orenda [leo valdez]

xxxiv. Warrior with a Golden Heart

❝i fell for you

and i am still falling❞

⤷ dj

△△△

The Argo II was now parked on a hill overlooking the city. Jason, Hazel, and Frank had returned to the scene of the catastrophe, hoping to dig through the rubble and find a way to save Percy and Annabeth, but they'd come back demoralized. The cavern was simply gone. The scene was swarming with police and rescue workers.

Leo broke down as soon they came back emptyhanded.

He left the rest of the team to pull up the statue, running to her cabin.

He yanked her door open, the room hadn't been touched in two days, since Leo placed her on her bed.

She was gone.

He crumpled on her blanket, letting silent, choked sobs rack his body.

He breathed in her scent, trying to find something to help him cope.

He hadn't returned the last "I love you".

Her wall that connected with the back of her bed was full of pictures. He took down one of her and him with shaky fingers.

He held the picture with white knuckles. It had been the two of them in the cave, sitting and laughing after King Midas' mansion chaos, moments before the wolves had came.

No one came to check on him.

Leo managed to make his way back to the deck with puffy cheeks and red eyes.

The crew looked at him like the police had when his mother died.

"It's my fault," he choked out miserably. He had been the reason his girlfriend was gone. Stolen from him, because of him.

"No," Hazel insisted. "No, this is Gaea's fault. It had nothing to do with you."

Leo couldn't look at her. Kira had been jealous, she had thought that he liked her. He couldn't even glance in Hazel's direction.

"Leo, listen to me." Hazel gripped his hand. "I won't allow you to take the blame. I couldn't bear that after—after Sammy..."

Leo took his hand away from her.

Nico di Angelo shuffled over, leaning on his black sword. "Leo, they're not dead. If they were, I could feel it."

"How can you be sure?" Leo asked. "If that pit really led to...you know...how could you sense them so far away?"

"We can't be one hundred percent sure," Hazel admitted. "But I think Nico is right. Percy, Kira, and Annabeth are still alive...at least, so far."

Jason pounded his fist against the rail. "I should've been paying attention. I could have flown down and saved them."