Finding Leo

Chapter 5: Track Him Down

Percy's POV

I was sprinting towards Bunker 9 when I heard the familiar sound of the limestone door creaking open, then a moment later the entrance closing once more. Damn, either Leo was going in, or he was running out. This wasn't good.

Please, Leo, I thought to myself. Don't do this to us. Don't leave.

I reached the door to the bunker. I banged on the door. Nothing. I knocked again. Not a sound.

Then, I heard something. But not inside the bunker. It was from behind me, and when I turned, I saw a slight rustle in the bushes, and a figure with a black backpack running away. "Leo!" I shouted. The figure turned around, and I got a glimpse of their face. A mop of unruly curly black hair fell over dark brown eyes. The face that so many times had been in a goofy grin was now stern and determined. Then, Leo turned and ran again. I chased after him.

We must have gone about fifty yards before Leo stumbled on a tree branch. He slipped and fell. I was so close and I was almost able to grab the hood of his gray hoodie when he pulled three spheres the size of marbles out of his tool belt and threw them at me. Before I had time to react, the smoke bombs exploded, leaving me half-blind and Leo running back into the forest.

I was just able to cough out a few words through the smoke before Leo's silhouette disappeared into the trees. "Leo," I choked. "Don't do this..."

It almost seemed like the son of Hephaestus hesitated, but then he turned and looked back at me. His eyes glowed like fire in the twilight. "Trust me, you don't want me here." Then he ran, leaving me to sputter his name over and over again in the smoke.

Leo's POV

I had to go. I had no choice. I hate to say it, but the desperation in Percy's voice almost made me want to turn back. However, I knew I couldn't stay. I kept running until the lights of camp had vanished in the trees. I needed to get to the airport, fast.

I knew exactly where I was going, and if my friends studied the letter I left back at camp, they will too.

Annabeth's POV

Chiron had arrived with two stretchers being carried by four Apollo campers. Piper and Jason had been taken to the infirmary, and I had followed them. After about ten minutes of trickling nectar and ambrosia into my friends' mouths, Percy appeared in the doorway. My head shot up expectantly, but Percy answered my question before I could ask. He shook his head.

"H-how could you not find him?" I asked.

He lowered his head and responded, "I ran to the bunker and he was there, running away from Bunker 9. I tried to talk to him, but he just kept running. I almost got him when he threw smoke bombs at me. I told him not to go, but he just said that we didn't want him here. After that, I went back to the bunker to see if he left anything there that could help us find him."

"I got this," Percy said after I took in all he told me. He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. Percy handed the note to me, and I read it (you guys already know what it says :P). I had to reread it again because I couldn't believe what it said.

Finally, I looked back at Piper and Jason, the two lovers that Leo assumed he killed. Then, I turned to Percy. He raised his eyebrow as if waiting for orders.

"Alert Camp Jupiter and tell them to be on the lookout for Leo. Iris-message Frank and Hazel and tell them to come over here. Say it's an emergency. We're finding Leo (that moment in a story where the title makes sense :O).

1 Hour Later

The five of us (Nico had been at Camp Jupiter with Frank and Hazel and insisted on coming) were sitting around the Athena table at the dining pavilion. They had been informed of everything that happened, from Leo running off to Piper and Jason in the infirmary. It was now about 8:30. I had spread a map of the country across the table, the letter Leo left in my hand. We had been discussing where Leo could be for about 20 minutes.