To Riordanlover16- weeeeeelllllll I might not kill him... but I still might. Depends on how many reviews I get ;) Lou's only having a minor PTSD attack, she's totally fine. Fine fine fine O:) BEG AND PLEAD! :3

To valdeznation- You somehow manage to tell me off and thank me for the chapter in the same thing, I love it XD I am doing this to them because I am bored and do love some drama. Dad Leo! Papi! Percy is pissed because [REDACTED]. I will have to use 'bag of dicks' somewhere, that one made me laugh :P I WILL NOT LEAVE THEM ALONE, THIS IS MY POWER *EVIL LAUGH* You are most welcome, thank you for the review :D

Louisa, Annabeth and Leo stayed all night. Leo kept Bradley with him, not daring to take him from Louisa's sight. Tobias, he knew, was being looked after by fun Aunty Piper. Whether or not she would return him remained to be seen, but they had more pressing matters to contend with.

With Will's help, Louisa had removed all the blood-soaked bandages. She coated her hands in water, dutifully bucketed in by Nico and Kiki, who refused to acknowledge it was past her bedtime.

The water, Louisa's healing, blanketed the injuries. Violent, crimson gashes splitting skin and muscle, still bleeding despite stitches and the Apollo cabin's administrations. Green sparks danced in the liquid and the wounds began to seal, slowly at first, then more assuredly when Louisa swore under her breath.

Percy was left with pale scars criss-crossing his chest, the broad stroke of a sword in frenzied hands. Across his throat, something Leo could not bring himself to look at when the bandages came away, lay another scar, right across. Louisa had been aiming to kill. She did not then realise she was aiming to kill her brother.

She muttered swears and apologies and promises to never ever steal his food again, as long as he just woke up. Leo was sitting in a chair by the door, out of the way, but still heard her. I didn't see you came back again and again. I didn't see you, I didn't see you.

Please don't be mad, he translated it to. It was an accident, a horrible horrible accident, a misunderstanding, a result of something far more harrowing but still dreadful nonetheless. She and her brother were often at loggerheads, often at odds, but it was all done with great affection.

To lose one at the other's own hands…

No. Leo shook his head. Percy would be fine. Will and his cabin were top notch healers and then there were Louisa's own abilities. He needn't be so worried.

The worry did not abate, regardless of his logic and self-assurances, until sunrise. Percy grimaced and opened his eyes to see the same staring back at him.

"Percy?" Louisa asked tentatively.

"Mmph," he said. He mumbled something, something unintelligible to Leo, but Louisa laughed. A laugh of relief, of exhaustion, a laugh all the same.

"He's hungry," she announced to the room without looking up. "He wants pancakes." Percy mumbled something else, managing a stiff nod. "With lots of syrup."

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth reprimanded, trying and failing not to cry. He looked at her, smiling that easy smile. His hand slipped from hers, reaching for her stomach. Her hand met his there, pressing to the as of now non-existent bump.

Leo stood, moving to stand beside Louisa. Percy stared at him blearily, looking away long enough to recognise Bradley asleep in his arms. His lips moved soundlessly, turning his head to catch Louisa's eye.

"Can't he talk?" Leo asked.

"Did I not… did I do somethin' wrong?" Louisa fretted, pushing her hands through her hair. "I'm gonna get Will. We need Will." She ran from the room, bounding out into the cold without her coat.

Percy waved for Leo's attention, his hand fluttering over his chest. Leo took Louisa's vacated seat, leaning closer.

"Not… her fault…" His voice was hardly above a whisper, hoarse and strained. He looked to Annabeth and then back to Leo. "Not her… fault…" He swallowed dryly, grimacing. The pain brought tears to his eyes.

"I've got some more nectar," Annabeth said, snatching the glass from the cabinet. She held the straw to his lips. "This is the last you're having though," she warned, testing his forehead with the back of her hand. "You're burning up as is."

She let him have half the glass, taking it away. He didn't sound any better for it, though it didn't seem to hurt him so much to speak.

"Not her fault," he repeated. "Scared. Don't… blame her… don't let… don't let her… blame herself…" He spoke to them both, looking at Leo. Leo shook his head.

"She will though. Dude, you nearly died 'cos she thought you were… someone else." Percy scrunched his face. Leo shifted in his seat. "She'll blame herself whatever we say, I know she will, you know she will. What are we supposed to do?"

"Tell her… no. No," he emphasised when Leo made to say something. He faced Annabeth, woozily reaching for her hand. "Don't… blame Lou…"

"I won't," Annabeth promised, kissing his fingers. "I'm not."

This settled Percy. The conversation had clearly drained him, slipping back into sleep. Louisa returned with Will not even a minute later, stricken. She grabbed Will's arm with enough force to make him squeak.

"He was awake, I swear!"

"He's fine, Lou," Annabeth said. "Resting."

Louisa didn't calm until Will had finished his examination. Yes, Percy was sound asleep. Yes, he was fine. His heart was still beating, his breathing was clear, his injuries had healed up nicely. No, he wasn't going to die.

"Are you sure?" Louisa worried. Will nodded. He looked much better after a good five hours of sleep, more alert and refreshed. "What about his talkin'? He was havin' trouble talkin'."

"That's just some damage to his throat. It'll heal." He tested Percy's temperature, lips pursing. "No more nectar," he told Annabeth.

"I know."

"Water only until I say otherwise."

"I know, Doctor Will."

"Doctor Solace, thank you, madam. You should be resting as well, in your condition," he chided. Annabeth's grey eyes flashed and Doctor Solace faded back into regular old Will, smiling sheepishly.

"I'm staying with Percy," Annabeth said. "You'll have to drag me away."

Will was a brave man. He was, however, not that brave and left Annabeth where she was.

He turned to leave, stopping short.

"Lou?" He held his hand out to her only for her to flinch away as if it were white-hot. She backpedalled, shaking her head. "Lou, it's OK," Will soothed. Her back hit the wall and she slid down it to sit, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Wait," Leo said as Will stepped forward. He passed the sleeping baby to Annabeth, careful not to drop him on the sleeping Percy. "Let me talk to her."

Will relented, taking Leo's seat. He pinched Percy's wrist, checking his pulse more out of habit than necessity. Leo crouched beside Louisa, within arm's reach but not too close as to crowd her. "Lou? Hey."

"Where's Bradley?"

"Tía Beth's got him, see?" He leaned to the side and pointed. Louisa sat back, bumping the wall with the back of her head.

Now the emergency was out of the way, now her brother was saved, her emotions had caught up, spilling forth in unchecked tears.

"I thought… I thought it was him…" she whispered, curling into an even smaller ball. "I saw him."

"I know," Leo said. She closed her eyes, hung her head. Leo licked his lips, inched closer. "This is from that nightmare," he said carefully. She shivered, nodded. Leo sat cross-legged, his knee almost touching her shin.

"I thought I was gettin' better," she croaked, not looking up. "I thought… 'n' now Percy's… I… I almost…" She wiped her cheek on her arm, sniffed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Leo said. Her shoulders hunched, the tension migrating to the rest of her.

"No-one else held that sword," she snarled.

"No-one else went through what you did."

"I don't want ta talk about it. I don't want you ta know."

"Well, Percy wants you to know he doesn't blame you." She shook her head disbelievingly, turning away from him, her shoulder now to the wall. Leo was undeterred, scooting round. "It's not your fault," Leo repeated firmly. "You are getting better, you are," he insisted as she scoffed. "It's not a linear thing, Lou. You need to give yourself time."

"No!" she protested, fists bunching. "No! I don't want time, I don't want— I just want normal 'n'… 'n' each time I think I'm gettin' there, I… I fuck up."

"You don't fuck up."

"Nearly killin' Percy's a fuck up!" she argued, bursting into incomprehensible tears. Leo didn't move, not yet. She was still curled up, not wanting him or anyone close. "What if Nico wasn't there?" she demanded, hiccupping. "What if Percy… what if… Tobias wouldn't have a dad, the new baby wouldn't… wouldn't know their dad 'n' it'd… it'd be all my f-fault."

Leo was going to get hit for this, but…

"Sure," he said. "Fine. You're under arrest for attempted murder. Might be able to argue grounds for self-defence or maybe plead insanity." He could feel the incredulous stares of Annabeth and Will behind him, no doubt matching the one he saw before him. "I mean, you've got a pretty solid case. Suffering PTSD, thought your… abuser had snuck into your home, thought he was going to take your baby away from you and you… tried to kill him. Which is fair, can't fault you on that. Not your fault you didn't realise it was only Percy. You didn't see him." He shrugged dismissively.

"Leo," Will hissed. "The fuck are you doing?" Leo ignored him.

"You might get away with it," Leo continued light-heartedly. "Might get a reduced sentence. Maybe put in one of those psychiatric prison hospital places. You know, where they lock up the proper nutcases." He twisted a finger by his temple. Louisa's eyes widened and frantic whispers behind him signalled he had signed another certificate, the opposite to one he had signed recently.

Leo tapped a finger on his chin. "What's the next bit? Right, right. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to an—" He didn't get to finish reading her her rights, a solid left-hook knocking him flat on the floor. "Ow," he complained, jaw throbbing, blinking away stars. He would never tease Jason about that fateful punch ever again. Or, at least, not for the rest of the week.

Louisa glared down at him, eyes red and puffy from crying, but ablaze as if trying to figure out how to explode his head with her mind alone.

Leo figured she could do that, quite easily as well, except he had caught her off guard.

He forced himself to maintain her gaze, to keep neutral. He kept his hands where she could see them, by his head. Tried not to blink or breathe too loudly.

"Bastard," she said.

"Takes one to know one," he replied simply, jaw protesting at the movement.

"Bastard!"

"Yes."

"You… you…"

"Oh gods, she's finally going to kill him," Will whimpered from behind his hands. "I can't watch. I won't watch. I'm not witness to this."

Louisa snatched a handful of Leo's hoodie, yanking him into sitting up. They were nose to nose. He could feel her temper simmering, like a riptide waiting to drag him under. She was so angry, she didn't even know what words she wanted, what swears to use beyond:

"Bastard!"

"Yes," Leo said again. "That is what we are, yes." She opened and closed her mouth, struggling through the maelstrom of her mind. Leo acted quickly— she was going to kill him anyway, may as well go out with some style.

Pretending for the moment that Annabeth wasn't watching (Will still had his face covered), Leo bobbed his head, ducking and weaving and throwing her thoughts even further out of alignment. He dipped his head and kissed her, a quick peck on the lips, and then retreated, leaning as far back as her grip would allow.

She stared at him, eyes wide. She let go and he fell back, lying flat out on the floor. "This," he said dramatically, "shall be my final resting place. Bradley can have Festus. Ow! Hey, ow!" Louisa was smacking him now, open-handed slaps on his arm, his chest, his shoulder.

"The fuck is wrong with you?!" she exasperated shrilly, not letting him roll away and smacking him some more. Leo caught one of her hands, the other striking his chest.

"Many things," he grinned, kissing her knuckles, the same knuckles that had left a nice sizeable bruise on his face. She wrenched her hand away and bopped him on the head. "Hey, no, we talked about this! You are stuck with me, deal with it." He blew a raspberry, which aggravated his jaw but was worth every second as the colour rose in her face.

"I'll fuckin' kill you," she grumbled.

"Unlikely," Leo tipped his head, smiling sweetly. "Can I get up now? The floor isn't very comfortable."

"Deal with it."

"Oh, very funny. Right, you know what? You're under arrest."

He wasn't sure how he did it or how he even got away with it. The next thing either of them knew was that he was standing, and she was upside down, slung over his shoulders in a fireman's lift.

He looked back at their audience. Will still wasn't looking, firmly concealed behind his hands. Annabeth gaped, stunned, brow drawn in confusion. Percy, thankfully, was still asleep.

"Put me down!" Louisa ordered, drumming her fists on his back.

"You've got Bradley for a bit, right?" Leo asked Annabeth, pointing a finger gun at her. "Cool, thanks."

Annabeth, for once, was speechless. She was convinced her last image of him was him running out the door, Louisa still demanding to be put down or so help me, Leo! So help you! LEO!