One Too Many Heartbreaks

XXIV. Angel Boy's Angel Song (Leo's POV)

Hahahahaha!

Leo groaned. His head ached, and he got dizzy when he tried to sit up. After a few minutes, though, he managed to stumble to his feet.

"Hahahahaha!" Leo heard again. Musical laughter was coning from the back of the cave. He tensed up. Who was here? He looked around. And where were Nico and Festus?

Grabbing his hammer out of his tool belt, Leo made his way deeper into the cave. He heard loud footsteps that sounded like Festus. The laughter continued to ring out, clear and bright.

Leo finally reached the source of all the noise, and he was shocked by what it was.

Festus was standing on his back legs. He roared quietly and shook his head. Something flew off and hit the floor, breaking into dozens of pieces. It looked scarily like bones. Leo was about to address the dragon and the boy, but the bones started to shake. They slid across the floor and came together to form... A cat? It then scurried noisily across the room and up Nico's leg and arm to perch on his shoulder. Nico laughed, a sweet, loud melody.

Leo gasped. That sound had been coming from him? Leo couldn't recall ever seeing Nico smile, much less laugh. Much less laugh like that.

"Oh hey, Valdez," Nico said cheerily. "Your cat died."

"Uh..." Leo said, still stunned by the boy's happiness.

"But she's okay, aren't you, Hope?"

Nico looked up at Leo. "You okay?" He asked. Leo didn't really know how to answer. "Okay" didn't quite describe the fluttery feeling in his stomach, or the warmth spreading through his chest. But he nodded.

"Good," Nico said, stroking the cat's skull. "Want to hold her?"

Leo held his hands out. The kitten all but launched herself into his arms and rubbed her head on his chest. She vibrated, making her bones chatter in a way that Leo thought was meant to resemble a purr. "Holá, Esperanza," He said gently, and couldn't help but smile himself, though he was blinking back tears.

Leo looked back up to see Nico smiling at him. They locked eyes, and the crown of Leo's head burst into flames before he could even breathe.

Esperanza immediately scurried up Leo's arm and pawed at the flame. But for a skeleton, "pawed" meant "clawed".

"Aah!" Leo said, trying to get the cat off his head, but she had quite the grip on his hair.

"Hope, no- ah!" Leo fell and Hope hit the floor and her bones scattered again. Leo stood and brushed himself off while Hope reformed. Leo picked her up and turned back to Nico, whom was laughing so hard he was doubled over.

"Ha-ha, príncipe, very funny." Leo said, and Nico straightened to look at him. The boys stood there for what was probably an odd amount of time, but Leo couldn't really say it was uncomfortable.

He felt so good, in fact, that he didn't think it was all that strange when the air started to shimmer.