Heroes of Olympus: The Aftermath of War

LEO

*Rick Riordan owns all of the characters*

LEO WANTED EVERYONE to stop with the whole "Valdez is alive!" thing. He recently had this weird dream about seeing them in springtime attires, throwing flowers everywhere as they chanted, "Team Leo!" all over again. It was weird. And it was kinda getting old. Sure, he couldn't blame his friends for worrying about his whereabouts the whole time. He himself thought that staying in Elysium would be nice. Leo didn't want to come back for a moment.

Then there were those ugly, lifeless souls.

For once, Leo understood why Nico di Angelo had always been pale and almost...restless. The dude would drift away when he said "Hey.", and he'd freak out big time if Leo checked on him back on the Argo II's deck.

When your life force drifted into the depths of the Underworld, countless spirits would try to drag you away from the 'designated path' and suck the happiness out of you like some crazy Dementor from Harry Potter.

When you get out, however, they whisper in your ear from time to time, begging you to come back, join in their suffering, and actually become one of them in the process. Souls sucked. And his life kind of too.

Flying over Camp Jupiter was not really that easy. That Terminus guy just shouted and became so angry everytime he saw Leo's face. He still probably hadn't gotten over the Argo II incident back then. It seemed years ago. At least that's what it felt like.

Calypso was the one who spotted the praetor, Reyna, with those big, alert eyes of hers. She kept Leo in check almost about every 3 minutes. Without her, he might've ended up in Africa or Bora Bora already. Festus really liked her, and Leo was starting to feel jealous. Not that it mattered. He didn't mind sharing Happy the Dragon with Calypso at all.

He felt like saying, "Yo! Hot stuff is back, ladies! Who's up for some of Uncle Leo's newest tricks?"

But since he wanted to avoid getting smacked in the head by his girlfriend, he rephrased the statement.

"Praetor Reyna Ramirez-Arellano! We could use some help over here! Tight schedule!" he managed.

"How noble." Calypso commented sarcastically.

"Anything for you, sunshine." he replied, actually smiling.

Afterwards, Reyna led them to the same position where the Argo II had landed before. New Rome was glinting with its lamp posts and undeniably energizing atmosphere, its temples and buildings just as they were the first time Leo had recognized the difference between fauns and ye olde satyrs.

Stepping down from Festus, Leo took in the cold air and the feeling that he was finally safe after weeks of being lost as they journeyed from Ogygia. He helped Calypso down, finding himself being punched by Reyna in the gut.

"Ow. What was that for?" he complained, eventually surprised.

"That was for worrying both camps," she said, grinning. "And this..." she hesitated, then hugged Leo tightly for a brief moment until his bones felt like breaking. "--Is for returning back alive."

"Great to see you too," he murmured, trying to feel his ribcage. "Reyna, this is Calypso. Calypso, Reyna."

They both shaked hands, and Leo could tell that Calypso was nodding at something the praetor had just said, replying "He deserved that." in total agreement.

So much for being supportive.

"Anyway," he inserted, scratching his head. "Are Hazel and Frank here? Man, I would love to see those two."

"They just left for the Big Apple," Reyna filled him in, sighing. "They were going to see Percy and the others."

"Big Apple? As in NYC "Big Apple"? Aw, Uncle Leo's missing all the fun!"

"They just left this morning and went to pick the others at Camp Half Blood." she continued, ignoring the "Uncle Leo" part. "You should follow them."

The firmness in Reyna's voice made Leo feel like he was listening to a certain kind of charmspeak, and that he wanted to leave immediately, even if Festus needed a night of repairing. But the praetor was the daughter of Bellona. She couldn't do charmspeak like Piper did. His mind and heart (though it sounded a bit dramatic) just wanted to reach his friends and shout "Team Leo!" in front of them.

"We need rest," he blurted out. "I---I think we can leave by morning."

"Sure," Reyna said, stretching out her hands. "I have this spare sort of tent that the Hunters of Artemis gave me."

Reyna fetched out her camping supplies, and by supplies, she meant a tent which magically formed itself on its own. It was a really comfortable place to sleep in.

There was a huge space on the inside for he and Calypso to rest in. There were beds, food, and magical lamps. No one in the Camp had noticed Festus by now. Leo thought the demigods had finally decided that this metal dragon was just one of the numerous gifts from the Amazons and their generous queen. And Terminus was a dude about to go nuts over weapons.

"Thanks for everything, Reyna." Leo said as he finished all the repairs Festus needed to fly successfully tomorrow, his hands soaked with motor oil. "You're a great friend."

"Likewise, Valdez," she said. "It's all I could do to return the favor."

Reyna wove goodbye afterwards, returning to the temples and buildings in New Rome. Her cloak glinted and shone brightly on her back, displaying how proud the goddess Athena was of her. Leo wished he had one too, so he could learn how to make it. But he guessed that he would look like a very small Super Man if he did try.

Looking at Calypso and her perfect eyes, he smiled and winked at her.

"Get some sleep, sunshine. Uncle Leo's taking you to the Big Apple!"