To The Future

Chapter 8

No one wanted to go back more than Leo. He had so much he had left behind. Calypso, his dad, his mum's spirit, his past, and Festus. Especially Festus. He looked around, taking in the weirdness.

A cyborg, an awesome pistol, a wolf hybrid thingy with implants that made Leo gawp and the Scarlett person.

She reminded him of Calypso. Calypso, the girl Leo died for, the girl he came back alive for, the girl who could pull off ashes.

Which reminded Leo of that ashes song that that crazy girl was singing.

"As much as I like your voice, these other people like silence. Or they're just scared of death," he said, ignoring Hazel's dirty looks. The girl looked at him, smiling. Was her name Winter? The season, maybe Summer? Spring? Or Autumn...

"I like singing," Autumn replied. "Ashes, ashes, we all fall-"

"Dying isn't a joke," Nico snapped, scowling. "It's deadly."

"I didn't know it was deadly," Percy mocked, grinning. Annabeth roughly shoved him, shaking her head.

"Shut up, seaweed brain," she said.

"Death is bad," Autumn agreed. "I'd rather die, it seems like an escape away from stepmom..." Leo arched a brow. Dying had one of the roads in a fork, and he had taken it. And come back to life.

"Death can be good," Leo said. Jason punched his shoulder.

"Like how you died," he said. Leo grinned.

"You guys care about me!" He exclaimed, spreading out his arms for a hug. Jason pushed his arms away.

"Go and hug someone else," he flinched away. Leo noticed that the weird futuristic people had left to go to some control room, so it was just the demigods and their awesomeness.

"Frank! Gimme a hug," Leo said, spreading out his arms again. Frank pulled a face, then hugged Hazel instead. Leo's smile brightened as he offered hugs to the others, all of them refusing and hugging their partners. Which left Grover, who was too hairy to hug, and Nico.

"Hug, Mr Dark Horse?" Leo offered. Nico looked on the verge of hitting someone.

"No hugs please," he said. Annabeth grinned.

"Because one thing might lead to another," she added in, giving Percy a nudge. Percy turned a little green, edging away from Nico. Nico scowled, ignoring the questioning glances Jason sent him. Now Leo was curious.

"Are you guys in some sort of godly secret we don't know about?" Leo asked. Annabeth stifled a giggle as she whispered something is Piper's ear. Piper's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "No way!" Piper, in turn started whispering to Hazel, who looked really shocked.

"What's going on? And mmm this can is great!" Grover said with his mouth full of aluminium.

"Nico is-" Piper said, giggling mid-sentence.

"He's," Hazel tried to complete Piper's sentence.

"Oh gods, he's gay!" Jason growled. Nico's cheeks flared as he backed away from all the guys.

And a certain son of Apollo tumbles out of thin air and crushed Nico under his weight.

"Wait. Everyone but me - and Zhang - knew that Nico was gay? That's demigodcist!" Leo complained. Nico grunted, trying to push Will Solace off him.

"Oh gods... where am I? Oh gods, I'm sorry!" Will cried out, scrambling off Nico. Nico grunted, slowly getting to his feet. Will looked embarrassed as he offered Nico a helping hand, which got refused.

"Friendzoned!" Leo exclaimed, then pulled out breathmints from his tool belt. "Breathmints, anyone?"