One Too Many Heartbreaks

XXII. Ghost Cat For Ghost King (Leo's POV)

NOTE: TRANSLATIONS AT END OF CHAPTER
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"Chill out, you fat piece of metal," Leo said, patting out the flames on his pants. Festus shot an insult back at him. "Well at least I have flesh." Leo responded.

Leo turned to Nico, but he wasn't there. Leo looked around to find the boy sitting on the floor, face in his knees. Nico didn't make a sound but Leo could tell he was crying by the way his shoulders shook.

"Festus, ven," Leo said quietly, and walked out of the cave. The dragon followed.

Once they were out of the cave, Leo crossed his arms. He let it build up inside him for a minute before yelling, "I'm such a jerk!" He kicked a couple of rocks before calming down.

Leo quickly explained to Festus what had happened while they were gone.

"You don't understand," Leo told Festus. "You had to see his face when he found her it was like, like..." Leo described it in Spanish. Festus shook his head as if to say, "Okay, so now what?"

Leo frowned. (1)"Yo no se," he muttered.

---
Festus had gone back to the cave hours ago, but Leo was still wandering. He couldn't think of any way to make up for what he'd done to Nico. He'd go back and get Mrs. O'Leary for him, but there was no way back to the Underworld aside from dying, and Leo hadn't come back just to give it up again.

Leo felt something against his leg and immediately jumped four feet. He looked around for what touched him and realized it was only a cat.

Leo walked up to it. It was small and had brown fur and blue eyes, and it looked more beat up than ten-year-old Leo.

Leo knelt down slowly. The cat was obviously scared, but it looked like it was too weak to even run away.

(1)"Hola, gatito bonito. ¿Qué haces solo aquí?"

Unnoticeably, they were bleeding. Right now, where they came from wasn't important.

Leo scooped up the kitten in his arms. (2)"No se preocupe, lindo, te tengo ahora."

---

Leo followed his own tracks back to the cave, making sure to cover them as he went.

The kitten meowed happily in his hands. He stopped for a second to pet them. They purred contentedly and nuzzled his hand. He laughed as they sniffed his toolbelt, but was alarmed when they fell into it.

(3)"Gatito, no!" Leo cried. He wasn't exactly sure how the magic worked inside of that thing to make things fit, and he certainly didn't know how it affected non magical creatures.

"Gods, please," Leo muttered as he stuck his hands into the belt. His fingers touched something soft and Leo was flooded with relief as he pulled out the cat, no more damaged then they had been before.

(4)"Vamanos, gatito," Leo said softly. "I think I've got a person for you."

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1) Hey, pretty kitty. What are you doing all alone out here?

2) Don't worry, cutie, I've got you now.

3) Kitty, no!

4) Come on, kitty,