The Mark of Athena (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 15- Leo

Chapter 15

Leo

     When everyone passed out, Leo knew he was a goner. The Argo II was fighting the waves, but the storm was just too strong. If someone got hurt, it was all Leo’s fault.

     And Piper was already hurt. She couldn’t stay awake for that long anymore. When Leo was doing roll call, he panicked when he saw her. She managed to wake up, but her ankle was tweaked, and she couldn’t stay awake.

     Leo screamed at himself for thinking he could sail through the ocean without one storm. He was so dumb.

     “Come on, come on, I can do it,” he muttered to himself. “I’m Flaming Valdez. Do this for Beauty Queen. Sparky, Wise Girl, Seaweed Brain, Frank…” He stopped, looking at the daughter of Pluto, who was lying on her stomach on the ground, her face hidden by her curly hair.

     “Hazel!” Leo screamed. He jerked the wheel so hard that he was riding the waves. He had to do this for her. Even though she used to love with his great-grandfather who was dead, Leo couldn’t say he wasn’t attracted to her. He had to do this for her. And then tell her how he felt.

     But then Piper crossed his mind. Gods of Olympus, he was so stupid for kissing her. He loved her, but not like that. She was his sister. He made a mental note that if they lived, he would tell her how he felt. They were best friends, and nothing more.

     As another wave hit the metal warship, Leo flew backwards. He could feel the pain in his hand. He fought to keep his eyes open, but the cold tile underneath him felt very, very cozy. Maybe he could sleep for just a few minutes…

     He passed out, thinking about how he wanted Hazel.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

     Leo opened his eyes to the sun rising. The water was still. The sky was a beautiful blue with no clouds in sight.

     Looking around, Leo could tell everyone must have hit their heads or something. Hazel was in the corner, curved to fit against the wall. Her mouth was open like a perfect circle, and her curly hair was getting in her face. Even though Leo would never admit it, he thought she looked beautiful.

     Frank was at the back of the sofa, his mouth clamped shut, with a scared expression on his face.

     Percy and Annabeth were propped up on the wall, their hands intertwined. They must have passed out holding hands. They were kind of leaning on each other, both with frustrated expressions on their faces.

     Jason was on his side by the couch, his head resting on his arm. He looked worried, like he passed out at a bad time.

     Leo swallowed and forced himself to look at Piper. She was curled up in a ball, with one leg tucked in, but her bad ankle was out. She inhaled through the nose and exhaled through the mouth in a puff. Her face was normal, with a hint of white in the cheeks. Her lips were purple, and her hair was messed up. But other than that, she was unscathed. Leo found himself sighing with relief and thanking the gods.

     He sat in his seat and kept going. He looked at his hand that had ached last night. It felt wrong, like something had slipped out of place. He wrapped it up in gauze. He sighed. He was so tired of getting hurt and staying stressed out. It was taking a toll on the seven. Everyone had bags under their eyes, especially Annabeth and Jason.

     Leo, feeling lonely, watched the sun rise while steering the ship. The Argo II had gone off its route during the storm, so Leo guessed they would be on the ocean for a day more than planned.