Once Upon A Time A Percy Jackson AU

Chapter Three: Inside a story

Geez, boys are heavy, what do they eat, a whole horse? Piper thought as she dragged Jason back to camp. She felt Jason's hand clutch hers, she then let go. Piper turned just in time to see him fall back down. "Ow!" Piper ignored his cry of pain and continued walking, Jason following behind her.

When they finally arrived at camp, Annabeth and Frank were already there, the book on the log next to them. "Did you find anything?" Annabeth asked. Piper nodded. "We found a fire user, supposedly a demigod, a satyr, and that witch girl Atlas is looking for." Jason cut in. Frank raised his eyebrow questionably, "Do you know what happened to them?"

"They knocked us out before we could do anything. When I woke up, they were gone." Piper lied. Annabeth didn't look convinced but she didn't push it. "It's fine, the book glowed and showed more locations, we can check those places tomorrow." Annabeth said.

"Oh yeah, and the Fire user was Piper's long lost best friend, Leo." Jason added.

Piper opened her mouth to respond but suddenly, the book started to glow a blinding gold. She recoiled, the light blinding her eyes. When the light finally died down, Piper saw a young girl staring right at them. "Hello," the girl said calmly. "Who are you?" Frank questioned, changing back from a bulldog. "Aria, daughter- was a daughter of Hecate."

"What do you mean, 'was', you can't undo who your parent is!" Jason questioned. "Well, I'm dead." Aria said flatly. Piper choked on the air. "What are you then, a ghost?!" Annabeth demanded. "Half, Normally I spend my death in the underworld but my mother bonded my soul to this book, so if a story appears, I come here to read it." Aria explained. "So you have a story for us?" Frank asked. She nodded, "Yes, now shut up and let me read." Piper sat on the grass.

"Fire," Aria started " A symbol of warmth, but also a sign of destruction. The feeling wasn't strange to eight-year old Leo, his mother, Esperanza Valdez, was a blacksmith, their lives practically revolved around fire! The young boy had a connection with flames too, he could create them. He would practice with the flames, trying to control them and bend to his will."

"One day, guards caught him playing with the fire, and punished him greatly. They captured him and his mother and did the worst thing possible. Using Leo's own flames, they lit a campfire, tied Esperanza to a pyre, and used the campfire's flames to light it on fire."

"Leo ran through the flames to his mother, where they exchanged a few words. 'Don't cry mijo,' Esperanza whispered 'I love you Leo. I-' "

"Later, the guards claimed that there was a fire that spread from the little shop. They were very silver-tongued and the rest of the village believed them."

"Four years later, Leo is twelve years old when he found a bronze dragon named Festus, translating to happy. Sadly, the happiness didn't last, a patrol team found Festus and took it away, not even a part for Leo to keep. But his troubles didn't end there, a sorceress named Medea found the boy in a clearing known as 'Dragon's Nest' and took 'pity' on him, turning him into what he so missed, a dragon."

"Two years later, another sorceress by the name of Asha took pity on him and did what she could for the sorceress' time was nearly up. Asha gave him the power to turn back and forth on command. Leo was back."

"Eventually, Leo found friends whom he called family, and eventually, a love."

"But the young hero knew,"

"That nothing ever lasts, peace was destroyed, home was broken, and even his own mother, didn't last."

"Though, it didn't keep him from living his life, he found happiness, even if it lasted shortly, it was part of living, and living is what he's going to do." Aria concluded, before disappearing in a shower of silver lights.

The book's gold shine died down and Piper saw that a few pages were filled, with a story she recognized, the story of her best friend.

The four exchanged glances, "Why us?" Annabeth asked. "What will we do?" Frank asked "We just heard a story of what's supposed to be our enemy." "I don't know." Annabeth answered. "This could be a trick for the enemy. Maybe we capture him, Jason and Piper have seen him before, and interrogate him."

"No!" Piper shouted "I've known him the longest, I can't just do this to him, especially after what he's been through!" Jason looked at her sympathetically "I'm sorry Pipes, we have to."

"No you don't! He just watched his mother DIE, he was cursed by Medea, his own DRAGON was taken away before he got to say goodbye!" Piper hissed. She turned and walked away, Annabeth saying "Let her go, she'll come around."

Oh no she will NOT come around. I'm finding Leo, Piper looked at the sky.

Tonight.