Storm and Fire

Coffee Cup

(Large Time Skip, House of Hades)

Leo Pov

I sipped on my coffee. It was bitter, but comforting. The smell was familiar, grounding me. I sat in the corner of the cafe in an empty booth. There weren't many people around, which surprised me because normally, in America at least, it would've been happy hour.

I didn't mind it though, I didn't want to deal with large groups of people. Unless they were my friends. I sent Jason and Piper a message, letting them know where I was. Never thought I'd beat them to Rome, especially without Festus.

I took a deep breath and thought about Calypso. I thought about her curse. And how I had to leave. It only made me angrier. Angry at the gods, angry at Percy. Even angry at her, for falling in love with me. When she knew exactly what would happen. Knowing myself, I wouldn't give the gods the satisfaction.

That didn't matter now though, I swore on the Styx I would help her off that island. I just had to figure out how.

I slumped into my booth and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day, the sky clear, and the sun shining. I pictured Jason, riding the winds. I knew this was the kind of weather he enjoyed.

I gripped my coffee cup, preparing myself for when I see him again. It feels like it's been years since I've seen any of my friends. And even longer since I've seen Annabeth or Percy. I cracked my knuckles, growing more and more anxious to get everyone back together. I was determined to make everything okay again.

Jason Pov

We found Leo at the coffee shop he told us about in the message he left.

After not hearing from him for a week, the group's spirits were pretty low, especially my own. If you had to watch the boy you love get shot off into the void, not being able to do anything but watch as you stood frozen and useless, maybe you'd understand how I felt.

Nico was the only person keeping me on target. And we had been through so much together these past days that it definitely helped with the constant levels of worry I felt.

I was glad to look after Nico. When I told him about Leo we were able to understand each other a bit more. No one really understood what had happened to make us seem so close, but neither of us bothered to explain.

As much as I considered him a friend, I couldn't help but feel Nico distancing himself from me once we got the message from Leo. Like he thought that now that we know that my crush was alive, there was nothing connecting us anymore. I planned to talk to him about it, but for the time being, I could only afford to focus on Leo.

We all walk into the shop, and I see him first. He is sitting in a corner in a booth, with coffee in his hands, looking at a window. My breath caught in my throat as he turned and looked right at me. Seconds before he smiled and waved he looked so... melancholy.

"Leo!" Piper rushed over to him and gave him a big hug. The rest follow in suit, congratulating him on living. It sounds ridiculous, but as a demigod, its always an impressive feat. I felt my heart soar at the sight of him, but I couldn't help be feel like something was off.

"Where were you?" Hazel asked him.

"Magical island," he laughed. Before I could ask about this island, he claimed to pay for all of our lunches.

"I'll take that offer," Frank said, sitting in the booth across from him. We all sat together, and talked amongst ourselves. It might've been one of the most normal things we've ever done as a group except for one thing. Leo was quiet. He barely said anything. I knew something was wrong.

I slid in next to him. "Are you okay"

He was avoiding looking at me and he held his head down, staring into his half finished cup of coffee.

"Yeah, just a little tired that's all" He gave me a smile that I could tell was fake.

"I had to get all the way here without Festus. You guys better have not misused my son"

Piper rolled her eyes and smiled. "We took very good care of your son, don't worry"

I continued to stare at Leo, my brow furrowed with concern. He wasn't telling me something, and I couldn't bear it. I elbowed him gently to get him to look at me. When he did I raised my eyebrows. Talk to me.

He shook his head slightly.

"Later" he whispered. I didn't want to wait, but he was right. We had a job to do first. 

Author's note: I hate writing about plot i just want everything to be fluffy, but I did this to myself LMAO. Next chapter next week! Thanks for reading! <3