Storm and Fire

Apples

Jason POV

(Time skip, Blood of Olympus)

"Later" didn't come. After charging into the House of Hades and saving Percy and Annabeth it was straight to Greece for us. What made it worse was that Nico had to leave with Reyna to bring the Parthenos back to camp, so I didn't have a chance to talk to him. While technically we were all on track to saving the world, all I could feel was impending doom. And after what happened in Ithaca, the nightmares only got worse. I couldn't talk to anyone about it. About her. It was too hard. I felt more homesick than I ever had before, and I constantly wished Thalia was here so I could talk to her.

To make matters worse, Leo wouldn't talk to me. He'd have his quips and comments but he was so distant now. Whenever we weren't currently being attacked or landing somewhere he was in the engine room, working on something that he wouldn't tell me about. I wasn't the only one who sensed his change in demeanor, and quite frankly it made everyone nervous.

What was stranger was that he started hanging out with Hazel and Frank a lot more. They might have been the most on edge out of all of us. I sat in the lounge, trying to clear my head. It was late and I assumed everyone else was asleep. Until I heard a noise coming from the kitchen.

When I went to investigate I saw Leo, his head completely hidden in the fridge, shuffling through produce and leftovers.

"Leo?"

Leo jumped, banging his head on the refrigerator shelves, and looked back at me. "Owww..."

I chuckled as I walked up to him. "My bad..."

Leo looks up at me. His eyes were sunken, like he hadn't slept in days. "All good Jase, don't mind me..."

He grabs a handful of apples and closes the fridge behind him.

I stand in front of him, blocking his path.

"What are you doing up so late?"

I could tell he was avoiding looking at me, and I had to try really hard to not grab his chin and hold it still.

"Oh you know, midnight snack.."

"Its 3 am"

"Same difference" He huffs. "The real question is what are you doing up so late?"

"I was... thinking" I looked down, remembering the stress that plagued me only moments before I saw Leo.

He nudges me with his elbow. "Come hang out then. Thinking in this economy? Pretty dangerous" He walks out of the kitchen and I follow him up to the main deck.

The night was clear and the stars shone. I took a deep breath. The air was cool and salty. Leo walks up to the hull, placing the apples down around him. He took one and tossed it to me. I caught it with ease, but tossed it back to him.

"Not really an a fan of apples"

He rolls his eyes and throws it back at me. "Sorry man, no returns" He grabs a different apple and takes a bite, the crunch crisp loud against the silence of the night. I resolve to hold onto the apple, if not only because Leo gave it to me. I sat down next to him and looked up at the stars.

"You know, we'll make it through this."

I turned towards him and he was fiddling with something in his hands. I couldn't tell what it was but it looked circular and bronze.

"What's that?" I asked.

Leo didn't answer and stood up, walking towards Festus' figurehead. He opens the access panel and hooks the object inside. "Just a little upgrade," he said, closing the panel. He leans on Festus' neck and sighs. "It's going to work."

I stand up and lean on the hull next to him. "We still have a lot of work to do..." He waves me off. "Nothing we can't handle". I look at him and wonder if I should bring it up...

"But the prophecy-"

"It'll work itself out, Jason" He looks at me, his brown eyes look gray in the moonlight. "It always does." 

I wasn't convinced. I had nightmares with the last lines of the prophecy echoing through my head. To storm or fire the world must fall. My nerves buzzed whenever I thought about it, my anxiety reaching a peak. I don't know what I would do if Leo somehow ended the world. But I know what I would want Leo to do if it was me instead.

"If it's what we think it is-"

"Its not"

"If it is... and it's my fault-"

"I'm not talking to you about this" he takes another bite of his apple. "You and I both know how fucked these prophecies are"

"But how could it be any clearer Leo?"

"We're not talking about it." His voice sounded strained, and I was starting to feel like I shouldn't push him. But nothing he said eased my conscience. "Leo..."

"If either one of us ends the world, it would be me, okay? I'm stupid enough to do that right?"

"Aren't I powerful enough to do that?"

Leo looks at me, his expression incredulous. "What on Gaea's green earth would have to happen for you to lose enough control to end the world? You?"

Losing you is what I would've said. But I bit my tongue.

Leo looks back out to the sea. "That's what I thought. But it's not going to end that way"

"How do you know that?"

He groans in frustration. "I just do, okay?"

Silence fell over us as I stared at him. It's been like this for a while. All the fun times we shared together seemed so far away now. It was like I could barely see him anymore. I turned in soon after, still holding the apple he gave me.