Falling Backwards (A Heroes of Olympus AU and Fanficton)

Chapter 3

Piper brought carried Leo over to a highchair and set him down in it, buckling him in and clipping the tray on, making Leo unable to get down. Leo whined around his pacifier at being stuck in the highchair.

"It's okay, Leonidas. You're just fine. Besides, Daddy's almost done with breakfast, so you'll be out of there in no time at all." Who was this 'Daddy' that Piper kept mentioning? And what was going on?

Leo's wish to learn who this 'Daddy' was was soon granted, because not five minutes later, Jason walked in carrying a platter of pancakes. Except this couldn't be Jason. His whole demeanor was wrong. The real Jason held himself with more confidence than this guy. And the real Jason wouldn't be caught dead in khaki shorts and a polo shirt. Yet, here he was.

Jason set the plate of pancakes down on the table before turning to Leo with a grin.

"Good morning, little man!" Jason ruffled Leo's hair before sitting down and beginning to pull apart a pancake and put the pieces on the highchair tray for Leo to eat. Piper gently took the weird rubber object out of Leo's mouth so he could eat, and Leo saw that the 'weird rubber thing' was actually a pacifier, which weirded him out greatly.

Leo sat, refusing to eat anything for a moment, before his stomach let out a very loud growl and Leo gave in, digging into his pancake pieces, which were delicious. He wolfed them down and had to be told three times to slow down because the food wasn't going anywhere.

When he was finished, Jason got a wet cloth to wash Leo's face and hands with. Jason then unbuckled Leo, scooped him up, and gave him kisses all over his face, which made Leo shriek with involuntary laughter. 

"Oh, my little man!" Jason laughed, giving Leo a big kiss on the forehead. "You're so handsome, you know that? You're my handsome little man, aren't you?" Jason grinned, giving Piper a quick kiss before announcing that he was going to go feed Leo a bottle. Leo had a sneaking suspicion that 'feeding him a bottle' wasn't code for something.

*******

Leo ended up being spot-on, because as soon as Jason sat down, he shifted Leo in his arms so that he was cradling Leo and Leo's head was in the crook of his elbow.

Leo whined and tried to wiggle out of Jason's grasp to sit up, but Jason was much bigger and stronger than he was, and Jason just smiled down at him and said, "Oh, come on, little man. You love having your bottles. It's your favorite part of the morning." He began to pat Leo's diapered bottom rhythmically to calm him (which worked very well, much to Leo's dismay), and he pulled out a baby bottle full of milk. Jason gently brought the rubber nipple of the bottle to Leo's lips, and -- though Leo spent at least two minutes fighting the bottle and trying desperately to stop the rubber nipple from going into his mouth -- Leo eventually gave in and latched on, sucking the milk out enthusiastically.

Leo drank the whole bottle without complaint. When he finished, Jason set a cloth over one shoulder, pulled Leo up so that he was facing over Jason's shoulder, and began to firmly pat his back. Leo felt the pressure in his stomach rising and he tried his best to fight it and push it back down, but it was no use. He let out a burp and a small bit of milk came back up with it.

After a good couple of belches from Leo, Jason grinned at him, kissed his head, and praised him for being such a good little man.

"You are just the best little man I've ever met. Oh, I love you so much!" Jason peppered Leo's face with kisses again, making Leo giggle (as much as he didn't want to). "Come on, little man. Let's get you ready for the market."

The Market? Leo wasn't told anything about a market.

Jason carried Leo back into the nursery, gave him a quick diaper change that Leo tried and failed to fight through, dressed him in a t-shirt with a dog driving a yellow car, navy blue shorts, socks, and little blue sneakers, then covered the remaining skin in sunblock.

"Let's get going, little man!" Jason gave Leo one more big kiss before picking him back up, turning off the lights, and walking out of the room and into the living room. "You ready to go, Pipes?"

"Yup." Piper smiled, grabbing a large black bag and her purse. "The stroller is already in the van, and everyone will be there soon." She picked up a set of keys and tossed them to Jason. "You're driving."

They brought Leo out to a garage where a large blue minivan was waiting. Jason handed Leo to Piper, who gave him a great big kiss before opening one of the side doors to the van, revealing a baby car seat. She set Leo down in it and buckled him in, which took a few minutes due to Leo's protesting and whining.

"What's the matter, Leonidas?" Piper asked, looking concerned. "Do you not want to go see your Aunties and Uncles? They're all waiting for us at the market." Leo eventually gave in yet again, due to his curiosity at who these 'Aunties and Uncles' were. When he stopped wiggling, Piper smiled at him again. "Thank you, sweetheart. That's much better. Everybody is gonna be there, and I'll bet you'll get to hang out with Uncle Frank again." Uncle Frank? Did she mean Frank, Leo's friend from before all of this craziness?

Piper pulled another rubber object -- which Leo assumed was another pacifier -- out of the big black bag and gently pushed it between his lips, and Leo reluctantly accepted, letting it bob back and forth between his lips, calming him down.

"Oh, Mama almost forgot!" Piper pulled something else out out of the big black bag, and Leo's eyes widened. It was the cuddliest looking stuffed bear that Leo had ever seen. And for some inexplicable reason, Leo wanted that bear more than anything in the universe. He made grabby hands towards the bear, and Piper smiled even wider as she handed him the bear. "Here you go, sweetheart. I would have given him to you sooner, but we forgot to grab him before we went out for breakfast."

That's not your fault, Piper. I'm just happy to have him back. Leo though, cuddling the bear to his chest. Oh, Banjo. Man, I missed you. Leo snuggled his bear, grinning behind his pacifier as they set off to the market.