madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-its so shinyyyyy [In Teqi's pocket] -

The Argo II raced across the waves. Leo had to use all his skill just to keep the ship in one piece. Percy and Jason were a little too good at cooking up massive storms. He held the wheel in both hands, and tried to keep an eye ahead for more danger, only they kept drifting to the rough but soon empty ocean behind them.

Had he really just left Teqi behind so that they could escape? 

Yes, he was the worst person in the world. 

She would make it back to the boat, she was stronger than they were, and she would be able to teleport back to the Argo II when they were far away, but it had been a while and she still wasn't here.

Now guilt was the strongest emotion, pushing down the fear of her hating him forever, and the anger at himself for messing up so badly the night before. For yelling at Teqi and then not going after her, even though he wanted to so badly.                                                                                                        It was like every time he got halfway down the hallway to her room, he just couldn't walk any further, even though he spent hours trying. He had left her alone after he had yelled at her and she had told him she loved him.

Him.

The thought made a tiny smile appear on his face, but inside he was kicking his legs and squealing like a little kid. He found it hard to believe, Teqi was amazing, she could love anybody, but she picked him. Why?

There was a chance she didn't anymore, after he had pretty much ignored her and then left her. At one point, Annabeth stood next to him, yelling against the roar of the wind that whipped her blonde hair around in a frenzy: "Percy says he talked to a Nereid in Charleston Harbor! The Nereid said we should seek help from Chiron's brothers."

"What does that mean? The Party Ponies?" Leo had never met Chiron's crazy centaur relatives, but he'd heard rumors of Nerf sword-fights, root beer–chugging contests, and Super Soakers filled with pressurized whipped cream. They didn't sound that bad, but his heart wasn't in it to make a joke about them.

"Not sure," Annabeth said, fiddling with her necklace. "But I've got coordinates. Can you input latitude and longitude in this thing?"

He could input star charts and order a smoothie, or a Starbucks, if he wanted too. Of course, he can do latitude and longitude. He didn't look away from the stormy horizon. "Yup."

Annabeth rattled off the numbers. Leo somehow managed to punch them in while holding the wheel with one hand. A red dot popped up on the bronze display screen. "That location is in the middle of the Atlantic," he said tiredly.

Annabeth shrugged helplessly, her blonde hair whipping around her face. "Just hold the ship together until we get farther from Charleston. Jason and Percy will keep up the winds!"

It seemed like forever, but finally the sea calmed and the winds died, leaving a sparkling blue ocean and a matching sky. "Valdez," said Coach Hedge, with surprising gentleness. "Let me take the wheel. You've been steering for two hours."

"Two hours?" He asked in disbelief, eyes not moving from the thin line ahead of the ship. 

"Yeah. Give me the wheel."

"Coach?" Leo asked, finally looking away from the ocean ahead. 

 "Yeah, kid?"

"I can't unclench my hands." He said quietly, glancing down at his grip on the wheel. It was true. Leo's fingers felt like they had turned to stone. His eyes burned from staring at the horizon. His knees were marshmallows. Coach Hedge managed to pry him from the wheel somehow.