orenda [leo valdez]

xxxvi. Aphrodite Throws a Shoe at Leo

❝if tomorrow brings new hope

i hope it brings you❞

⤷ perry poetry

△△△

Leo avoided Piper, who was following him around the ship, trying to get him talk to her.

So had everyone else at this point. It had been almost two weeks since he lost his best friend.

"Leo Valdez!" Piper yelled from the deck. "Please just talk to me!"

It wasn't fair to use charmspeak against him, she knew that, but she was getting desperate.

Leo trudged out to meet Piper, glaring at her. "What, Piper? I was busy,"

"You're always busy," Piper said, rolling her eyes. Leo found her annoyance very insensitive. He knew she would go out of her mind if she lost Jason.

"What do you want?" Leo said, almost pleading with the girl to not force him to talk. He didn't want to think about her, and how he failed her.

"I miss you," Piper said, her voice softening. She looked at Leo with hopeful eyes, but Leo only scoffed.

"And I miss Kira," He said, trying to keep the rudeness out of his voice. Piper looked to the ground.

"I do too." She said after a bit of silence. "But that's where we're going, to save her!"

"You don't get it," Leo said, shaking his head and turning to leave Piper on the deck.

He only took a few steps before Jason popped out from the steps leading to the cabins.

"Hey Leo!" He said brightly. "Good to see you outside of the cabins."

Leo scowled to Piper, but she only gave him a guilty grin.

"Thank your girlfriend."

"Oh, hi Piper!" Jason said, going to her side. He turned to Leo.

"I don't get what?" Piper asked, ignoring her oblivious boyfriend.

"That she's stuck in Tartarus! Without me, and it's my fault!" It was the first time Leo had raised his voice.

He was shaking, his hands dropping the screws he had been tinkering with.

Piper and Jason were quiet.

"And I can't do anything about it!" He choked back tears. "I'm stuck on this stupid ship, with two loving couples that keep pretending nothing is wrong!"

"I'm sorry," Piper told him, taking a step towards him. He would have backed up, and told her not to touch him, but he was so tired.

Piper wrapped him in a hug. Leo didn't exactly hug back, but he appreciated the gesture.