Haunted || Leo Valdez

83 - Get Out of the Way, Leo Is Pissed

TW: Extra violence and blood. Read at your own risk.

The cheerful, amiable atmosphere around the house had completely vanished as everyone prepared for battle. Howard had strapped two quivers full of arrows to her back and was testing the string of her bow. Cleves was sharpening a wicked-looking battle axe. Aragon was next to her, preparing her own weapons. Parr and Jane were throwing their supply of ambrosia and nectar into a tiny cooler.

Anne went to see where Leo had gone and found him fidgeting with a bunch of tools he'd probably pulled out of his toolbelt. For the first time since Anne had met him, he wasn't joking around. He looked absolutely furious as he constructed a small, weird device with many metal plates.

"You seem agitated," Anne said uncertainly. "How are you doing right now?"

Leo turned around and gave her a glare so fierce Anne was sure he was going to shoot lasers out of his eyes or something.

"Gee, let's think," he growled, his voice just as angry as his expression. "Finally get together with the girl of my dreams. Then she disappears, but I can't go look for her because I have to build a fucking warship so we can go beat this stupid earth goddess. Then I finally find her, but there's so much shit going on from the quest and from her trying to recover from a traumatic experience that we barely get any time to each other. Then she loses Percy and Annabeth, which is yet another traumatic experience for her, and she can barely sleep at night. Then we get shot into the sky by a crazy ice goddess to help a bunch of undead queens find a part of a prophecy that might not even exist. Then a creepy old English king kidnaps my girlfriend and is currently trying to force her to marry him or whatever, and... Hades, I don't even know what he's doing to her right now. I don't know if she's been hurt or tortured, or..." his voice cracked a bit, but he choked it down and glared harder. "That's how I'm doing right now, Anne."

He turned back around to his device, muttering furiously in Spanish.

Anne scowled. "Well, I'm sorry for trying to help you and — and — validate your feelings or whatever! This is what I get for being empathetic!"

"Wow, the one time you're not completely ignorant to other people's feelings," Leo snapped. "Way to go, Anne. So helpful."

"You know what? I've half a mind to tell Parr not to take you with us. That you're too angry and you'll just get us caught. I'll tell her that you should stay here and we'll go save Rebecca—"

"Don't you fucking DARE!" Leo roared, slamming down a screwdriver and turning on her. "You can't do that!"

"WELL, I WILL!" Anne bellowed back. "YOU WANT TO GO, SHORT STACK?"

Anne was ready to beat the crap out of him, but felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Jane standing next to her with an understanding expression.

"Peace, Anne," she said.

"But — "

Jane held up a hand. She turned to a huffing Leo with a calm solemnity. "We won't bother you."

"I need to come," he said, much more quietly than before.

"Rest assured, you will," Jane promised. "We need everyone helping. Come on, Anne. Howard can help you prepare your bow."

"He's being a prick," Anne muttered.

""He's been through a lot, Anne," Jane told her. "He's worried about Rebecca. I don't blame him. I know that if he'd taken any of you girls from me, I would be acting the same way."

"Really?"

"Absolutely," Jane said, giving Anne one of her famous hugs. "You girls are like sisters to me. I would do anything for a sister. Now come fix your bow. It looks like it needs to be restringed."