The Hunt for His Heart

Leo: Part eight

                                                                 VIII

                                                                Leo

        Flying on a pegasus was definitely not on Leo’s bucket list. He could tell his pegasus  thoroughly enjoyed Leo being scared half to death and Leo didn’t want to die, not again anyway. That was not a feeling he wanted to experience again. Festus wasn’t here to save him this time, and he wasn’t immortal like Ana.

        His thoughts started to drift to Ana, and he glanced at her flying in front of him, Gabby right next to her. Her hair was flowing behind her and she looked so comfortable on Blackjack. He could hear her laughing with Gabby and he grinned at the thought of them getting along. Her laugh saddened him because it sounded so much like Calypso’s. Ana was so different from Calypso, but he couldn’t help feeling attracted to her. He felt so guilty for it, mostly because Calypso needed him and he was getting distracted by a Hunter. She pledged maidenhood anyway and there is no way that she would ever care about him. She was a lieutenant of the immortal and talented girls that didn’t want anything to do with guys. He was surprised that she agreed to go on the quest with him in the first place.

        Leo looked down and saw a place that looked familiar. He yelled to Ana to tell the pegasi to land, and she understood. When they got down in the near forest, Ana sent the pegasi away and they scurried off tired. Ana explained that Percy sent Rose, Braeburn, and Blackjack to them somehow knowing they would need them. He smiled at the thought of Percy and Annabeth and realized he hadn’t seen them since he died.

        “Okay, Flame Boy lead the way,” Gabby said.

        “You did not just call me that,” Leo replied obviously insulted.

        “She didn’t, okay? So, where to?” Ana replied, being defensive. Leo sighed and pointed east. They started walking again and made their way to a town. The people there looked so miserable, and that made Leo’s heart ache. His home town, his first real house, that used to be such a happy place and everyone knew each other was now a sad gray place that he could barely recognize. He wondered if anyone would recognize him. Surely someone would recognize that curly hair of-

        “BEAST!” screamed an old lady who happened to be walking by them. “We told you to never come back, you hear? NEVER!” shrieked the lady who was looking directly at him, pointing. Ana rested her hand on his shoulder reassuringly and she spoke up.

        “What did he do wrong to never come back?” she asked calmly.

        “He killed poor Esmeralda, his own mother!” she yelled. Ana looked at him with a shocked face, then spoke again.

        “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding. He tells me how much he loves his mother, and he would never hurt anyone,” she said that with such confidence and he was so grateful for having a good friend to stick up for him. He was heartbroken that these people still thought he murdered his mom. They had no idea who actually caused her death, and no matter what he would say, he wouldn’t be able to convince them that the Earth mother killed her. They would send him to a mental hospital probably.

        “You are naive little girl, if you have any sense, you will leave this monster now and stay here in peace,” she said to Ana. “you too, little girl,” she said, pointing to Gabby.

        “There is no way we are leaving our friend behind because of some old people refusing to know the truth,” said Gabby, stepping towards the woman.