You Give Liberty a Bad Name (a Percy Jackson AU)

Repair Boy

Boston, Massachusetts: July 16, 1776
Leo had never been a fighter, but he reckoned the Continental Army had plenty of brawny men. What they didn't have was him. Also, he kind of needed to disappear and reinvent himself. Again.
      It had been like that for eleven years. He never got comfortable anywhere because he knew that he would eventually run away. He had only stayed in Boston for two months, but he already felt restless. He worked as a dock worker, helping unload goods from boats that had once made Boston rich, but now were the lifeline for the rebellious colonies. Before that, he had worked as a helper in forge in Salem. Before that, he had worked in a tavern in Philadelphia. Leo was 18 years old and had lived in all thirteen of the colonies, but his only true home — in Florida where the English did not even rule — was as gone as his mother.
He tried to not think of it. Sorrow could eat him up as surely as rust corrupted metal. He needed to redirect his pain. That's why he joked. That's why, when laughter could not ward off his emotions, he chose to run away as if he could outstrip his feelings.
Leo wiped the sweat off of his brow and winced as the harsh voice of his overseer rang in his ears.
"What are you doing staring at the ship for?" Jake Mason demanded.
Jake Mason was a burly man with calloused hands who worked with the intensity of a man who was starving. He had a pregnant wife and two young children at home. Leo sometimes greeted Jake's rumbling stomach with scraps from his own meager meals.
"Sorry, sir," Leo said. "I was merely trying to catch the sight of a pretty maiden. I have not been blessed with the sweetness of a wife."
Jake snorted. He knew as well as Leo that no respectable lady would want to be around where they were. Unpacking the ships was hard work that strained the muscles of men. Leo was the scrawniest of the bunch with curly hair and sharp, mischievous features. He was the only one who spoke Spanish and sometimes, he amused himself by speaking rapidly in Spanish. The other men thought he was swearing when he was merely naming parts of ships or describing the weather. Leo found this all to be intensely amusing.
When the day ended, Leo accepted the coins from his boss and gave his dinner of dried meat to Jake. His stomach clenched as he said goodbye, but he told himself it was only because of want of sustenance.
Leo arrived at the recruiting station and was greeted by a man with gentle brown eyes.
      "Mr. Chiron," he said, introducing himself. "You would like to join the cause?"
       "I could help forge weapons," Leo said. "I am not much of a fighter, but I am handy with a hammer and fire."
     Mr. Chiron inquired a few more questions and when Leo said he spoke Spanish fluently, the man raised his eyebrows.
     "We will need translators and diplomats," he said thoughtfully.
    It was not what Leo had hoped for, but he signed an agreement for service and hoped for the best.