I was going to update tomorrow, but we've got a loft to sort out and it's gonna take aaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllll day :(
To Riordanlover16- One- speaking from experience, hairbrushes are deadly weapons. Quick, light, unexpected, but hard and spikey XD Two- Leo is getting his money from sooommmmmeeewwhere, you'll have to wait and see. Three- Mikey has all the free time he wants, rules don't apply to him. Four- everyone wants to cuddle Bradley, he is small and squishy :P
To KYtheDEMIGOD- Thank you! ^_^ Happy birthday for in a few weeks! Consider this update a gift, if you will :D
Leo had ignored his phone most of the morning, only picking it up when he sat down for a sandwich. He almost choked on the bread when he saw the mile long stream of messages from various people.
Some were from Louisa. She had found the emoji keyboard and was clearly spamming her favourites. Then there was something that might have been a Google search— how to get baby sick from shirt— followed by fuck. Leo grinned and sent back rinse, lather and repeat.
The next dozen were from Piper, a dozen messages all in caps and as many missed calls. LEO, ANSWER YOUR PHONE / WHAT DID YOU DO? / NICO SAW / WE SHIP IT / LEO LEO LEO LEO LEO LEO LEO / LEO / LEO LEO / LEO ANSWER YOUR PHONE / LEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
The messages from Mikey were pretty much the same, although Leo didn't remember giving him his number. The phones were a fairly new development and he had only dolled them out to his friends the last couple of days. Much safer than mortal devices. No monsters would appear to chomp on their limbs for simply opening WhatsApp.
Nico had sent him a single message, the emoji of the angel face. Leo sent one back wearing a monocle and a frown.
One from Percy with a picture of Tobias in the bath, chewing on the head of a rubber duck while covered in bubbles, followed by Sorry, that was meant for Lou. Leo and Lou are close together in my list. Leo replied with a grin— Lou doesn't have that issue. She saved you as Spare Parts.
And then finally, Jessica.
What is the point of phones if you don't answer? That was the first message, which didn't make any sense. Maybe she had been in touch with Piper and/or Mikey. Leo made a mental note to not get involved in any group chats.
Call me when you can, Jessica's second message said. Need your help.
He rang immediately and she answered on the third ring.
"About time," she muttered. "Where have you been?"
"Working."
"Harvesting organs, got it."
"I don't—"
"Doesn't matter." She told him of a conversation Nico and Louisa had had last night. "Lou's never really been one to release her anger, uh… healthily." Leo nodded, even though she couldn't see it. He had seen many many such releases, though, now that he thought on it, not as many lately. The date of the birth certificate and the storm from yesterday, from whatever had happened on the roof, though neither were as before.
She had been sat on the edge of the dilapidated garden box when he had been sent up to fetch her. The rain had eased into a light spattering and she sat with her head tipped back, eyes closed. She was wet through. Rivulets streamed from her hair pushed back from her face. Worryingly, she had dried patches of blood on her T-shirt, coppery specks on her arms and face.
She did not seem hurt, perhaps healed under the rain. Leo inspected her carefully from a distance, biting his lip. What had happened up here?
He hadn't wanted to intrude, hovering to the side and rocking on the soles of his feet. She had known he was there anyway, smiling and calling him over without even opening her eyes.
Jessica cleared her throat and Leo zoned back into the conversation. "Were you listening?"
"I heard up to 'healthily'," Leo admitted. Jessica sighed, the sound crackling over the line.
"Dumbass. Listen, you're still coming this afternoon, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Come up with one of your ideas. Nico says she needs somewhere to let her anger out properly, not just a storm. He also says she needs therapy, but that's something I'll sort out." Leo scratched the back of his head.
"You want me to find somewhere Lou can… what, break stuff?"
"I guess so."
"I have an idea. Let me see what I can do." He looked at the time on his phone. "Ah, dammit. I've got to go, but I'll talk to you later!"
"Don't get arrested."
"I'm not doing anything illegal." She gave a disbelieving laugh and cut off. Leo glanced around, squinting. He would tell them. Just… later.
He got to Jessica's about four. Sally answered the door with a smile, squeezing his arm as she let him in.
"They're on the roof," she said.
"They?" Leo asked. Who was going to bombard him this time? Lizzie? The mortal friends, the Entourage? Percy and Annabeth?
Louisa had her back to the door, turning her head at his footsteps.
"Look!" she said, half-turning and pointing at herself. "Mam taught me this, check it out." She described how she had done it, motioning along to demonstrate. Bradley had been wrapped to her with a long piece of blue cloth. She spread her arms wide and grinned. "Hands free baby!"
Leo smiled, inspecting the handiwork. Bradley was secure and comfortable, enough so to be asleep with his head over Louisa's heart. Leo touched the top of his head carefully, the silky soft hair tickling his thumb. Bradley Valdez.
A screech filled the air and he startled, springing a hefty mallet from his toolbelt. He stood before Louisa and Bradley, scanning the roof for the source of the noise.
Louisa's hand on his shoulder. "It's OK. It's Estelle, look." She pointed upwards. A shadow swooped overhead, screeches tailing it like a firework.
Storm performed a perfect loop-de-loop and the vague shape that was Estelle, glimpsed here and there between wing flaps, continued to scream. In delight, Leo realised, not terror.
Feeling silly, he surreptitiously slid the mallet back into his belt. He glanced at Louisa. She was biting her lip, a smile pulling at her cheeks. "Were you gonna fight her?"
"I thought it was a monster."
"I mean… she is. She ate my Oreos."
"Oh, the horror."
"The disrespect," Louisa corrected. He smiled again, tipping his head back to observe Storm and her new rider. Louisa studied his profile, bouncing Bradley as he began to mewl. He had jumped in front of her, thinking she needed defending. He had been ready to fight some unknown beast. For her.
I saw that, Storm's voice snickered in her head. Is this that knight thing again? Where's the noble steed?
Bring Estelle back down.
Don't change the subject.
Down.
Alright, alright. Bossy.
Storm landed neatly before them, tossing her mane. Estelle beamed at them. Her hair must have been attacked by hawks up there, an array of chaos and wind and stray feathers. She jumped down, staggering. Storm bit the hood of her jacket and pulled her back.
"Thank you!" Estelle laughed, throwing her arms around Storm's neck. "That was fun!"
Yes, it was. Storm licked her face and Estelle giggled.
"Lou, what did she say? Ooh, I wish I could speak Pegasus."
She said Pegasus! Not Horse, she said Pegasus! Storm stomped her hoof, head raised proudly. She regarded Estelle with clear affection. Lou, let me keep her.
"Ya can't keep her. Mam'll have somethin' ta say about it."
Time share.
"No." Louisa reached into her pocket, withdrawing a handful of sugar cubes. Storm locked onto them immediately, tail swishing. She pawed the ground with a huff.
Gimme.
Estelle bounded the three steps to her sister, cupping her hands. She was jiggling while Louisa tipped the cubes into her palms, jiggling more when she turned back to see Storm right there waiting, huffing warm air in her face.
"Oooh, that tickles!" Estelle giggled, squirming. Storm crunched away on the cubes, snuffling the girl's face when they disappeared.
Get me apples. Go. Don't tell Lou.
"I can still hear you," Louisa sighed. "You can have apples later."
"Can I feed her?" Estelle asked. "Can we fly again? Did you see we did a loop? Big loop, it was a biiiiiiiiig loop!" She flung her arms up and round, as big a loop as she could make, standing on her toes for emphasis.
Then she giggled again, clapping. "That was much more fun than homework."
"Ah, nuggets," Louisa muttered. Leo raised an eyebrow at her. She waved at him to shush. "Get ya bag, Esmelle. Should probably make it look like we tried."
"Hmmm. Can I have a go on Storm again afterwards?"
"As long as Storm don't mind."
As long as she gets me apples, she can fly anytime. Storm nodded for Estelle's benefit, snuffling her hair. Estelle petted the mare's face, her own aglow with glee.
Storm took to the skies, having had her fill of homework by the mere mention of it. Louisa moved to sit on the old garden box, waving Leo to follow her. She sat slowly, careful not to jostle Bradley too much. He simply turned his head up and continued sleeping.
Estelle's school bag was there, being disembowelled in search of the godsforsaken homework. She slapped a blue exercise book in Louisa's lap, shuffling over on her knees.
"Mr. Becks says you'll help me," she said. Louisa froze, eyeing her sister suspiciously. "What?" Estelle asked. "He said you would."
"Why did he say that?"
"He's my teacher."
"He was my teacher."
"I know," Estelle grinned. "That's why he said you'd help me."
In the time Louisa had been gone, things had changed. Wanting to keep their baby safe, not wanting to render Louisa's sacrifice paltry, Percy and Annabeth had moved to New Rome. Sally, Paul and Estelle had managed to follow soon after. Louisa knew Mr. Becks had helped get Paul a job in the nearby high school, but him being Estelle's teacher was news to her.
Estelle smiled. "I thought you knew. I got him when school started again. He's cool!"
"Mmph," Louisa said.
"He does magic sometimes. The other kids don't notice, but I do. I see it." Estelle nodded seriously, then grinned again. Leo was wondering who smiled more, Estelle or Mikey.
He had met Estelle a handful of times. She was seven, if he remembered right. Bright and clever. She had Sally's eyes, that indeterminate colour that currently matched the autumn blue sky above. Her hair, when it wasn't a physical mimicry of a tornado, curled like Louisa's did, though somehow carried Paul's salt-and-pepper colouring.
Leo looked between the sisters. He could see similarities in them, see Sally in the line of their noses and the curve of their jaws. He wondered what Louisa had looked like at that age.
Then Louisa moved her head and he could see Percy. Thicker hair, so deeply black it glimpsed purples under the afternoon sun. The sea green eyes scanning the homework instructions, pinching at the corners as she sifted through the wriggling letters.
She moved again, looking to Leo, and he saw neither Sally nor Percy. He saw Louisa and only Louisa, his heart skipping a beat as their eyes met.
She was saying something, gesturing with the exercise book.
"What?" Leo said. She rolled her eyes and he became aware of Estelle giggling.
"Look what he's given her," she said, tipping the book to him again. Leo forced himself to concentrate on it, staring so intently at the words he saw none of them. "I know these gods," Louisa continued. "He's picked ones he knows I know."
"You… don't sound too happy about that?"
"This one," she jabbed at a name near the top, "fuckin' shitheel. Don't repeat that, Tell." Leo peered at the name, though was careful not to read it aloud. If Louisa had just called them a shitheel, he wasn't sure he wanted to draw their attention.
Cardea, he read.
Louisa was grumbling. "Fuckin' door hinges. She's got a target on my back for fuckin' door hinges."
It seemed Mr. Becks had set this homework up with precision. Every name on the list Louisa tied an insult to, each one some aggrieved deity. It was unclear who had upset who— "He pissed me off, I pissed her off, she started it, they needed a reality check… fuck's sake." She glowered at the list. "Give me a pen," she told her sister, hand out. "I'm gonna write Mr. Becks a note."
"Call him a shitheel," Estelle urged. Louisa despaired, dropping the pen to clamp a hand over her sister's mouth.
"Not you as well! No swearin'! Only I'm allowed ta swear! Swearin' is for grown-ups!" Estelle mumbled unintelligibly into Louisa's palm. "If you swear," Louisa warned her, "Leo will tell Santa to put you on the Naughty List."
Estelle's eyes widened and she threw a panicked look to Leo. Leo did his best to keep his expression neutral, a hundred questions soaring through his mind. Why would he tell Santa?
Louisa lowered her hand cautiously.
"I won't swear," Estelle promised, crossing her heart. She fixed big, pleading eyes on Leo. "Please don't tell Santa. I've been really good!"
Louisa was side-eyeing him behind Estelle's back. He sat up straighter, chin raised.
"I will withhold this information," he said with every ounce of importance he could muster, "as long as you never swear again." Louisa nodded approvingly. He tapped his nose and winked. Estelle brightened and did the same.
He got to ask Louisa about it over dinner later, squeezed in around the dining table. He sat between Louisa and Sally. Lizzie sat on Sally's other side, waggling her fingers at him. Estelle was sitting opposite with Harvey, who had popped in just as dinner was being served. Jessica was next to him, at the head of the table, marvelling at Estelle. When she had had a little girl sat at the table with Harvey to do homework, there was no enthusiasm such as Estelle displayed now. There were protests and riots and pens thrown, followed by headaches and stampedes around the apartment.
She shot a look to Louisa, narrowing her eyes slightly. Louisa, not knowing what the look meant but knowing she was in trouble, sent the look back.
Coming down from the roof, she had put Bradley in his crib. The moms were calling that dinner was ready and she swore under her breath on seeing Estelle's hair. Equipping her own hairbrush, she did what she could. She was no hair stylist, she was no Piper. She managed to make Estelle somewhat presentable, though it was very obvious it was not in the braid it had been a couple of hours ago.
Leo elbowed Louisa lightly and she tipped her head towards him.
"Why does she think I'll tell Santa stuff?"
"Oh." Louisa smiled wryly, poking tomatoes from her burger. "She thinks you're an elf."
"Excuse me?"
"She thinks you're an elf."
"Why?"
"Well…" She looked at him then, studying his face. "She thinks you look like one. 'N' you're always makin' stuff. 'N' you've got a mystery job you won't tell anyone about…"
"Don't give me that look, my job is perfectly legal."
"What is it?"
"Santa's elf, apparently," he huffed. She snickered into her hand and it almost made the slight worthwhile. Almost.
Leo pouted. Estelle was still babbling about her homework. Mr. Becks didn't appear to mind even though he was off the clock, nodding and smiling along. She had been tasked on finding out about the gods and goddesses he had listed, random facts. Most kids, he had said when Louisa smacked him with the exercise book, would have Google to fall on. Estelle had the privilege of someone with firsthand knowledge.
"Privilege?" Louisa had said. "Fuckin' door hinges!"
"Where are they?" her old teacher had asked. She had folded her arms at this, nose turned up.
"I ain't tellin' you that."
Leo looked at her again now. She was halfway through her burger, her tomatoes discarded on his plate. He didn't mind— it was a relief to see her eating again.
"What was all that about door hinges?"
"No. Mm-mm." She swallowed her mouthful and shook her head resolutely. "We don't talk about door hinges. No," she stressed as he started to ask something else. Leo, wisely, shut up. She could see a thought ticking behind those brown eyes, so absurdly brown. In here, they were a deep earthen colour, borderline black. On the roof, under the dappling sunshine, they had been flecked with golds and ambers, like his eyes held the fire he could wield at command.
Her fingers had itched to paint them, a contrast of thoughts warring in her skull.
The first time she had wanted to paint something since coming home, to use those paints he had splashed out on. She missed painting, she missed shaping colours under her will and producing images that flowered stories without words. However, nothing had caught her attention, nothing had sparked her muse. She had held a paintbrush up only for it to feel like a surgeon's knife rather than its true nature.
And then she had seen his eyes under the brittle fall sunshine, the last of the year's finer rays. Something stirred within her and she could already see herself blotting her paint palette with an arsenal of colours.
But can you really paint his eyes? It was a quandary; to paint his eyes would mean she would put those beautiful colours down on canvas, to keep that image alive forever. It would also mean she was painting his eyes, though, and admitting to all who saw it, Leo included, that he did indeed have beautiful eyes.
I do like his eyes, though. No, stop it, stop it. She shook her head and focused on her dinner.
BANG!
Plates and cups rattled on the table. Louisa jumped, hand on her watch. Leo was half out of his seat, freezing.
It had only been Estelle, smacking her hand on the table. She was grinning again, broad as the Cheshire cat, eyes alight with merriment.
"I've got it!" she declared. "Peo and Pooisa!"
"What?" Louisa asked blankly. Leo sunk back into his seat, just as confused as she was. Estelle pointed at him first.
"Peo," she branded, moving her finger over, "and Pooisa. Pee and Poo!" She clasped her hands and tipped her head, giggling. "You two make a fine toilet."
Sally cleared her throat. Estelle sat up straight, calling up an innocent smile.
Leo and Louisa shared a look.
"I've been called worse," Leo said. "By you, mainly."
"Lies," she scoffed. She gestured with her fork, tracing her sister's outline. "I'll have Storm tip you off next time," she warned.
"I knew you wasn't doing homework," Harvey interrupted. He held up the exercise book, showing them the double spread pages. Louisa's scribbles mingled amongst Estelle's big, loopy handwriting, the clumsy penmanship of a child. "This is sloppy, even for you, Lou." Louisa flinched and ducked her head.
"Homework is for nerds," she mumbled.
"Homework is for kids that actually want to finish school." He raised an eyebrow at her. Louisa bristled, scrunching her nose.
"School is for nerds too. I ain't need that shit."
"You didn't finish high school," Harvey remarked. It was a sore point for him and Paul, one they were not going to win either.
"Neither did I," Leo blurted. Harvey reappraised him. "What? I got kicked out of most of them, moved between a dozen different foster homes and then just gave up on the whole system." He noticed Estelle staring at him, puzzled. "Uh, that's why I… enrolled at Elf College. They were the only ones that would take me on and then… they trained me up to work with Santa." He said that last bit with as much authenticity as he could. No-one gave him a strange look; Estelle's summary of him was common knowledge around this table.
Estelle's expression cleared and she was smiling again.
"Can I go to Elf College?" she asked her mother.
"No," Sally said. "Elf College is for special cases only."
"The best of the best," Jessica added.
"Got to be super clever," Louisa chipped in, "like Leo. He's super clever."
"Is he now?" Lizzie mused, hands tucked beneath her chin. Leo was still reeling from the compliment, so hardly noticed the teasing look she was giving her sister, nor Louisa's crimson countenance. "Super clever, hmmmmm?"
"Yes, he is," Louisa defied, clenching her fists. "Can you build a ship that can fly 'n' sail 'n' turn into a dragon? Can you crack an Archimedes sphere? Can you make phones that don't get us eaten by monsters? No. So fuck off."
"Ooh, I think I touched a nerve."
"Children," Jessica chimed. "If you are at my table, what are the rules?"
"No fighting," the girls chorused miserably, scolded. Leo looked around and then at Jessica, in awe. She smiled and winked at him.
"My table," she said, "my rules." She dipped her fries in ketchup. "So, did you sort out what we spoke about earlier?"
"I did."
"What did you speak about?" Louisa asked warily.
"What did you come up with?" Jessica asked at the same time. Leo grinned and turned to Louisa.
"I have found the answer to all your problems," he said, flourishing his hand. She regarded him suspiciously from the corner of her eye, head turned a fraction away. Leo was undeterred. She had called him clever— super clever, no less. "Tomorrow," he said, "I'm taking you to a rage room."
I am debating re-starting those ToA Jason-Awake rewrites. I'm not sure what I have typed up already, but it's bugging me I've not finished them. I think I gave Jason a cat in it? I'll have a look, but what do you all think? XD