You'll Learn to Love Me

Chapter 51: A Promise

Nico and Hazel climbed up on deck with the help of Jason, both their expressions solemn. Nico rushed as quickly as he could over to Laylana, Hazel on his heels.

"Just let her get it out." Nico looked at Piper and Leo as they watched her, not knowing what to do. Nico knelt next to her on one side, Hazel kneeling on her other side. Leo was in front of her, having grabbed her hands and gently pulled them away from her head to hopefully get her to stop hurting herself. His hands had crescent shaped marks in them, and even some skin had been broken. But he didn't care.

"Leo, get us out of here first." Hazel locked eyes with the son of Hephaestus.

"No, I..." Gleeson cut Leo off.

"I got it, Valdez. Stay with her." The satyr sauntered over to the control panel as the ship pulled away from the site. Leo stayed, tapping the same thing on her wrists in Morse Code that they usually would to try and comfort each other.

Jason, Hazel and Frank left shortly after they parked on a hill overlooking the city. They insisted on checking out the area one more time, trying to find anything that could tell them if Percy and Annabeth had in fact not fallen into Tartarus. In the meantime, Nico and Leo managed to get Laylana standing, her mostly leaning on Leo as he lead them over to the stern. The two "siblings" sat down, Leo taking a seat on the other side of her. Nico took a piece of ambrosia that she had tried to feed him earlier and handed it to Laylana. She took it in her hand, but didn't eat it. When the three returned to the ship, sadness written on their faces, Laylana sobbed again. 

Gleeson began to get miserable after that. He kept pacing the deck with tears in his eyes, pulling at his goatee and slapping the side of his head, muttering, "I should have saved them! I should have blown up more stuff!"

Finally Leo told him to go below deck and secure everything for departure. He wasn't doing any good beating himself up. He also did it so Laylana could catch a break from him.

"It's all my fault." She cried.

"Lana, no. It wasn't your fault." Jason reassured her. He was kneeling in front of her, a hand on her knee.

"I should've pulled them up! I could have done it..." Laylana didn't listen to him. 

"Querida..." Leo started. "I know that you're strong, but pulling them and yourself up with one hand? Even the strongest couldn't be able to do that. You held on for as long as you could, and I am proud of you for that. But... You know that your brother wouldn't want you to blame yourself for this. He just wanted to protect you."

Leo had just barely heard Percy's shout to him, making him remember his promise. It shook him to the core. It was like Percy had some sort of internal instinct that something was going to happen to him, and Laylana would need to be taken care of. And he was going to fulfill that promise no matter the cost.

The seven demigods gathered on the quarterdeck and gazed at the distant column of dust still rising from the site of the implosion. Laylana cried again, burying her face in Leo's chest. He shushed her, whispering some calming words to her, softly. Nico rubbed small circles on her back, trying to comfort her in anyway. Leo tried to push down the feeling of guilt, not knowing how to bring up that this might be all his fault. Yes, he had saved himself, Frank and Hazel. But it cost Percy and Annabeth. He wasn't sure if Laylana would forgive him for that.

"It's my fault," Leo said miserably before he could stop himself. 

The others stared at him in confusion. Laylana didn't seem to hear him as she continued to cry. Part of Leo was thankful for that, she might've caught on if she was sound of mind.

"No," Hazel insisted. "No, this is Gaea's fault. It had nothing to do with you. And it had nothing to do with Laylana." 

Leo wanted to believe that, but he couldn't. Laylana gripped onto his hand tightly, her other clasped against Nico's.