orenda [leo valdez]

lxxiii. Imprisioned

❝she conquered her fears

and wore her scars like wings❞

⤷ atticus

△△△

Leo was pacing the Waystation floor until he heard something land on the roof.

He scrambled up to meet Kira with Jo at his side.

Josephine threw her arms first around Heloise's neck, then Abelard's. "Oh, my sweethearts! You're alive!"

The griffins cooed and leaned against her in greeting.

Josephine beamed at Meg McCaffrey. "Welcome! I'm Jo."

Meg blinked, apparently not used to such an enthusiastic greeting.

Leo frowned. "Where's Kira?"

Apollo and Calypso went pale.

Leo related himself. "Where is she?" He glanced behind them, as if she turned into Jason and was flying behind them.

Apollo cleared his throat. "She said to tell you she loves you."

Leo didn't remember falling to the ground, but Jo was there to catch him.

That was what she had told him right before he had died.

"There was only two griffins." Apollo tried to explain.

Leo glared at him. Then, he crumpled.

He woke in the infirmary, next to Calypso. Jo was hovering over him, but he leapt up.

"I'm going to find her." He said in a tight voice, but Calypso grabbed his arm.

"Leo, it's too late. Either she's...gone, or they captured her."

"You would like that, huh?" Leo snapped, and Calypso blinked.

"No. We made up, before...you know."

That didn't calm his steel gaze. "She's alive. I would have felt her death."

Jo bit her bottom lip. "Then she's captured."

"Then we'll save her." He corrected.

No one opposed him.

△△△

When Kira woke up, she thought that she was dead.

She was curled in the corner. She let out a painful wince, trying to sit up, but her body failed her. She felt dried blood and bruises varying across her body.

She finally pealed her eyes open, she thought she was in the Underworld. The chains, the imprisoned, the sounds, she truly thought that Hades had finally won and sent her to the Fields of Punishments. It made sense.