Leo had never been on a flight before.

His mom had never been able to afford to fly anywhere, though she always told him about all the countries she would love to visit. She told him that one day, if they had the money, they'd go to one of those fancy robotics conventions and look around at all the cool stuff everyone had made. One day, she said, Leo could maybe present something he made.

That never happened, though. Everything crumbled to the ground, and Leo moved on. None of his foster families took him on trips-why would they? Still, Leo couldn't help but wonder what the experience was like, airport and all.

Well, it wasn't exactly a fun experience.

It turns out, between the five of them, Piper was the only one who knew anything about flying. She had visited her dad at various movie sets, so she was able to remember what all they had to do...but that didn't mean they had quite everything they needed.

It had taken a while for Piper to communicate to the lady at the front desk exactly what she wanted. The woman knew very little English, and while Piper could decipher some modern Greek with her inherent knowledge of Ancient Greek, it still took a few double-and-triple questions. It wasn't until Apollo had realized what was going on, and he went over to her and smoothed everything out, charming the employee all the while.

"Yeah," Apollo announced to the group once Piper had all but pulled him away from the desk. "It should be about two thousand."

"Two thousand?" Leo asked incredulously. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, considering it was a flight across the world, though the number was still unimaginable to him. He probably couldn't save that amount in six months, even if he hadn't killed his old manager.

"Each," Apollo added. "But it's fine. What's ten grand?" The god waved his hand, and a small suitcase appeared in his hand. He opened it up to reveal stacks upon stacks of hundred dollar bills, making Leo's heart jump in his chest. "Oh, wait, we need Euros." He snapped his fingers, and the bills changed.

"This doesn't look highly suspicious," Hazel observed. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to spend the first day of my second life in jail for counterfeiting."

"It's not counterfeiting," Apollo rolled his eyes, though he snapped his fingers again, causing the suitcase to morph into a golden credit card. Luckily, the mortals around them didn't seem to notice, instead invested in their own luggage and ticket times. Needless to say, the Mist was a powerful thing.

So, the group was able to get their tickets. Airport security was a bit more of a risk. Relying on the Mist even more, they laid out all their weapons in the middle of the floor before putting them in a suitcase Apollo had summoned. Other than a couple knives, Nico's sword, Piper's pepper spray, Leo's tool belt, and a pair of brass knuckles Nico had whipped out at the last minute (where had those come from?) they weren't even really the most heavily-armed group of demigods. They managed to go through the scanners, and Apollo's suitcase rang up as containing the most normal of items.

After that, security was pretty easy. They got about a half a dozen questions about why they didn't have much packed, along with their fair share of questioning looks, but other than that they moved right on by.

Leo could hardly believe they made it through, even considering all the godly magic that had to be used. But to his surprise, after a several-hour ordeal, he was boarding the plane. According to his ticket number, he was far in the back in the aisle seat, but Piper had told him it didn't matter which seat they took, as long as it was the right row.

As Leo walked down the aisle, his exhaustion was held at bay for a moment by self-consciousness. Other than briefly rinsing his face off in the bathroom, he was in desperate need of a shower. These mortals reminded him of the other kids' parents in school over the years-looking at him with a thin veil of pity to cover their disgust.

Shaking off the stares, Leo found his seat at the window, which was pretty exciting-he'd be able to watch the plane take off. Nico sat beside him, and Piper by the aisle. Apollo was on the other side, taking the aisle seat, placing his bag in the middle so no one would sit there. Hazel had the other window seat, looking around at everything in fascination. Leo could have sworn he hadn't seen her blink once since the elevator doors opened. He imagined that even though flying was a thing in the 40s, like everything, it had undergone massive changes over the decades.

As Leo settled in his seat, he found that Nico was not feeling quite so relaxed. He squirmed slightly in his seat, eyes shifting uneasily. The son of Hades could use a brush through his hair, as well as a change of clothes and about twenty hours of sleep. Still, Leo was unsure how to approach what they could do to take care of him right now. Strangely enough, their friendship seemed stronger under desperate circumstances-now that there were no immediate threats, Leo wasn't sure how to begin.

Luckily, Nico spoke first, his voice dripping with irritation: "I need to sleep. At least...I should..."

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "You can-we have more than enough time."

Nico nodded absentmindedly, closing his eyes as if he couldn't stand to keep them open anymore. It only lasted a moment, though, before he opened them again. He was choosing to focus on Leo's hands, as he didn't seem to like eye contact-and in that sentiment Leo could agree.

"I...I mean, sure, but..." Nico murmured. "Admittedly, this quest hasn't been the most pleasant. And...I guess I'm just worried-"

"You're worried about having nightmares," Leo filled in for him, his voice low and tentative.

The son of Hades nodded, meeting Leo's gaze, his own black eyes reflecting the small light above their seats. "Um...you can use your Dormio, if you want, and see my dreams. If something starts to go wrong, you can wake me up, and if everything seems okay, you can shut it off. Just..." Nico faltered. "Just don't keep watching if it's something you shouldn't see, okay?" He asked, and even in his weakened state, his tone was woven with a shaky threat.

Leo couldn't help but crack a smile, searching for any moment to break this tension within Nico. "Something I shouldn't see?" He asked slyly, raising an eyebrow.

Nico's pale face flushed, and if Leo didn't know any better, he'd say the son of Hades was trying to hide a smile. "Oh, shut up. I'm going to sleep, so just-keep watch. Don't do anything that'll make me suck your soul out of your body."

Leo snickered, pulling his Dormio from his pocket. "I got you covered. Sweet dreams, di Angelo."

Nico actually did smile slightly at Leo's promise then, finally settling in and closing his eyes. His plan seemed to be to sleep sitting straight up in the middle seat, which Leo was sure would never work out comfortably.

Still, Leo opened the Dormio, curious to operate the magic item for the first time. He hadn't thought about it during the intensity of Tartarus seeing as he'd been a little preoccupied, though he'd settled on one disappointing conclusion: using this item wouldn't be ethical. He couldn't go poking around people's dreams for fun, that'd be invasive and creepy. So, it'd be for emergency use only-like when a certain son of Hades wanted him to act as a guard dog.

Leo faced his reflection, not really liking what he was seeing-the sooner he could get the dreams running, the better. His fingers instinctively pulled on the plastic edges of the compact as if it were a touch screen tablet. To his surprise, the mirror started to expand-wider and taller until it was the size of a small laptop screen. Leo let out a soft whistle, admiring whatever kind of magic went into this little contraption.

"Alright, Dormio," Leo murmured. "Show me the dreams of Nico di Angelo." He paused, then added: "please."

The Dormio, appreciating his manners, complied, the mirror rippling as it loaded the display.

Leo was greeted with a sunset dancing in a thousand shades of pink and orange. Tall grasses dotted with wildflowers shot up from the ground, tickling his palms. He could hear birds singing in the distance.

All was perfect, straight out of a postcard, except for the kiosk standing in the middle of the field.

Starkly out of place, it looked like a self checkout machine at Walmart. Leo tried to squint to see anything on its screen, though there was nothing.

Other than that machine, nothing seemed to be happening, and weirdly enough, it didn't make Leo anxious.

"Huh," Nico's voice sounded distant and echoey behind him, and as he stepped around him, the son of Hades didn't appear to see him. "Kind of a strange place for one of my dreams...oh."

He was looking up at the sky, and Leo followed his gaze to read a message in purple letters across the sky:

Paecufl beamigm atomsephere drougth to yuo by Hyqmos!

Leo shook his head, reading over the text several times-the dream couldn't have chosen a different font, or perhaps not gone with the purple against a pink sky?

Eventually, he managed to decipher: Peaceful dreaming atmosphere brought to you by Hypnos! This brought him some relief-no nightmares of that future prophecy, which probably meant it was some big hoax, just like Apollo thought. Not to mention that Hypnos seemed to be a pretty good guy, considering who his mother was. The group had accidentally destroyed his office in battle, and the guy was still holding up his promise-other gods would not be so forgiving.

Nico walked over to the kiosk, tapping the screen, and a few scenic pictures appeared in the sky. He flipped through some options-a beach with relaxing waves, a cozy cabin atop snow-capped mountains-until he halted on one.

"Home," Nico muttered, selecting the display of Camp Half-Blood. Leo watched as the world around him shifted, displaying the camp as it was that very moment-frost-covered but full of winter cheer. A couple of Piper's Aphrodite cabin mates walked by, chatting as they sipped hot chocolates. Some Apollo campers had started a snowball fight and were even shooting icy projectiles from crossbows. Leo had spent only a few days there, but his heart already ached to be back, to explore and get to know his half-siblings.

Leo froze when he felt Nico's head fall against his shoulder, snapping him from his viewing. It felt inevitable, given Nico's spot in the middle seat, but Leo didn't mind at all. His heart skipped a beat in his chest at the feeling, and he didn't move in the hopes of not waking Nico up.

He thought back to Nico getting to see anything for his peaceful dream, any place he'd want to go, and how he chose the camp that had rejected him for so long. Home, he'd called it.

Leo's eyelids felt heavy with every blink-he'd been so preoccupied with worry for Nico, he hadn't thought about how exhausted he'd been himself. Now that he knew Nico was safe in his subconscious, Leo could get some sleep as well.

Gently shutting the Dormio, Leo settled against Nico with all the slow care of taking a block off a Jenga tower. His arm against Nico's, his cheek resting against the top of his head, it wasn't the most comfortable position in the world.

Leo was out in an instant, and when he was offered his choice of scenery in Hypnos's selection, he knew exactly where he wanted to see.

---

The plane landed smoothly exactly on time, and Leo could think of nothing but food.

Eating had been sparse on this quest as a whole-continental breakfast eaten in a rush after that run-in with Aphrodite, a granola bar eaten at some point in Tartarus that was comically small, and now the meal on the plane. It was a salad with lentils and cut up fish, sprinkled with all sorts of Greek herbs. It was pretty good considering all the jokes Leo had heard about airplane food, but still-if he didn't have a meal heavy enough to put him in a food coma, he was going to lose his mind.

As they walked through the airport, Leo's stomach growled at the smell of food coming from shockingly overpriced restaurants. Apollo didn't seem to care or notice the group's mortal predicament, instead walking out the nearest exit, halting to examine the scene.

An endless line of cars started and stopped, picking up passengers, people bustling with suitcases and asking about trips. Dirty snow from the constant traffic left slush piled off onto the sidewalk, and the mortals all appeared the same in an endless stream of puffy winter coats. Of course, no one was there for them-but maybe if they-

"We could call a cab," Leo offered.

"Or I could shadow travel," Nico added. "But there might be too many people for that..."

"Not to worry, heroes," Apollo waved a dismissive hand, starting their journey once more. "We don't need to shadow travel to the place where I'm getting my sun chariot fixed. It's Lot Nine-why do you think I choose to land at this John F. Kennedy airport?"

As tempted as Leo was to answer with a raised brow and a 'because it was the only airport option we had from Greece', he was preoccupied with the most terrible recollection. They wouldn't be able to go back to camp until Apollo had his damn chariot fixed, which meant that after everything, they'd be stuck in some sort of godly waiting room.

"Lot Nine," Piper started. "You mean...a parking lot?"

"Not quite," Apollo answered, super helpful as usual.

The walk was uncomfortably quiet for a while, the group in too low spirits to say anything of substance. At least the silvery sun shone overhead, but it did little to warm the chill in the air. The jacket that camp had given Leo was thin, hardly working against the wind.

Leo found Hazel kicking a rock along the road a small ways behind the group, and he stayed back to catch up with her.

"I'm sorry," he started, heavy with guilt. "Your first day of your new life has really sucked. When we can get out of here, I'll make it up to you, promise."

Hazel shook her head, and to Leo's surprise, she was smiling slightly. "Sa-Leo, when I was on the plane, I was just staring out the window the entire time. I could see buildings and land-and then the ocean for a long part of it, but it was amazing! And I could see people around me watching movies and-I could hear them talking." She blinked quickly, and Leo pretended not to notice her wiping her eyes. "I could actually hear words for once, not that same muttering I've been hearing for so many years. Trust me-my first day doesn't have to be the best in order to be amazing to me."

Leo wasn't sure what to say to that-he hadn't been expecting her to feel that way, though it made sense, all things considered. He found himself smiling, offering his arm to her as if escorting her, and she gladly took it. "Hazel Levesque," he started. "I'm gonna talk your ear off so much, you're gonna regret your words."

Leo followed through on his promise, though Hazel didn't seem too annoyed with his chatter. When he asked her what setting she'd chosen for her inevitable nap on the plane, she seemed confused. Leo then remembered that she hadn't been there with them, but for some reason he assumed she would have some peaceful dreams anyway. It turned out she did, though hers was slightly different. She explained that she had appeared in her favorite drawing spot back in New Orleans, and some bright purple text in the sky read: Welcome to your second life. Use it wisely. -Hypnos.

Now Leo felt even worse about accidentally setting a loose gargantuan snake in his office, considering he gave Hazel a peaceful dream under no obligation. When he got back, the first thing he'd build would be some sort of robot to help rebuild the temple...even if he didn't really want to do anything that would inexplicably help Nyx.

When the group arrived at Lot Nine, Leo felt dead on his feet. Still, dread started to itch at him at the path they were taking. Someone to fix the chariot...Lot Nine...Cabin Nine...

"Uh, Lord Apollo?" Leo asked tentatively. "What's the plan here, exactly?"

"I told you, I'm getting my chariot fixed," Apollo said, "I just have to-ah," he found a metal sign with the number nine on it, placing his hand against it. At his godly touch, a parking spot at the end of the row shuddered, the pavement cracking as it opened up like a secret basement door. "There we go. Hephaestus should be down here-he likes to visit his airport locations during the winter months."

About seventy questions bounced around Leo's brain, but he couldn't think out to properly phrase any of them. He wanted to race down there and meet the god, he wanted to run away screaming. He ultimately settled on the sensible conclusion of standing perfectly still, every muscle in his body tense.

Apollo and Hazel started ahead, and Piper offered Leo a sympathetic look before following. Piper had met her mom, and seeing them interact was unpleasant to say the least. Nico was more closed off on the subject, though Leo could tell his relationship with Hades hadn't exactly been easy.

But what the hell was Leo supposed to do? What the hell would Hephaestus say, when he saw him? What if he dismissed everything Leo had done on the quest as beginner's luck, then claimed he wouldn't see Leo as his son? What if Leo said something inevitably backhanded, and Hephaestus turned him into a greasy wrench?

What if...what if his dad blamed Leo for what happened to his mom?

There was not a worse time Leo could meet his father. If it were up to him, he never would.

His heart thumped in his chest as he stared at the pavement. Leo knew he couldn't stay here forever, he would put this off for as long as he could. He'd memorize the crevices of the parking lot, only loose from his anxious hold when his friends were done.

"Leo," Nico's voice was quiet beside him, though it still startled him. The son of Hades could be rather catlike when he wanted to be.

"I-I'm not," Leo started, shaking his head. "I can't go in there. I can't-I can't see my dad."

Nico paused, simply looking at him, and Leo managed to look up at him. He looked better now that he'd gotten some sleep-more focused, the darkness under his eyes lightening slightly.

"I won't make you go," Nico promised gently, his breath fogging in the chilling air. "Just let me know if I should go down there to make sure Piper and Hazel are okay...or if I should stay up here with you."

Leo shook his head again, barely fighting off the panic collecting like cold air compacted in his lungs. "You shouldn't have to-have to choose, it's just..." he paused, sighing, internally chiding himself for being so childish. "I have no idea what to expect. Um...what do you think Apollo meant by airport locations?"

Nico pondered the phrase, then shrugged. "The gods do a lot of things I'll never understand...but maybe you can ask Hephaestus, if you go down there. It's not all bad...your mom must have fallen for him for a reason, right? Maybe you and your dad have a thing or two in common."

Leo supposed he never thought of it that way. It made sense, all things considered-his mom talked about his dad like he hung the moon. She constantly said that he was brilliant and inspiring, and that one day he'd meet him. She always seemed to have an air like his dad was just gone to get the milk, and he'd be back any minute. Part of Leo wondered that, if that night in the machine shop had gone differently, his dad really would have come back.

Leo always thought that meeting his dad would explain away all the misery and weirdness. Now he was just worried it would cause some more.

Still, looking into the magical hatch in the most unassuming of places, a parking lot, Leo was brimming with questions.

"I think my mom would have wanted me to meet him," Leo told Nico. For the first time since Sarah, he was unafraid to speak to someone about his mother-the whole truth, that is.

"Okay," Nico agreed, offering a slight smile. He bumped Leo's shoulder, which seemed like such a fake bro move that Leo started to smile himself. "Then let's go make your mother proud one more time."

---

Descending the steps down into the workshop reminded Leo unsettlingly of the steps down into the Underworld-if the route was about twenty times shorter.

The facility spanned the length of the lot, with twenty-foot tall ceilings and every surface constructed of parking lot pavement. The place was stacked up with mounds of stuff from floor to ceiling, creating a thin walkway like the most godly episode of Hoarders. A fat automaton cat sat to one side, seeming unable to do anything but yowl and chomp his metal teeth. An army of metallic spiders skidded across the floor and into the crevices of the towers, weaving webs across the junk and generally giving Leo the creeps.

Emerging suddenly from behind a shelf stacked with tiny automatic pigs, a skateboard bounded up beside Leo on mechanical legs, shaking with the excitement of a dog. On an attached screen Leo could see a digital display like an alarm clock, only the lines were arranged into a cute little face. When he reached out and tentatively petted the skateboard, unsure of what it wanted, the contraption's digital face beamed. The little guy let out a mechanical whee of success before scampering off to find more people to pet it.

Nico let out a little laugh, and Leo looked over at him, studying his reaction to this place. He was beyond the assumption that the son of Hades was joyless, and it was nice to see him enjoy what Leo considered his area of expertise.

Nico reached into his pocket, retrieving the small origami bird that Leo had made from bronze. It was a quick, nervous project that didn't have much use outside of looking cute, though Leo still felt his face grow warm at the idea of Nico keeping track of it the whole time.

"You didn't have to keep that," Leo said. "I mean-it's nice that you did, but I didn't mean to make you responsible for it."

Nico shook his head, watching as the bird shook itself off, picking a piece of pocket lint off its wing. "I wanted to-it's...cute, really." He turned to the bird, addressing it like a parent would: "You can wander, but come back to me later, okay?"

The origami let out a mechanical trill before fluttering off, disappearing into a mass of larger bronze automatons.

Leo could hear some conversation sounding from the far end of the workshop, so he and Nico followed the noise. There, he saw Piper and Hazel sitting at an odd-looking table, raised at certain levels to display plates of food. Leo could tell they were trying to eat slowly to appear polite, but he couldn't deny it when his own stomach growled-he wouldn't turn down food no matter how the meeting with his dad turned out.

Much like the skateboard, the table's mechanical legs sprang to life, and the entire unit walked slowly over to him, careful to not spill a plate. It was toting plates of grilled sandwiches, chips, cupcakes and glasses of lemonade-perfect picnic food despite the dim workshop.

Leo took a sandwich gratefully, and the table retreated back over to Piper and Hazel. He then turned his attention to the nearby worktable, where Apollo was speaking in a hushed voice...to his dad.

Leo wasn't entirely sure how to feel about even thinking this man was his dad-he knew the blacksmith god was no Aphrodite, but genetically speaking, Leo looked nothing like the guy. To start, he stood about seven feet tall-short for a god, but that was made up for by just how burly he was. Hephaestus's muscles had muscles, and then some more on top of that. His face, all the way up to his receding hairline, was covered in red welts, as if he'd been poking around in some lava skincare regime.

Still, Leo told himself. Doesn't matter what the guy looks like-if he's nothing like Aphrodite, that's a win in my book.

The god in question seemed to finally notice him, and he stopped speaking with Apollo. Leo's heart was beating double-time, feeling as though he was seconds from getting in trouble.

"Excuse me, Apollo," Hephaestus said, not taking his eyes off Leo. "I'd like to have a talk with my son."

"Very well," Apollo replied. "You know, if having him help you on the chariot might make the repair time faster-"

Hephaestus glared at the other god, who suddenly became invested in the miniature automaton monsters decorating the table.

"Lord Apollo," Piper offered, standing from the table, looking from Leo to the sun god. "Why don't we take a look around at all these cool inventions?" When Hephaestus turned his attention to her, she added: "While not touching anything, of course."

The sun god grumbled but agreed, and he, Piper, and Hazel walked off between the stacks of items.

"I should go with them," Nico added lowly, patting Leo's shoulder. Leo wanted to protest, but the son of Hades slunk off before he could properly do so. He was probably right, though that didn't make Leo like this plan.

Leo took a bite of his sandwich, and in the face of his suddenly dry mouth, wished he could have a glass of lemonade. But the table had already walked off, and Hephaestus was coming towards him, so he had no choice but to stand there and stare.

He'd thought of so many things he'd say and do when-slash-if he got to meet his dad. He could yell at him, or hug him, or say nothing at all. Leo never expected, though, that he would crack a joke.

But why would he be surprised?

"You got any milk to go with this sandwich?" Leo asked. "I mean, you were out shopping for it for, what, sixteen years?"

"Milk?" Hephaestus asked with raised brows, looking towards the refreshments table. "Oh...maybe I could have some around here..." he stopped short, scowling at Leo. "Ah. You were being sarcastic."

"Yeah," Leo replied. Perhaps he shouldn't go in too hard on the guy-not because he suddenly cared about his feelings, but because he was a god who could probably kill him instantly in about seven hundred different ways.

"Um," Leo changed routes. "It's nice to see you." He couldn't imagine a bigger lie, though it felt customary enough-like responding with 'good' when someone asked 'how are you?'. "I guess Apollo told you about our quest, then?"

"He did, yes," Hephaestus said, starting back towards his worktable, waving Leo over. "It was quite dangerous, going along with all that...though it was quite brave, too."

Leo wasn't sure how to feel about his father's words. On the one hand, he couldn't care less what Hephaestus thought-and on the other, he wanted to ask if the god was proud of him.

"I'm glad to see that the gift I left for you has gone to use," Hephaestus continued. "Setting that television on fire, then throwing it into Python's mouth sounds almost Herculean."

"Gift?" Leo asked, his stomach dropping. "The fire-that was a gift?" His breathing grew heavy, his face flushing. All his struggles, all the damage-just so this god, this stranger could claim it was a something of a cool power-up.

"It's a complicated issue," Hephaestus started, sensing Leo's anger. "Oftentimes, it's seen as a curse-and in learning to control it, it can lead to tragedy. But when you did learn to control it-Leo, you did save people. You contributed to the battle and you saved your friends."

Leo looked over at his friends at that. Hazel was watching in fascination as an automaton whale floated around, seemingly suspended by nothing. Nico was admiring a collection of artisan vases, while Piper and Apollo played with the dog-like skateboard.

Leo swallowed the lump in his throat, flicking his thumb up to light the tip of his finger like a candle, then back down to put it out. He thought to ask his father about the same thing he'd told Nico earlier about his mother. Hephaestus loved Leo's mom-at least, he hoped so. How was he not ending Leo's molecules in the name of vengeance?

Still, he didn't need the god's validation. Leo had himself, and his friends, and he knew what his mom would think better than his father ever could.

"I hope mom would think the same," Leo said, because he couldn't help it. From the ages of eight to ten, he thought every day that his father would find out what had happened to his mom, then he'd come to pick him up from whatever foster home he was staying at. He'd take him away, and everything would get better. When that didn't go through, Leo blamed himself. He knew, no matter how he phrased it, he had to talk about his mom when he found his dad.

Hephaestus opened his mouth to speak, though Leo continued, the words tumbling out of him. "I mean-you loved her, right? If you loved her, why did you leave her? Why couldn't you find a way to support us when we were barely making ends meet? Why-why did you give me a gift that ended up killing her, dad?"

Leo's brows furrowed as he swallowed, trying to blink away the stinging feeling in his eyes. He pulled away from the table, instead leaning against the wall as he tried to even out his breathing. He thought about what Nico had said about the demigod who rebelled against the gods-Leo wasn't about to start a revolution, though he could see how Luke maybe wasn't entirely wrong.

His heart skipping a beat in his chest, Leo realized that he hadn't meant to call Hephaestus 'dad'. He thought the two words as being worlds apart, but in the spur of the moment, it'd slipped out.

Hephaestus paused, seeming to contemplate Leo's questions. One of his creations, a automaton duck that seemed to double as a blender, waddled up to the god. He frowned, opening up a small compartment in the duck's back, tinkering with a wire here and there. In a matter of seconds, he closed the compartment, and the duck quacked happily. It clamped down on some fruit from a nearby bowl, tossing it back into the blender compartment along with some pre-made ingredients. A moment later, there was a ready-made smoothie with a little umbrella and everything.

Leo normally would be pumped to see something so awesome, but in that moment, he just couldn't believe that his father would ditch Leo and his mother just for this. Sure, Leo had a hard time connecting with people, and he liked getting lost in his projects-but he would never create anything ever again if it meant having his family back.

Hephaestus sighed, tracing a finger along the counter. "Leo, your mother is-" the god's voice faltered. "Esperanza was...other goddesses could not begin to compare to her. Of course I loved her-more than I've loved anyone in hundreds of years. But the thing is-I'm sure you know-the mortal world does not so easily mix with our world. She would not leave everything for my world, and I could not leave everything for hers."

"I tried to stay away from her at first," Hephaestus continued. "But something about her kept pulling me towards her-her genius ideas, her...determination after everything. Even her smart mouth, which I see got passed down to you. When I finally did give in and allow myself to be with her, she...opened me up in a way no mortal or immortal being had done in millennia."

"When you were born," Hephaestus concluded. "I could see a powerful destiny ahead of you. There was no other reason I gifted your fire to you outside of your protection. Even now, with each passing day after the war, the gods grow restless. The tragedy behind your fire has been your heaviest burden, though how you use it in the future will be your greatest asset."

Above the parking lot roof, thunder boomed, teasing a tense storm.

Leo let out a breath, shaking his head. "I don't understand...these quests-this one, and any future quests-is this how I make up for what happened to my mom? Is this how I'm able to see her when I die?"

Hephaestus frowned. "No. You do not have a debt to settle with the gods on account of your mother, Leo. This is simply the way of being a demigod. Whenever a hero's help is needed, you will be called upon."

Leo supposed the guy was trying to be at least somewhat comforting, though he wasn't very good at it. He didn't like the sound of being the gods' personal errand boy, though he supposed he didn't have much of a choice, all things considered. Still, he'd heard things throughout the camp; maybe he'd be one of those lucky people and only get a minor quest every couple years or so.

"Well, I hope my help isn't needed for a while," Leo said, unafraid to speak the truth. "I'm gonna trust Apollo and go with the assumption that Python's prophecy was one big prank. In the meantime, we should get going-I wanna make it home before dinner."

Hephaestus's eyes twinkled as he looked at Leo, studying him as if he were some machine he could take part and put back together to work in the way he wanted. "Your optimism is surprising, but be on your guard, Leo. There might be a time where-where I won't be here to help-"

The god was cut off by another loud clap of thunder, and he cursed, smacking a large hand against the counter.

Leo couldn't help but think that his father hadn't really been that helpful. Still, he nodded and thanked him quietly out of obligation. He appreciated everything the god had said about his mother, though he still felt odd around the guy. As much as he didn't like it, he could see how he'd gotten certain traits from Hephaestus-though Leo still couldn't help but feel that they were two cogs in the machine that weren't meant to fit together.

"Well, anyway, there is one thing I can help you with," Hephaestus continued. "I'd tell you to call the Grey Sisters, but my way could save you drachmas-and probably a limb, with their driving. Here, let me show you."

Hephaestus lead him over to a bright red sports car that could fit two, maybe three people in its one row. The exterior gleamed as if the machine knew it was picture-perfect, and when Hephaestus snapped his fingers, the engine started flawlessly. Leo couldn't help but imagine himself cruising down the street in a pair of sunglasses, girls on the sidewalks doing double takes, 80s movie style.

Next to the car was an even cooler motorcycle, this one a glittering obsidian. Resting on the leather seat was two helmets of matching black. Leo could imagine himself doing a cool trick with this machine, or racing down a mountain, even if it might be the last stupid thing he'd ever do. Add Nico on the back, slashing at monsters with his sword as they sped away, and you had yourself an action movie.

"These are the only two fully running vehicles in my shop right now," Hephaestus explained. "All the others are a work in progress. If you could give them a test drive, I'd really appreciate it."

The last thing Leo wanted to do was more favors for the gods, though this was the kind of favor he could get behind. As he ran his hand along the smooth leather seat, the motorcycle roared to life under his touch. It was intimidating and intense to say the least, but Leo had this impulsive thought that he'd be just fine driving this.

"A Ducati Multistrada," Leo muttered, unsure of how he'd known that until it slipped out-he liked motorcycles, sure, but he wasn't the type to memorize titles and brands. "A hundred thirty-five horsepower, traction control, anti-lock brakes..." he whistled, revving the gas a little, though the bike remained parked. "Yeah, I could definitely give this baby a test drive..."

"Good," Hephaestus tossed him the keys, which Leo clumsily caught. "Just take them to camp, and I'll bring them back-and try not to damage them, alright?"

In that moment, Leo felt an odd pang in his heart-the realization that this felt weirdly normal. Not the quest that lead them here, or the underground warehouse, or the incredibly expensive vehicles. But his dad being here, offering him a vehicle, telling him not to damage it. He almost wished that Hephaestus had been there to teach him how to drive.

Shrugging to dismiss the thought, he looked over to see Apollo admiring the sports car, running his hand along the sleek red surface. "Oh, it looks so much like my chariot in sports car mode..." he murmured. His sadness quickly faded, though, as he slapped the roof of the car. "Dibs!"

Hazel looked between both options doubtfully, then shuffled over to the sports car. "I'll just go with the most experienced driver..."

"I'm pretty experienced," Leo offered, spinning the key ring around his finger. The keys then slipped and fell to the floor, Leo's face flushing as he went to pick them up. "I mean, I've never driven a motorcycle before, but I've driven a car, and I've played video games with motorcycles, so how hard can it be?" He asked, clicking on his helmet in a brilliant display of how much he prioritized road safety.

Piper looked at him with the amount of confidence she'd have if he suggested he wanted to walk the tightrope for the circus. "Yeah, I'm with Hazel on this one-I'll take the car." As if making a point, she, Hazel, and Apollo piled into the car's narrow row. Leo could even hear the car doors lock, securing their decision.

"That car only has room for three," Nico protested, his gaze falling on the motorcycle with disdain. "So it looks like I'm going on the death cycle."

"Not the death cycle!" Leo defended. "The fun cycle! Trust me, Neeks, it'll be fun-you even get the helmet for free!" He offered one of the helmets from the seat.

"Don't," Nico started, his face flushing as he fumbled with the helmet. "Don't call me Neeks." Still, the son of Hades gave in and put on the helmet, clicking the clasp in place. His expression suggested he'd like to have a full-body helmet, though Leo was a little distracted, grinning at how the helmet flattened Nico's typically fluffy hair. He zipped up his aviator jacket, anticipating a cold ride through the biting winter. Beside Nico, the origami bird fluttered, and he gently plucked the automaton out of the air and tucked it securely in his jacket pocket.

Leo hopped on the bike, hands tentatively moving to the handlebars. He could feel a surprising dose of knowledge and confidence in the face of this new challenge-as if his dad were the god of motorcycles instead of the forges. Maybe it was because his dad made the bike-maybe it was because Leo could feel what went into it, how every piece fit into place. He knew how to operate this heavy machinery-he knew exactly what it needed to run smoothly.

Nico got on behind him, hesitantly holding on to the sides of the bike. Leo knew he wouldn't hurt himself, and he wouldn't hurt Nico-unless the son of Hades was going to get wishy-washy about holding on to him, of course. Knowing him, that was entirely possible.

With one last look at Hephaestus, Leo could see the god was smiling slightly-it almost looked at if he were proud of him. Leo wanted to hate him, and these vehicles didn't change anything, but the meeting had turned out better than he expected. His nine year old self would have loved this-and his sixteen year old self didn't think this was too bad, either.

Leo smiled back at his dad, and with a snap of the god's fingers, the two vehicles and their riders were back on top of the parking lot.

Leo revved up the motorcycle, and Nico let out a slight gasp near Leo's ear, barely audible over the hum of the bike. The son of Hades instinctively wrapped his arms around Leo's waist-loosely, but the with the good motive of not falling off.

Against his better judgment, high from the power under his fingertips, Leo grinned, slightly nodding back to Nico. "You better hold on tight, di Angelo."

To his surprise, Nico complied. His hold tightened, every inch of his torso against Leo's back. His chin jabbed his shoulder. Leo let out a shaky breath, nervous butterflies bubbling within his stomach for the first time since the flight-but not because of the bike.

Revving the engine once more, Leo started towards the road, the sports car following closely behind.