The hidden hero

I see a boat

As Annabeth and I ambled through the camp, she regaled me with fascinating tales and pointed out various significant spots. It was during this walk that I found myself seated beside my long-lost brother, whom Thalia claimed had once made me eat a stapler. Thalia's recounting of this event triggered memories of my arrival at Circe's island and the astonishing revelation of having a twin brother. Overwhelmed by these recollections, Thalia kindly offered me a moment to gather my thoughts before excusing herself. While she was gone, I observed one of Jason's companions, who exuded an air of elegance and charm, leading me to believe she was the daughter of Aphrodite. Despite my initial doubts about Aphrodite's children, she seemed genuinely compassionate. Shifting my focus to Jason's other friend, I noticed his distracted demeanor, as if he were either disinterested in the conversation or grappling with severe ADHD. The girl introduced herself as Piper and gestured toward the boy, whom I now knew as Leo. "Hey, sorry about Leo's hyperactivity. He's got severe ADHD. But seriously, you've been missing for like 9 or 10 years, there must be some incredible story to share. Did you hang out with a powerful god or something? There has to be something amazing that happened," Piper prodded, putting the pressure on me to come up with something. But I didn't wish to disclose that I had been granted blessings from deities or that I had been possessed by a titan lord. Simultaneously, I didn't want to invent an outright falsehood. That's when I realized that spirits aren't quite as frightening. " I once killed an evil spirit, and it felt like attempting to stab the air." I wasn't entirely lying - Minos was a deceased evil spirit, so it made me feel somewhat less guilty about lying "Let's bring her to Bunker 9 that sounds like a good plan," Leo suggested. "It makes sense since she's joining us on the quest." Piper put in looking at Jason "Ok let's go" I felt puzzled, but I followed the boys as they took the lead, while Piper and I followed behind.

We were all engaged in conversation as we approached a towering limestone wall. Suddenly, Leo pivoted towards me with a grave expression, cautioning me not to panic. In a mesmerizing display, he ignited his hand, a feat I had previously only seen Hephaestus and Hestia perform. As he turned away, a look of realization crossed his face. My shocked expression and then glanced at Jason. "Wow, she handled it much better than you, Jace." I inferred from that remark that my brother had quite an intense response to Leo's fire. Then he put his hand on the wall and a door appeared.

I set that aside and accompanied them to the entrance. When I saw what appeared to be an incomplete boat and a dragon head, I found it quite impressive. I even thought that Hephaestus, known for his high standards, would approve of it. Leo turned to me, his eyes gleaming with pride, and said, "Pretty cool, right? It's not finished yet, but once it is, it will look just like the picture." He then walked away and picked up a blueprint of the house.

But there was not a house in the image; rather, it was a boat with the phrase "The Argo 2" at the bottom of the drawing in red.ink

I'm sorry it's so short , but I'll make an effort to write more tomorrow, and I'll certainly provide an update over the weekend.

I will definitely include more Elysium and Leo moments in the next chapter.