The Fire In Me (A Leo Valdez Love Story)

Leo Has a Dream in A Dragon's Stomach

I felt pretty bad after chewing out Leo because he put my life in danger, but I wanted him to get in trouble for setting off that Hecatonchire thing and putting a civilization in danger!

Sorry, I get mouthy when I'm upset.

Anyway, that's why I looked up at Leo when he took off to follow us to the highway, and I was so glad when he met my glance and smiled. I wanted him to know that I was sorry for what I had said to him before he took off in the middle of the night. I didn't regret our ride in the sky the night before. That was pretty cool. Ecspecially when I got to cuddle with him on Festus. That was super cool. 

Well, we finally made it to the highway, and Percy and Annabeth took off first. Jason and Piper took off right after. Hazel and Frank shot across the fields like it was normal to ride a horse at 200 miles an hour. Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary stepped into the shadow of a big fir tree, and disappeared. I watched Leo land Festus and hop off his mechanical dragon. He walked slowly towards me, like he was afraid that I would explode like a sensor bomb if he got too close. But, to his surprise, I ran to him, and wrapped him in a big "I'm sorry" hug. He didn't hug me back, but he didn't resist either. He just let me sob and mope over him and tell him how sorry I was.

Finally, I managed to pull myself away from him. I asked, "I really am sorry...about everything." 

"Ah, don't sweat it," Leo said. "I guess we all made mistakes last night." I smiled, and hugged him again. This time, he hugged me back, and it was the greatest thing in the world. 

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We made it to Jamestown a little after dark that day. We decided it was safe to stay in a nice hotel this one night. The beds felt amazing. It was great to have a warm shower again, and the shampoos made me smell like a garden. I dressed for bed, noticing that my clothes looked like a trash heap compared to the linen sheets of the bed. I flopped down onto the feather mattress, letting my body sink into it. The pillows were stuffed with goose feathers, so my head sunk deep into the pillow. I sighed.

"You sound like you're really enjoying yourself." I started, but then relaxed when I saw Jason leaning against the doorway. He had dressed in his famous purple polo shirt, along with pajama pants and worn socks. He had washed his hair, which glistened in the light. He smiled at me, and I turned my back to him. He sat on my bed.

"I know you're still mad at me," he said, and I shifted to tell him that I was listening. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for trying to protect you like I did. I also want to apologize for wanting to come on this quest. I never should have interfered that far into your personal life. Can you forgive me?" I turned over, and looked at his face. He really looked nothing like me. We had the same blonde hair, and the sharp blue eyes, but his smile was different: sad and cheerful at the same time. Mine was usually bright and encouraging. That's what everyone said, anyway.

"You really mean that," I asked. "I'm not sure I can trust you the same way again."

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure you ever trusted me in the first place." I laughed. I nodded my forgiveness, and Jason leaned forward to hug me. Instead, I got a kiss on the forehead, and a brush on the cheek. I blushed, even though it really wasn't that embarrassing. No one had done that to me before. Jason got up, and walked out of the room, looking back before shutting off the light. Annabeth walked out of the shower, and said, "I heard every word. You don't mind, do you?" I shook my head. She climbed into bed with me, and wished me goodnight, before snoring softly away in seconds. 

I laid in bed for a while, and just before I fell asleep, someone knocked on our door. I glanced at Annabeth, but she was out. I got up, and opened the door. Leo stood there, his tossed black hair shimmering in the moonlight from our window.