Caliginosity [ Leo Valdez ]

Narcissus the Narcissist

Leo wished he could invent a time machine. He'd go back two hours and undo what had happened. Either that, or he could invent a Slap-Leo-in-the-Face machine to punish himself, though he doubted it would hurt as badly as the look Annabeth was giving him.

"One more time," she said. "Exactly what happened?"

Leo slumped against the mast. His head still throbbed from hitting the deck. All around him, his beautiful new ship was in shambles. The aft crossbows were piles of kindling. The foresail was tattered. The satellite array that powered the onboard internet and TV was blown to bits, which had really made Coach Hedge mad. Their bronze dragon figurehead, Festus, was coughing up smoke like he had a hairball, and Leo could tell from the groaning sounds on the port side that some of the aerial oars had been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely, which explained why the ship was listing and shuddering as it flew, the engine wheezing like an asthmatic steam train.

But Leo didn't care about all that damage. He glanced up at Livana, who stood next to Annabeth, and his heart plummeted. She couldn't look up from her hands, which she kept pulling and picking at. When he could see her face, it looked pale and tears puddled in her eyes. Scratches and cuts were scattered all over her, but the worst part was she looked like she'd been burned on her leg.

Leo knew he was responsible, no doubt. He had hurt the person he loved most- just like he always did.

He choked back a sob. "I don't know. It's fuzzy."

Too many people were looking at him: Annabeth (Leo hated making her angry; that girl scared him), Coach Hedge with his furry goat legs, orange polo shirt, and his baseball bat (did he have to carry that everywhere?), and the newcomer, Frank.

Leo wasn't sure what to make of Frank. He looked like a giant marshmallow-bear, though Leo wasn't stupid enough to say that aloud. Leo's memory was hazy, but while he'd been half conscious, he was pretty sure he'd seen a dragon land on the ship- a dragon that had turned into Frank.

Annabeth crossed her arms. "You mean you don't remember?"

"I..." Leo felt like he was trying to swallow a marble. "I remember, but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."

Coach Hedge tapped his bat against the deck. In his gym clothes, with his cap pulled over his horns, he looked just like he used to at the Wilderness School, where he spent a year undercover as his and Piper's P.E. teacher. The way the old satyr was glowering, Leo almost wondered if the coach was going to order him to do push-ups.

"Look, kid," Hedge said, "you blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. Awesome! Excellent! But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match."

"Coach," Annabeth said, "why don't you make sure all the fires are out?"

"But I already did that."

"Do it again."

The satyr trudged off, muttering under his breath. Even Hedge wasn't crazy enough to defy Annabeth.

She knelt next to Leo. Her gray eyes were as steely as ball bearings. Her blond hair fell loose around her shoulders, but Leo didn't find that attractive. He had no idea where the sterotype of dumb giggly blondes came from. Ever since he'd met Annabeth at the Grand Canyon last winter, when she'd marched toward him with that Give-me-Percy-Jackson-or-I'll-kill-you expression, Leo thought of blondes as much too smart and much too dangerous.

Besides, the only person he thought was attractive now was Livana.

"Leo," Annabeth said calmly, "did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you, or-"