appearing to be dissolving. "I do," she hissed.
Leo elbowed one of the boys and stood on the others foot, drawing screeches from both of them and releasing their grip on him. He dashed forward, heating up his hand just as the leader let out a scream as Kelli's fangs appeared and headed straight for his neck.
Leo shoved the boy out of the way and thrusted his now flaming hot hand into her face. She screamed as he pushed it deeper into her face.
She scrambled at his hand, managing to scratch at his face. He hissed which causing him to release his grip on her.
She landed a hint on his chin and grabbed him, shoving him against the wall of the building. Kelli huffed heavy, angry breaths, her eyes reflecting the fire that was in Leo's hand.
Leo struggled, trying desperately to moved his hand and throw another fireball at her but stopped quickly as they locked eyes.
"You don't want to hurt me, do you Leo?" she asked, hurt lacing her tone. Leo let his hand fall, his face softened. "No," he said, continuing to look at her, entranced.
She smiled at him, showing her fangs. "Good," she said, moving her head towards him.
He felt his mind yelling at him, and he strained his muscles. "We can be together, Leo," she said, softly. "We can-" she gasped.
Kelli looked down and stared at the screwdriver plunged into her stomach. Her wide eyes looked up to Leo in shock and anger, whose eyes looked back at her, emotionless.
"Sorry," he deadpanned. "But I'm taken."
He then summoned a ball of fire and threw it right into her.
Kelli screamed out before exploding into dust.
...
Leo stared down at the pile of gold dust for a moment before returning the screwdriver to his tool belt.
He stepped over it and made his way over to the three boys who were looking at him in terror. He jerked forward at the two who had held him back, sending them flying back the way they came.
Leo smirked then moved over to the leader and knelt down in front of him. He was wide eyed and panting, clearly terrified and confused. No telling what he and the other mortals had really seen, but it must not have been pretty. That wasn't going to stop Leo from getting what he needed, though.
"Cash," demanded Leo, holding out his hand, palm upwards. "W-what?" stammered the boy, staring up at him. "Cash. I know you've got some, and more than likely it isn't yours. So to make up for how rude you were to me earlier, and for saving your butt just now, I would like you to donate whatever you have on you to me," ordered Leo, looking at him with determination.
Leo was usually seen as the fun, up-beat, always ready to lighten the mood and make a joke kind of guy, but right now the boy must have been pretty shaken up, and Leo must not have been looking very cheerful either, as the kid quickly fumbled in his pockets and shoved a wad of notes into his hand.
"Thank you," grinned Leo. He then gestured to the direction his friends had fled in. "Now, scat."
The boy didn't wait to be told twice, scrambling to his feet and fleeing out of sight.
...
Leo walked up to the desk inside the building. The guy had more than enough on him to cover Leo's bus fare, so now all he had to worry about was making sure he didn't look dangerous or in need of social services, which was going to be pretty hard considering he was still in the clothes he had worn in the battle, which were singed at the edges and covered in rips and grime. Leo's own face had dirt smudged over it from falling in a dumpster and fighting a very angry vampire.
Yes, Leo thought this would go just swimmingly.
"Hello. I'd like a ticket to Long Island, please," requested Leo. The woman behind the desk looked up at him, eyeing him sceptically as she took in his roughed-up appearance. Leo gave her a nervous smile he hoped look endearing.
After a pause, she typed something into her computer. Leo waited impatiently, tapping his foot quietly.
After his encounter with Kelli, and with how little time they probably had left to save Camp, he was anxious to get going. Plus, with the Avengers not too far away, there was even more reason to hurry up. He would like to put as much distance between him and them as possible.
The lady finally printed out his ticket and Leo handed her the money. "Ten minutes before it's ready for passengers and can depart," she said, nodding at the rows of seats in the room. "Feel free to take a seat while you wait."
Leo thanked her and moved away in the direction she motioned. He was honestly too jittery to sit, but he knew if he didn't, he would start pacing, and that would not look very good. So, he walked over and took a seat in the corner.
He hoped Calypso was okay. He didn't know how fast or well Festus was able to fly at the moment, but she was definitely safer than Leo was right now.
If Jason and Percy weren't able to free themselves before Leo finished getting the cure to Camp, he would come back and get them out himself. He hoped they were alright. The Avengers were known to help people, so Leo sure hoped they were the heroes everyone thought they were.
Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial. He studied it and its contents. How could something small and regular looking be so important? How could this all have happened so fast?
Leo hadn't been gone that long, but with how much had happened in the short time span, he already felt the guilt of not being there to help his friends. Everything had really gone to Tartarus, and he wasn't around.
He sighed and gazed out the window, lost in thought. Just then, a bus pulled out from behind the building and parked at one of the stops outside. Leo checked the ticket and saw it was his bus number, just as the destination came on the front.
He stood up and followed others who must have also been getting the same bus, waiting at the back of the line as they all filed in.
Leo looked around as he waited, taking in his surroundings. Just as he was getting ready to step on, he noticed 2 men in all black walk out into view, standing on the street Leo had walked here on.
They looked around, one of them holding a hand to their ear. Leo could see their lips moving and his eyes widened as he realised.
They must work for the same group as the Avengers. Leo had been hoping they wouldn't bother hunting him down, hopefully not seeing him as a threat, but he guessed his escape and dramatic exit probably got rid of that chance.
He quickly stepped into the bus and headed to the back where no one was sitting. There weren't too many people on board which was good, but Leo liked the extra bit of privacy.
He slowly looked out the window, making sure to stay hidden and watched as the men talked between themselves.
Cameras somewhere must have picked up the commotion caused, aka Leo's fight with Kelli. Though it would not have shown up on cameras properly, which is probably why there were only the two of them instead of a whole army, as they probably weren't really sure what they saw.
The two looked across the street for a moment, before their eyes suddenly landed on the bus, now the only one left in the bus parl. Leo jerked back to hide, pushing back as far away from the window as he could.
After a moment of hesitation, he risked peeking back out the window. The men were staring at the bus, seemingly scanning it, before they began to make their way over.
Leo whipped his head forward as he began to panic. Okay, stay calm. They don't know for sure you're on this bus.
But they will in a minute, the voice in his head said, unhelpfully.
Leo looked around desperately for something that would help him, an escape route, anything!
Just then he felt the engine of the bus rumble to life beneath him and begin backing away from the station.
He made sure to keep himself out of view as the bus reversed and straightened up. It thankfully pulled out onto the main road, and Leo looked out through the back window.
The two men stared after the bus, eyes narrowed as they watched it go but didn't attempt to follow it.
Leo turned back around and heaved a sigh of relief, sinking into his chair. There had been quite a few buses that had come and gone in the time he had been at the station, so they would have to assume he could have gotten on any on them, which would buy him some time.
For now, though, he was finally on his way, and with nothing more to worry about until he arrived, he let himself relax.
Okay, now all I have to do is get there with no more trouble, get the cure into Camp and save the world. Easy.
...
Leo must have drifted off on the bus, because the next time he opened his eyes, the sun was fully set with only a few rays left to brighten their surroundings, and they were coming up to his stop.
He quickly blinked the sleep out of his eyes and got up, hurrying towards the front of the bus and pressing the bell on his way to signal he wanted to get off.
The bus slowed to a stop. "You sure you want to get off here, kid? There's nothing around for miles, and it'll be completely dark out soon," asked the bus driver, looking at him with mild concern. "I'm sure. Thank you," replied Leo, giving the man a smile before stepping off. The man shrugged before closing the doors and driving off, leaving Leo alone in the quiet of the open landscape.
Leo looked over to the woods. He sucked in a breath, released it, then began his walk into the growing darkness.
It was getting dark rather quickly, and Leo already found it hard to see through the trees. He persevered though, his determination outweighing any tiredness that crept in, and his instincts making sure he stayed in the right track.
After a while though, a large pine tree on top of a hill came into view. Leo smiled and quickened his pace, breaking into a run as he came to the bottom of the hill and began his climb.
He was panting, and his legs were beginning to ache from the extra strain and from the day in general, but it all felt worth it now. He was finally here. He would see his friends again, let them know he was alive, give them the cure, and-
Leo froze as he made it to the top, eyes widening as he looked down to the place he had been learning to call home. He stared in shock before whispering only two words.
"Oh no."