A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 25: Leo

"Tada!"

Butch tilted his head at me. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a tool belt!" I said happily as I waved it in his face.

"A what now?" He asked.

"A tool belt!" I repeated as I tied it around my waist. "It's a belt that you put tools into!"

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever seen," Butch said as he returned to his work.

"Speak for yourself," I replied. Then I turned to my sword, which was only missing a hilt.

We worked in silence for an hour. Honestly, I thought my tool belt was an amazing idea, thank you very mutch. I had made it yesterday from my old clothing, and I loved it.

Eventually, I finished my hilt. I carved my initials, L.V, into the pummel, and then set it aside.

Just then, the dinner bell rang. I stuck my hammer back in my tool belt and walked out. For some reason, I felt like I'd need it.

I took my piece of bread and sat with Will and the others, who somehow always got here before me.

"Hey Leo," Will said as I sat down. "Are you going to end up dangling from a tree today?"

"No," I said. "That's over."

They all sighed.

"But it was so entertaining!" Bobby whined.

"It ended two days ago!" I protested.

"Yeah, but it was whoever you're in this prank war withs turn to get pranked yesterday!" Michael whined. "How were we supposed to know?"

"Well, it's over," I said as I finished off my bread.

A couple seconds later, Will stood up. "I got to go, guys."

"Where?" Bobby asked.

Will opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Places."

Then he took off.

"Okay then," I said.

A couple minutes later, Calypso approached me.

"Leo, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked.

I followed her to the garden, ignoring Michael, Bobby, and Butch's ooooh's.

"Listen," She said once we were out of everyone's earshots. "I'm not taking your offer."

I sighed and leaned against a tree. "Why."

"I've-" She hesitated. "I've always just been better off by myself."

"Sorry," She said. Then she walked off, leaving me leaning against my tree. Somehow, even though I knew she would refuse me, I still felt heartbroken.

Ω⚒Ω

I cringed as my cell door opened with a loud creak. Luckily, no one heard it.

I unlocked the door to the cell blocks and stepped out into the humid night. What I didn't get about Rome was how it was always hot.

I crept into the manor, my bag on my shoulder and my tool belt around my waist. It didn't take me much time to get to the pantry.

I loaded as much food into my bag as fast as I could. I had a feeling that something was gong to go wrong tonight, and I wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

I made my way out of the pantry, and started the walk back to my cell. But when I got to the top of the stairs, I came across something that came straight out of my nightmares.

Calypso was lying on the ground, a guard looming over her, his sword raised above his head. I knew that he was going to kill her.

My brain started shouting at me. Leave Leo! Run! Save yourself!

But my heart replied with a Nah.

I panicked. I drew my hammer from my tool belt, and with all of my strength, smashed it into the side of the guards head with a sickening smash.

He fell to the ground. I knew that if he wasn't dead, he would be soon.

Calypso looked at him with shock, then raised her eyes to me. "Leo?"

"Hi Sunshine," I said, extending my hand to her. "We have to go."

She took it, and I hauled her to her feet. Then we ran, hand in hand, out of the manor. We kept running, past the garden, till we got to the woman's cellblocks.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Good," I said. "Don't let them catch you."

"I won't," She whispered.

I turned to leave. "Wait!"

I turned back to her, and she kissed me.

My eyes widened. I had never kissed a girl before, and here I was, with a beautiful woman's arms around my neck and her lips against mine.

I got over my shock and threw my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me. She tasted like sugar, somehow.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, or how long we would've, when a high-pitched shriek rang out across the courtyard. One that could only have come from someone finding a dead guard with a hammer in his head.

"Be careful," We both told each other at the same time. Then she ran into the woman's cellblocks and I ran towards mine.

I ran faster than I had ever run before. I could hear shouts coming from the manor, and I knew that the first place they would check would be the men's cellblocks.

I burst into the cellblock and frantically locked the door behind me. The shriek had woken almost everyone up, and I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

"Leo?" Michael asked when I burst through our cell door and started locking the door behind me. "Where were- IS THAT BLOOD?"

"Shut up!" I said as I finished and jumped into my cot. "Unless you want me to die!"

Michael gulped as I rolled over so that the side of me that had the most blood on it was pressed into the mattress.

Just then, the door burst open.

"FIND OUT WHO DID THIS!" Hank yelled. "CHECK ALL THE DOORS!"

Guards poured out from behind him and started checking the doors. The same guy checked our door as last time.

"They're all locked," Someone said.

"Maybe it was a woman?" Someone else said.

Then they all left. I let out a sigh of relief and said a quick prayer for Calypso.

Then I closed my eyes, ignoring Michaels questions. But I knew I'd get no sleep tonight.