December 11th
Leo was stressed. It wasn't new for him, but the things he was stressed with now were no fun.
He had homework for his online school he had started so he could go to collage, a new project he started four months ago, and he still needed a gift for Nico.
For the twentieth time that day, Leo looked to the box of Greek god and monster figurines. He had some gut feeling that they had something to do with Nico but he couldn't remember why and was too afraid to ask the one person who might know.
"What am I going to do?" Leo asked his mechanical dragon.
Festus creaked.
"I know I can just IM him but. . ."
Festus hissed.
"Hey! I'm not scared of him!"
Festus cocked his head.
"Fine!"
Leo grabbed a drachma from his pocket and walked over to the questionably working Iris Message machine.
"Oh, goddess Iris, please accept this offering."
He threw the drachma and it disappeared into the water that was misting up in the machine.
"Please show me Percy Jackson."
The machine stuttered and then Percy's image appeared in the watery mist. He was leaned over a book with a frown but when he saw Leo, he broke into a smile.
"What's up, Leo!"
"Nothing much, Jackson."
"You got your gift for your Secret Santa yet?"
Leo looked at the box of figurines, "yeah, yeah, totally."
Percy laughed, "Is there a reason you called?"
"Actually, yeah."
Leo quickly ran to the box and picked up a figurine that turned out to be Hades, and ran back to the Iris Message that was stuttering and the water was starting to falter.
"Do you know what this is?" Leo asked.
"I can't see it," Percy said. "Come to my mom's apartment and show me."
With that, the machine stopped and Percy disappeared.
Leo sighed. He had hoped he could just call Percy, have him answer the question, and get back to his project, or maybe force himself to do boring homework. But, no. Now he had to have a full field trip.
"Let's go, Festus," Leo said, walking to his mechanical friend.
Festus hissed.
"It was your idea to call him!"
Festus groaned.
"Hey! You can't talk to me like that!"
Leo hopped on Festus's back and the sassy dragon took off towards Sally's.
A few minutes in, Leo really wished he had a coat. And shoes. He was sailing through the fridged air with the wind cutting through his one layer of clothing. He was shivering and wondering if he'd actually gotten hypothermia, when they finally arrived at the building.
Leo landed on the metal fire escape and had Festus hang in the air so not to break it. He pressed the button that made Festus into the suitcase and it fell with a clang. He opened the window to Percy's room and shoved the suitcase inside. He then tried to gracefully climb in as well, but his foot caught on the windowsill and he tumbled through the opening and the window closed behind him with a thud.
"What the-"
Leo looked up and saw Percy standing in the door way.
"What's up, Water Boy?"
Percy ignored the nickname and walked over to Leo, offering him a hand. Leo took it and stood up.
"I'm here!" Leo announced brushing himself off. "Your favorite Bad Boy Supreme!"
"Let's continue this in the living room," Percy suggested.
"Of course, wouldn't want to be in the dyeing room. Already been there."
The two boys walked into the main room of the apartment. There was a kitchen off to the side, where Sally was cooking up something delicious, a table and chairs where Paul Blofis sat, and a couch where Leo's favorite little octopus was sitting.
He snuck up behind the couch and leaned over the top until his face was on Estelle's neck. H blew cold breath down her neck and she gave a squeal of delight. She turned to see who had done that and when she saw Leo, she ran into his arms.
"Uncle Leo!" she yelled.
"What's up, Octopus?" Leo asked, hugging her tight.
"Drawing!" She pointed to the table where colors on paper were littering the surface.
Leo let go of her and slid, belly first, down the couch. He grabbed a piece of paper off the table and looked at he. He then turned slowly towards the little girl with wide eyes and an open mouth.
"This," Leo said slowly. "Is the best drawing I have ever seen in my life!"
Estelle giggled and Percy moved towards the couch.
"Hey, Stelly," Percy said to his sister, "I need to talk with Leo."
"Otay," Estelle agreed and crawled back to her drawings.
Leo rolled over and sat on the couch crisscrossed. Percy settled in-between Estelle and Leo and put his elbows on his knees.
"So," Percy said, turning his head to look at Leo. "What did you want to ask me about?"
"Oh!" Leo reached into his pocket and brought out the little Hades statue.
"Do you know what this is?" Leo asked.
Percy stared at the figuring. His eyes, that had before been light and full of humor, dimmed into a sad light. His sea green eyes looked like the depths of the sea. Sad and full of memories. It was times like these when Leo remember just how long Percy had been a demigod and how much he had been through.
"I do," Percy answered. He gestured for the figurine and Leo gave it to him.
"When I first met Nico," Percy started, turning the Hades over in his hands.
"Uncle Nico?" Estelle asked, looking up form her drawings.
"He's not here Estelle," Percy said to her.
"Aw," she pouted. Estelle turned back to her drawings and Percy returned his focus to Leo and the statue.
"When I first met, Nico," Percy continued, "he was just a ten year old boy who was obsessed with a game called Mythomagic." He laughed a little at that. "He and his sister were at a military school and when he found out his game was real, he was so happy."
Percy's face fell then. He set the figurine on the table and sat back into the couch with a sigh. "Then, his sister joined the Hunters and went on a quest with me where she gave me a Hades figurine and told me to give it to him, before. . . before she died. When Nico found out-"
"Uncle Nico?" Estelle asked.
"Not here," Percy told her.
"Aw."
"Anyway," Percy resumed, "he was really distraught. He burned all his cards and destroyed his figurines. I don't know how he destroyed them but I know he did because he once mentioned that he wished he hadn't."
"Wow," Leo said, once he realized the story was over.
He remembered once hearing Frank and Nico talking about hit points and special figurines, he hadn't thought it interesting at the time so he didn't remember before.
"Estelle, Percy, Leo!" Sally called. She was severing plates with food Leo couldn't see on the table. "Come eat."
"Uh, I can go back to camp," Leo offered. "You don't need to feed me."
"Nonsense," Sally argued. "Come eat."
"C'mon, Valdez," Percy urged. He grabbed his arm and hauled him up from the couch. "She made Tamales."
Leo sighed and gave in. How could he resist Tamales made by Sally Jackson.