𝕱𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 - a Leo Valdez slowburn

Chapter eleven

[Deathboy arrives, finally]

" "

"The river... Drowes?" 

Airmed nodded, satisfied. "Good you know which river it is. I have some memories with heroes bringing stones from Drowes, so excuse my for my sentimentality." Her face wore a soft smile. Aiden was disoriented. "Drowes is in Ireland! I-" He cut him self off with a sigh, giving up. "Yeah, sure, I'll do it. You take care of Leah though." Airmed waved her hand. "I promised, I don't back down from promises. I hope you don't either, or it'll just be worse for your friend here. Toodles!"

 Aiden gaped at the place she had been standing. She'd shimmered out of existence, and the only thing Aiden had as evidence someone had been there was the herb that had fallen from Airmed's pocket. 

It was silent in the hotel room, apart from the muffled murmurs from the Iris Messages and Aiden's breaths. His brows had furrowed; his confidence crumbled immediately when Airmed left. He hesitated, but after a glance at Leah's distressed form, he strode to the bathroom, where the demigods were still waiting. Aiden felt bad for them; he would, obviously, hope that he could get to Ireland, and get back in less than twelve hours, but it was a slim chance. Well, the chance was small when he had no idea what obstacles would keep him from returning. 

"We listened in. Seems like you'll need to find a way to supervise Leah while doing this mini-quest," Jason said, a frown evident on his face. Aiden looked at Leo, who looked as if he was calculating something in his head. Eventually he gave up and started writing down in a notebook. 

When he looked over at the other IM, his eyes widened. The red-head seemed to be physically restraining Thalia from punching Aiden through the screen (was it a screen?). She wore a scowl, and Aiden honestly didn't know whether the red in her irises was real or just a hallucination of his. "So, how long have you two been traveling together?" She asked him skeptically. He immediately stood straighter, as if he was responding to a higher-up - although he assumed she was a higher-up. 

"A week, approximately," he answered, his voice firm. His eyes bored through Phoebe's, and for a split second, she panicked. She didn't know anyone who could be so... obedient, she settled for. It was like he was a soldier, or something, especially with how quickly he switched façades. But she didn't let that show, and instead just raised an eyebrow and answered, "That's quite short of a time. She trusts you a lot, huh?" She was kind of jealous: it took Phoebe two and a half months to get Leah to talk to her, and even then it was very forced conversation. But then again, that was then. Leah wasn't like that anymore - she was a different person altogether. 

Aiden shifted uncomfortably in his shoes that he'd forgotten to take off. "Well, what can I say?" He regained his composure and flashed a smile. "It's hard not to trust me." He couldn't let his weakness show. Not before Leah's friends, not before his parents, not before his teachers, not before anyone. 

Well, anyone but Leah. 

Thalia growled, and she thrashed in Phoebe's hold. "You- you can't even take care of her for one fucking day!" she shouted. Aiden flinched. He saw a build-up of tears glistening in Thalia's eyes. "She went through so much, so damn much, and now she's going to relive it all over again-" she stopped herself from going any further. Aiden took it as a sign to say what he was thinking. 

"I'm sorry for-" he realized he didn't know what she went through and cringed - no one knew what Leah went through - "whatever has happened  to her. I can't wake her by my own, and I need Airmed's help." He didn't add that it was unconditional now. He got that rock, or Leah didn't survive the day. He had the feeling everyone knew that.