Heart Aflame (Evil Leo Valdez AU)

Chapter 7: Requiescat in Pace

(Latin: Rest in Peace)

Percy's POV

Percy coughed and coughed as he tried to get a bearing on what had happened. The smoke was all around him and he couldn't see a thing. "Jason!", he calls out.

"Percy?", a voice calls back.

"The winds! Clear this smoke!", Percy shouts out to Jason.

A huge gust of air billows through the Senate building, sending the huge smoke clouds away. Percy looks around at the impact point where the bomb went off. Suddenly he sees someone is under the debris near the Praetor seat!

"Reyna!", Percy cries out. "Jason! Get over here and help me!"

Jason rushes to Percy's side as they lift what's left of a huge pillar off of Reyna. Jason cradles Reyna in his arms. "Reyna! Wake up!"

Percy stands up, dust and debris on his hands. The realization dawning on him, Leo can't be stopped. He looks at Reyna's unconscious form. He calls out, "We need a doctor, now!"

Leo's POV

Leo sat in a fancy ice white limousine, his feet up on the seat as he stares sullenly out the window. Meg and Lityerses sat across from him as the limo sped through downtown LA. Leo takes a brief glance at Lit. His appearance had changed since he last saw him. The golden facade had all but left. This was no longer Lityerses, son of King Midas, he seemed different. Like he was now his own person, but still harboring a grudge. Leo then glances to Meg, the girl who had arrived with Apollo. She dressed like a tomboy stop sign. If Leo had been in the mood he would've cracked several jokes, but he wasn't. His sense of humor had died with Calypso. Then he had buried the love of his friends with Frank. He threw away his safety with Apollo. It seemed this quest for revenge was calling for many sacrifices. By the time the gods faced Leo's vengeance, would there even be any of Leo left?

Leo shakes his head to himself. No, it's too late to turn back. Far too late. It doesn't matter who he is when he finally avenges Calypso, the gods have to pay. In a way, Frank's death is on their hands as well. Frank would've died from that curse they put on his family anyway. To the gods, demigods were just tools to be used and discarded at will, and Leo was sick of it.

"So, I don't know if you two like awkward silences, but I don't."

Meg's voice jilted Leo out of his deep thoughts, he looks at the girl. "You're Meg right?" His voice startled him, it sounded so deep and full of sadness. No surprise there, just something he'll have to get used to.

Meg nods.

Leo turns to Lit, "And I already know you. I thought we turned you into a statue." He adds a smirk to that last line, earning back a glare from the cornhusker.

"Watch it runt", Lit says with a snarl. "Just because we rescued you, doesn't mean we're you're friends. We were just following orders."

"I'm not in this for friends. I don't have any friends", Leo says, a tinge of sadness in his tone.

Lit looks at Leo thoughtfully then turns away, going back to sharpening his sword. "Well you won't find any here.

Leo goes back to staring out the window. They were almost at their destination, soon Leo would see if all of this was really worth it.

Percy's POV

Percy sat with his hands together in his lap as he stared at the floor outside of the infirmary. Jason paced back and forth in front of him and Hazel sat in silence across from him. Reyna had been taken by the doctors here in New Rome over two hours ago and they still hadn't said anything. Michael Kahale's body had been taken to be prepared for his funeral. Nico had left to go back to Camp Half Blood to fill everyone in on what had happened. He promised he would return soon to check on her. In truth, Percy had recommended Nico go deliver the message because he knew Nico and Reyna were close. It was no secret when upset, Nico's powers got out of control, scary out of control. Besides, should the worst happen, he didn't want Nico to have to witness another friend die in front of him, even if he could sense it.