REMEMBER ME ---- BOOK I / Heroes of Olympus / Leo Valdez Fanfiction

would we ever meet again?

☀

CHIRON'S OFFICE WAS A ROOM THAT GAVE OF A CLUTTERED, cozy feel. One wall was covered with T-shirts from different conventions—party ponies '09 vegas, party ponies '10 honolulu, et cetera. Penelope didn't know who the Party Ponies were, but judging from the stains, scorch marks, and weapon holes in the T-shirts, they must've had some pretty wild meetings. She would ask Chiron if she could meet them.

On the shelf over Chiron's desk sat an old-fashioned boom box with cassette tapes labeled "Dean Martin" and "Frank Sinatra" and "Greatest Hits of the 40s." Chiron was so old, Penelope wondered if that meant 1940s, 1840s, or maybe just A.D. 40. She wondered if he had remembered Achilles and Patroclus, two lovers she stanned. Her version of Romeo and Juliet was them.

But most of the office's wall space was plastered with photos of demigods, like a hall of fame. One of the newer shots showed a teenage guy with dark hair and green eyes. Since he stood arm in arm with Annabeth, Penelope assumed the guy must be Percy Jackson. In some of the older photos, she recognized famous people: businessmen, athletes, and even her dad.

"Fucking hell," she whispered under her breath. 

For the first time, she felt like she was part of something bigger than herself. Demigods had been around for centuries. Whatever she did, she did for all of them. She had been doing this for a long time apparently, and everything back in her head, she needed to get back. Today.

She took a deep breath and made the call. The video screen popped up. She saw a long braided hair that rested over an armor that the girl wore. She had sharp features, like of a leaders. She recognized her immediately. Reyna.

"Penelope!" Reyna exclaimed. "How?- Where are you?!"

 Reyna was always her mother. Or more of a motherly friend. You can choose. All she knew she was in deep shit after all. She was 2 months late than her planned arrival, and needed to get back before Octavian could mess up and mix more shit up.

"I'm fine Reyna," Penelope spoke, her voice mostly under her control, trying not to crack. "I am in Manhattan. Safe."

Reyna sighed, but her eyebrows perked up. "Manhattan?" she questioned. "How will you get back to San Francisco? We need to make arrangements. Oh you don't know how much we've waited for you. My pegasi was on the pickup spot for two days! "

Ah! And her Pegasi. One of her best magical pets. Penelope now had one of her own horse now, a light horse, which also was a complete show-off. Reyna looked great—back to normal, with her sparkling brown eyes, usual tiredness of handling and being a leader and yet a good confident smile. Penelope was relieved, but she also felt a little sad. Back to normal wasn't necessarily what she'd wanted. She wanted to get rid of all this stress and be a demigod with her friends at camp. Her home was in Camp Jupiter, in San Francisco, but her heart was here.

"How are you all?" She managed to ask, as her voice betrayed her.

"I don't know ..." Her smile wavered. "I'm not sure what's happening, honestly. Octavian is all cranky-"

"He is cranky."

"-and been telling about how the great prophecy has begun and stuff. Everyone is jumping around, and happy thinking we would be arranging for another war soon-"

"But you're not excited," she interrupted, as Reyna quieted down and nodded, sighing and looking above. "You're not excited about more losses, because-"

"-its all on me." She spoke. "It's all on me after the war is over and we suffer losses."

"You know what Reyna," Penelope managed after a few minutes of silence. "You're a leader, but also a human. Don't take their words. I know its all fucking poetic about all this, but genuinely speaking, those words are like fucking spears. They don't look that dangerous and all, but make a shitty out-wound which ambrosia or bandages cannot heal. Just- move I suppose. I ain't that great and all with you know, comforting people, but I suppose I can give doctor's orders."

Reyna smiled. "All this time I was wondering where'd the cursing doctor disappear." Her stormy eyes, scared Penelope, if she was to be true, but they were the eyes she'd known as a child.

"Did you find Jason?" Reyna finally asked.

"Yes."

Her eyes brightened, for the first time as she looked at her. "Where?!"

"With me, not right now, he's probably sleeping like the lazy ass he is-"

"Penelope." Reyna playfully warned.

"My bad," she said raising her hands as if to surrender. ", but he probably is sleeping right now."

"Will you bring him with you today?" Reyna asked hopefully. "Will you come today? I need you to."

Penelope just nodded while saying, "I will, but he'll come on his own. Just a few months more, I promise."

Reyna looked back at her with the same stormy eyes. "At least one friend I suppose. Come safe. I must leave. I've left the new kids with Hazel. She needs help." Reyna, waved at her, something she never did before. Penelope's eyes widened, as Reyna left the call.

Penelope placed her hands on the armrest, trying to standup, but her legs felt like they'd been locked up. She tried, and managed to after a few tries and walked out of Chiron's office. She looked around, a camp she would have to leave today. She watched the campers going back and forth. A couple of Demeter girls were playing tricks on Will and Austin—making grass grow around their ankles as they shot baskets. Kayla was busy laughing on the ground as Will kept trying to pluck the grass around him while Austin helped dodging the baskets. Over at the camp store, the Hermes kids were putting up a sign that read: flying shoes, slightly used, 50% off today! Ares kids were lining their cabin with fresh barbed wire. The Hypnos cabin was snoring away. She looked at the Hephaestus cabin and saw Leo surrounded by kids, who kept showing him models of automatons. Penelope remembered Leo asking if she wanted someone around today, but Penelope denied. 

It was probably because she knew it was dangerous. She immediately felt bad to say no to him, and tried to apologize, but he just shook it off and snatched her Capri Sun and ran off. That sort it out. He was the one good with actions, not her.

Penelope walked towards the Hephaestus cabin, mostly because her feet led her there, as she  saw Piper and Jason sitting together talking. Jason was soaked in sweat, relaxing on a bench, a basketball between his feet. He was wearing an orange tank top and shorts. His various scars and bruises from the quest were healing, thanks to some medical attention from her that she took a few drachmas for. Piper again looked great. She was wearing Penelope's crop top, a yellow top with a sunny side written on its arms, with baggy jeans, and a worn out pair of yellow converse. She wasn't sweaty, for some reason Penelope did not understand.  

She saw the Aphrodite cabin doing their best to sneak in a corner, but failing miserably, as they had money in their hands looking at Jason and Piper. Penelope guessed they were betting on who would make the first move, but much to their dismissal, the couple just held hands and walked away.

Penelope reached the Hephaestus cabin, and stood in the shadows as she saw Leo amongst the other kids and a few girls she didn't know the name of. She wasn't even sure, that any of them had noticed her yet standing in the corner, looking at Leo. That was her, no one important. The one in the shadows, the one hidden in the corner, with their guitar. She saw Leo. He was, well, perfect. Too perfect to be honest. 

He was beautiful, so beautiful her heart hurt. She smiled looking as he played amongst the kids, his fingers around one of the kids fingers, as he pretended to loose in a thumb fight. His hair contrasted hers perfectly, from the sun to night. His was soft, curly, falling down his face, hiding his scars. He'd grown leaner, and taller. Penelope was sure she would grow tall too. But her hair wasn't all that great. Straight, most up in a bun, as she practiced on a stupid simple guitar. He was way out of her league, all cool with machines, smart with mathematics, good with kids, funny, annoying, soft, strong, witty. 

Would he ever want to meet her again?

Probably not.