𝕱𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 - a Leo Valdez slowburn

Chapter fifteen

Chapter fifteen. 

[Aiden gets a rock, penguin style]

"Lure me with your eyes and speech,

drag me in the water, in the deep,

I don't care what you do, 

just let me stay with you."

Aiden didn't think it was hard to get a rock from Drowes. It would simply be going into the water, retrieving a rock and then calling Hermes up again to go back to Leah. And it was, basically, minus the kelpie that tried to drag him with them. 

Once Hermes had left, they'd almost immediately begun with the task at hand. He took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants and sleeves, and walked into the river. The current had been mediocre - not weak, but also not strong enough to knock Aiden off his feet. It did make him stumble at first, though. 

He waded through the water, until he found a rock of roughly the size of his palm. He would've grabbed it, if not for the crab that was sitting on it. He didn't like crabs, and they didn't like the idea of them actually being monsters and killing him because they disturbed the crab's peace. So he continued on his path to find a rock. Next to the crab rocks (as they'd dubbed them) he found a good rock; didn't look cursed or anything, so they thought it should be fine. 

But before he could wade back to the shore, they felt like something was pulling on his pant leg. First, they shook it off as nothing. Seaweed, maybe? But then he heard stomping. As in, hooves stomping. "Oh fuck," he muttered to himself before rushing towards the shore. They didn't fail to hear the whinnying from behind him. Kelpies, he thought to himself. 

"Do you need a ride?" 

Aiden strained their ears as he hurried away from the water spirit behind him. They didn't want to be dragged to die. Not when Leah's life was on the line. They clutched the rock he'd found close to him, and quickly stuck a foot onto the shore. 

He was almost out of the water when they stumbled and tripped over - what was it? The kelpie's hoof? Air? He didn't know, and it didn't really matter, because they let the rock fall. He watched as it went through the air, almost in slow motion. 

The kelpie saw it too, unfortunately, but Aiden was able to snatch it with his "sUpeRioR rEflExEs", as Leah had mocked them a few days ago. He smiled at the memory, but then frowned. It was not time to think of past memories with Leah when he was trying to save her life for more. "By my mom," he muttered angrily, "I'll get to Airmed in no time."

He quickly jumped fully to the shore, making sure that the kelpie didn't follow them by sending vibrations through the water to knock the kelpie off balance. Judging by the loud splash that sent droplets of water his way, Aiden assumed their trick had worked. They hummed in satisfaction, sauntering away until there was a safe distance between the demigod and the river. 

He wouldn't let the Kelpie, who was bursting their eardrums with its neighing, by the way, kidnap him after his worthy escape. They closed their eyes once they made sure the kelpie couldn't get to them, and started up a prayer to Hermes. 

He could've been polite, but he didn't feel like it, so instead, he came up with this: "Please, Lord Hermes, you better not have fucking left me stranded here with a Kelpie and a rock." He hesitated, but after a brief silence continued. "And if you smite me, another death is added onto your conscious." They waited impatiently for the god to show up, tapping his foot on the ground.