It had been three months. Three months, but it had felt like forever. You sat there on your bunk in the Poseidon cabin, hugging a mechanical teddy bear Leo had given you before he had left on his quest. It was metal, so it wasn’t the softest thing in the world, but you loved it mostly because of the small button in the middle. You pressed it again and again, carefully listening to the ‘I love you Calypso. I’ll be back in no time princess’ of Leo Valdez’s soothing voice coming from the speaker in the bear’s mouth. You hugged it even tighter, but only his voice kept your memory of him alive, you couldn’t even remember what his laugh sounded like, and that was something you thought you would never forget.
A single tear slid down your cheek as you thought about what he was up to. You had no idea, as the camp hadn’t heard news of him or the others, so he could have been in London, or in Tokyo, he might as well have been right here in New York, but you had no way of knowing. What if he got hurt? No, no. You didn’t dare to think about stuff like that. It just made you want him by your side even more. That was when you heard cheering coming from outside. You jumped off your bed, carefully placing the bear down on the soft sheets before running out. What you saw broke your heart. There they were. Jason, and Percy, and Annabeth, and Piper, and Frank, and Hazel. But where was Leo? The tears came more rapidly as you realised what had happened, and you broke down, right there on the porch of the cabin. You didn’t want to think about it, but a mental image came crawling into your thoughts, him lying on the concrete ground, his shirt soaked with blood from a gaping wound in his stomach. Your sleek black hair fell over your face, and you shut your eyes, shaking with every sob that passed through your mouth. That was when the unexpected happened.
A pair of strong, tanned arms wrapped around your waist from behind you. “Don’t cry, I’m here now.” You turned around as soon as you heard that voice, the voice you had been listening to non-stop for the past three months. You saw his face, his beautiful face. He had bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept for days, which he probably hadn’t. But other than that, he hadn’t changed. The same amazing smile, the same gorgeous curls. His hands didn’t leave your waist as you stood up and hugged him as tightly as possible, tears still streaming down your cheeks, but these were a sign of your happiness, no doubt. “I’ve missed you so much...” You whispered against his chest, inhaling the sweet smell of smoke and a hint of musk. “Why weren’t you with the others?”
“I stayed behind in the forest searching for you, since you’re always there” You chuckled. “I haven’t been outside for the past two and a half months.” He kissed you, a kiss well deserved, and kept on muttering that he’ll never leave you again.
