Heroes of Olympus X reader 1: The Mark of Athena

Leo makes a scene

That night was yet another round in my ongoing battle with insomnia. First on the agenda was crafting a special cloth for Frank. Impermeable, anti-fire, and able to turn into steel upon impact – just your standard evening DIY project. And it only took an hour.

With plenty of night still left, I moved on to my usual routine: training with automatons and unleashing my frustrations on a punching bag. There's something deeply therapeutic about beating up a bag that can't fight back. It's like yoga, but for people who prefer punching over Zen music.

As for my appearance, well, let's just say I wasn't winning any beauty pageants. My H/C hair seemed to have its rebellious personality, and my eyes were about as dull as a history lecture. And let's not even start on my body – too skinny or too fat, depending on the day. I was a Goldilocks of physical fitness, never quite right.

Then there were the other girls on the Argo II. Piper, the daughter of the beauty goddess, who probably woke up looking like she walked out of a fashion magazine. Hazel, with her mesmerizing honey eyes, making the rest of us look like we were part of the background scenery. And Annabeth, with her blonde hair and sparkling grey eyes, as if she was born to star in a Greek goddess shampoo commercial.

Me? I was more the 'before' picture in a makeover show. But hey, at least I could make a cloth turn into steel, which had to count for something, right? Maybe next I'll invent a mirror that tells me I'm the fairest of them all. A girl can dream

A/N: That isn't true, everybody is beautiful, no matter their body, but you have to think that for the story to continue, just wait, please.

As dawn approached, I heard a ship's horn blare twice. It wasn't the Argo II. Quickly changed into a T-shirt and some pants, threw on a jacket to cover the evidence of my nightly escapades, and I was ready to face the day – or whatever semblance of it I had left.

On the deck, everyone was already gathered, looking like they'd just stepped out of a demigod fashion show. And there I was, sporting the 'just fought with a punching bag and lost' look. When we realized it was just a tourist ship, I relaxed a bit, trying to tame my hair, which at this point had developed its own ecosystem.

"What happened to your hands?" Leo asked, suddenly grabbing one of my battle-worn hands as if it were a relic he'd discovered. "Nothing," I replied, suddenly feeling as self-conscious as a cat caught barking.

"Something clearly happened!" Leo exclaimed, his concern dialed up to eleven. "What is it to you?!" I snapped back, my patience wearing thinner than my skin. "You haven't been sleeping nor eating. You're hiding something from me, making me make promises and I'm worried about you!" he retorted, sounding like a worried parent.

The rest of the crew was watching us like we were the final episode of their favorite drama series. "Well don't worry about me! I'm a big girl!" I yelled back, channeling my inner toddler.

"It isn't worth him!" Leo blurted out, flailing like a windmill in a storm. "Who said it was about him!" I fired back, knowing he was implying Percy.

As my body started to emit smoke – because it was better than to go up in flames – Leo, in a bizarrely calm voice, said, "Take off your jacket." "What are you saying?!" I exclaimed, half expecting him to next ask me to do a backflip.

"You heard me," he insisted. I turned to leave, but then someone yanked my jacket from behind, revealing my collection of cuts and bruises like they were unveiling a masterpiece. I whirled around, ready to unleash hell on Leo. "What is wrong with you!?" I screamed.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you, Y/N?" he yelled back, his frustration reaching new heights. Then, shifting gears, he added softly, "I just want to help you."