Iron Man's Daughter

Chapter 61

After the explosion, Piper and Jason were free falling unconsciously, two giant eagles snatched them and brought them to safety. The entire Hephaestus cabin searched for Leo, but no sign of him or Festus. All the monsters had been destroyed or scattered, both sides of the demigod' casualties were heavy. In the morning Grover Underwood appeared to announce that they could no longer feel the Earth's Mother. Nature was back to normal, Gaea had been separated to the point that she could never form consciousness. Chiron gave Nico the honor to oversee the burial sites. Now Blossom stood on the porch of the Big House with six demigods from the Argo 2 and Nico.

" We should have been there at the end," Jason hung his head, glasses lost in the shadow. " We could've helped Leo."

" It's not right," Piper wiped away her tears. " All that working getting the physician's cure, for nothing."

"Piper," Hazel broke down crying. " Where's the cure? Bring it out." Piper pulled out the cloth, she unfolded it to find it empty, everyone looked at Hazel.

" How?" Annabeth asked. Frank put his arm around Hazel.

" In Delos, Leo pulled the two of aside and pleaded us to help him. He then explained Blossom the plan while they worked together in the engine room," Frank explained, all three of them were now in tears.

"I switched the physician's cure for an illusion...a trick of the Mist...so that Leo could keep the vial," Hazel explained.

" Leo's plan was to destroy a weakened Gaea with one massive fiery explosion," Frank explained.

" After talking with Nike and Apollo, Leo had been certain that such an explosion would kill any mortal within a quarter mile, so he knew he would have to get very far away from everyone," Blossom explained.

" He wanted to do it alone," Frank said. " He thought there would be a slim chance that he, a son of Hephaestus, could survive that fire, but if anyone was with him...He said that Hazel and I, being Roman, would understand sacrifice, and with Blossom being well...understanding. But he knew the rest of you would never allow it." The others looked highly angry, Blossom has never seen Percy or Annabeth so angry with her before, but their anger slowly dissolved.

"If he were here right now, I would kill him," Piper said between a sob and laugh. " How was he planning to take the cure? He was alone!"

"Maybe he found a way," Percy said. " This is Leo we're talking about. He might come back any minute. Then we can take turns strangling him." Nico and Hazel both exchanged looks.

" He'll be back," Blossom assured him. " He's meeting me at this Shawarma place for a double date, he said he wouldn't be late."

"Yeah?" Annabeth asked.

" He'll be back," Blossom assured. " As soon as we are done strangling him, I will give him a month's worth of poison ivy."

" True friendship," Jason shook his head.

****
The next day all the demigods worked side by side cleaning up the warzone and tended the wound. Blossom saw Dakota from the Roman side sharing kool-aid with Diyonsus cabin. The children of Hermes and Mercury laugh and told stories. Blossom was helping accelerate growth in damaged plants with Demeter and Ceres siblings.

"So you separated by Cohorts?" Katie asked.

" Don't you guys feel isolated by not being with other members of the camp?" Leila asked.

" Not really," Miranda answered.

" We love to spend time with the other campers, but we do like family time," Blossom said.