madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-she knows, she knows, now she knows-

Teqi blinked hazily, her eyes heavy as she squinted into the faint darkness of the room that she did not recognise as her own. Still, the faint smell of food and the way she could already tell her friends were right there just by sensing their auras in a millisecond reassured her she was still on the Argo II.                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Her back was incredibly sore, and when she arched it, her eyes widened at the pop pop pop of her spine. She really needed to go down to the gym and do some more training. She was stretched out over the arm of a couch it seemed, and it looked like Hazel was curled up on the other end, a switch in one hand and a sleeping bulldog on her lap.

She winced when a loud snore came from just beside her, and Piper was sprawled out across a bean bag next to her, with her hand on Jason's shoulder, who was literally just lying on the floorboards with Leopard stretched out over him purring like a little motor. Jason was curled up weirdly though, like Frank [the bulldog] was, and Teqi remember he had been raised by wolves till he went to Camp Jupiter. 

The two had come back from Hercules's island safely, but Leo had had to steer the ship away quick smart, because of course nothing was ever peaceful.

How on earth had Hedge let them all play video games until they fell asleep?

Teqi clicked her Nintendo switch back on and saw it was four in the morning. Of course. She vaguely remembered being terrified, but she was more then used to her running through her mind to the little tent surrounded by dead bodies routine. It wasn't important anymore, she didn't care. It must have woken her up though, and when she sat up an MnM packet crinkled under her thigh. There was no way she would fall asleep now, so she crept out of the room, careful not to wake any of her sleeping friends up.

She huffed when she nearly face planted after stepping on a stray mango, and walked slowly up to the deck. Which she couldn't see. The fog was so thick, and warm drizzle hung in the air like a bead curtain. Teqi could see two figures standing at the front of the ship, only visible because of Festus's faint gold glow in the miserable weather that was already turning Teqi's mood sour.

"I just brushed my hair..." Teqi grumbled, annoyed that the fog and humid rain was already making her flyway's frizzy and the knots to thicken as she walked through the misty air, arms out to stop her bumping into anything. She could never stay on top of her hair; she should just give up. 

Another figure was manning the helm. Three guesses who thought the kolopendra [shrimzilla] attack had been entirely his fault and was now refusing to sleep because of it.

"Mornin querida." Leo mumbled, not taking his eyes off the invisible horizon. Teqi frowned at the nickname, but didn't blame the boy, the bags under his eyes were bigger than her emotional problems right now. She stepped up next to him, tucking the top of his fluffy hair underneath her chin and closing her eyes.

Teqi could feel him untense against her slowly, and the white on his knuckles faded as his grip on the steering wheel loosened. He bent his neck so he was squished against her more, "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nightmare.... I think." Teqi murmured, her voice as dull as the weather. She wrapped her arms around Leo's torso, trying to pry him from the helm subtly. "You should sleep, you won't be able to look after the ship if you're the walking dead anyways."