Anti-Hero || Leo Valdez

16 - When I Say My Soul LITERALLY LEFT MY BODY -

Pat was feeling optimistic until he saw Lit panic.

He was shooting down a horde of blemmyae, dog-headed people, and Germani when he felt a brisk tap on his shoulder. He looked up from where he was perched on the roof and saw Lit standing behind him, an anxious-looking Calypso at his side, holding Via's medical bag.

"Hey, guys," Pat said, a bit nervous. "How's it going?"

"Have you seen Via?" Calypso asked.

Pat's smile faded. He felt his chest tighten a bit with anxiety as he replied, "No. Wasn't she healing with you, Calypso?"

"She was," Calypso confirmed. "But then she went with Leo to get more supplies, and they ran into Lit."

Pat looked at Lit. "And then...?"

"Well, we were ambushed, and Via got hurt," Lit said. "So we took her to the med bay to fix her up and get the supplies. I told Valdez to stay there with her and not to go anywhere, but when I got back, they were both gone. We thought they might've been with you."

"Aw, man," Pat whispered breathlessly, trying to get ahold of himself.

He'd never admit it aloud, but Via's wellbeing had always given him a lot of anxiety. Since they were kids, he'd always felt like Via's safety was his responsibility. If she got hurt, that was on him. After the Battle of Manhattan and Via's near-death experience, the anxiety only got worse. It was so bad that he'd gone to counseling for it when the two of them lived with their mom.

"I'll help you look for her," he finally said when he thought he was in enough control of himself. He followed the two of them into the Waystation, and they began the search. He asked Evelyn, Lydia, Crystal, and Eliana if they'd seen her, and only Crystal mentioned seeing her in passing while she was trying to keep an out-of-control Eliana from ripping up the whole place while pursuing a blemmyae (Eliana proudly told him about how she'd remembered to call the monster a "crockpot body ass bitch," which was something of an inside joke between her and her sisters ever since she'd called one of her past foster mothers that particular name — according to Lydia, the woman deserved it). From what Crystal had seen, Via wasn't in very good shape — she'd been leaning against Leo for support just to walk.

"Where'd you see them?" Pat asked.

"In that sort-of hidden hallway behind the med bay," Crystal replied. "I don't think they're still there, though. They probably left, you know... like my dad. Haha..." She grinned and laughed awkwardly, biting her lip and winking.

"Crystal, I say this with all the love in my heart," Pat said. "Please stop."

"I say this with no love in my heart," Eliana grumbled. "You're cringe."

"Right, well, let's go see if they're still there," Calypso said briskly. Pat felt a twinge of annoyance. Why was she acting like she was in a rush? Was she that eager to see her boyfriend that she couldn't seem to stand?

Pat didn't exactly hate the ex-titaness. He wouldn't say that. But he would say that he held a moderate dislike for her. That was rare for Pat — he tried not to be judgmental and ready to dislike someone so quickly, but there was something about her that grated on his nerves. She was nice when she wanted to be, and she had a godly singing voice, but she oozed rich girl energy. And not the good kind. It seemed like she was always upset at Leo for absolutely no reason, and she was always putting him down every chance she got.

In other words, she seemed toxic.

"Yeah," Pat said, trying not to let his annoyance effect his tone.

They headed to the med bay. Immediately, Pat noticed signs of a fight. A Germanus was dead on the ground, covered in the distinctive purple goo from a splat arrow that was spread all over the floor. He felt a pang of sympathy for Via. It would take hours for her to clean up all this mess. Pat made a mental note to offer his help, if he survived.