Chapter Text
Four days before Jason’s birthday, Leo was storming out of the mess hall. There was another prophecy, another quest. Not for him, of course - he was used to just sitting at camp at this point. Not that he wanted to go perform some deathly task for the Gods, but he didn’t really care.
His friends, on the other hand, he cared about them. Just this year they almost died so many times, their skin was all scarred from fights and traps and wars. And now another stupid quest! Percy, Nico, and Jason were going away to deal with some rouge minor god trying to overthrow their parents. Nico just got back from the Underworld, doing a favor for his stepmother, and he just started to look solid. Gods and their stupid, stupid quests. Task. Favors. Tests. It was pointless, an endless cycle of pain and trauma.
Leo needed to get somewhere where his angry outburst won’t hurt anyone. His first thought was the bunker, but he knew there were some kids working there today. The beach, then? Sounds safe enough.
He made his way to the ocean, walking in so the water reached his waist. And he promptly let the fire out.
If it wasn’t Camp Half-Blood, the sight of a teenager standing in the ocean, screaming his lungs out and currently being on fire would be concerning. But anyone who caught sight of it just shrugged or shook their head and continued with their day.
Leo felt relief, having some of the anger he was holding inside outside of his body. Still, he could (and would, if given the chance) punch every god out there in their stupid face. Stupid gods and stupid quests! Endangering the lives and the well-being of everyone he cared about! They were all just kids, they didn’t deserve all of it.
They should be able to have an ounce of normality every once in a while. Well, Leo thought, some of us get to have families and schools and lives, but it’s still unfair. He thought about Jason. Just this morning, they were talking about how they were going to pull off the secret barbecue in the woods for his birthday (Leo put together a grill just last week and it was gonna be perfect, they just needed a way to control the smoke without Jason having to manipulate the wind all afternoon) and now Jason would have to go and risk his life again.
They just started to talk again, after a particularly bad day, when Leo suffered an anxiety attack due to some new campers in the Aphrodite cabin. They were twin sisters, both tall, with silky, long black hair and with delicate features that made them look as kind as Disney princesses. They were discussing dating prospects on camp, and when one asked about Leo, the other laughed, looked him straight in the eye as he was passing next to them, and said ew, not even on a dare.
Leo wasn’t interested in them. Romance wasn’t really on his mind at all, he was so focused on getting better he didn’t even flirt anymore. Still, hearing that opened the way for some dark thoughts. He somehow managed to ignore the longing for a relationship, focusing on his friendships instead. But someone being so bluntly disgusted about even the idea of him made his throat tighten. He knew instantly that he was going to cry, he just had to get somewhere private, so that people won’t see him.
But Jason found him. Granted, it was after Leo was mostly calm already, but still. Not many people came to the meadow below Zeus’ fist anymore, thinking the place was cursed. Leo thought it was ridiculous - so many people died on campgrounds the whole place should be considered cursed. Still, it was nice to have a place to escape when things were too much. Jason seemed to share the sentiment, as he burst through the trees cursing in a weird mix of Greek and Latin.
Leo stood up, hoping to get away unnoticed.
“Leo, is that you?” he heard Jason shouting. He slowly turned around, hoping his face wasn’t as red and puffy as it felt.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m going to my cabin, though.”
“Are you okay?” Jason asked, furrowing his brows, like he always did when he was concerned. It made his nose wrinkle a little bit.
“No, not really. You?”
“Yeah, also not really. Do you want to talk?”
“I don’t know. You?”
“Actually yes, if you’re willing to listen,” Jason said, looking in the distance. Something about his face changed for a split second like he was dropping a mask.
“I’d love to,” Leo smiled and wiped away his tears.
So they talked. First about Jason, about how it’s so difficult to navigate between both camps while also making sure the shrines were coming along together; about strange minor gods, long forgotten by the public, making late-night visits to suggest how their shrines should look ( I’m telling you, three deities stood above my bed, four a. m. on the clock, and they argued about who is the true god of springs!) ; and about how he and Piper were probably going to break up for good by the end of the summer. Then they talked about Leo, about how he’s had both up and downs, about the anxiety and the mean campers. Most importantly, they talked about them. About what their friendship meant and if it even was friendship at this point, given they drifted so far apart. But they agreed on trying to be better for each other.
And just like that day in the meadow, Jason found Leo again. Screaming loudly at the sky and the water, not even using his words most of the time.
“Why won’t you just leave them alone?! They are your kids, you should want them to be safe, and not send them on another death trap!” the flames rose higher as Leo shouted, “One of those times they’re gonna get themselves killed and it’s all gonna be your fault! I hate you, all of you!”
A pitiful sob carried through the beach. Jason sighed. His friend was rightfully angry, but it was useless. Jason tried it before, screaming for his dad to give him a break, to just let him do his thing. He tried bargaining, ignoring, denying, and running away. Nothing ever worked, the prophecies always came to fruition. The quests had to be done.
“Come on Leo, you know they’re not listening!” Jason screamed from the beach, not wanting to go near the flames.
“How do you know?” asked Leo, turning around. His flames got a little smaller.
Jason smiled. “Zeus sucks!” he shouted, to Leo’s grimace. “See? Daddy dearest didn’t strike me, and believe me, he’s not holding himself back for my sake. And he really doesn’t care about the whole fatherhood thing, so don’t try to appeal to his conscience.”
Leo sighed and started to walk out of the water. The flames were getting smaller with his every step.
“Can I give you a hug?” he asked, now standing in front of Jason, with only reminiscent of fire consuming him just a minute ago a tiny flame in his hair.
Jason put it down with his palm and pulled him into a hug. He was taller than Leo, so he comfortably rested his chin on the other’s head.
They haven’t really hugged like that before. It was different than a hug hello or goodbye, or just a quick friendly one. It felt like in their shared anger, sadness, and frustration, they were not alone. Cause the other knew how hard it could get to be a demigod.
It was a warm, tight hug. The kind you can feel in your bones. Leo thought that Jason was just the right size to hug - big enough to make him feel safe, but not so big he completely crushed him. Jason thought that hugging Leo felt just correct. Like this is where they were both meant to be right now.
“Thank you for being angry,” Jason said after a moment, making the other pull back and laugh.
“What? You’re so weird!” Leo kept laughing.
“I’m serious!” Jason laughed too, “I don’t have the energy to be angry with them anymore. It's not that I don’t care to, I’m just tired. So, thank you. For caring so much you get angry for me.”
“Well, they deserve it. They should give you guys a break! Nico just got better. He was translucent, Jason, you could see right through him. That is not normal.”
“Our lives are anything but normal.”
“I know! But it doesn’t make it right for those assholes to just… exploit you!” Leo started to pace around. His hands started to catch on fire.
“Hey, it's okay. Breathe,” Jason said gently, “It’s not that bad anyway, what is some minor god to us? We can take them in seconds! We’ll be so fast you won’t even notice we’re gone.”
Leo stopped abruptly. He opened his eyes a little wider, making eye contact with Jason. Tears started to form as his voice broke a little.
“Oh no, Jason,” he said, “you’re gonna miss your birthday party.”
Now Jason was the one who burst with a laugh.
“Come on, no big deal, we’ll try your grill when we’re back! I’m not that big on birthdays anyway.”
His smile faded away when he saw the look on Leo’s face. Not only did he look sad, but he also looked embarrassed. Ashamed, even. Jason didn’t like it.
“Hey, it’s okay. What’s going on?” he prompted in a quiet voice.
“I’m sorry,” Leo whimpered, “It’s just that… It’s something Will once told me. When we get together to celebrate someone’s birthday, it means they got to stay alive another year. And in our world, it’s just not a given. So yeah. You’re gonna miss your birthday party.”
Jason pulled Leo into another hug.
***
Leo was tinkering with some metal, preparing to make little statues of two Roman goddesses - Adeona and Abeona. Jason has asked him to create something special he could put in a shrine for those two back in Camp Jupiter just as he was leaving for his quest with Nico and Percy.
They are really great, you know. They take care of kids while they leave home and grant them a safe return. Just what we need. So make something for them with those genius hands of yours, Leo.
Jason’s voice echoed in Leo’s mind. He was worried sick about all three of them. He was usually calmer about the quests, people went of them all the time. But something about this one being all children of the big three felt unsettling. They were a monster magnet, and while they were all strong and brave, monsters were… well, monsters.
Today was Jason’s birthday. They should be here, having grilled delicacies and some stolen beer in the woods, laughing and having fun. Instead, they were away. Away from camp, safety, and friends.
Well, at least they had each other.
Leo tried to imagine where they were now. Maybe they were facing down some terrible creature, or a mean spirit. Maybe they were trapped somewhere, with no water and no light. Or maybe things were going well and they were sitting in a diner having burgers.
He smiled at the thought of burgers. Nico loved them and would sometimes seek Leo holding a bag containing two of those, getting them both to eat.
Leo furrowed his brows. Has he eaten today? He got lousy with tracking his meal times since the boys left camp. It was like they occupied his mind all the time. He had a terrible feeling about this quest.
He sighed and put down his tools. They will be fine, he thought to himself. He needed to talk about it with someone or he will go crazy. Hazel went back to New Rome with Frank, but Will, Annabeth, and Piper should have a worried partner club - maybe he could crush a meeting.
He found them at the arts and crafts center. Annabeth sat in a rocking chair, knitting something. While the circumstances could easily make her look like a cozy grandma, Annabeth’s face showed only bloodlust while she manipulated the needles with record speed. Leo wasn’t sure what she was making, but it reminded him of a thneed. Will and Piper were also playing with needles but of a different kind.
“Stop moving, it’s gonna be all wobbly!” Piper shouted at Will, holding down his calf.
“You’re terrible at this! My other one didn’t hurt like that!” Will whimpered.
Piper stopped the tattoo gun and sighed. “Fine! I guess you’re stuck with a line instead of an arrow. You’re welcome.”
“What are you guys doing?” Leo asked finally, leaning on the doorframe, “Can I join?”
Piper's face lit up. “Leo! Do you want a tattoo? I can get a clean needle.”
“Hell yeah!” he smiled at her, “What are you thinking? I’m thinking a tramp stamp.”
“A hyperrealistic portrait of Mr. D,” she smiled back.
Annabeth sighed and put down her knitting needles. “I still think it’s a terrible idea. The tattoos, I mean. This is not a hygienic enough environment and you’ve never held a tattoo gun before, Piper.”
Piper scowled at her friend. “I’m gonna tattoo “Athena is a milf” on his forehead.”
Leo snorted, but she looked serious.
“Anyway,” Will tried to de-escalate their banter, “What are you doing here? I don’t think I ever saw you here, you’re more of a forge guy.”
“Well, I was kinda looking for you, guys,” Leo admitted shyly, “I don’t know, their quest is stressing me out for some reason. And I just thought maybe you guys are stressed about it too and maybe we could stress together? I’m sorry if I’m intruding, I can leave you to your tattoos.”
They all glanced at each other. It felt like they had a whole silent conversation without Leo. So he did what he was best at - he turned on his heel and started to walk out. It was stupid anyway, they were probably way more stressed than him, it was their partners who were probably facing death right now, what right did he have to panic so badly about it?
“Leo, stop,” commanded Piper, “Where are you going?”
He turned back to them. He couldn’t read their faces. “Well, I thought. I thought that maybe it was a bad idea. You guys have it way harder, and I’m just. You know.”
“We don’t know,” Annabeth stood up, crossing her arms over her chest, “What do you mean?”
Leo could feel himself blushing. It was stupid, first coming here, and then just blabbing everything that popped into his mind.
“Nevermind, I’ll just go.”
“No, you won’t,” said Will nonchalantly, “We’re stressing together now, so sit your ass down.”
Everyone looked at him. It wasn’t really like Will to speak so bluntly.
“What? I’m stressed too. And I’m mad too. And I’m not in the mood for bullshit. So, Leo, pick your poison - you can either do a painting, sew yourself a pair of pants or join me in smashing some clay pots.”
“The pots,” he just said and made his way to the back of the room, where the ceramics storage was. Will followed.
Annabeth and Piper just looked at each other, shrugging and getting back to their respective needles.
***
Waiting for any news about “The Baby Three”, as the currently questing group got nicknamed pretty quickly, was excruciating. They were now gone for 8 days and they haven’t contacted anyone at camp since. On day six Will threw a tantrum about stuffing ten golden drachmas in Nico’s pockets before their left so that he could let him know he was alright. Yet there was no news.
They had no idea where the group went, so they couldn’t contact them. Not that they didn’t try - Leo and Piper spent a whole afternoon of day five trying different methods, just wasting a bunch of coins. Apparently, Jason Grace, dangerous quest, USA wasn’t precise enough. Piper tried to charmspeak the rainbow (Leo had no idea how that would even work), threatening it and finally, begging on her knees.
“I think we should all get matching rainbow tattoos so we could just call whenever and wherever,” she said, plopping herself down on a bean bag in the arts and crafts center. Somehow it became their new hangout space.
“Will that work? I mean, it’s only an image of a rainbow, not the real thing. Maybe I could… Yes. So like… Bracelets? That could generate rainbows when you flip a switch. But with like, GPS, so we know where to call. But how do I make GPS safe…”
“Leo, you’re doing it again,” she just said, stopping his train of thought, “We both know that if you start working now I won’t see you for days and I can’t have that, I need someone to stress with.”
He smiled. Ever since he still found his friends at the arts and crafts center, they were using that phrase. It gave them a way to communicate the need for companionship and support without asking for it directly and made this time easier for them. Still stressful.
Annabeth was helping Will in the infirmary a lot. Leo thought they were like him and Jason in that matter - they would throw themselves into work and continue to do so until they passed out of exhaustion. So Piper and Leo made sure both blondes ate, slept, and had some rest from time to time. For Annabeth, it was mostly knitting. She was halfway through a scarf of a very impressive length, which she promised to strangle Percy with when he came back, as a punishment for not letting her know if he was alive.
For Will, it was calling Hazel, demanding to know if she sensed anyone dying ( I promise you’ll be the first to know, now stop worrying, Nico is gonna be fine! ). Leo was afraid his blond hair was gonna turn grey under all the stress.
“I promise to stress with you all you need,” Leo said, turning to Piper, “but I do desperately need to pee. So, be right back!”
“You have the bladder of a pregnant woman!” she screamed behind him as he was making his way out, laughing loudly.
The bathroom attached to the arts and crafts center was out of order due to some younger Hermes cabin crowd getting into a pranking war with Hebe’s kids. It did make life at camp unsufferable in some instances, but was also very funny on occasion, like when one cabin stole all the shoes from their rival and changed it to baby shoes. Leo didn’t remember which cabin was behind that, but it was funny. Breaking a toilet that everyone uses - not funny.
He made his way back to the cabins, basically running into the bathroom. Why is it that he only feels the need to pee only when he’s about to burst?
Relieved, he came out of cabin nine, only to be met with a sight of pegasus falling down from the sky. Two people sat on its back, screaming. Leo started running, wanting to be there when they hit the ground.
The pegasus managed to somewhat absorb the worst of the impact, landing just by the lake. The two figures that sat on top luckily didn’t fall into the water but rolled onto the grass.
Leo quickly recognized the one closest to him. He picked up his pace, now sprinting towards his friend.
“Nico!” he screamed, falling to the ground and hugging him, “Are you okay?”
“I will be if you stop suffocating me!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m just so happy you’re okay,” happy tears formed in Leo’s eyes. They were back safe. “Percy? Are you okay?”
“Yeah!” He shouted back, “Just need some ambrosia and I’ll be good as new.”
Leo looked around them, fear starting to overwhelm him.
“Guys, where’s Jason?”