I felt claws grab my shoulders.
I opened my eyes.
It's been a long time since you spoke. The voice said.
I smiled. I didn't think you'd help. I said.
I swore an oath to your father, child, I must help you whenever you are in need.
Our descent slowed as the owl flapped his huge wings.
We landed carefully on the lawn as he let go of me.
How long have you been watching me? I said, laying Leo on the ground.
Since your father faded.
I sighed. Did you know of my mother?
No, I thought she had died, your father thought so too. He hopped closer peering down at Leo.
"Anwen!" Piper yelled. I turned. Piper and Jason were running towards us. They stopped abruptly when they saw the giant owl.
"Uhm... Who is the owl?" Jason said.
"Oh, right. Long story short. Before Pan faded, he had a group of animals who were..." I hesitated. "More evolved than your normal animal. He used these to perform tasks for him, however once he discovered he was on the verge of fading he decided he would give them all new missions. Most were sent to help keep places wild, but this owl here." I gestured towards the owl. "His sole mission was to make sure I was kept safe, whenever I asked for his help, he would be there. The rest of the animals were also told to take care of me but Hoots over here," I smirked as the owl turned his head to me. "His main priority was to look after me."
The owl ruffled his feathers. You know I hate being called Hoots.
Dad said I could name you, and I really liked Sesame Street at the time, therefore that is your name now.
He ruffled his feathers. Fine. I snorted.
Piper and Jason were staring at us.
"What?" I said.
"Why are you hooting at each other?" Piper said, looking concerned.
I stared at her. "Oh! I just realised." I laughed. "No, you can't talk to animals so you don't understand what we are saying. We were arguing about how he hates being called Hoots."
"Ok... Anyway, where's Leo?" Jason said.
"He is right here." I said, pointing at the unconscious form of Leo behind me.
"Oh my god!" Piper said. "Why did you just put him on the floor? Is he even alive?"
I snorted. "He's just unconscious."
Piper slapped a hand to her face as she sat next to Leo.
"I can't believe you." She muttered.
She cleared her throat. "Leo." She said in charmspeak. "Wake up."
Leo gasped and shot up. "Am I alive?" I snorted.
"Leo, lie down again." Piper instructed.
"How am I alive? I thought I fell." Leo said.
"This nutcase saved you." Piper said, pointing at me.
Leo frowned. "How?"
"Well, it's an interesting story really –"
"Holy- is that a giant owl?" Leo said.
"Why does everyone interrupt me?" I muttered.
Probably because when you start talking you don't stop.
Ok that is crossing a line. I said, glaring at the owl. He flapped his wings, whacking my arm. How dare you. I gasped.
"Why are they hooting?" Leo said. I kept glaring at the owl.
"They're arguing again." Piper sighed.
Leo lay back down. "This is so weird." He shot back up again. "Wait! Where's Festus?" I turned back to them as Piper winced. "Guys?"
"Uhm, well, Anwen saved you, but the dragon..." Piper trailed off.
Leo paled. "No, no, no." He stood, looking around until he saw his dragon.
"I'm really sorry, Leo." I said. "There was nothing I could do."
Festus had clearly dropped the canary cages when he had got over the wall, they had rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, but they were undamaged.
Festus hadn't been so lucky.
The dragon had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had ploughed a trench covering a quarter of the mansion's garden before breaking apart. What remained of his hide was a few charred, smoking piles of scraps. Only his neck and head were somewhat intact, resting across a row of frozen rosebushes like a pillow.
"No," Leo sobbed.
He ran over to the dragon's head. It's eyes flickered weakly as oil leaked out of it's ear. "You can't go," Leo pleaded. "You're the best thing I ever fixed."
Jason and Piper walked over to stand next to Leo as the dragon whirred it's gears, like purring.
"It's not fair." Leo said.
The dragon began to make clicking noises. Long creak. Two short clicks, creak, creak.
My eyes widened. The dragon was speaking in Morse Code.
Leo sniffled. "Yeah," he said. "I will. I promise."
The dragon's eyes went dark. Festus was gone.
Leo began to cry. Piper and Jason patted his shoulder, muttering comforting words.
I stayed where I stood, rooted to the spot. I felt like I was intruding at a funeral.
You blame yourself.
I turned to the owl with tears in my eyes. Wouldn't you?
The owl tilted his head. Maybe. I couldn't have done anything. No point blaming myself for what has already happened. But... Perhaps.
I turned back to the others. They were talking to each other quietly. I sighed.
If you really blame yourself. Then don't you want to help?
And how would I do that? I said, wiping my eyes.
Well, look at them. They are comforting the poor boy, join them.
I smiled. I feel this more of a moment for them, they don't know me as well as they know each other.
The owl tilted his head. But one of them has amnesia? The others have fake memories of him. They know him as much as they know you.
My smile fell. I sighed. Fine, let's go.
We made our way over to the trio.
"What did you promise Festus?" Jason said.
"Something my dad told me; everything can be reused."
"Wait your dad spoke to you? When?"
Leo didn't respond. Instead, he began working at the hinges on the dragon's neck. Once he detached the head, he held it in his arms.
"Dad, take him back to the bunker, please. Until I can reuse him? I've never asked you for anything."
The wind picked up; the dragon's head was lifted out of Leo's arms as if it weighed nothing. It flew into the sky and disappeared.
"Wait, he answered you?" Piper looked at him in amazement.
"I had a dream." Leo managed. "Tell you later." He took a deep breath. "Where are we? I mean which city?"
"Omaha, Nebraska," Piper said. "I saw a billboard as we flew in."
"Huh, better eyesight than me." I said, looking around.
Jason frowned. "What happened, anyway? How did Festus end up like this?"
"Lasers." Leo said. He picked up a bit of scrap metal and threw it into the air. A turret popped up from the wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating.
Jason whistled. "Some defence system."
"How are we even alive?" Piper asked.
"Festus," I said. "He took the fire; the lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on us."
Leo sighed. "I led him into a death trap."
"You couldn't have known." I said, peering up at the walls. The turrets had folded themselves back into the walls seamlessly, it was as if they were never there.
"He saved our lives, again." Piper said.
"But what now?" Jason said. "The main gates are locked and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without us getting shot down."
Leo turned to the mansion. "Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in."
Hi, so the chapter name will probably change, but in the meantime, if you get what I mean by it, then well done. (I have changed it now, no one saw the old one, and no one ever will lol). (Never mind I changed it back, I couldn't think of anything else).
I don't know if the owl was a good idea, but we are rolling with it, I really don't have the energy to change it rn. My brain is just going into hibernation mode, it doesn't want to go back to school.
I'm currently planning out the Piper x fem!OC. Since this Leo Valdez story is a series, I'm planning on beginning to post the Piper x fem!OC once I have finished this book in the series (soon basically). I would like to thank bricksnbones for helping me sort through my ideas and lesbian_panic for reminding me I was going to do it, I will admit that I nearly forgot lol.
I am yet again editing this while watching videos. (It helps me keep going, ok?)
I haven't seen anyone commenting advice, probably because not many people are actually reading this, but I am thankful to those who are, I appreciate you guys. I really love writing and it's nice to see people reading my work.
That is it from me, I'm gonna try and update tomorrow, no entirely sure tho.
I hope you are having a good day and if not then I hope reading this made you feel better, even just a tad.
Bye from Corgi :)
P.S. (feel free to skip) Just a reminder that all characters (apart from Anwen) belong to Rick Riordan, this is merely a fanfiction based off the Heroes of Olympus series.