You'll Learn to Love Me (Leo Valdez x OC)

Chapter 18: Bunker 9

When Laylana could see straight again, she was back at camp, in the dining pavilion, in the middle of dinner. They were standing on the Aphrodite cabin's table, and Piper had one foot in Drew's pizza. Sixty campers rose at once, gawking at them in astonishment. Whatever Hera had done to shoot them across the country, it wasn't good for Laylana's stomach. It felt like she had shadow-traveled for the first time again. Leo wasn't so lucky. He jumped off the table, ran to the nearest bronze brazier, and threw up in it—which was probably not a great burnt offering for the gods.

"Jason?" Chiron trotted forward. No doubt the old centaur had seen thousands of years' worth of weird stuff, but even he looked totally flabbergasted. "What—How—?"

The Aphrodite campers stared up at Piper with their mouths open. Some stared at Laylana too and whispered amongst each other. Laylana didn't catch everything, but the main gist of it was how she looked half-dead. Oh if they only knew...

"Hi," Piper said, as casually as she could. "We're back."

Almost instantly, Will Solace came over to drag Laylana down from the table. Various other campers surrounded the others, but Will was focused on his friend. He enveloped her in a tight hug, which she returned. 

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked in bewilderment as he pulled away. 

"Um... A lot." Laylana grinned at him. 

"You look awful, and what is this?" Will touched her shoulder, where the bandage Leo had wrapped for her was still on. 

"Oh, that?" Laylana grimaced. "Might be another burn." 

"Are you..." Will sighed. "Come on, your friends can handle explaining what happened. You're coming to the infirmary." 

"Will, really I'm fine." 

"No you're not. Come on." Will took her hand and dragged her from the dining pavilion, informing Chiron that she needed medical attention.

When they arrived at the infirmary, Will had her sit on a bed. She took off her (his) coat, which was covered in dirt, water, and soot. It had holes in it from when she was burnt, and sparks flying on the coat. Will came back over with various medical supplies to treat burns and wounds. He unclipped the safety pins and pulled the gauze off, Laylana cringing a bit at the stinging sensation. Her shoulder didn't look terrible, it had mostly healed over, but it was still a bit painful and hard to look at.

"Another one to add to the mix, huh?" Laylana tried to joke. 

"I guess," Will sighed as he took some burn salve and starting humming to himself, Laylana recognizing it as a healing hymn. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine." 

"I can tell when you're not." Will rubbed a bit of burn salve on her burns. "What happened out there?" 

Laylana sighed and recounted their journey. Falling numerous times on Festus, fighting the Cyclopes with Leo, the whole thing with Medea, Lycaon, Aeolus... And how she told her friends about what happened in the Titan war. Will's eyes widened at that.

"You told them? You haven't... talked about it to anyone." 

"I felt like they should know. If we're going on this quest together..." Laylana's voice trailed off. She didn't mention Leo's fire power, but he was part of the reason why she told them. 

"I'm just shocked you told them." Will wrapped up her arm again. "Come back for the next week so I can keep giving you that burn salve. It'll heal quicker than the others, it already looks pretty good on its own."

"That's what happens when you pour nectar directly onto it." 

"You did-" 

"We were desperate. Plus it hurt like a bitch." Laylana rolled her arm.