TRIGGER WARNINGS- THIS FIC WILL INCLUDE ABUSE, DEPRESSION, MURDER, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, AND SIMILAR THEMES. PLEASE BE WARY WHEN READING
Hey guys, so I know it has been a while since the last chapter but it hasn't been as long as usual, so I count that as a win. I have a couple more chapters pre-written now, just in case.
This chapter is fairly light-hearted, so I'll get onto it soon.
Also my story Our Broken Repair Boy is officially complete! If you want you can check that out too. Please favourite/ follow and leave a review, they keep me motivated.
IMPORTANT NOTE
THIS CHAPTER IS HEAVILY BASED ON LEARNING ABOUT LEO. THE DRAWING MEMORY IS NOT MY IDEA, IT IS BORROWED FROM THE OTHER FIC.
Hope you enjoy, I love you all so much and stay safe besties!
The seven demigods filed back into the room, finishing off their separate conversations. Leo shot Frank a smile, and Frank returned it, slightly shyly.
Leo really was glad that they were friends. He resolved not to make Frank the butt of his jokes anymore, and instead to make a real effort to be nice to him and maintain their newfound friendship.
Percy spoke over everyone else, interrupting Leo''s thoughts. "Hey, Leo!"
"Yeah?"
"When are we gonna hear more about the whole calling Rosa a witch incident?"
Everyone else in the room chimed in with their agreements, some calling for Hera to turn on the TV screen and play the memory.
Obligingly, the TV turned on, showing Esperanza and Rosa sitting at a kitchen table. Leo groaned and buried his reddening face in his hands. "Oh, gods."
A very young Leo is sitting on a tile floor, messing with some crayons and paper. Near him, Esperanza and Rosa are sitting at a table, drinking some coffee. Rosa looks disapproving and keeps sending toddler Leo dirty glares. Esperanza tries to ignore this, but can't help rolling her eyes every time Rosa gives a sniff of contempt or turned her face away from Leo.
"I still do not understand why you kept that thing, Esperanza," Rosa said. "If I were you, I would instantly give it to an orphanage."
About a metre away, Leo cocked his head and started listening in.
Esperanza looked outraged. "First of all, Leo is a he, not an it!" she hissed. "Second, he can hear you, so shut it. And third, why on earth would I give him away? He is my boy, my son. To give away an innocent child like Leo is worse than to practice witchcraft."
A mischievous smile spread across Leo's chubby face, making him look remarkably like the Leo they knew. He picked up the crayons again and started scribbling on the paper.
"Oh, this is not going to end well," Jason predicted, a smile taking over his features nonetheless.
"It is devil spawn!" Rosa argued. "There is nothing innocent about it."
"He's a kid!" Esperanza protested. "What do you think he'll do if I keep him, kill me?"
Leo flinched violently.
"Oh, shit," Frank whispered under his breath. "Leo, man-"
Leo cut him off. "It's fine, Frank." His voice was quiet, a far cry from his usual upbeat self. Frank was now understanding that none of that had ever been real. "Let's just keep watching the memory."
Esperanza sighed. "I wish you could understand why I keep him, Rosa. He is my son. I will not abandon him, just as you would never abandon Raphael."
Rosa looked outraged at the comparison. "Don't even dare compare my little boy to that diablo!" she hissed. "Your "son" is disgusting, unnatural."
Esperanza looked furious. She was just about to make a comeback, when Leo tugged on Rosa's skirt.
She hissed. "Diablo! Do not touch me!"
Leo ignored her comment, and held up a drawing for her to see, smiling innocently as he gazed up at her with those puppy eyes.
Rosa sniffed in disdain, but looked down her nose at the drawing. Her nostrils flared, and she threw the paper down on the table.
Esperanza took it, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. Her eyes widened comically when she saw the drawing, and she glanced up at Rosa.
She looked just about ready to explode.
Esperanza took that as her cue to grab Leo and leave.
"Wait, we didn't get to see the drawing!" Piper protested.
"I'm sure you'll get to see it soon," Leo said, having apparently recovered from his mom's earlier throwaway comment.
The scene cut to Esperanza unlocking the door to a workshop- the same one she had died in.
Frank didn't miss how Leo was pointedly avoiding looking at the screen.
She stepped through a door and up some stairs, holding Leo in her arms. He was clutching the paper tightly.
She entered a flat, presumably where they lived. Gently, she placed Leo on the ground and walked over to the fridge.
The last shot before the screen cut to black was of her pinning a caricature of Rosa in a witch's hat with an oversized nose and a wart to the fridge.
The room erupted into laughter. Even Leo started laughing so hard tears began rolling down his cheeks.
"Oh my god," Piper wheezed out. "Leo, younger you was an artist."
"What do you mean, Pipes," Leo said, over-exaggerating his words, "I am an artist."
This caused the whole room to break into hysterics once again.
"Which memory is going to be next?" Leo asked once everyone had calmed down a little.
"It's going to be an interesting one, and it'll be very important for future memories," Hera's voice said. Frank could practically hear a slight smile on her voice. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he would have to find out. "Next up we are going to be watching the memory of the day Leo met Alexis."
Now that the chapter's done, if you haven't already, please go and read the author's note. It's very important.
