When they arrived...(pjo fanfic)

Chapter 8

Things were going great until Leo met her. Leo was just riding along when I stopped because Festus started freaking out. Leo was just sitting there when a 10 year old walked up.

"Is that a dragon?" She said. She was dirty and had cuts all over. On her side her hand was on the hilt of a dagger. With the fading light he could only tell that she had dark brown hair.

"Yes. Are you a demigod?" Leo asked. He really hoped he asked the right question.

"That's what my dad told me and he have me a dagger! It's really cool isn't!" She was and showed it to him.

"Yes. I'm a demigod too. I'm Leo." He said standing and he offered her his hand. She looked at it like she was making a deal with the devil. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She took his hand and shook it. "So your a demigod. Can you take me too that camp?"

Leo looked at the sun setting in the distance "No. Sorry. I'm on this..quest." He looked back at her. Her eyes were filled with disappointment. "But I can patch you up and show you the way!"

"Ok!" She said sitting down where he was.

"gee it's cold...got anything to make a fire with?" Leo asked jokingly.

"No...d-don't you?" She said. Her eyes full of fear. "M-maybe your dragon can..."

"His name is Festus." Leo said dropping a pile of sticks." And I was kidding." He lit his hand of fire and she screamed. "Shhh kid! Do you want to be killed?" She stopped screaming and watched as he lit the sticks with his hand. Then he pulled a small bag of coals from the tool belt and put them in the fire turning the hot coals in his hands.

"Does it hurt?" She asked. "when you light your hands on fire?"

"Nope. It's my power. once you get to camp, you'll meet my friends and they have powers too." He said sitting next to her. She was shivering. He took off his jacket and put it on her. He remembered that Calypso made him that jacket. It make him sad. "Never caught your name kid. What do your enemies scream in terror when they see you?"

That made her laugh. "Call me Essie." She said. "So Leo...How did you find out you were a demigod. Did you parent tell you?" That made Leo even more sad but he smiled anyway.

"No, Essie. She...she died when I was eight. I found out about a year ago, I was attacked with my friends." He said looking at the horizon. They where by a lake. He wanted to see an island pop up. It didn't.

"I'm sorry. I-"

"It's fine really. I've dealt with it for seven years."

"Aren't you cold? Do you want your jacket back."

"No. I'm never cold."

"Ok then...tell me about this 'quest' your on." She asked. Leo could tell she was trying hard to keep conversation.

"It's...hard to explain. I need to find someone." She said. In the bright fire light Le say that she was tan and freckles splashed across her face. Her blue eyes darted examining his face.

"Is it your girlfriend. Is that who you need to find?" She asked.

"Well, kinda. She isn't my girlfriend, but-"

"You care about her." Essie finished.

"Yeah. How'd ya know?"

"I just do." She said. she wiped her forehead and blood smeared.

"Oh geez!" Leo said. "I forgot about your cuts!" He took bandages out. And a bottle of nectar.

"Me too. Pain is hard to feel when your hungry." Essie said grabbing her stomach.

"Drink this. It will heal most of your cuts." She grabbed it a drank some.

"It tastes like my dad's pasta! More!" She said about to chug it down.

"No." Leo said taking it away. "If you drink to much you'll turn to ash."

"Oh. not so suck like my dad's pasta." Leo laughed and put bandages on the remaining cuts.

"Yeah. I'll make you something and then you can get some rest." In the morning I can give you instructions towards camp." she didn't say anything. Leo cooked her one of his famous tacos.

When he gave it to her she inhaled it. "Before I sleep, I'm going to ask you a question." She said when she was finished. "Whose your godly parent?"

"Hephaestus. God of forge. That's how I built Festus. And my ship."

"Hm. I wonder who my parent is." Essie said relaxing and resting her head on Leo's shoulder.

"Don't dawn on it, Es." Leo said.Laying on Festus warm body behind them.

"Ok." Essie said. "I'm glad I ran into you."

"Yea?" Leo said. Not many people have told him that.

"I'm..." Essie yawned "Glad we are friends." And she fell asleep.

A friend will take the blow. Line ran through his head.

He really hoped that she wasn't that friend.