TRIGGER WARNINGS- THIS FIC WILL INCLUDE ABUSE, DEPRESSION, MURDER, DRUGS, ALCOHOL AND SIMILAR THEMES. PLEASE BE WARY WHEN READING

Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This one should carry some pretty heavy angst, so get ready.

Again, I highly recommend reading Learning about Leo by mewsugarpudd. Hope you enjoy, I love you all so much and stay safe besties!

The screen flickered to life.

Leo is playing in a workshop. He looks to be about 8 at the time.

"Why were you playing in a dangerous environment at 8 years old?" Annabeth asked.

"Mi madre knew I could handle myself in there," Leo said, but he sounded duller and more hollow than they had ever heard him. Jason looked at him in concern. He really hoped this experience couldn't affect the young Latino. Unfortunately, because he knew nothing about his past, he had no way of telling.

He was so happy all the time, though, so it couldn't be that bad, could it?

A pretty lady walked into the scene. She had brown hair and exactly the same eyes as Leo, making it clear she was his mother.

She smiled at Leo. "Mijo, I need to go out ok? You're coming with me, just let me get my keys."

"Okay Mama!" Leo chirped.

"Awww, little Leo was so cute!" Piper squealed.

Despite his anger at Hera, Leo grumbled. "I wasn't that cute."

"Sorry, bro, but you were insanely adorable," Percy laughed, clapping him in the back.

The Latino gave a grudging smile, before his smile faded as he seemed to remember what came next in the memory.

As if on cue, the screen turned on again.

Esperanza left the room and closed the door, sending one last dazzling smile over her shoulder at Leo, who smiled back and waved. Just a second after the door slammed shut, a female voice came from behind Leo.

All the demigods who had heard Gaea's voice before gasped.

"You met Gaea?" Piper practically shrieked. How had she not known this about her friend's past?

Leo didn't answer, merely staring at the screen. His hands were flying so fast they were nearly a blur, and they couldn't even see what he was making.

The Seven exchanged concerned glances, before Piper realised with a gasp what must happen in this memory.

"Oh Leo..."

After a mere second of thinking how to comfort him, she said to Jason, "Scoot over, I want to sit with Leo."

He looked confused, but obliged, and Piper rested her head on the distressed repair boy's shoulder. He gave her a small smile in thanks, but he never once looked away from the screen.

"Leo Valdez," the voice said.

Leo frowned. "Tia?"

"I am not your guardian," Gaea said. "Merely a family resemblance."

"Who are you?" Leo asked, his voice only shaking a little. Good for an 8 year old facing the literal earth.

"Calm now, little hero," Gaea said. She sounded almost sleepy, but Leo couldn't get a good look at her under her black veil.

"Where is mi mamá?" Leo yelled determinedly. His eyes flickered to the door his mum had closed not even a minute ago.

"She won't be able to get back in," Gaea said, smirking.

Exactly as she said these words, there was a small thud in the door as Esperanza tried to open it, and found it locked.

"Mijo?" she called through the door. "Mijo, are you okay?"

There was a definite hint of fear in her voice which proved she had her suspicions of what was going on in the room.

"She knew that it was Gaea," Annabeth whispered ever so quietly. "She was that smart. She just knew."

"Mamá!" Leo cried back. "Mamá, there's a scary lady here with a veil!"

There was the briefest of pauses, before Esperanza started banging on the door as if her life depended on it. "Mijo, I need you to stay away from her and open the door for me, okay?"

Leo ran to the door, and started struggling with the lock. "What did you do it?" he muttered under his breath a he tried to open the door.

Gaea chuckled slightly, and started walking towards him.

"Stay away from me!" he yelled, and his hands lit on fire.

The Seven started.

"You knew how to use your fire at such a young age," Annabeth said thoughtfully. "You must have excellent control over it."

To everyone's surprise, the Latino curled in on himself slightly, and the memory continued.

Gaea's smile grew slightly, and Leo's eyes widened as he finally realised that she was made of dirt, swirling dirt making a humanoid shape.

"Stay away from me," Leo repeated, and his fire grew in size.

As it did so, a flame flickered a little too far, and some paper on the table caught fire. The fire quickly spread, until Leo was surrounded by flames.

Gaea's smile widened again. "Silly boy. You've caused your own mother's death."

Hazel gasped softly, and covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. Frank tried to comfort her, but he was also horrified at the past of their friend. Piper was in a similar situation with Jason. Annabeth and Percy both had dry eyes, but they wore matching expressions of horror.

This seemed to occur to Leo just as she said it, and he spun around and started banging on the door and screaming for his Mamá.

Esperanza started banging back, her desperation proving that the fire had somehow spread to the room she was in. Not an accident- interference from Gaea.

The screen went black, and the only sounds left were Leo and his mother screaming to each other in Spanish.

The group stared at the screen in silence. Hazel and Piper were sobbing, but their boyfriends were too shocked to comfort them.

Leo sat on the edge of the sofa, avoiding eye contact.

"Leo," Percy said. He sounded broken. "Why did you never tell us?"

"You never asked," Leo replied, still not looking at him.

"Do you blame yourself for it?" Hazel asked gently. She had experience with the death of a mother, and the guilt you could feel afterwards.

Leo didn't respond, which was basically an answer in itself.

"Oh Leo," Annabeth said sympathetically. "It wasn't your fault. Gaea killed her, not you."

"It doesn't matter who killed her, even though it was me, she's dead either way," Leo growled. "Next memory."

"But-"

"Next. Memory."

So another chapter done, thank you so much for the love I've received on this story. Please do alert me of any mistakes in the Spanish, I've been using Google Translate and occasionally my Venezuelan friend. If needed I'll put translations next to the Spanish words. Again thank you so much and see you next chapter!