Memories (Percy Jackson)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I sat at dinner,  and like usual, Nico decided just not to show up.  Typical.  So here I am, once again, eating my dinner alone at the Hades table.  

Everybody else was having fun with their cabins, laughing as they ate what they pleased.  It wasn’t a secret that i needed someone. 

I ditched my mom, my father figure was most likely not coming back, I’ve never even met my biological father, and my brother won’t even talk to me.  I wanted him to be my brother, not some person that I occasionally saw in my cabin.  I ate the barbecue in silence and kept reminiscing about the quest that’s inevitable. 

We sacrificed food to our godly parents, which I learned about yesterday evening when I ate here for the first time.  I threw in some of my fruit and a roll, and kneeled down in front of the green-flamed brazier.  I made sure nobody could here me, and figured I might as well ask. 

“Hey Dad.  I know I haven’t met you, but um...”  I tried to think of the right words to say.  “... could you get Nico to talk to me?  I don’t understand what I did, but, I really need some family right now.  He’s the closest thing I’ve got unless I wanted to travel down there to visit.” 

I glanced down at the floor.  Nothing. 

I sighed and stood up, joining everyone at the campfire.  I wasn’t paying attention the entire time, until I felt a hand rest on my shoulder.  I looked up, my eyes burning from the fire-staring I’d been doing. 

I had to take a little time for my eyes to adjust, but I recognized the curly brown hair, the dark, warm eyes.  “Hey Leo,”  I smiled feebly. 

“What’s wrong?” He looked at me with concern. 

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” 

He chuckled.  “I’ve had enough experience with pain to know what it looks like.” 

I wondered what Leo had gone through in his life.  He always seemed so happy.  He stuck his hand out and grabbed mine. 

“C’mon,”  I stood up as he pulled me towards the woods. 

“I’ve got something to show you.”  I followed him as we went deeper and deeper into the forest. I was starting to get nervous, from what I don’t know.  We finally came upon an opening in between two rocks. 

If you looked hard enough, you could see a door.  Leo stopped and lit his hand on fire.  The flames filled the intricate pattern carved into the steel of the door, and it swung open.  I gaped at him.  He winked. 

“Only I can get in here. Welcome to Bunker 9.”  He led me inside, where there was a cozy fireplace in the corner, surrounded by worktables with papers lying around. 

Leo seemed to be turning something on, and he disappeared into a bulkhead, telling me to wait in the main room.  I wandered around the bunker, admiring the craftsmen ship on the mantle above the fireplace.  I came upon a lot of blueprints, scattered throughout the building, of weapons and ships with names I’ve never heard of.  It was fascinating, and I was really impressed that Leo was one of the only people who could get in. 

Leo stumbled up from the metal bulkhead, lurching to the side as he made his way over to me.  He looked exhausted, and his legs were shaking.  I ran over and helped him up, trying to ignore the feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I helped him over to a seat at one of the worktables and he collapsed into the seat like he was made of play dough.  He sighed. 

“Sorry,”  he apologized.  “Sometimes I just get drained from all that stuff turning everything on down there.” 

I shrugged.  “I really don’t care.”  It was silent for a few minutes, to a point where I figured you could feel the awkward.  "So, um, you built this?” 

He laughed. “I wish,”  he snorted.  “I found it.  I was looking for a giant dragon in the woods and I stumbled upon this here.”  I didn’t want to know why he had been trying to find a giant dragon in the first place, so I decided not to ask. 

We watched a couple of movies in the recreational room that apparently Leo had installed himself, and it was completely awesome.  He had flat screens and gaming systems in there, along with a fully operational snack bar and soda fountain.  I didn’t see how he got the money from Chiron to buy all of it, but I was just focused on the comfy couch and DVR. 

We were there until about 11 at night, and started a teensy bit tired.  As I started to nod off, I noticed I was still next to Leo.

My head leaned on his shoulder, and usually I would’ve shot straight up and apologized, but I was really not feeling like doing that.  He was really warm, and made me want to just snuggle up next to him.  I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder, and I was out. 

I woke up on a very warm yet firm pillow.  It seemed to be moving. 

I opened my eyes and found myself laying on Leo, almost literally.  My head was resting on his chest, my arms around his waist. 

I was cuddling him like teddy bear, and I felt embarrassed about it.  Leo didn’t seem to care, because he just kept on sleeping like he didn’t even realize a human being was hugging him tight. 

I remembered falling asleep with my head on his shoulder last night, but I’m not sure how that ended up with me snuggling with him.

I mean, I had just met him a couple of days ago.  I didn't know how it got to this, but I gues we were just really good friends.

I didn’t want to get up.  I put my head back down, and decided it would be cool just to lay there for a while.  I went back to sleep, listening to Leo’s relaxed breaths.

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Hey. Just wanted to say that this was really short and a filler.  Sorry about that.  Still trying to figure out the details of this quest.  

For the record, I ship Caleo but for this I'm pretending that Leo kind of forgets her a little bit, but otherwise I ship it with all my heart.  It'll come up later in the story.

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Thank youu! Expect an update in a couple of days! :)