Anti-Hero || Leo Valdez

5 - Leo and I Have a Melatonin Party

Via knew she was in danger of becoming a Bouncing Betty herself. She felt ready to explode. She muttered obscene words in Spanish, earning a raised eyebrow from both Leo and Pat.

"Don't worry, Via," Pat said. "I bet your eyes would look good on a snake face."

Via punched him in the gut and made him double over. "That's not funny, Patrick! She's refusing to let me rescue Georgie! Estúpida diosa de malla... stupid net goddess... Thinks she can stop me from leaving..."

"Technically, she can —"

Via shoved her brother. "Shut up, Pat! I'm gonna — ugh! I hate her!"

Calypso seemed to share the same sentiments for the net goddess, only in a much quieter way. She went with Via to break the news to Emmie and Jo. They didn't seem reassured that the griffin quest might lead to Georgina's rescue, or that she would remain alive until the spectacular kill-fest the emperor had planned in three days.

When they came back, Pat was nursing his abdomen as best he could while he and Leo removed the traps Britomartis had set in the chairs.

Via told everyone their assigned chores — Calypso was to help plant mung beans with Emmie, Leo had to change the hay in the griffin loft, and Apollo was told to clean the toilets in the Waystation's twenty-six known bathrooms. Pat and Via started on their chores, cleaning the kitchen (Pat) and dining room (Via) ceiling to floor.

Pat turned on the speakers and started blasting Via's favorite playlist, and she realized he was trying to cheer her up, but she was in one of those moods where she didn't want to be cheered up. At first she just stared at Pat while he dramatically sang along to "Angel Eyes" by ABBA, but after lots of shoulder-bumping and obnoxious dancing on Pat's part, she joined in on the next song. Then they came after Leo so he would join in.

When a Taylor Swift song came on, she heard Leo call, "Don't tell me you're a Swiftie!" from the griffin loft.

Via poked her head in through the door. "I'm a Swiftie. Deal with it!"

She started singing "Forever and Always," holding an empty paper towel roll like it was a microphone. Then, after the second chorus, she dropped the broom, picked up a hay bale, and threw it across the griffin loft before running out and resuming her chores.

Pat stared after her. "Via, what the Hades?"

"I was pretending to be Taylor Swift for Leo's benefit!"

"What does throwing hay around have to do with Taylor Swift?"

"I was reenacting that one part during her concert when she was singing 'Forever and Always' and she picked up a chair — like, not a normal chair, an armchair, and chucked it across the stage."

"She seriously did that?" Leo asked.

"I can show you the clip," Via replied. "Later, though. These hallways aren't going to mop themselves."

The cheerful mood died down by the time dinner rolled around.

Calypso and Emmie came down from the garden on the roof, and Jo told them they could have the leftover tofu enchiladas in the fridge. She made it sound like she didn't plan to eat. Emmie asked Via and Pat to show the guests to their rooms after dinner, which they did. Pat explained that girls and boys always slept in entirely different wings.

Apollo found this ridiculous, but Calypso didn't complain. Before leaving, she turned to Apollo and Leo hesitantly and said, "See you in the morning."

Then the girls set off to their room. Via was happy to finally have a roommate again and cheerfully lent some pajamas to her. If Calypso didn't have to set off at first light with Apollo the following morning, Via would've suggested that they stay up later to talk. Instead, Calypso sincerely thanked Via for the clothes, settled in her bed, and was asleep in minutes.