My Dark Past

Chapter Fourteen

Piper

Leo's awake. Leo's awake.

I sprint up the hill, about ready to tackle him. I thought he was going to DIE. But he's okay. But as soon as I reach the hill, I fall to the ground. I feel like someone kicked me in the heart. It hurts. I feel fear. Betrayal. Shock. Anxiety. Pain. But mostly fear. But, there is something else. Something small...

Hope.

I get  back up, and take labored breaths. Jason helps steady me.

"Are you okay?" He asks, worried.

"I'm fine. Let's go see our friend."

Annabeth

Leo's face is hidden in the other guy, Aspen's, shirt. 

I'm so confused.

How does Aspen know Leo? What's their history? Who is Aspen? How does he know whom his godly parent is? Why is he here? Why did Aphrodite send him? Is he here to help? Why now? All of these questions circle my head as I carefully try to read Aspen's face. But mostly his face just shows shock.

I see Piper and Jason running up the hill, followed by Frank and Hazel.

Leo

I know everyone is staring. I can feel their curiosity. But I don't care. Aspen is here. I need to be by myself, where I can vent. And let out the storm of emotions inside of me. But, I'll have to wait. I see Piper out of the corner of my eye.

"LEO!" She yells. 

I pull away, trying to erase the emotion off of my face, and replace it with a smile.

"Piper!" I smile back. But I REALLY want to be talking to Aspen. Gods, Aspen. I've missed him. I wonder if he's missed me? I see Annabeth studying my smiling face.

Piper pulls me into a hug, followed by Jason, Hazel, and Frank.

"How are you not dead? AGAIN?" Jason asks.

"Again?" I hear Aspen ask, quietly.

"Who are you?" Frank questions.

"Aspen Vacatello. Son of Poseidon. And you are?" He replies, carefully guarded, his gaze still remaining on me.

"Wait. WHAT? Poseidon?" Piper leaves the hug. The others do the same.

"What?" Hazel asks again, more softly.

"You heard me."

"He's a new camper. Sent by Aphrodite." Annabeth informs them.

"My mom?" Piper says, in more of a statement than anything else.

"Yeah. So I'm guessing you're a daughter of Aphrodite." Aspen stated.

"Um... yeah." Piper replied.

"Well, I'm a son of Poseidon, but I'm blessed by Aphrodite." Aspen informed her.

"You're blessed by Aphrodite?" I ask. The last time I saw him I was fourteen. I guess a lot has changed since then. A lot.

"I'm not the same wanna-be gangster you remember, Valdez." He retorts. "Stuff happened after you left."

"Like what?" I ask. Last time I checked, Aspen was the sweet, loyal, role model. Granted, he was in the mafia, had killed a couple guys, and would murder anyone who dared to oppose his authority, but he was still Aspen.

My Aspen.

"Tile happened."

Annabeth

"Wanna-be gangster?" I ask.

Leo pales.

"Wait, you mean you don't know?" Aspen looks genuinely surprised.

"What do you mean we don't know?" Piper questions.

"It's nothing, Pipes. Just some stupid thing I used to do. I was a dumb kid." Leo looks like he is about to duck tape Aspen's mouth shut. He looked like he was about to panic.

"Nothing? Well, call it what you want, but that's not what I remember." Aspen made a long whistle.

"Come on, tell us." Jason pleaded.

"No." Leo wouldn't meet his eyes.

I am looking at Leo's emotionless face, and suddenly a thought hits me.

"Wait. Leo. Were you in a gang?" I ask.

It makes sense. 

And it would explain where he knew Aspen from.

The crowd of people stared at Leo.

Leo was looking like he was going out pass out.

"No." Leo finally said.

"What'd'ya mean, no?" Aspen urged.

"I wasn't IN a gang." He replied.

Aspen's face dawned in realization.

"Well, technically you aren't lying." He looked amused.

"What?" Hazel asked.

"Look, Miss Whoever-you-are, I won't tell you anything Leo didn't. Once you are a part of the pack, you don't leave. Loyal to the end, eh?" Aspen slyly looked at Leo.

Leo stared at his feet.

I took in his appearance.

He had bags under his eyes. His hair was messier than usual. He looked thinner than usual.

Well, he was just dying.

Speaking of which... the disease Piper was talking about.

The broken feeling she was talking about...

Oh shit.

She was right.

I hug Leo.

He tenses up, and the others must notice this.

"Leo, are you okay?" Frank asks.

"What do you mean? Surely you guys must realize what's happening, right?" Aspen looks around. "Nobody?"

"What's he talking about?" I hear murmurs in the crowds.

"Well, I know what's going on. And I'm here to stop it. I can't believe you guys haven't realized it yet. Some friends you guys are." Aspen looked at us.

"What is it?" Jason asked, frustrated.

Leo looked at Aspen, about to cry.

"Well, it's obvious, to me. Leo here, has started cutting again."

And that's when Leo punched Aspen in the face.