To Riordanlover16- Thank you! :D I think I also followed it? I was on my phone, so hopefully it went through :P

To Guest- Wait no more! Tis here!

"No, listen. Listen. I swear—"

"Nah, I'm callin' bullshit."

"Well, I'm uncalling it."

"That's not how that works." Leo waved his hands at her in protest. Louisa shook her head. "Alright, fine. Fine. You like strawberry ice-cream. You freak."

"You're eating toothpaste, that is toothpaste!"

"Is not!" she protested, shielding her mint choc chip away from him. Leo blew a raspberry, shielding his own dessert.

With summer over, they had had to take their ice-cream run to the supermarket. Louisa had a craving for it and Leo simply agreed. Jessica, having been dealing with them bickering all morning, sent them away and kept Bradley for herself, revelling in company that didn't chat back.

Leo had paid for the ice-cream, still refusing to let her chip in or answer her questions. He had a tub of that awful pinkness and she had glorious, superior mint choc chip.

She wrinkled her nose as he wafted his spoon near her face. "Yours is like tubby custard gone wrong. Disgustin'. It's got chunks in it!"

"Those are real strawberries! You've got rabbit droppings in yours."

"Fuck off."

"Blended Hulk and rabbit droppings." He licked at his spoon then scraped it around the edges of the tub. "I bet Bradley will like strawberry."

"Fuck off will he," Louisa elbowed him. "He's gonna be raised with class." Leo snorted in disbelief. He could feel daggers burning the side of his head, turning to take her glare face on instead. She aimed her spoon at him warningly. "You sayin' I ain't got class, Valdez?"

"Not in so many words," he mused airily. He flourished a hand under his chin as she continued to glare. "Face it, chica. Between us, I am the classiest. It's not hard, considering the competition…" He winked at her and she gaped.

"Motherfucker."

"I mean, I'm so classy, you picked my name over your own, remember? Bradley Valdez. Not Bradley Smith-Jackson, no. Bradley Valdez." He grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief and pride. Louisa soothed herself with a large spoonful of ice-cream.

"I've just fed your ego with that, ain't I?"

"I thank you for it."

"Mmph." She stared into her ice-cream tub, wondering how it had got so empty. Leo nudged her gently, still grinning. She kept up the front, but he saw right through it. She was just as happy for Bradley to be a Valdez as he was.

Now if she would only match…

They deposited their empty tubs and spoons in the next bin. Leo reached for her hand and she let him take it. With his other hand, he adjusted the red woollen hat Jessica had made her wear once again.

"I've fixed the phones," he said. "We can now play Pokémon Go."

"Oh, fuckin' finally," she grinned, fishing the device from her pocket. "How'd I download it? Don't give me that, you know I ain't no good with these things." She pressed it into his hand, watching over his shoulder as he downloaded the game. "I want a shiny Ponyta."

"Who doesn't?" Leo passed the phone back, pulling his own out to play along. She was starting fresh; he was on Level Nine. With a grin, he showed off the difference, laughing as she pursed her lips.

They walked for a while, spinning Pokestops and gyms. Louisa brightened when she found a Magikarp outside the pet shop. Leo directed them to the park next, a Ponyta showing up on his radar. "The chances of getting a shiny one," he said, "are really slim, but—"

"Imma get one."

"Are you now?"

"My dad made horses. Shiny Ponyta is my birthright."

"He didn't make Pokémon though." She cut him a look. Leo raised his hands in surrender. "No, birthright. Got it. My deepest apologies." She nodded once and looked down at her phone again, tapping the screen.

"Stay in the ball, you little fucker."

"Uh, Lou?"

"I know it can't hear me. Still a little fucker though."

"No." He grabbed her arm. "Lou, look." He pointed. She followed, squinting in that direction. "That lady's hair's on fire, isn't it?" Louisa nodded.

"Like Ponyta," she mumbled. Leo pulled on her arm. "Right, fuck. That's an empousa." She stared at the approaching she-demon, already hearing the clunk-clop of her mismatched steps. One metallic, one donkey.

She pocketed her phone, reaching for her watch. It was one empousa. Surely she could handle one empousa?

Nico and Percy had been training her up, but she had also been practising on her own. She had a lot of ground to cover to get back to where she was and she was going to marathon over it.

From his toolbelt, Leo retrieved his mallet. He tugged on her arm again, turning away. They moved two paces and stopped again, her walking into the back of him. "What?" she whispered.

There was more than one.

Together, they looked round. One searched to the left while the other searched to the right, swapping directions seamlessly. Louisa counted under her breath, then swore.

Seven. There were seven of them.

"Seaspawn!" The first one called out. Louisa spun back round, sword raised. Leo was warm against her back, tightly covering her six. The empousa was only metres away, close enough to see her smile glittering beneath her blazing hair. "We haven't seen you around for a while," she remarked with a chilling brightness. "Where've you been?"

"What do you want?" Louisa demanded, gritting her teeth. One would have been easy to sort out, quick work. She was ready for one. She was not ready for seven.

Leo shifted behind her and she steeled herself with a breath.

She was not alone.

Empousa Number One's smile broadened and she clasped her hands.

"Oh, you haven't heard? How wonderful! We heard all about you, you know. We know what happened." Leo glanced over his shoulder, frowning. He could not see Louisa's face, but he could see the waver in her hand shimmering sunlight off her blade. "And then," the empousa continued, "this wonderful new bounty was dropped. A bounty for that baby of yours. Alive, don't worry. He's wanted alive. He'll play a most privileged part in the downfall of Olympus, you should be proud!"

Louisa yelled defiantly and charged. Leo faced forward again, her action spurring the other she-demons forward. The circle closed around them in seconds.

His first swing took an empousa down, a shower of yellowed dust collapsing to the path. His second did not complete its arc, two pairs of clawed hands grabbing the head and hauling back with monstrous strength. The empousai hissed at him, fangs bared. Leo replied in kind, pulling a dagger from his belt and planting it in the head of the nearest one.

Her sister was not best pleased about that, throwing herself at him. A fourth one slammed into him from behind, knocking them down into a heap on the dusty ground. The weapons were wrenched from his fingers.

"This is not your fight, son of Hephaestus," the one on his back hissed. She was bowed over him, leaning down. Her fiery hair tickled his face, her lips pressed to his ear to whisper. "It would be best if you stayed down."

Leo's head span. Empousai had a charmspeak of their own, he remembered. It lulled over him, waves breaching on the shore. He couldn't move his arms, they would not respond to him.

The empousa giggled, stroked his hair. "There's a good lad," she cooed. "Stay down now and we may spare you."

"That's… bullshit," Leo managed, rousing himself. He flexed the fingers on his right hand. "You won't get that baby," he defied. She snarled at him, pretty face morphing into the demon she was.

"Are you going to stop us?" she challenged. "You are easy pickings." Her claws dug into his hair, scraped his scalp as she wrenched his head up. "Even the daughter of Neptune is no match for us now. What hope do you have?"

Louisa had the other three circling her like vultures, darting in to slash at her and darting back out to avoid slashes of her own. He could see they were laughing, taunting, though their words were too far away to hear above the ones directly in his ear. He saw her stumble as claws raked her shoulder, her leg, her face.

Lava flooded his veins, heart thumping. "Stay down," the empousa hissed, the charmspeak so potent it lay like a coffin about him. "Stay down, Leo Valdez," stroking his cheek, "it will be over soon."

"No," he growled. His arms trembled as he pulled his elbows up. The weight of the empousa on his back was joined by her sister, both of them speaking their silver words. Stay down, stay down. This is not your fight.

He made it to a crouch, hands flying up. Fiery hair did not burn him. He yanked and twisted his body, flipping one monster over his shoulder and sending her crashing to the floor. The second he could get easier, drawing a screwdriver from his belt and stabbing backwards over his shoulder.

She screeched and fell away, clutching at her face.

He found his mallet, hefting it in both hands. The first one was getting back up. The second was staggering, clawed fingers framed about the tool buried in her eye.

Leo grinned slyly. "It is my fight," he said. "You made it my fight when you came after my baby."

"He's not—" The sentence was never finished, the empousa exploding into dust as the mallet came down on her head.

"Oh, he is," Leo told the yellow pile. "I can assure you he is." He looked up at the second one. She backed away, hands still over the protruding screwdriver. "And don't you forget it."

The beast shrieked, flinging her hands down to spread her claws threateningly. The screwdriver was wedged in place, all sorts of yuck staining the socket and the cheek below. She rushed him, one final attempt at bringing him down. Her hair flashed and flared, her mismatched legs a kinetic cacophony. Leo braced himself, ready to swing.

She was acting in desperation, in wild fury. She was too slow to stop the attack coming in spite of his obviousness. Leo side-stepped her frantic claws and careened the head of his mallet into her face. He felt it connect with bone and gristle and the plastic handle of his screwdriver. She imploded into dust with a wail still drawn on her lips.

Leo looked at the screwdriver that lay there, wrinkling his nose. "Don't think I want that one anymore," he muttered.

"No!" Louisa cried. Leo turned, lifting his weapon. Louisa swung her sword, but she was too slow. Leo was too slow.

She had taken down one of the empousa, a second tackling her. Fangs gnashed at her face, sinking into her arm as she raised it to shield herself. The third, on seeing Leo decimate her brethren, broke away.

Leo turned to fight, collapsing beneath the empousa's charge. She cocked her arms back, casting down a range of gashes and gouges. Blood splattered the path, stained the monster dust in russet hues. The mallet clattered to the side.

Leo's hand fell. The empousa screeched in delight and threw her head down, latching onto his neck. His fingers twitched then stilled.

Louisa looked up, giving a start. There was an empousa chomping on her arm. Weird. She had forgotten. She didn't feel it.

Her sword slipped between the monster's ribs and she held her breath as yellow dust rained down. The first few granules were still gracing the floor when she made it to her feet, the last when she made the same of the final vampire.

She crouched by Leo, touching his face. This had to be a nightmare. She would wake up any second now to Storm licking her face and telling her off for crying out. She would wake up in her room and see Bradley in his crib.

Leo's eyes were half-open, glazing over. His breathing rattled and churned, bloody spittle staining his lips. His shirt had rubied from the claw marks jostling for room on his chest, his stomach, his arms.

Louisa blinked, felt the fluttering of his heart beneath her palm.

Wake up, she told herself. Come on, wake up.

The bite to his neck was deep, horrifyingly deep. It seeped with little blood, caved against his windpipe. She could see torn skin and damaged muscle, could see a thrum of a pulse steadily weakening.

She blinked. "No. No, this… this is real." Her sword shrank back into a watch. Her hand flattened over his heart, the other clamping over that gaping terror that was his neck. Blood kneaded between her fingers, climbed up her sleeve, burrowed into the knees of her jeans. "Leo? Leo!" He stirred feebly. The corner of his mouth twitched.

Louisa swallowed dryly, squaring her shoulders. Green light pooled beneath her fingers. "Stay awake, Valdez, stay with me."

"Even…"

"What?"

"We... even… now…"

She stared at him, confusion whisking until she shook her head. She had to concentrate. She had to heal his neck, the worst of his injuries, and keep his heart pumping.

Tears burned her eyes. Would she have a day where she didn't cry?

This was her fault. She hadn't stopped the empousa, hadn't been quick enough, hadn't been good enough. She was sloppy and weak and now Leo was paying the price.

She blinked, hard, tears peppering his already stained shirt. Her green light swirled and she glared at it, willing it to brighten, to strengthen. A pulse beat in her temples, shadows wriggling across her vision.

She didn't realise it was working until his chest bucked beneath her fingers, inhaling sharply. He coughed blood, eyelids fluttering.

"Hey, hey," she said, cupping his face in her hands. All that was left on his neck was blood and scar tissue. "Look at me, stay with me." That smile returned, a glimmer of life as his life pooled beneath him.

"Always," he croaked.

"Ooh, I need to get you somewhere safe, I need ta get you home."

"Mm…" His hand lifted from the floor, fell back again. "I know… closer…"

"Closer? What's closer?"

"Bunker…" His head twitched, a grimace lining his features. Louisa leaned closer, her hair brushing his cheek, as his volume tumbled away. He blinked, fixating on her face. "Phone…" he managed. "Map… on phone…"

He still had Pokémon Go open. How had that only been minutes ago? How had it not been an eternity?

She kept one hand over his heart, her green energy rising and falling with his breathing. The other thumbed through his phone, smearing coppery scarlet streaks across the screen. Don't think about it, don't think about it, she urged, swallowing bile. The blood of others had gloved her hands too many times, too many others.

Don't think about it.

She found the maps on his phone, not Google-branded. She opened it up and saw a handful of different coloured pins on it already. The first one she tapped opened and read Jessica's. The second read Pancakes.

The third read Bunker.

A doomsday bunker? Captured the president and held him hostage bunker?

Whatever, it was three minutes away.

"I'm gonna move you," she said, "OK?"

"That's… the plan."

She stooped, hands under his arms. She got him into sitting up, shifting to his side. He swayed away, head drooping. She called for him and his eyes sprung open.

"Stay awake," she ordered.

"Yes," he managed a single nod. She set his arm about her shoulders and rose, bringing him with her. He struggled to get his feet beneath him, leaning on her heavily. She clutched his waist, pressing her hip against his to make him let her take his weight.

She studied the map again, muttering directions to herself. Leo's head lolled.

"Oy!" she scolded. "Awake!"

"I am."

"You ain't, wake the fuck up!"

"Left," he said helpfully, head dipping again. "Uh oh."

"What?"

"More…"

Louisa stood up straighter, looking over his head. Her heart sank. Empousai crawled from bushes, racing up the path towards them.

Leo sagged, knees buckling. He groaned, battling to corral his feet into function.

"Alright, we're movin'," Louisa said. He saw a flash of bronze-gold, heard a shriek as she impaled a charging monster on it. He could smell the sea, could feel something prickling on his waist. Her hand was still there, pulsing with her green light.

Leo smiled at it.

It was three minutes to the pin on his map. Three minutes without blood loss and unresponsive legs, about ten minutes with. Things spiralled around him, ebbing in and out of colour. He heard screaming and swearing, the howl of vampiric ladies, the crackle of their flaming hairdos. He squinted around, mumbling.

"Right," he directed. In his head, he was pointing. In reality, his arm hung limp and useless at his side. Louisa swore again, her sword a blurred arc before them. Yellow dust erupted and Leo coughed.

"Sorry!" Louisa said, pulling him closer. "Are we nearly there?"

"Nearly…" he wheezed, coughing again. Monster dust did not taste nice. "Left here, cross… the road…"

"It's a warehouse."

"Gate." He could only turn his head, black spots flashing across his sight as he did so. His arm still wouldn't lift to point, so he directed her as best he could with his eyes alone. "Gate. Hand."

"Got it."

A bronze gate, solid and impermeable, twelve feet high, stationed between equally high thick stone walls. Louisa glanced back— for every empousa she had struck down, three more took her place.

Leo nodded, grunting.

"Help."

"What?"

"Hand. There." He nodded again, bloodshot eyes locked on a square of bronze protruding from the gate, about shoulder-height. "My hand," he corrected when she patted it. "Haven't… updated it…"

"Fine, fine." She half-turned to throw her sword. It pinned an empousa to a newsstand and she howled with dismay, wriggling. Louisa reached for Leo's other hand, blood dripping from his fingers and hers. There was a choking sound behind her, followed by clattering. Her sword was on the floor, amongst the newest pile of dust.

She splayed Leo's hand on the square, blue light swelling beneath his palm. There was a series of clicks and the panel of bronze began to move, shrinking to the left. Louisa pushed him through the moment there was enough space. An empousa launched at the widening entrance, fangs chomping at the air an inch from Louisa's face.

Louisa called her sword back, the blade cleaving the beast in two before it settled into her hand.

"Close!" Leo ordered hoarsely. The gate jolted to a stop and then reversed, sliding back into place before anything else could get through.

The remaining monsters threw themselves on the other side, hissing and screeching. Louisa stepped back, Leo slumping against her. "It's OK," he breathed. "Now."

There was an electronic whine, something powering up. She startled when it disintegrated into zaps, silence reigning mere seconds later. The gate had stopped shuddering. The screeches were gone.

Leo smiled grimly, head pounding. "Monster-proof."

"What the—? No, Leo! Stay awake!"