LEO
Leo hadn't felt this jumpy since he offered tofu burgers to the werewolves.
He had been tasked with showing Kyra around Camp-Halfblood before he was supposed to reveal Bunker 9 to his cabinmates and friends. The combination of stress from the two activities was enough to give him a seizure, so he supposed he was lucky Kyra was by his side. He was sure she'd be able to save him with some moonlight magic.
The girl had been quiet since revealing some of her past. Leo supposed it couldn't have been easy to tell a room full of near strangers something as deep and personal as she had. Leo certainly couldn't have done that. This was another reason he admired Kyra, thus contributing to his nerves around the girl. She was brave and strong. More strong than Leo had ever been, that's for sure.
She had barely eaten after their meeting with Chiron, and despite Leo's attempts at cracking some jokes, she didn't seem to be all that interested in eating the tacos on her magical plate that looked suspiciously like the ones Leo had made when the group was recuperating from being turned into gold by King Midas.
The group had split off after they had eaten some food, Jason and Piper walking off to talk, Will going back to the infirmary, and Annabeth making some plans for finding her missing boyfriend. Before Annabeth had left, she'd asked Leo if he could handle showing Kyra around the camp until she could give her a proper tour.
Of course, Leo had agreed. He found that he liked spending time around Kyra and that he wasn't sure he wanted to be a third wheel around Jason and Piper again. Plus, the girl seemed to be comfortable around him. Leo wasn't sure why: he moved around too much and could be a lot to handle, or that's at least what he's been told before. Kyra didn't seem to appreciate sudden movements and seemed to be only just adjusting to being around people again so he couldn't quite pinpoint why she seemed to be calmer around him.
"So, I haven't really been here the longest either, but we have some time to kill so just bear with me and I'll try not to get us too lost," he joked to the girl who gave him a soft smile back, looking nervous. "We don't have to go very far, we'll probably just have enough time to walk through some of the training areas and the cabins," he explained, trying to calm her nerves.
Kyra nodded, looking slightly less worried. "Okay," she responded, following him out of the Big House.
"That's the Big House. The infirmary and Chiron's office are in there, along with some meeting spaces and I think that's where the camp director stays when he's here."
Kyra's eyes were wide as she stepped off the porch of the Big House. Leo was told that there were fewer kids here than normal since the camp was most full in the summer, and a lot of the kids were able to spend some time at home if they had one. But a few campers still lingered, looking over to Kyra and Leo as they exited the Big House.
Leo watched quietly as Kyra observed the camp. She looked tense as she watched two campers walk past them, wringing her hands nervously.
He cleared his throat, "So the strawberry fields are right over there," he started, gesturing vaguely to where some children of Demeter were walking toward. "We're gonna go this way, past the forge so we can see the cabins," he explained, motioning toward the opposite direction.
Kyra nodded once more, following beside him slowly. She was quiet. Leo wasn't sure if this was normal quiet for her, or if everything was too much too fast. Should he try and get her to talk? Or would it be better to let her speak when she wanted to? He wasn't quite sure how to interact with the girl. She seemed comfortable enough around him, even holding his hand a few times before when she had been scared (Leo had to try really hard to stay composed when that happened. It certainly wouldn't have helped things if he had accidentally lit himself on fire while he was trying to comfort her). But she also seemed really traumatized. Leo wasn't sure how to make her feel better without triggering her obvious PTSD.
Leo whistled softly as they walked toward the forge, filling the quiet space as he fidgeted with some spare bolts from his tool belt. They reached the forge and Leo stopped briefly to give Kyra, who was looking tired, a rest. "This is the forge, mainly Hephaestus kids hang out here, we make weapons and other stuff like traps," he finished.
He was about to move on since Kyra looked uncomfortable with the noise of the tools when he was interrupted by a familiar voice, "Leo!"
Leo watched Kyra jump and move closer to him, clutching his hand once more, before Harley came running out of the forge. "My inventions are starting to work again! You should come see. Oh, your friend's okay. Hi!" the young boy spoke quickly and excitedly causing Leo to grin.
"Whoa slow down there, buddy. I'd love to see later but right now I'm showing Kyra around camp. How about after dinner tonight?" he questioned the energetic eight-year-old, looking at Kyra out of the corner of his eye. She looked less nervous at the sight of Harley and sent the kid a small smile, "Hi," she spoke softly.
Harley grinned widely back, "I'm Harley, Leo's brother!" Harvey spoke so enthusiastically about the fact that he was Leo's brother that it almost made him emotional.
"My name's Kyra," she spoke, looking at Leo slightly nervously with her silver eyes. Leo smirked widely back at her.
"Leo was super worried about you, I'm glad you're okay now," he spoke.
"Okay! Harley why don't you go finish what you were working on so you can come to see the surprise later!" Leo said quickly, feeling his face get flushed as he ushered Harvey back into the forge. The kid only sent him a wicked grin before running off.
"Sorry about that," Leo spoke sheepishly, hoping the redness had gone down in his face by now. "We can keep going."
"It's okay. He seems sweet," Kyra spoke, sending Leo a wider smile, her shoulders relaxing slightly. Gosh, her smile was beautiful; Leo always wanted to see it on her face.
The duo continued their walk toward the cabins, skipping past the armory as Kyra already seemed to have her own weapons. When they neared other campers, Kyra shifted towards Leo, their shoulders brushing gently before Kyra seemed to feel comfortable once more and she would move away slightly.
They reached the cabins fairly quickly as they walked in comfortable silence. "These are the cabins. Zeus's and Hera's are at the front and the rest are in a semicircle. Artemis has a cabin that normally just the Hunters stay in, but I guess you'll live there too now. The Apollo cabin is across from yours and mine's beside the Apollo cabin," he finished, turning red once more.
"I mean if you're ever looking for me. I'd probably be there or in Bunker 9. Not that you'd want to look for me. Um, just in case, you know. I'll just stop talking now."
She smiled once more, laughing softly. "Thanks, Leo," she spoke gratefully.
"No problem, happy to show you around. We still have some time if you wanted to get set up in your cabin."
"Oh, I don't really have anything to set up of things like that," she spoke softly, her gaze turning to the floor. Right, they'd gone straight from where she was being held as a prisoner to here. Of course, Kyra wouldn't have any belongings of her own.
"Right, sorry," he said sheepishly. "I'm sure we can talk to Annabeth and see about getting you some new clothes and stuff like that."
Kyra nodded. "Thank you," she spoke gratefully.
Leo and Kyra stood awkwardly near the Apollo cabin, Kyra still looking around at her unfamiliar surroundings and Leo looking at Kyra. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. He couldn't look away.
She turned back to him after a moment, causing Leo to blush once more as she caught him staring. Leo watched as her pale skin turned pink as well.
"Ah, why don't we start walking over to Bunker 9 now," Leo suggested. "It's kind of a long walk." Kyra nodded, her cheeks still tinged pink.
Leo led the way as he and Kyra began their walk into the forest.
***
Leo seriously felt like he was going to be sick now. When he got to the limestone cliff in the forest, he turned to the group and smiled nervously. "Here we go."
Kyra eyed the group around them warily, and Leo found himself looking out for her. He didn't want her to be scared or uncomfortable ever again.
He willed his hand to catch fire and set it against the door. His cabinmates gasped. "Leo!" Nyssa cried. "You're a fire user!"
"Yeah, thanks," he said. "I know."
Jake Mason, who was out of his body cast but still on crutches, said, "Holy Hephaestus. That means—it's so rare that—" The massive stone door swung open, and everyone's mouth dropped. Leo's flaming hand seemed insignificant now. Even Kyra, Piper, and Jason looked stunned, and they'd seen enough amazing things lately.
Only Chiron didn't look surprised. The centaur knit his bushy eyebrows and stroked his beard as if the group was about to walk through a minefield
That made Leo even more nervous, but he couldn't change his mind now. His instincts told him he was meant to share this place—at least with the Hephaestus cabin—and he couldn't hide it from Chiron or his three best friends. "Welcome to Bunker Nine," he said, as confidently as he could. "C'mon in."
The group was silent as they toured the facility, Kyra sticking beside Piper and Jason as Leo gave the tour. Everything was just as Leo had left it—giant machines, worktables, old maps, and schematics. Only one thing had changed. Festus's head was sitting on the central table, still battered and scorched from his final crash in Omaha.
Leo went over to it, a bitter taste in his mouth, and stroked the dragon's forehead. "I'm sorry, Festus. But I won't forget you."
Jason put a hand on Leo's shoulder, Kyra giving him a warm smile from beside him. "Hephaestus brought it here for you?"
Leo nodded.
"But you can't repair him," Jason guessed.
"No way," Leo said. "But the head is going to be reused. Festus will be going with us."
Piper came over and frowned. "What do you mean?"
Before Leo could answer, Nyssa cried out, "Guys, look at this!"
She was standing at one of the worktables, flipping through a sketchbook—diagrams for hundreds of different machines and weapons.
"I've never seen anything like these," Nyssa said. "There are more amazing ideas here than in Daedalus's workshop. It would take a century just to prototype them all."
"Who built this place?" Jake Mason said. "And why?"
Chiron stayed silent, but Leo focused on the wall map he'd seen during his first visit. It showed Camp Half-Blood with a line of triremes in the Sound, catapults mounted in the hills around the valley, and spots marked for traps, trenches, and ambush sites. He noticed Kyra move to stand beside him out of the corner of his eye.
"It's a wartime command center," he said. "The camp was attacked once, wasn't it?"
"In the Titan War?" Piper asked.
Nyssa shook her head. "No. Besides, that map looks really old. The date...does that say 1864?"
They all turned to Chiron.
The centaur's tail swished fretfully. "This camp has been attacked many times," he admitted. "That map is from the last Civil War." Apparently, Leo wasn't the only one confused. The other Hephaestus campers looked at each other and frowned.
"Civil War..." Piper said. "You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?"
"Yes and no," Chiron said. "The two conflicts—mortal and demigod— mirrored each other, as they usually do in Western history. Look at any civil war or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks a time when demigods also fought one another. But that Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still their bloodiest conflict of all time—worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides."
"Both sides," Leo said. "You mean the camp split apart?"
"No," Jason spoke up. "He means two different groups. Camp Half-Blood was one side in the war."
Leo wasn't sure he wanted an answer, but he asked, "Who was the other?" He watched Kyra frown from her place next to Jason.
Chiron glanced up at the tattered BUNKER 9 banner as if remembering the day it was raised.
"The answer is dangerous," he warned. "It is something I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of. After the American Civil War, the gods were so horrified by the toll it took on their children, that they swore it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods bent all their will, and wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remembered each other, never met on their quests, so that bloodshed could be avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We've had several close calls since then. The nineteen sixties were particularly dicey. But we've managed to avoid another civil war—at least so far. Just as Leo guessed, this bunker was a command center for the Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually as a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous. It stirs old memories and awakens the old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place."
Suddenly Leo's sense of triumph turned to guilt. "Hey, look, this place found me. It was meant to happen. It's a good thing."
"I hope you're right," Chiron said.
"I am!" Leo pulled the old drawing out of his pocket and spread it on the table for everyone to see. The group moved closer, Kyra doing so warily, eyeing those around her nervously. She stepped closer to Jason and Leo.
"There," he said proudly. "Aeolus returned that to me. I drew it when I was five. That's my destiny."
Nyssa frowned. "Leo, it's a crayon drawing of a boat."
"Look." He pointed at the largest schematic on the bulletin board—the blueprint showing a Greek trireme. Slowly, his cabinmates' eyes widened as they compared the two designs. The number of masts and oars, even the decorations on the shields and sails were exactly the same as in Leo's drawing.
"That's impossible," Nyssa said. "That blueprint has to be a century old at least."
"'Prophecy—Unclear—Flight,'" Jake Mason read from the notes on the blueprint. "It's a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that's the landing gear. And weaponry—Holy Hephaestus: rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin' hot war machine. Was it ever made?"
"Not yet," Leo said. "Look at the masthead."
There was no doubt—the figure at the front of the ship was the head of a dragon. A very particular dragon.
"Festus," Kyra said. It was the first time she had spoken in front of the group, causing Leo's cabinmates to turn and look at her. She shrunk under their gaze, clearly not liking the attention her words had brought to her. She bit her lip anxiously, looking at Leo, Piper, and Jason for guidance.
Jason cleared his throat. "Yeah, Kyra's right. That's Festus."
She looked relieved as the attention was taken away from her and to Jason as he pointed out the dragon.
Everyone turned and looked at the dragon's head sitting on the table.
"He's meant to be our masthead," Leo said. "Our good luck charm, our eyes at sea. I'm supposed to build this ship. I'm gonna call it the Argo II. And guys, I'll need your help."
"The Argo II ." Piper smiled. "After Jason's ship."
Jason looked a little uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Leo's right. That ship is just what we need for our journey."
"What journey?" Nyssa said. "You just got back!"
Piper ran her fingers over the old crayon drawing. "We've got to confront Porphyrion, the giant king. He said he would destroy the gods at their roots."
"Indeed," Chiron said. "Much of Rachel's Great Prophecy is still a mystery to me, but one thing is clear. You four—Jason, Piper, Kyra, and Leo— are among the eight demigods who must take on that quest. You must confront the giants in their homeland, where they are strongest. You must stop them before they can wake Gaea fully before they destroy Mount Olympus."
"Um..." Nyssa shifted. "You don't mean Manhattan, do you?"
"No," Leo said. "The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece."