Leo had the world's worst headache. He could definitely go for some painkillers.
He woke up on a comfy hammock, blinking at the bright sunlight seeping through the wood paned windows. He found himself in a sort of log cabin filled with trays of medical supplies, hospital beds and jars filled with strange golden sugar cubes.
Leo looked up to see a silhouette of someone looking down at him, a spoon in their grasp. He could see their blonde hair and tanned skin.
"Am I dead?" Leo said with half opened eyes, "because I think I'm seeing angels."
"I um, I'm flattered." They muttered. Leo couldn't ignore that their voice was deep, like a guy. "But you're not really my type, Leo." Leo's vision began to clear, revealing the person offering him a spoon of golden liquid was a guy with sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His face looked really familiar, but Leo couldn't put his finger on it.
"It's good to see you again though." The guy said, "Here, drink this."
"Uh, is that what the doctor prescribed?" Leo asked, nervously looking at the liquid. It bubbled as if it were boiling.
The blonde dude eyed him strangely. "What're you talking about? It's nectar. It'll heal you quickly."
"What do you mean it's good to see me?" Leo asked, ignoring the spoon of boiling goo. He looked around, "I don't know you. Where are we?"
"...You might still have a concussion. Temporary memory loss is to be expected." The guy muttered. He put the spoon down and sat on a chair next to the hammock. "Leo, you're back at Camp Half-Blood. You're in the infirmary." He pointed to himself, "I'm Will Solace. You remember?"
Leo felt impatient. He wanted to say;
Of course pal! Good ol' Solace, my best bud! But he couldn't muster the energy to be sarcastic at the moment.
"Can't say I do, man."
Will frowned, "Do you remember where you were before? What happened before waking up?"
Leo felt memories coming back to him. "Uh, yeah. I was on a field trip to the Grand Canyon with Coach Hedge. Piper and Reyna came along. Then storm spirits came and attacked us, and—" Leo felt a flash of pain in his head, as if his brain were struck by lightning. He remembered that he HAD been struck by lightning. By Dylan of all people. Leo forced himself to his feet.
"Woah, take it easy." Will said, then grabbed the spoon again. "Drink this. Trust me, you'll feel better." Leo didn't really trust the strange liquid, but the jolts of pain were just too much. He drank the liquid. It tasted sugary and soft. It reminded Leo of his mother's famous caramel flan when he was younger. His heart sank at the memory of his mother. The liquid became bittersweet.
"Feel any better?" Will asked.
"Sure." Leo said, trying and failing to shake the memories of his late mother who he failed to save, from a fire he caused. "But, I still don't remember you, or what this place is."
"That's–"
"LEO! Thank the gods you're awake!" Leo didn't get a chance to see who it was calling him because they tackled him into a hug, causing the wind to leave his lungs. "Don't disappear like that, bro. You had me worried sick!"
"I uh…" The new guy finally let him free, giving Leo a chance to look at him.
He had curly black hair, nothing like Leo's. This guy had poofy and defined curls, while Leo knew his hair was more shaggy and messy. His skin was tanned and his eyes were bright amber, which gleaned with happiness. Leo felt the same nervousness as when his Tia Rosa came to visit his mom.
Oh, how much you've grown, little Leo! She would say. Leo's only response would be,
Who are you again? He figured this guy wouldn't appreciate him saying that.
"I'm not sure what you were doing all the way in Arizona, but I'm glad we found you." The new guy said, "Have you seen Percy anywhere? Do you know where he might be? He went missing about the same time you did."
"I um, I don't…"
"You're more stubborn than you look, Leo." Leo looked behind the two guys to see Reyna approaching him, her arms were crossed and a half smile curved her lips. Her long black hair was tied in a messy bun, with some strands of hair hanging over her face, slightly obscuring her brown eyes.
Reyna had white bandages tied around both her arms and an adhesive plaster applied to one of her thighs. Despite that, she looked ready and energized for anything, as if itching for a fight.
"Too bad you're just as annoying."
"Aw, you know you love me!" Leo said, grinning from ear to ear. He went in for a hug, causing Reyna to him a look like,
Don't push your luck.
Leo did the smart thing and kept his hands to himself. "Have you seen Piper? Is she okay?" He asked.
"She's fine, thanks to you. You did a brave thing, Leo. I commend you for that." Leo wasn't sure why she complimented him as if she were a high ranking officer or something. Regardless, he was ecstatic.
"Oh, you know me, Reyna. I can't help but save the beautiful ladies."
Reyna's smile faded. "...You make it really hard to be nice to you."
"Leo, I need you to focus." The amber eyed guy said, with a look that made Leo wonder how many times he had said that to him. "Do you have any idea where Percy might be?"
"Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't know who this Percy guy is." Leo paused and tried for a joke, "but I must've been a petty famous guy if you guys know me. Was I popular?"
Leo felt the air around him become thick and unbreathable. He hated how quiet it got.
"...You really don't remember?" The amber eyed guy asked. He looked genuinely hurt, "Leo, it's me. Angel Salvatierra. We were at the same orphanage before we ran away and came to Camp Half-Blood. You're like my brother."
Leo could only shrug helplessly. The name did sound very familiar, like a vague hazy memory. The orphanage he mentioned was a different story.
Casa de Santa Maribel. Leo thought. He remembered hating it there. His tia Rosa had taken custody of him after his mother's passing, but soon put him up for foster care, calling him El nino del diablo. The devil's son. After running away from five different foster homes, the court decided to put him in the orphanage near Houston, Texas. Casa de Santa Maribel.
Leo remembered being there for a while, but this guy, Angel, didn't appear in any of his memories.
"I'm sorry." Leo said, "but I…I don't remember."
Angel looked like a deflated balloon. His face fell, leading Leo to feel worse than he already did.
"Angel, he still has a concussion." Will said, "He might still get his memories back. He just needs time."
Angel looked doubtful, "It might be worse than that. Whatever is happening to Leo, it's connected to Reyna." He turned to look at Reyna, who gave everyone an emotionless stare. "Someone powerful manipulated the mist. Manipulated their memories. Whatever their motives are, something big is about to happen."
The others all stared at each other uncomfortably, not doubting that he was right.
"You guys are such vibe killers." Another voice said, not far from them. It was an asian guy with flawless features and sleek black hair. He was like a K-pop singer, and looked very punchable in Leo's honest and unbiased opinion. "Reyna, if you're all good and patched up, I got orders to take you to Chiron's office." He lazily looked at his nails, "I'd prefer to take a pretty girl like you on a stroll on the beach, but Annabeth is not someone I want to mess with."
Reyna looked like she'd rather do anything else than go with this guy. She gave a reluctant sigh.
"Good to see you're okay, Leo." Reyna said simply with her cold brown eyes before following the asian guy out the cabin.
Leo was never sure if she was like that to everyone, or if she just barely tolerated having him around. Nevertheless, Leo loves teasing and flirting with her. Reyna made sure to threaten him with a beating every time he did, but that didn't stop him. Reyna always had this 'one of the boys' kind of vibe. Back at the Wilderness School, she'd sometimes go along with Leo's jokes and pranks.
He preferred to joke with her than with Piper, who was way more feminine and cutesy, easily making Leo flustered with the slightest amount of teasing. But now Reyna seemed different. More serious and less tolerant of his jokes.
"I should get going." Angel said as the two left. "I need to find Annabeth and plan our next search party." Will nodded, giving him a pat on his back.
Angel turned to Leo, his amber eyes swirled with emotions Leo didn't understand. If only he could turn Angel into a robot, maybe then he'd be able to fix his sadness with a tweak of a wrench.
"Will, could you take Leo to cabin 9? His siblings would love to see that he's okay."
"Sure thing." Will said, giving him a nod.
"...I'll see you around, Leo." Angel said before leaving the med bay before Leo could give a meek reply back.
"C'mon man." Will said, "Let's go see your siblings."