Starlight and Repair boy (Leo Valdez x OC)

Chapter 24

Leo

"I don't get how Hades can stand the underground."

My eyes yanked open and I did not expect to see darkness. I groaned as I got up. Even after a while, my eyes hadn't adjusted. Man, I need to eat more carrots.

I lit my hand on fire and yelped when I saw a body stirring in front of me. "Get away from me zombie!" I whimpered as I waved my hand in front of me.

"Oh calm down Leo! Can't you recognise your best friend?" They got up. I let out the breath I was holding when I realised it was Caitlyn. She slowly got up and observed our surroundings. There was nothing but dirt.

"So... What now?" She asked. My eyes went to the tunnel ahead of us. "I'll look around. You take care of Piper and Connor. I took a step forward but Caitlyn stopped me when she reached for my shoulder.

She shook her head as she warned me, "No Leo. Remember the last time we separated? We're dead meat if we split up again. Leo, I saw visions. I know what I'm talking about. The skeletons were one of the things I saw."

Her concerned eyes begged me to stay with her. I reluctantly nodded and plopped myself down onto the ground. Caitlyn muttered under her breath as she sat down beside me "Great, this whole quest thingy is turning me into Athena." She groaned. I smiled back at her and an awkward silence filled the air. We said nothing, both of us dreading what would happen next.

The moment Connor and Piper groaned, I rejoiced. "Wake up sleepy heads. We got some granny butts to kick!"

They slowly got up and were surprised to find themselves surrounded by walls of dirt. Piper got up and brushed the dirt off her but Connor stayed on the ground. He was unnaturally pale and he showed no signs of wanting to move. 

He had tears in his eyes as he looked helplessly upwardly. I bent over to his side and waved my hand in front of his face. "Hey, bro? You okay?" I clapped my hands in front of his eyes. He completely ignored me, but he managed to speak, "My mum, I saw her. She was one of the skeletons. She- She's dead after all,"

Tears ran down his face and he struggled to stand up. Caitlyn rushed over and gave him a hand. We both lifted him onto his feet, speechless. "Hey, you alright? Maybe that wasn't actually wasn't her. You'll find her someday," She reassured him. He nodded silently and looked over to her.

"You okay, Caitlyn?" Connor asked her. Her eyes hardened, "Connor, I should be the one asking. But yeah, I'm good." Connor shook our grips off and managed to walk ahead.

 I looked in between them, not understanding.

"Do you wanna...?" He looked back at Caitlyn, his voice soft. "No," Caitlyn shook her head before Connor could finish.

Something happened between them, I know it. I pushed away bitter thoughts and forced a smile on my face. I decided not to ponder anymore on it.

I forced a smile on my face and pretended that didn't happen. I could tell Piper was also uncomfortable. "Well, we should get going unless we wanna die. Come on!" I trudged on forward.

Caitlyn ran to my side and mouthed a "thank you," I gave her a small smile. Caitlyn bent over to the ground and picked up a long stick. She ripped off the end of her shirt and wrapped the cotton on the tip of the stick.