³Kingdom Come.

004.

KINGDOM COME
━━ chapter four

━━ EVERYTHING HURT. HORRIBLY. All Leo wanted to do was cry. He wanted to sit down, put his head between his knees, and just cry. His body didn't feel like his own ( there was still this feeling of coldness washing over him like he had dunked himself in a lake of ice water ), and he could hardly bring himself to breathe—he had to stop, his hand resting on the bottom of his ribs, and take the deepest breath he could muster before he choked up again. It didn't help that five pairs of eyes watched him like he might start firing away again.

               He could make anything he wanted—nearly, at least. But the one thing he wished he could invent now was a time machine. Leo wanted nothing more than a way to go back in time to stop this from happening—to stop himself from firing on Camp Jupiter. He wished he had a way to even stop himself from stepping foot on the Argo II this morning. A way to plead with Jason, Elisa, and Annabeth that they needed—or at least that he needed—to stay back at Camp Half-Blood. He wished he had a way to warn them that he would've messed it all up—as Leo Valdez always did. He would've done anything—anything to not have to wither away as both Elisa and Annabeth stared him down with their freaky eyes.

               Elisa hadn't said a word since detangling her limbs from Piper and an unconscious Jason. She didn't even say a word to Frank; however, she did eye him as if he had done something to personally offend her. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she paced the length of the deck, careful to avoid debris that lay around, smoking slightly.

               Annabeth was standing in front of Leo, her expression practically boiling. Her grey eyes always stood out from her dark skin, but now, it was like thunderstorms were swirling in her eyes. She was trying to be calm and understanding, but Leo could hear the anger she was trying to reel in—her words were clipping and cold, and every breath was sharp as she inhaled and exhaled through her nose. If her body language didn't give it away enough, Leo could hear the anger, disappointment, and distrust she felt. He was used to hearing it; however, his skin still crawled, and his eyes burned. He was used to it, but it doesn't make him any less angry with himself.

               "One more time," she said carefully, pursing her lips. "Exactly what happened?"

               Leo slumped against the mast. His head throbbed like someone had knocked him upside the head with an extra-heavy hammer. He laid his head back as his arms lay in his lap. His heart pounded in his chest painfully, and his eyes stung as he rapidly blinked tears away. His ears burned hotly, and he pulled at one to make sure it wasn't on fire nor that it was smoking. His head was hot with shame and frustration—it felt as if his head was filled with hot air.

               All around him, his beautiful new ship—the ship he had spent months working on—was in shambles. The ship he found a purpose in, had felt like he belonged because of, was barely keeping aloft—the aft crossbows were piles of kindling, the foresail was tattered, the satellite array that powered the onboard Internet and TV was blown to bits ( which had really made Coach Hedge mad ). Their bronze dragon figurehead, Festus, was coughing up smoke like he had a hairball. Leo could tell from the groaning sounds on the port side that some of the aerial oars had been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely, which explained why the ship was listing and shuddering as it flew. His heart ached as he listened to the engine he had nearly blown up for wheeze like an asthmatic steam train.

               ( This cold, seething voice hissed at him, And it's all your fault. He didn't know if that was his mind, or if it was his imagination. Elisa would probably have an answer for him, but Leo didn't exactly want to tell her that he was hearing voices that didn't sound like his in his mind. )