Inferno (Leo Valdez x OC) (2)

Yes, I have abandonment issues. What of it?

After I had blinked the stars out of my eyes, I looked around. Piper was helping up Jason. Annabeth was rushing to the control panel. Coach was blundering around looking for his club. Percy was apparently still down the stairs.

I staggered forwards. "Where are they?" I croaked.

Piper and Jason looked over to me, a lost look in their eyes.

"Where are they?" I repeated, louder this time.

"Anwen..." Piper started, tears brimming her eyes.

Jason limped over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Piper soon joined him, her body shuddering with sobs.

"Where is he?" I asked quietly.

They pulled away. "They fell in." Jason murmured. "Never came back up."

I felt tears burning my eyes, my throat tasted like acid. "I-" I choked. Piper put an arm around my shoulder and led me down the stairs.

Percy was sat against the wall, rubbing his head. He looked up at us in confusion. "Where's Annabeth?" He asked quickly. Piper gestured above deck and he staggered to his feet, rushing up the stairs.

We walked down the hall to my room. As soon as I caught sight of the bean bags, I felt the tears fall. I wrapped Piper in a tight hug and she buried her face into my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." She mumbled.

"Why did he do that? Why would he do that?" My voice cracked with sobs.

Piper tugged me gently over to my bed and sat me down. "Percy might be able to find them, we don't know for sure that they're..." She cleared her throat. "Percy will look for them."

I lay down and hugged my pillow to my chest tightly.

Piper stroked my head. "Do you want me to stay?"

I shook my head slightly. "It's alright, you... you go help the others."

Piper nodded and left the room. As soon as the door shut, I raced to the bathroom and fell to my knees in front of the toilet.

I gagged and spluttered and coughed until there was nothing left for me to choke out. Then I leant back against the bathroom wall and stared at the sink.

Leo's face swam through my mind.

"What if something happens to one of us?" I asked.

Leo glanced down at me from the scaffolding around the unfinished Argo II. "Then we'll have each other."

I sighed. "What if one of us... what if something happens that we can't be saved from?"

Leo frowned. "That's ridiculous, you always save me."

I snickered. "Yeah. You're like my damsel in distress."

Leo laughed and placed a hand on his chest. "My knight in shining armour." He pretended to faint.

I grinned. "So no matter what, we're going to be okay, right?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Listen, mariposa. We're both coming back from this quest, alright? Remember our plan?"

I smiled. "Go to Wales so I can show you around where I was born."

"Exactly. We are going to fulfil this plan. It's going to be the first plan we succeed in."

I placed my head in my hands. I couldn't save him. I would never take him to Wales. I would never be able to watch the sun set over Camp with him again. I would never be able to hear his laugh again.