According to Aphrodite, I had to be gone by noon and have Chiron send them a report that I had made it to camp. A little overkill if you ask me, but I promised her that I'd get that done. Before I left, however, I stopped by Athena's library and pulled out one of her many enchanted maps from storage.
"Leo Valdez," I told the parchment, smiling giddily to myself as the map shimmered and revealed a red dot located somewhere near Houston, Texas. Great, so I'd head out to Texas after checking in with Chiron, but I still pocketed the map on the off chance that Leo moved away from Houston in the next few hours.
My sendoff was extremely anticlimactic as Aphrodite had pushed me out of her palace and I made my way to the elevator by myself. However, Reginald seemed much more relaxed about my sudden appearance, glancing at me briefly before returning to his computer, which I thought was real progress in our relationship.
Gods, I need some friends.
My check in at camp went rather smoothly, and after confirming via Iris-message that I was physically standing next to Chiron in the Big House, I was allowed to leave. Of course, I was postponed after a couple of the kids I saved went ahead and latched themselves onto me like leeches, refusing to let go until I gave them hugs and told them stories about their parents.
"Didn't know you were so popular," Cleo said sarcastically, nudging my shoulder to get my attention.
"Neither did I," I laughed, pulling her in for a hug.
She was thirteen now, but she acted so much older, especially since she was now the director of the infirmary. I thought it was a stressful post to have at the tender age of thirteen, but Cleo didn't seem to mind, content to spend her days suturing wounds and setting broken bones.
We caught up for a little bit before I told her I had made plans for the day. Cleo had asked when I'd be coming back, which I happily replied that I should be back later tonight or early tomorrow depending on how my plans went today. She had been pleasantly surprised by the information, as the last time the two of us had seen each other two days in a row had been five years ago.
Before the word could really spread around about my presence, I tried to mist-travel to Houston, feeling a little bit of pride when I felt myself dissolve into water vapor. The hard part was forcing all the vapor particles back into a solid state, but this form of traveling drained me a whole lot less than shadow-traveling did.
I wandered around Houston, feeling right at home in another concrete jungle packed with people and skyscrapers. The only thing I really hated was the unbearable heat and humidity, having the need to pull my hair into a high ponytail so that it was off my neck while also going to change into a tank top in a gas station bathroom.
Every couple of blocks, I'd pull out my map, and seeing that I was much closer to Leo's location, the map showed blocks and street names now instead of a single dot in one of the biggest states in the country.
I finally took a right on Cyprus Edge Drive and looked up, frowning at the plaza I'd been brought to. The map must've made some sort of mistake, but sure enough, there was that stubborn dot fixated at my location, telling me that Leo was here.
I looked up, only to almost be run over seconds later by a little boy clutching a plastic bag to his chest while two cops weren't far behind, yelling, "Come back here, kid!" while waving around their batons uselessly.
All it had taken was a glimpse of the boy's unruly brown curls for me to understand the situation, and as the cops almost caught up to the boy, a root from a nearby tree tripped the both of them, sending them sprawling against the sidewalk. Other people walked around the cops without sparing them a second glance, too invested in their own conversations or phones to pay attention to the chase scene that had been unfolding in front of them.
In the midst of all the confusion, I had enough time to run after the boy myself, expertly dodging around other shoppers without too much damage. Although, I don't think the owner of the coffee shop was too happy to see a nineteen-year-old girl dash across empty tables and benches like some kind of parkour junkie.
The boy took a hard left, throwing the door to the Sears open before running in. I ran in after him, careful to slow down before he could see me, giving me the impression of being another shopper perusing Sears' fine collection of lawn mowers.
I found the boy down in the hardware section, breathing heavily as he pushed his damp curls out of his face, still clutching to a plastic bag with the Home Depot logo plastered onto the side. After realizing where he'd decided to hide, he started stashing some more stuff into the plastic bag, grabbing a ton of copper wire and batteries as well as a wrench, a couple rolls of duct and electrical tape, and a handful of magnets.
"Hi," I said, finally revealing myself, causing him to jump so high he almost fell into the shovel display behind him.
"H-Hello," he replied weakly, his fingers white as a sheet from how tightly he was gripping onto his bag. "Who are you?"
"A friend and fellow foster home escapee." His eyes widened in surprise. He took a couple steps back like he was about to bolt, but just then the doors to the Sears burst open and the unmistakable sound of approaching security filled the air. My eyes darted back to his bag, the reason these officers were after him. "Follow my lead," I instructed, receiving a terse nod as his reply.
"There you are, you little punk!" an officer said, having traded in a stun gun for his baton. "You're under arrest for theft!"
"I'm sorry, officer, you must be mistaken," I said, taking the boy's hand into my own. "My little brother's been with me the whole time."
Above the officer's head, I saw a warm yellow glow, letting me know that my persuasion was working on him. But it was still pretty dim, meaning I had a ways to go.
"Oh, has he? Can I see a receipt for your purchase, then?"
"Of course." I reached into my bag and pulled out a blank receipt, manipulating the Mist to match the receipt to what was in the plastic bag. The officer snatched it out of my hand, scrutinizing it, before begrudgingly handing me the "receipt" in return. "Is something wrong?"
"My apologies, Miss." He picked up his radio from his belt, telling the others that this wasn't the right kid and that the thief was still on the loose. "Now both y'all have a good day and don't get into any trouble."
"We wouldn't dream of it," I said sweetly, flashing my kindest smile at the officer, dropping it the moment he turned his back on us. Even if that hadn't worked out in my favor, I would've gotten this kid out of this situation. Speaking of which, I finally let go of his hand, watching as he wiped it off on his tattered shirt, probably thinking I had cooties.
"Okay, who are you really?" the boy questioned, tying the bag to his wrist. "And how do you know about my...situation?"
"I read about you in the local newspaper," I replied with a shrug, motioning him to follow me to the clothing section of the store. "And since I know what it's like to be running from a foster home, I figured I could try to help."
The boy looked at me warily but seemed to trust me enough when I told him to pick out any outfit he wanted. He seemed even more confused when I told him he could pick out some new shoes as well as offering to pay for his added equipment, so that way we didn't run into the cops again.
He was a simple shopper, picking out a white long sleeved shirt, khaki cargo pants that had countless pockets, light brown suspenders, an army jacket, and brown boots that could definitely survive the rough terrain of the desert without falling apart at the seams.
"Do you have any other clothes?" I asked, feeling my heart break when he shook his head no. "Okay, then go pick out some more stuff and a backpack to carry it all in."
"Why are you doing this?" he asked as he returned to the clothing rack, immediately veering for the clearance section and running his fingers across the colorful shirts. "The lying, the kindness – why? We've never met before today, yet you're being so nice to me."
"I told you, I'm doing this because I understand. I've recently come into a little bit of money, and I've been traveling around the country, trying to help kids like you. Trust me, I've had terrible foster parents, eventually getting adopted by an abusive couple who loved to use me like a plaything. I know why kids run, even if the government doesn't. I want to help you, kid, so please, let me."
He was silent for a long time, choosing a couple more t-shirts and a mixture of pants and shorts. He flushed red in shame as he went to grab some socks and underwear, apparently only having one other pair that he had lost a couple days ago. I didn't judge him, instead helping him carry his new wardrobe.
By the end of our little shopping session, he had seven shirts, bottoms, pairs of socks and underwear, enough for a new outfit every day of the week. I then paid for all the clothes, equipment, and the new navy blue backpack he'd selected from a wall of backpacks.
"Thank you," he said weakly as I helped him fold his new clothes to fit inside his backpack. "For everything."
"Don't worry about it, kid. Speaking of which, what's your name?"
"My name is Leo."
"Nice to meet ya, Leo," I said with a smile, sticking out my hand. "I'm Andy."
0o0o
I was currently sitting with Leo inside a Johnny Rocket's, slowly eating my fries, while Leo slurped at his chocolate milkshake and inhaled his burger and fries. At one point, I had to remind him to breathe after he'd almost choked on a huge bite out of his burger.
"You still hungry?" I asked, aware of how long Leo had been staring at my fries. He shook his head no, but his stomach betrayed him, growling softly. "Take them, Leo. I'm full, anyway."
"I can't do that," Leo said, his eyes tinged with sadness. "I've taken advantage of your kindness too much for one day."
"Leo, you're not taking advantage if I'm offering. If you're still hungry, take my fries. Heck, order another burger if you really want."
Leo was still staring at my plate guiltily, but I rolled my eyes and pushed my plate towards him, finally breaking down his resolve as he started polishing off the plate. I took a sip of my water, having finished my strawberry milkshake earlier, smiling as Leo enjoyed himself.
"You don't have to answer this," I asked, causing Leo to tense up like he expected to be hit, "but when was the last time you ate?"
"What's today's date?" Leo asked, two fries dangling from his mouth like vampire fangs, causing me to snort as I laughed. Sure, it was an overdone thing, but after being so quiet and reserved and un-Leo-like, it was nice to see a glimmer of his humor shining through.
"Um, May 29th if I'm not mistaken."
Leo had to think for a couple seconds, ticking the days off on his hands, before revealing that it had been ten days since he had eaten. It didn't take me long to order another burger and side of fries, telling Leo to eat in a very mother-like tone. Oh, no, Hera had gotten to me.
This time, Leo had no qualms about devouring his food, completely oblivious to some of the disgusted looks others were giving him. However, the looks stopped the moment I glared at said people, giving them a freezing cold smile that'd make them flinch and turn around, never staring at Leo again.
When I'd paid for our bill, we walked out, the sun sinking in the sky. Leo was happily skipping alongside me, acting like any eleven-year-old. In this moment in time, there was no trace of sadness on his elfish features, contentment having taken its place.
Leo then said, "Can I take you somewhere?" I started to laugh when he added, "Not like a date, I swear! I mean, you're smoking hot, but you're older than me and it'd be kinda weird-"
My sides hurt from how hard I was laughing, those muscles haven't being used for laughter ever since Artemis and her Hunters pranked all her brothers on the Olympian Council by supergluing them to their thrones. That wasn't the funniest part, though. No, that came in the form of an extremely drunk Party Pony appearing in a flashy green dress and doing some stuff that completely scandalized the male gods while the rest of us laughed our heads off.
"Don't worry, I get it," I said, wiping some tears away from my eyes. "And, yes, you can take me somewhere."
Leo's embarrassment melted away as a mischievous smile took its place, reminding me dangerously of the expression the Stoll brothers would make before they'd set the Demeter cabin on fire (that happened more often than you'd think).
We left the plaza, darting in and out of the orange glow casted by the street lamps as we walked in the arid spring night. At one point, Leo had thought it would be a good idea to start singing, "I'm singing in the rain," a hand wrapped around one of the street lamp's pole, slowly walking around it and dancing.
While that was comical in its own right, it got even better when he reached into the outer pocket of his backpack and pulled out a metal tube. He pressed the button, and the framework for an umbrella appeared, which he used as his prop as he continued skipping down the street, ignoring the side glances he was getting.
When Leo finished his musical number, I applauded and yelled, "Bravo!" as he bowed ever so graciously. But I guess he lost his balance, because the next thing I know, Leo fell backwards and landed on the road. His eyes widened in fear as he saw the headlights of an approaching car close in on him, before closing eyes, probably having already expected to die.
"No!" I shouted, jumping forward and shoving Leo out of the way. Unknowingly, I felt one of my powers act up as I pulled Leo tightly against my chest, holding him as he trembled against my embrace.
I looked up only to find that everything was encased in a gold glow, frozen in time. Thank the gods, I thought, helping Leo onto his feet and back to the sidewalk. I didn't tell him about the fact that if time hadn't frozen, we'd both have been killed by the car in the lane I'd just shoved us into, deciding that one near-death experience was enough for one day.
The second we were both safely on the sidewalk, time resumed again. The car that had been nanoseconds away from running Leo over slammed the breaks, the tires screeching against the pavement as it came to a halting stop. Luckily for the driver, no one was behind her to rear end her, preventing an accident from blocking up the flow of traffic.
"Stay off the damn street!" the lady yelled, giving us the finger before stepping on the gas, speeding away from us. Let's just say I didn't necessarily feel sorry for her when I saw the red and blue lights of a cop car trail after her.
Leo was still trembling, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, almost as if my presence reassured him that he was still alive. I dropped down to his height and gave him a hug, instilling him with hope as I did, wanting to prevent as much collateral damage as possible.
"You're safe," I told him, rubbing circles on his back while he hyperventilated. "I've got you."
A few minutes later, Leo calmed down enough to let go of my waist, wordlessly holding my hand while leading me to the place he had wanted to show me. We eventually stopped in front of a sad looking apartment building.
The paint job was completely covered in dust and mud, preventing me from making out its color in the fading sunlight. Mold ran up and down the building, especially towards the ground floor. Anything made of metal was coated in rust, including the weather vane and lightning rod on the rooftop. The bushes that were supposed to provide privacy for the ground floor were all dead, being nothing more than dried up branches left to wither away in Texas' scorching heat. All in all, the place probably violated more health code regulations than I'd like to know.
Leo was scowling at the building, his hand growing increasingly hotter as his anger grew. Eventually, he got so mad that the hand holding mine caught fire, causing him to pull his hand away and stare at me in terror.
"Oh, God," Leo said, horrified of what had happened. "Did I hurt you?"
I showed him my hand, revealing that my skin was still intact and not at all charred. "Nope, that tickled," I said, shrugging off his concern. Leo's jaw dropped. "Fire can't hurt me, Leo."
"W-What do you mean by that?" he stuttered out, shoving his hands deeply into the pockets of his new army jacket.
I held out a hand and let fire dance across my palm, inwardly cringing at the pins and needle feeling that came along with this power of mine. It was more of a nuisance than anything, but both Hephaestus and Hestia promised that the feeling disappeared with time and practice. Easy to say when you're thousands of old.
Leo stared at the fire in my hand in shock before holding out his own hand, letting his own fire appear. "You're like me?" he asked, hope and fear palpable in his voice.
"Yes and no. I'm not allowed to say much, but we're very similar, Leo."
"Tell me why I have this ability, please." Leo's eyes were dark with pain as he closed his hand into a fist, the fire dying out from lack of oxygen instantaneously. I wanted to tell him, I really did, but the Fates would have my head if I spoke a word about his true heritage.
"I can't tell you right now, I'm sorry. But I promise you, when you're older, you'll know the truth about everything. You'll know exactly why you can control fire and the truth about your family, but as of now, I am under oath to keep this information secret from you."
"Oath, like a spy?" Leo said bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm not a spy, but I know a lot more than I'm supposed to." I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration when Leo gave me a look that said, You're joking, right? "I wasn't lying about wanting to help, though. I have some stuff that will help you for the time being, just until you can get on your feet."
Like I'd done with Percy, I gave Leo a star and cloud charm, making him promise that he wouldn't take them off unless he was in a life-threatening situation. Leo nodded warily but still accepted the charms anyways, quickly sliding them onto a piece of wire and tying it around his wrist.
I also gave him one of my daggers, one of the two that I'd gotten from Capture the Flag, and told him to be careful with it. He looked at me like I was crazy, telling me there was no way he was going to accept a dagger from a girl he'd only met today.
"It's for your safety," I insisted, trying to get Leo to grab the hilt.
"Safety from what? From the cops? From social services?" He laughed bitterly. "I'm on the lam, Andy! I'll never be safe anywhere I go! Some dagger isn't going to change that."
"There's no harm in being armed," I argued.
When Leo continued to resist the dagger, I led him to the rickety, rust covered fence that was supposed to keep the building safe from outsiders. Once I got his attention, I slashed horizontally across the bars, pulling my hand back after my work was done. With a single stroke of my dagger, I'd cleanly cut through the thick iron bars, leaving a gash large enough for someone to be able to slide their hand through.
"Even if you don't use it for defense," I explained, offering Leo the dagger one more time, "it's an extremely valuable tool."
Leo was now staring at the dagger with a deranged smile, his mind already coming with all its possible uses. He finally closed his hand around the hilt, tucking it into a pocket of his army jacket after sheathing it in its leather scabbard I'd given him.
"So," I said, gesturing to the dilapidated building we were standing outside of. "Where'd you bring me, kid?"
Leo's smile dropped, an angry scowl taking its place. His hands were tightly clutching onto the rust covered bars of the fence, as if he was debating if he wanted to rip the door off its rusted hinges in an act of defiance.
"That," he spat, pointing at the building, "is where my Tia Rosa lives. She ruined my life!"
"What'd she do?"
"She shunned me from my own family, turning the rest of them against me after...after my mom died." Leo closed his eyes and turned away from the building, his back resting against the fence as he faced the street. "No one believes me about the fire and the dirt lady. Everyone thinks I wanted to kill my mom and that I just so happened to use fire when the doors to the garage locked."
"I was only eight," Leo continued, his voice tight with emotion. "You'd think my aunt would try to defend me or take me in like a loving family member, but instead she called me a diablo, telling social services to get me out of her sight. In the past three years, I've already fled three foster homes, but they always seem to catch up to me again."
"I'm sorry," I said genuinely, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I never met my parents, leaving me forced to grow up in the foster care system. I was seven when I was adopted by this really nice couple, who promised to love me as if I were their own daughter. Things got really bad when I turned thirteen, and they started fighting all the time, constantly blaming one another for our financial troubles. One day, they stopped fighting, and I was overjoyed, thinking that we were finally going to go back to being a family like we had been over the past six years.
"But I was wrong," I continued, feeling resentment bubble up inside me even though I knew that this had never happened to me before. "They're fighting stopped, because they turned their anger to me. I was like a voodoo doll to them, torturing me until I passed out from the pain. When I finally turned fourteen, I ran away, not willing to take one more horrible beating by the people who claimed they loved me. Ever since then, I've been on my own, traveling around the country to help kids in the foster care system when they need it most."
"Can I see your scars?" Leo blurted out, clapping a hand over his mouth a second later. He had blanched, probably thinking that I was going to kill him for asking.
"Sure," I said with a shrug, lifting my tank top over my head. Oh, calm down all of you, I still had my sports bra on.
I felt Leo's calloused fingers trace against the scars on my back and stomach. Most of them had been as a result of training, but some had appeared as a result of the abusive couple who adopted me in this world. Then there were some scars, like the slash marks on my bicep, which were caused by monsters.
"Woah, that's a lot." Leo made sure to feel every one of them, as if he was checking that they were all real and I hadn't hired some special effects person to make them for me. "Some of these look really new, too."
"I'm a huge klutz." I pulled my tank top back on, redoing my hair into a messy bun. As I did that, I caught a glimpse of the time, swearing under my breath as I did so. Chiron may not have cared about my curfew, but Dionysus did, and because of the time zone difference, it was currently eight-fifty back at camp. I was supposed to be back by nine.
"Is everything okay?"
"I'm about to miss my curfew," I mumbled, reaching into my bag for that enchanted map. "Safe house," I commanded, watching the paper shimmer and the familiar red dot appear.
"That's so cool!" Leo exclaimed, snatching the map out of my hand, completely disregarding my earlier statement, to my relief. "How's it work? There aren't any wires or a screen; it feels and looks exactly like a map."
"Magic," I said, holding a hand out for the map back. Leo sighed in disappointment as he handed it back. "Okay, now follow me."
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe."
"Because that isn't cryptic at all," Leo drawled out sarcastically, falling into step next to me. "But whatever you say, boss!"
I rolled my eyes, internally groaning at something else calling me "boss." Luckily for me, we weren't too far from my safe house, only four blocks away. Leo asked questions about the map the entire way, which I couldn't and wouldn't answer for two reasons: I'm not allowed to, and I didn't know the answers. Athena hadn't exactly deemed it important to find out how benevolent enchanted objects worked, especially something as trivial as a map, so I was kinda in the dark.
My safe house was an apartment on the second floor, which I'd turned into a haven for older demigods who wanted to have somewhat of a normal life outside of camp. I had many safe houses scattered across the country, so this place wasn't all that crowded.
There were only four kids in this safe house: a son of Ares, a daughter of Nike, a daughter of Hecate, and a daughter of Nemesis. They were all going to the local college or high school nearby, giving them a chance at normalcy outside of Camp Half-Blood.
"Andy!" the daughter of Hecate, Raina Thompson, greeted, looking up from the leather-bound spell book in her hand. "Long time, no see."
"I know," I chuckled, motioning for Leo to come in. "This is Leo, and he'll be staying here for the time being. If he wants to leave, don't stop him, but make sure he leaves with provisions."
"Okay, boss!"
I groaned out loud this time. "Have you all been speaking with Blackjack or something? I hate being called boss!"
"That gives all the more reason to do it!" Leo exclaimed while Raina nodded, as if that reasoning justified their actions.
"Whatever," I muttered under my breath, hearing the duo snicker at my annoyance. "Show Leo the ropes for me, please. And tell Johnathan that I'm expecting a thank-you note for bringing him another male."
"Oh, I will," Raina promised, giving me a knowing smirk. She turned to Leo, giving the younger boy a warm smile before leading him towards the back of the apartment, waving goodbye as they vanished down the hallway leading into the bedrooms.
Closing my eyes, I shadow-traveled myself to camp, sighing in relief when my watch only read 8:59. And it appeared as if evening activity had just ended, too, because there were campers coming up from the lake, making their way back to their cabins.
I walked into Cabin Three, Poseidon having granted me access ever since I saved Percy from Smelly Gabe all those years ago. I didn't make it a habit to sleep here, preferring the company of the Hermes cabin to this solitude, but I really didn't want to deal with anyone right now.
Before I went to bed, I sent an Iris-message to Mr. D, confirming my presence at camp, which he really didn't care about. "Don't care, Anna," he'd said in an annoyed tone, never looking up from his copy of Weekly Wines.
"Lights out," I said to myself, flicking the switch before climbing under the covers, falling asleep to the scent of the ocean flooding the room.