Daughter of Mother Earth

Chapter Sixty-Four

The nymphs were starting to recover and began throwing rocks and sticks.

Crystal quickly hugged Echo. "Go save Narcissus."

"Save Narcissus!" And with a small wave, Echo was gone. 

Crystal shakily rose off the ground, allowing her powers to fly her away from the island. Pain and exhaustion coursed through her body. She shut her eyes, pushing herself faster and faster until she finally reached the Argo II. Landing on the deck, Crystal immediately collapsed. The last thing she saw was Leo and Hazel rushing toward her before Crystal blacked out.

_________________________________________

Crystal woke up to a cool rag being dabbed on her forehead. The sky was colored with various shades of pink, yellow, and orange. She was still on deck. Groaning, Crystal pushed herself to her elbows. Hazel, who was dabbing Crystal's forehead, gently helped her up. Leo stopped pacing and knelt by the demigod.

"You have got to stop doing that!" Leo scolded. "It scares me every damn time."

Crystal chuckled, but her voice was raspy. "Didn't think you cared that much, Valdez."

"Come on," Leo hoisted her up, letting her support her weight on him. "Let's get you some ambrosia."

They slowly made their way down the flight of stairs to their living quarters, Hazel following behind with the sheet of bronze. They stopped in front of Jason's room, surprised to see Jason awake. Piper, however, was more surprised at their appearance. Leo was still decked out in lipstick marks and Crystal was hanging on him, gripping her side. 

"Gods of Olympus," Piper gasped. "What happened to you guys?"

Leo awkwardly chuckled. "Long story."

"Are the others back yet?" Hazel asked, propping the bronze against the doorway.

Piper shook her head. Crystal smiled over at Jason, happy he was finally awake. She waved at the demigod.

"You look like shit," Crystal laughed.

Jason grinned. "I could say the same for you."

Crystal winced as a sharp pain pierced her ribs. With a final wave goodbye, she and Leo made their way to the kitchen. Crystal quickly ate a small bar of ambrosia and immediately felt ten times better. It wasn't too long before Crystal found herself perched on a piece of machinery in the engine room, watching Leo make his repairs. She took a sip of nectar from her cup, impressed by the speed at which the demigod could move. He mumbled words to himself as he bounced from place to place. He looked like a total mess from the earlier event. He even managed to get smudges of grease on his face along with the kiss marks that well, Crystal left. Crystal stayed silent, intently watching as Leo plopped down and began tightening bolts on a small object. 

"Are you checking me out?"

Crystal jumped at his sudden question and raised her brow. "In your dreams, Valdez."

Leo looked back at the bolts he was fiddling with, a smirk on his face. "Are you sure? It definitely seems like you were."

"Alright you caught me, but I can't help it," Crystal shrugged nonchalantly. "You're hot."

Leo laughed. "Do you mean that literally or figuratively?"

"Both," Crystal said. "But right now you're actually on fire."

"What?"

Sure enough, small flames licked at Leo's curls. He tried patting them out but to no avail. Crystal hopped from her seat and poured her cup of nectar over his head, effectively extinguishing the flames. Leo sat in shock, dripping in the liquid. Crystal burst out laughing, his reaction was priceless. Her laughter quickly died down when she saw that mischievous glint in his eyes.