Learning to Trust (A Leo Valdez Love Story)

Chapter 23

LEO

"Jason!" Piper screamed. She kept calling his name as she held him but Leo was losing hope. He'd been unconscious for two minutes now. His body was steaming, his eyes rolled back in his head. Leo couldn't tell if he was even breathing.

"It's no use, child." Hera stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl.

Leo hadn't seen the goddess go nuclear. Thankfully he'd closed her eyes, but he could see the aftereffects. Every vestige of winter was gone from the valley. No signs of battle, either. The monsters had been vaporized. The ruins had been restored to what they were before-still ruins, but with no evidence that they'd been overrun by a horde of wolves, storm spirits, and six-armed ogres.

Even the Hunters had been revived. Most waited at a respectful distance in the meadow, but Thalia knelt by Piper's side, her hand on Jason's forehead.

Thalia glared up at the goddess. "This is your fault. Do something!"

"Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen-"

"Fix him!"

Hera's eyes flickered with power. "I did warn him. I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes before I revealed my true form."

"Um..." Leo frowned. "True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?"

"I unleashed my power to help you, fool!" Hera cried. "I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice."

"But mortals can't look upon you in that form!" Thalia shouted.

"You've killed him!"

Leo shook his head in dismay. "That's what our prophecy meant. Death unleash, through Hera's rage. Come on, lady. You're a goddess. Do some voodoo magic on him! Bring him back."

Leo watched as Kyra kneeled down slowly next to Jason and Piper, looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"Piper, I need to you talk to Jason, tell him to come back," she said softly.

"What?" Piper asked, confused. Leo felt the same way, what was that going to do?

She looked over at Piper and then at Leo before taking a deep breath. "Talk to him. I-I think I can bring him back, but I need your help."

"How?" Leo asked, moving closer to the group of heroes kneeling on the ground beside Jason.

She only looked up at him, giving him a weak smile before slowly moving her hands above Jason's body, a soft glow beginning to emit from them. She looked weak and tired, but closed her eyes as the moonlight coming from her hands began to wrap around Jason.

"He's breathing!" Piper announced, causing Leo to kneel down beside the group next to Kyra as the moonlight coming from her hands now fully covered Jason's body.

"Impossible," Hera said. "I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever-"

"Jason," Piper called, Leo could tell that she was putting everything she had into her words. "Listen to me. You can do this. Come back. You're going to be fine."

Nothing happened. Had Piper imagined his breath stirring?

"Healing is not a power of Aphrodite, and is barely a power of Artemis," Hera said regretfully. "Even I cannot fix this, girl. His mortal spirit- "

"Jason," Piper said again, and Leo could see that she was imagining her voice going somewhere deeper. "Wake up."

He gasped, and his eyes flew open. For a moment they were full of light -glowing pure gold. Then the light faded and his eyes were normal again. Leo watched as the light faded from Kyra's hands and as she sat back on her heels, letting out a shakey breath.