Starlight and Repair boy (Leo Valdez x OC)

Chapter 10

Leo

"I had the best time of my life, for once"

Caitlyn flashed me a bright smile and walked back to the Apollo cabin with her shirt dripping. I smiled back and I jogged to my cabin with radiant energy. 

I walked to my bed and pressed a few buttons on the side of it. A whack-a-mole game popped out of the floor as I grabbed a hammer from my tool belt. Gaea's head popped out of the holes and I pinned her down every turn. 

When the game stopped, the floor opened up next to me with a bronze pole leading to the room below. I hugged the pole and slid down it like a fireman who didn't feel like putting out flames.

Once I reached the bottom, I walked over to the table, shivering as I went. I was still wet from the exchange between the ocean and my face. I was planning to prank Perseus Jackson for what he had done to my hair.

Perhaps I'll ask Caitlyn to help me... It was a good idea, I bet that girl can come up with better pranks than the Stolls! 

I was calculating my next move when a hole opened up with Caitlyn sliding down on it. Can this girl ever stop being so magical?  I chuckled as she slid down the pole. "You hanging in there, madam?" I teased her, she jumped onto the ground with a frown on her face. 

"Very funny, repair boy. But we need to talk." Her eyebrows were raised and her arms were crossed against her chest. My definition of "We need to talk," was never a good thing. Most of the time, it was because I broke something or I pulled an evil prank on someone.

"Spill," I couldn't handle any form of suspense. Caitlyn sighed and put down her arms. Uh oh, Caitlyn sighing is never a good thing. Good thing I made some mental notes about being able to read her throughout the week. 

"Nyssa told me about your situation before I came here." I raised an eyebrow, I was pretty sure I had gotten myself into at least thousands of situations before Caitlyn had gotten here. "Sorry hun, but you need to be more clear." 

I noticed Caitlyn's clenched fists, she rarely gets angry. " I meant Calypso." She tensed, observing me with weary eyes. I took in a sharp breath and shook my head. "It's in the past now," I assured her, not meeting her eyes. 

"Leo, I can tell it's still affecting you." Caitlyn walked over to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. Why do I have to talk about it? Caitlyn wasn't supposed to know about this. She looked at me with anger in her eyes. Her normally golden brown eyes were a grey-brown. 

"It's not your fault Calypso left you for some idiot." I wanted her to stop talking and dance around throwing flowers. Caitlyn took in a deep breath, calming herself down. "You can talk to someone about this, you know? You're surrounded by people who love you." She paused for a moment and continued. "Don't hold the grudge in. I want you to know that I will do anything to help you, anything." 

I started shaking and my head was filling up with harsh thoughts. But when I looked into Caitlyn's eyes, I suddenly stopped shaking and my thoughts evaporated. There's no point in mourning, she's never coming back. I got someone else to trust, maybe even getting really close to. 

I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding in. I glanced at Caitlyn, she was looking at me intensely, waiting for my reaction. "Anything?" I asked her with a mischievous grin playing at my lips.

Caitlyn groaned. "I shouldn't have said that. No Leo, I won't throw myself off a cliff to make you feel better."

I laughed and thought for a few seconds. "You could help me forget her," I answered. Caitlyn's eyes searched my face, but I could sense the relief in them. I could tell she was satisfied with my answer.

"Thank you for offering some help, but there's nothing you can really do. Except..." I glanced in the direction of the paper, sprawled over my desk. "You could help me pull a prank on Percy." Caitlyn laughed and nodded. "Anything for you, Captain." She smiled enthusiastically.

I was thankful Caitlyn had returned to her happy self. "What are you thinking of in that brain of yours?" I return her smile. She rubbed her chin and her eyes darted around the room. The longer she thought, the bigger her smile grew.

"What if..." She gave me an evil smile. "We'll do a bunch of pranks involving water, it only seems right after what he did to you." 

"You encouraged him."

"Shut up Valdez."

Her charm seemed to shut my mouth. Caitlyn rolled her eyes and kept going, "One could be the classic shampoo trick. Then, we'll flood his cabin with water as he takes his shower, Annabeth is always complaining about how long he takes in the shower, so we'll have plenty of time. When he is eating, we'll ask one of the Hecate's kids to use the mist on him, he'll think he is eating food but everyone will see him eating seaweed!"

"Wow, girl you are a genius!" An idea popped up in my head. "And, we'll replace his bed with a bathtub full of water, it'll be too dark after the camp songs to see where he is putting himself into!" 

Caitlyn let out a laugh and high fived me. "Percy is in for a treat!" 

"A very wet treat!" I finished for her. 

I didn't know how long we were planning our pranks. But it was long enough that when we finished, we heard the horn, signalling dinner. I pretended to wipe sweat from my forehead and turned to her.

"You and I make a pretty good team," I blushed as I said that. "Come on over to Leo's Laugh House to elaborate on your genius ideas!" Caitlyn let out a chuckle and gave me a warm smile. "I will, you are pretty good at coming up with ideas, you're not dumb as everyone claims you are." 

We stood in awkward silence. I suddenly had an interest in the grease marks on the floor. "We better get going." She gestured to the roof. I nodded and walked over to a panel and pushed some buttons. A hole opened up and a ladder dropped down. 

"Thanks for the help Caitlyn, I would still be thinking about Calypso if it weren't for you." I have stopped thinking about Calypso ever since I laid eyes on you. She gave me a thoughtful look before she walked up to me. "No problem!" She stepped forward and gave me a peck on the cheek.

I could feel myself burning as she backed away. "What was that for?" I asked her, barely managing to not stutter. My heart was beating against my chest so hard, I thought the whole camp would feel it too.

"It's my business card for whenever you're in a love crisis." Caitlyn beamed and climbed up the ladder. I was left behind, stunned.

I waited until my heart was under control and climbed up the ladder. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day. It was going to be filled with laughter and Percy's surprised face.