Christmas' Presents

2015 Unique Chapter: The Blacksmith and the Spirits (for Hazy)

Leo Valdez sat there, wondering how things had turned out.

Leo Valdez hadn't had an easy childhood. Some would said he didn't had a childhood at all. But what did said it was that Leo Valdez did took every chance he got to be happy.

As part as the Seven of the Prophecy, Leo Valdez sailed in an almost impossible task at the age of fifteen years old to defeat Gaea (or, how he likes to call her, Dirt Face) along with his friends Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque. At the beginning, the teens found bitter against the task. Seriously, seven teens against Mother Earth?!what were the gods thinking?!

Leo was the clown of the crew. The jokester. The prankster. The one who could always say something funny because he would always see the good side of life. Little by little, his fellow crew members got to know him, especially Hazel. Hazel had a similar story (in some aspects) to Leo. Her mother had been murder and she was alone in the world. The only difference? Hazel was supposed to died more than 40 years ago. She even knew his grand-grandfather Sammy!

This was focus of tension between him, Hazel and Frank, Hazel's boyfriend. After explaining, the two boys got a better relationship, especially after Leo vowed to return to Ogygia, home island of the immortal Calypso, who he had fallen in love with. The rescue was not easy, since Leo had to die in order to return to Ogygia, because 'no men can find the island twice'. In his desperation, Leo made Frank and Hazel not to stop his death.

The plan succeeded, though Leo didn't count the lives he left behind. When he was getting Calypso out of the island, in their fly to return, a monster attacked. And, another. And another. Monster after monster attacked the teens, as if they were there saying 'you shall not pass with her!' Neither gave up, until Calypso was stabbed deadly. Leo did all that was in his reach, but he could not save Calypso, who asked him to move on without her.

Leo vowed never to move on.

When he returned to his friends, he was greeted by a mourning state. Hazel was the first one to see him, tears running down her face. Leo smirked, ready to hide his own pain for the loss of his beloved and crack a joke about his return, when he noticed that the tears Hazel was shedding weren't for him. They were for Frank.

Like we mentioned, Leo didn't count the lives left behind. The sorrow, the guilt. Frank and Hazel confessed what they did, what Leo asked them to do, to the rest of the crew. None of them were mad, but upset he didn't trust them enough. They were treated like heroes, al of them, until one kid claimed that Leo died because of his stupidness. Frank couldn't handle and fought him. From that moment one, saying one bad word about Leo was engaging a fight with Praetor Zhang. Until one day wasn't enough.

That was the day Leo returned.

Leo comforted Hazel and promised to get even, not even getting to the fighting stance. A prank here, an insult there, Leo made sure everyone honored and respected Frank for what he was: an excellent leader, an open-minded strategist, a loyal friend and a wonderful boyfriend. He was with Hazel in every step of her mourning, even when Hazel vowed never to move on from Frank. Leo explained to Hazel his same ideal and they became inseparable.

Years passed and Leo and Hazel kept their promise to never move on. For the rest of the world, they had moved on with each other, because they understood each other's grief. They could make each other laugh, they could be each other's shoulder to cry. Hazel supported Leo and Leo supported Hazel.

When they reached the age they could choose either to continue to fight, train the army of retire. Both decided to retire. Leo's dream was to open a little mechanic shop with Calypso, but he ruled out the dream as soon as she was gone. Same with the kids. Hazel was thinking the same, not sure what to do with her life now that Frank wasn't there to be with her.