Leo Valdez

I walked around the block twice before I got up the courage to knock on the Sanchez' door.

"Raphael! Your dad called earlier, I'm glad you-"

Diana Sanchez' voice faltered, realizing that the person in front of her wasn't my cousin.

"You're... Not Raphael." She hesitated as I saw a boy my age- who I could only assume was her son, Augustus- hovering in the background as he probably heard his mom's tone change.

"I'm not." I agreed, extending my hand out for her to shake, which she did, hesitantly. "My name is Leo."

There was a pause as the idea seemed to cross her mind, but she pushed it away immediately.

I saw Augustus freeze behind his mom, looking at us.

"Leo Valdez." I clarified. "Raphael's cousin."

And, reasonably so, Mrs. Sanchez just... Stared at me, her hand going limp, taking in a really big fact.

"You're... But your grandparents told us that you..."

"Died?" I finished her sentence.

"Yeah." She agreed, stepping out of the way of the door. "Please, come in. I'm sure Augustus would love-"

As I stepped inside, Diana Sanchez wasn't able to finish her sentence before her son nearly tackled me in a hug, causing both of us to stumble.

"You're alive," my oldest friend said, his grip on me while we hugged so tight that it felt desperate- like if he let go, I'd disappear again. "Oh my god, you're alive, you're alive, you're-"

And again, as it's been happening all week, but especially today, a wave of grief passes over me again.

I'm alive.

Jason Grace is dead. My mom is dead.

And I'm alive.

Pulling away from the hug only so he could cup my face in his hands, I realized how much Augustus has changed since I left Houston.

He was taller than me now. I was always the taller of the two of us growing up, but now he was probably somewhere around 5'10" or 5'11"- a couple inches shorter than the guys were on the Argo (well, besides Nico, I guess).

It was a little intimidating that he cupped my face with that kind of height difference (mostly because I'm bisexual). He'd also grown his hair out- it was in a sort of wolf-cut/shag that suited him well. He was still pretty skinny (we were both scrawny as kids), but I think I'd still give him a run for his money because he didn't look as starved as I do.

"I thought I lost you." Augustus told me, a line that threatened to push me over the edge again. His eyes were watering, his lip quivered. "I thought... I thought that you were gone, that you..."

Closing his eyes, August tried to collect himself, taking a step away so he wasn't dangerously close to me.

"I went to your funeral." He told me, which was something I didn't know about- nobody's mentioned a funeral yet. "I... The whole class went and... And they made me speak at it and it was like, the worst day of my life. Having to speak at my best friend's funeral. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find out your best friend died in some freak accident?"

I looked down, trying to keep the ball in my chest from expanding.

My hand went over the necklace.

"Yeah," I told him, not looking up. "I do know what it's like."

He fell silent.

"I don't... Want to compare trauma," I insisted. "I spent most of the day crying and having breakdowns and I don't want to do that here, okay? I... I came back to Houston on a whim after going to visit somebody in California and getting there to only find them loading up his casket, I don't... Have it in me to compare trauma from the last 8 years of our lives."

I paused, looking back up at Augustus.

"But I didn't choose to leave Houston in the first place," I informed the taller boy, who was currently in shock. "After the fire, the cops asked me a few questions to make sure I didn't start the fire, and then they took me with CPS to Rico and Rosa's house since my grandparents weren't home that night and... Rosa was the only one home. She didn't believe the interrogating officer, and blamed the fire on me and told CPS to get me out of her sight, more or less. They held me overnight at a trauma center before she went in the next morning to sign my custody rights over to the state. After that, it was basically a shit show until this morning, when I came to Houston to visit my mom's grave and ended up running into Rico and his family, and we went to my grandparents for lunch, and now I'm here because I got really overwhelmed by my family and I missed you."

"You... So where have you been?"

I shrugged.

"Kind of everywhere- no foster home every really worked out." I explained as the reality of my survival settled in for Augustus. "it's a long story, but I'm technically considered a missing person right now. But I've been everywhere. Well, everywhere but here. This is my first time coming back since the fire- I came back to visit her grave and ran into family. Didn't really want to run into family, if I'm being honest- or, not Rosa, at least, but it is what it is. I'm just glad Rico had your mom's number because I've thought about coming back when we were older like- after graduation. But it worked out that I'm here now so... Yeah."

I paused.

"Sorry to just show up and shock you like that. And on a..." But as I started the sentence, I realized I wasn't sure. "Is it a school night? What day of the week is it?"

"It's a Sunday, but our quarter just ended, so we have tomorrow off." August told me. "Do you want an updated tour of the place? A lot of he's changed since you left, and I assume you don't want to re-explain everything for the second or third time today."

I smiled.

"I'd love a tour of the place."

•••
Augustus (August) Sanchez

After giving him the updated tour and him giving me the highlight reel of where he's been the last 8 years of our life, Leo fell asleep on my bed while we were just hanging out and waiting for my mom to finish making dinner. I had mostly been talking at him about what I've been up to, and then I looked over and he was out cold.

Not that he was laying down or anything. Leo was still sitting up as he slept leaning against the wall.

The bags and discoloration under his eyes told me that he probably needed the sleep more than he needed to hear about the projects my dad and I have been working on lately. I could wait until dinner to wake him up.

"Hey, where's Leo?" Mom asked me we I walked out to the kitchen to get myself some water. "Don't tell me he's shy now because he was gone for 8 years."

I smiled, rolling my eyes.

"No, he just fell asleep, and I'm pretty sure he's exhausted so I figured I'd let him be until dinner." I told her, sitting down at the table. From upstairs, my dad came down looking like he just got done showering. "His eye bags are like, next level. I don't think he's slept in the same bed for longer than like, a week, in at least six months. Not that he's gone into much detail, but I've heard New York, Indianapolis, California, Oklahoma, and now here in just the last month."

"Who's been travelling the country?" Dad asked me, grabbing a Dr. Pepper from the fridge and giving Mom his customary good evening temple kiss.

My parents are actually a functioning couple, it's crazy. Most of my friend's parents hate each other or are divorced.

Mine are somewhat embarrassing to be around in public, on the other hand.

I hope I'm like that one day.

"Leo." I answered, not thinking of the number of Leo's we all know because it's such a common name.

"Leo...?"

"Valdez." Mom clarified for him, initially confusing my dad because he also went to that godawful funeral. "Esperanza's son? He's alive, apparently. Which explains the lack of a body or ashes at the funeral but... Yeah. Rico called me earlier asking if we were home or if August was home, specifically, and mentioned something about one of the boys coming over which... Confused me at first since you and Raphael don't hang out, August, but like a half hour later Leo showed up. Apparently Rosa was the only one who saw him after the fire, so she handed him over to the state and told everyone else he was dead. Based on what August is saying, I assume that hasn't gone well?"

I shook my head.

"He ran away from a lot of homes that were abusive and shitty, but he didn't go into many details." I confirmed for my mom. "said that right now he's not in the foster system, it's some long story, he's technically considered missing right now, so he's parent-less. He came to Houston today to visit his mom's grave and ended up running into his uncle, and it turned into a whole family reunion that kind of overwhelmed him, which is why he asked Rico about calling you to see if he could come here. He's... Exhausted. He mentioned something about a lesbian couple in Indianapolis, though? They might be like, considering fostering him, if I understood correctly? I'm not sure and I felt really bad asking questions because I know he's answered like all of them at least twice already. He's in my room right now- he fell asleep sitting upright, so I figured he's like, exhausted and needs it. Also, I need a few minutes to like, process everything, so it works."

"That... Is a lot." Dad commented, which was a good summary of the situation. "Does he need somewhere to stay? Because if so, we have the whole basement- we could easily get a couple walls put up and some carpet or vinyl put in this week. It might take a while to get him a door, but he could use a curtain until then. If he needs somewhere to stay."

Shrugging, I told my dad that I know he came here from his grandparents place so he might be staying there, but the whole living situation thing seemed to kind of stress him out so I've tried to not press it.

Though it wouldn't hurt to throw the offer out there.

Since he was asleep anyways, which gave us time, my dad and I ended up making a small cake with some mix we had in the pantry for Leo to welcome him back. We tried to write on the cake with some frosting as well, but it didn't work like we wanted it to so it ended up just saying Leo!!! Instead of Welcome back, Leo!!!

Figuring that, it had been an hour, and the food and cake was both done, I went to wake Leo up, which...

"Leo," I said, my voice not having any affect on him. "Leoooooo."

Nothing.

"Leo, dude, come on," I said, walking to my bed to shake his shoulder, since that's usually enough to wake anyone up. "Dinner's done, let's-"

Lurching forward, I felt Leo's hand make brief contact with my neck. Before I could process what happened, I stumbled back and Leo retracted his hand, his expression turning from being panicked to petrified. He put his left hand over his right, almost like he was hoping to hold it in place.

Why does my neck feel warm?

Moving my hand up to my neck, it didn't all feel warmer, but there were a few spots that definitely felt warmer- similar to a sunburn.

"S- sorry," I broke the silence. "I didn't mean to... Startle you."

"No, you don't have to... I shouldn't have lunged, I'm sorry," my oldest friend apologized, not looking up at me as I saw a blanket of guilt cover him and he enveloped himself in it, crossing his arms as if he was hugging himself. "I... I'm sorry, I came here to hang out and then I fell asleep and then I almost attacked you and- and I should probably go if I can't even control-"

Is he going to have a panic attack?

"Hey," I cut him off, walking back over to him and putting my hand back on Leo's shoulder. He was breathing heavy, which worried me. "You don't need to leave. You'd miss dinner- that's why I woke you up. Dinner's done."

Leo opened his mouth, but nothing came out, the guilt still weighing him down.

"Leo," I said, forcing him to look at me, which he seemed scared to do. "I want you to stay- at least for dinner, okay? If you want to leave after that, you can, but I'd also like to hang out more. We have eight years to catch up on- that's a lot of time."

"But if I hurt you-"

"Accidents happen," I insisted, leaning down to be even with his height. "It's been almost 10 years, Leo, and you told me that you went through shitty foster homes- I shouldn't have assumed that it was okay to touch you. There's a reason why you react like that, right? You stopped yourself as soon as you realized it was me and not... Somebody trying to like, kidnap you or whatever. I'm not asking for the reason, I'm just speculating. Let's go eat dinner, okay? I think food will help you feel better."

Leo nodded his head as I stood up, but he still sat there.

"Sorry," he apologized after a few seconds. Taking a breath, Leo let out a sharp exhale and then looked up, very visibly masking. "Let's go eat- I'm starving."

•••

Nobody died, but I don't know if I would say dinner went well.

"Hey, there you guys are!" Dad said as we finally walked out of my room. He smiled at the two of us, then messed with Leo's hair, which made him flinch (and then made him internally beat himself up for flinching). "Welcome back home, Leo- I almost didn't believe it when these two told me you were here. We missed having you around."

Leo smiled and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, well... Everyone sort of thought I was dead, so that makes sense. Thanks for having me. And for food."

"You're always welcome here, Leo," my mom reminded him as we all sat down and started to dish ourselves up. "can I ask how long you plan on staying in Houston? Or are you hoping on moving in with your uncle or your grandparents or something like that?"

The question overwhelmed him, but I have to admit that he did a good job of covering it up.

"I... Don't know yet," he admitted. "I wasn't really planning on reuniting with any of them today, so it's been... Very spontaneous. I came to Houston sort of on a whim, hoping that after the couple of weeks I've had it would like, give me some peace."

"I see- well, regardless of the living situation, you're always welcome here." Mom responded with a smile, I think in hopes that it would soothe Leo's nerves that I think might be fried based on how efficiently he was pushing them down. "and, I know it's a lot to think about, so please don't feel any pressure. But if you want to stay in Houston, but you need time before staying with your family, or if you don't want to stay with your family, you can stay here- we have an entire spare bedroom. I hope that you've gotten some peace since getting here this morning, though."

Leo shrugged.

"It's a mixed bag." He admitted, taking a bite of the food. "Um, I got jumpscared by Rosa's family, and Rosa was sort of the one person I never wanted to see again after the fire, so... We shared words, and now I'm worried that her and Rico might get divorced because of me, but I got to see my grandparents which was nice, even if being in their house overwhelmed me and... Yeah. Sorry, I'm rambling, I should stop doing that."

Why is he beating himself up so badly?

"Hey," I interjected. "It's okay to ramble- it's been a busy few weeks, right? Don't beat yourself up."

Leo just nodded his head.

"Sorry," he prefaced, even though I just got done saying that he had nothing to apologize for. "Yeah, I don't know about living long-term yet. I miss Houston, and if I go back into a regular school, I'd want to do it here, but with family... I'm just worried, I guess. Since it's been so long."

Insisting that that was a totally reasonable thing to be worried about right now, my parents shifted the focus off of Leo for a little bit, allowing him to breathe a little easier, my mom asking Dad about his day at work.

The rest of the meal seemed to go okay, and after dinner Leo insisted on helping clean up since he imposed on our dinner.

We reminded him that he didn't actually impose because we wanted him there, but I don't know if he believed it.

After dinner, Leo told me that he had to make a call really quick (though he didn't ask to use a phone and I don't think he has one), so he went to the spare room. And, forgive me, but I was nosy because I share a wall with our guest room and I haven't seen Leo in 8 years.

"Leo!" A couple female voices said, loud enough for me to hear, meaning he must have it on speaker. "Are you doing alright? You're not hurt, are you? Calypso has been... Worried. I'm sure she'll be over to say hi in a minute."

"She... Yeah, we talked earlier, hi, Jo. Emmie." Leo said to the women. "And I'm safe, it's alright. Things just... Sort of kept happening, but I'm in Houston right now, and I will be for at least a couple days. If it ends up being longer, I'll let you know."

"You- okay, thank you for letting us know," the other woman said, her voice having more of a southern twang to it. "You sure you're okay, kid? What's got you almost in my old neck of the woods? That's a ways away from California."

"My mom's family- I was born and raised here until she died," but if they didn't know he was from Houston, Emmie and Jo must not know Leo that well. "I did make it to California- I made to to Camp Jupiter in time to warn them, but... Then I went down by LA to see Piper and Jason before going back. But Piper's dad went bankrupt because of the Triumvirate and Jason was in a casket, getting loaded onto a helicopter so... It's been a rough week. I ended up going with Piper and her dad to Oklahoma to help them move, and I figured that since I was so close... I just wanted some closure. Ended up running into family unexpectedly. Calypso called earlier, and to say she's mad would probably be an understatement, but I know that she's worried, so I'm trying not to think about it. I'm just at a childhood friends house now. I'll give you guys a day or two heads up on if I come back."

"If you come back?" A third voice, also female, interjected. She sounded angrier. "What do you mean if you come back? You're coming back to the Waystation, don't be an idiot."

I'm sorry, I thought to myself. What gives you the right to talk to Leo like that?

"I... Don't know if I am yet." Leo countered her, sounding hesitant in doing so. "I mean, if I'm here and you're still there, I'll come visit, obviously. Communications seem to be better now, so it's not like calling would be an issue. And either way, I'm undecided, Cal, I told you that. That's why I want to stay for a few days before deciding."

"What are you- no." She said, as if she were his mom. Even though his mom was actually a really nice and fun lady. I miss her. "You're not staying in Houston for longer than a few days, Leo, don't be ridiculous. How could you even consider that after they kicked you out when you were basically a baby? They're awful people, Leo, and they're trying to convince you to be an worse boyfriend by leaving me here without even talking about it."

Leo has a girlfriend?

Interesting.

I hope he doesn't for much longer, based of this conversation, but maybe she's usually nicer and she's just stressed because he's in another state.

"Cal I... I'm sorry that things happened so last minute, but I am considering staying here. That's why I called- both so Emmie and Jo knew I was alive, and to warn you that I'm not sure if I'm coming back longer than a few days at a time. The Waystation was nice, and it's not like I don't like being there, I just... This is my family."

"We completely understand, Leo, the Waystation isn't-"

"Yeah, a family that didn't want you." Cal reminded him. "Don't they like, blame you for killing your mom or something? Why would you stay with them if that's not true? Please explain to me how this makes any sense in your mind, Leonidas. Family isn't always worth it- trust me, I would know."

My best friend took a deep breath.

"I know that, Calypso, but it's not... They thought I was dead, not that I started the fire," he corrected her, growing frustration. "My aunt, Rosa, is the only one who has said anything like that, and I'm not staying with her- if I stay, it'd be with my grandparents or with an old friend of mine. I know family's complicated- trust me, I've only ever seen or spoken to my dad in my dreams. I don't think there's a single demigod that wouldn't agree with you on that but... I'm... Tired of going and going and going and not stopping, and I know that the Waystation could give me a chance to breathe, but so could Houston, and I have friends that I haven't seen in ages that I just... Would like to at least establish contact with again. Which will take a couple days, at the very least. But if I decide to go to school..."

A demigod?

What?

"Oh, yeah, because you'd survive in a school."

Okay, scratch that: what is wrong with Leo's girlfriend.

"I... I mean it might take me a bit to adjust, but I do good in school, Cal. As long as my teachers were understanding of my dyslexia- which, they usually are, I pass my classes with A's. I was taking college Algebra When Piper, Jason, and I got recruited from the Wilderness School. Sure, some kids can be mean, but the point of going to school here would be to go with friends."

"You could go to school with me."

"You're right, I could, but do you even want to go to school? You've never gone to a modern day school, Calypso. You were kind of... On your island. For a really long time. Not that you wouldn't be fine, but..."

This girl owns an island?

Is she rich?

"I start school on Monday, so yes, I want to go." She informed my friend. "And, as my boyfriend, I think it's reasonable to expect that you would also want to go to school with me, not just blow me off for some people that you've haven't seen in years. If you can't comprehend that, I find it hard to believe that you're as smart as you always insist you are. Just because you're good at math and at building things doesn't mean that you're smart, Leo— you're being really stupid right now."

My dad stepped into my room, the door opening earning my attention.

Are you hearing this? My dad mouthed to me.

I nodded my head.

She's really mean. I agreed with my dad's implication.

"I—" Leo began, then stopped himself. "I just want to give my home a chance again, Cal."

"I just... I don't get how you could do this. To me or to us."

"I don't... Expect you to get it," he clarified for her. "You're not mortal, Calypso, I don't expect you to understand the mortal things about me, even if you are now technically mortal— you don't have mortal family. For fucks, excuse my language, your dad is a titan and your mom was also a deity. Your family dynamics, as much as you don't talk with your father, are going to be super different than mine. Our upbringings are different. I don't need you to understand it, Cal, I just need you to try and respect it. I know it's sudden, and for that, I am sorry, but this is important to me. I missed my family. I want to give them another chance."

She's not...

My mom popped into the room as well, the three of us all sharing a confused look, because Leo was starting to not make a ton of sense.

Titans? Deities?

I could see my dad had an idea, but the idea only seemed to confuse him even more.

"I can't..." Calypso responded, audibly mad. "Your dad is a god! How is that any different, Leo? You're not special because you also have, or I guess had, a mortal parent. Because she's dead now, right? I don't know what this is about, but if you're trying to bring her back, don't be idiotic. Your dad isn't Hades— that's the wrong H name. And even if you were crazy enough to convince Nico to help you bring her back like he did with Hazel, you'd probably just hurt her. How do you know you won't accidentally kill somebody else in your family?"

"I didn't kill my mom!"

"Then how did the fire start!?" But now they were yelling at each other, even if Leo was trying to keep his yelling quieter because he knew my room was next to the spare room he was in.

"I don't know! Gaea, probably!" Leo told her. "I saw her in the shop when I ran out, I know that I've told you that before— why don't you believe me?"

Calypso groaned.

"Because you boys never know what you're talking abou— just because she was there doesn't mean you couldn't have started the fire. Knowing you—"

"I'm not coming back to the Waystation."

There was a beat of silence, followed by a maniacal, nervous laughter from Leo's girlfriend.

"Not coming back? Yes, you are." She told him. "It's not an option, Leo. As long we're together—"

"Then I want to break up." He cut her off, and I've never been more proud of him. "If all you're going to do is tell me how stupid I am, how I don't know what's best for me, then I don't want there to be an us. You don't... You got what you wanted, right? You got off your island? That's all you wanted me for?"

"You can't just break up with me! Somebody had to get me off that gods forsaken island. It wasn't like Percy was going to keep his promise."

"Percy kept his promise, Cal!" Leo corrected her. "The gods didn't hold up their end of the deal— that's not his fault. And even so, he apologized to you for that, so why are still so upset about it? You're not on Ogygia anymore. But if you're not even willing to hear me out about any of this, then I'm not going back to the Waystation. Because what happens if I go back? You get to scream and yell and get physical and it's somehow warranted because I did something stupid? I'm not doing it anymore, Cal. I'm so tired of fighting and arguing."

"Then just stop doing stupid things."

"Everything I do is going to be stupid to you, Calypso— I'm not doing this anymore. We're done. You're welcome for getting you off of Ogygia— have fun making your next boyfriend feel like shit."

"How could you—"

Her voice cut off, and it went quiet.

"I'm... Going to go check in on him." My dad said. "I'll be right back."