Mr Fire hazard (Leo Valdez x reader)

1. Arion comes back

Y/n POV

Ourae have been on our ass the whole time. Hazel would've eaten a boulder if I hadn't pulled her aside. Bad news, I was suffering from insomnia good news was that Leo was too so both of us just did both night and day shift with occasional 3-4 hours of sleep. Both of us were grumpy a lot of time. Leo blamed himself for some reason like it's not his fault. As I promised myself, I got a lot better in controlling animals and now I understood them more. I also got better at sword fighting. 

The foremast collapsed—sail, spars, and Nico all crashing to the deck. I tried to catch Nico but he fell too damn fast. The boulder, roughly the size of a pickup truck, tumbled off into the fog like it had important business elsewhere.

"Nico!" Hazel scrambled over to him as Leo brought the ship level.

"I'm fine," Nico muttered, kicking folds of canvas off his legs. "You just fell you idiot you aren't fine." I helped Nico stand. Hazel held him he was still very weak but death boy can't accept it. 

The Ourae was standing below Like the others they had faced, this one wore a simple white tunic over skin as rough and dark as basalt. He was about twenty feet tall and extremely muscular, with a flowing white beard, scraggly hair, and a wild look in his eyes, like a crazy hermit.

He said something I didn't understand he could've said leave my land or he could've said I'm broke please let me kill you we'll never know. 

"Stupid rock gods!" Leo yelled from the helm. "That's the third time I've had to replace that mast! You think they grow on trees?"

Nico frowned. "Masts are from trees." I snickered like a good friend.

"That's not the point!" Leo snatched up one of his controls, rigged from a Nintendo Wii stick, and spun it in a circle. A few feet away, a trapdoor opened in the deck. A Celestial bronze cannon rose. And blasted the god and my ear Hazel was smart enough to cover her ears but I didn't so my ears rung for a solid 15 minutes. But while being practically deaf I help Nico in picking out mast splinters. When my ears came back I heard "Well that was suckastic" wanna guess who said that? You don't have to it was Leo. He followed it by "Should we wake others?"

I didn't want to say yes like just because sleep left me, doesn't mean I'll wake others too. 

Before I could say something Hazel did. "They need rest," she said. "We'll have to figure out another way on our own."

"Huh." Leo scowled at his monitor. In his tattered work shirt and grease- splattered jeans, he looked like he'd just lost a wrestling match with a locomotive. He looked filthy but still very adorable for some reason. I feel like because I was seeing him through rose tinted glasses he looked like a red flag but he was a good guy. Now, he wasn't hitting on Hazel and didn't demoralise my beloved brother. 

Anyways, Our path should have been simple. We needed to get to a place called Epirus in Greece and find an old temple called the House of Hades. To reach Epirus, all they had to do was go straight east—over the Apennines and across the Adriatic Sea. But it hadn't worked out that way. Each time they tried to cross the spine of Italy, the mountain gods attacked.

For the past two days they'd skirted north, hoping to find a safe pass, with no luck. The numina montanum were sons of Gaia the most dedicated enemies. 

"It's our fault," Hazel said. "Nico's and mine. The numina can sense us." I didn't know how to react to that information. Say yes it's your fault or no it isn't because the latter is just a plain lie. 

Nico gripped the hilt of his Stygian iron sword. "Earth spirits don't like children of the Underworld. That's true. We get under their skin—literally. But I think the numina could sense this ship anyway. We're carrying the Athena Parthenos. That thing is like a magical beacon."

Leo traced his finger down the map of Italy. "So crossing the mountains is out. Thing is, they go a long way in either direction."

"We could go by sea," Hazel suggested. "Sail around the southern tip of Italy."

"That's a long way," Nico said. "Plus, we don't have..." His voice cracked. "You know...our sea expert, Percy." 

I just put a hand on his shoulder it wasn't mine. Joking it was my hand cut from my body. Oh this is why people are creeped out by me I say unhinged shit. Maybe this is also why I'm friends with Leo. 

"What about continuing north?" Hazel asked. "There has to be a break in the mountains, or something."

Leo fiddled with the bronze Archimedes sphere that he'd installed on the console—his newest and most dangerous toy. I deeply believe that one day he will definitely kill us all using that and it won't be on purpose. It would happen solely because Leo was bored. 

Fortunately Leo was not bored today. The sphere grew a camera lens and projected a 3-D image of the Apennine Mountains above the console.

"I dunno." Leo examined the hologram. "I don't see any good passes to the north. But I like that idea better than backtracking south. I'm done with Rome."

No one argued with that. Rome had not been a good experience.

"Whatever we do," Nico said, "we have to hurry. Every day that Annabeth and Percy are in Tartarus..."

He didn't need to finish. They had to hope Percy and Annabeth could survive long enough to find the Tartarus side of the Doors of Death. Then, assuming the Argo II could reach the House of Hades, they might be able to open the Doors on the mortal side, save their friends, and seal the entrance, stopping Gaea's forces from being reincarnated in the mortal world over and over.

Yes...nothing could go wrong with that plan.

Nico scowled at the Italian countryside below them. "Maybe we should wake the others. This decision affects us all." "No," Hazel said. "We can find a solution." 

"Hazel I trust you kiddo but we should at least tell everyone our decision we aren't the only ones on the quest you know." I said

"No, I'm certain we'll find a solution. Trust me." Hazel said. "Ok you have my trust." I said. 

"We need some creative thinking," she said. "Another way to cross those mountains, or a way to hide ourselves from the numina."

Nico sighed. "If I was on my own, I could shadow-travel. But that won't work for an entire ship. And honestly, I'm not sure I have the strength to even transport myself anymore."

"I could maybe rig some kind of camouflage," Leo said, "like a smoke screen to hide us in the clouds." He didn't sound very enthusiastic. 

"Arion." "What?" Nico asked.

Leo let out a happy whoop as the dust cloud got closer. "It's her horse, man! You missed that whole part. We haven't seen him since Kansas!" "Yeah since TEAM LEO." "You said you wouldn't talk about that." "I'm not Mr. Mcshizzle." 

"We have to meet him," she said. "He's here to help."

"Yeah, okay." Leo scratched his head. "But, uh, we talked about not landing the ship on the ground anymore, remember? You know, with Gaia wanting to destroy us and all."

"Just get me close, and I'll use the rope ladder." Hazel's Heartwas beating so fast I could hear it "I think Arion wants to tell me something."

I had a urge to stop her but seeing that everyone was fine with it. I thought nothing could go wrong.