“Hey, wake up.” I heard someone say faintly. I rolled over.
“Hmm,” I heard the deepness of a males voice, then I felt a sink on the the left side of my bed. I shot up with my blanket wrapped around me because i was wearing a bra. In the dark I couldn’t see much but an outline of someone.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” he said getting off the bed, and to my light switch. When the lights flashed on the young male, maybe fifteen, looked like a mexican Santa elf. He had curly black hair and was just staring at me.
“What?” I asked self conscious.
“You, you are, um,” he ran his hand through his hair.
“My Gods! You’re Leo Valdez!” I gasp in sudden realization.
“Yeah?”
“How?”
“How what?” He asked clearly confused.
“You’re supposed to be in a book. A fictional book,” I muttered leaning over to grab a shirt from the ground. Slipping on I got off my bed and over to my bookshelf where I pulled out, ‘The Lost Hero.”
“See look,” I handed Leo the book.
“It’s Festus. That’s Jason, Piper, and,” he squints his eyes, “Me. That’s me,”
“I know,” I answered matter-of-factly.
“ How?” he questioned, pulling a few pipe cleaners and rubber bands from his army jacket.
“I do not know,” I replied, sitting back on my bed, “Why are you in my room, at five o’clock in the morning?”
“ I don’t know. I was going with the flow. I just woke up here and you are the only one home,” he responded sinking to the ground.
“What do you mean I’m the only one here?”
“I looked in the other rooms and you’re the only one here.” I ran out of my room and into my moms. She wasn’t there. I ran back to my room and looked at Leo, “Where are they?”
“Sorry, but I don’t know,” he returned.
“Get out, I need to get dressed,” he left. I threw on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a white racerback tank top, chucks and my favorite deep blue beanie. I walked out of my room and into the kitchen where Leo was raiding the fridge.
“You have nothing to eat,” he said pulling his head from the refrigerator.
“Thank you captain obvious. We need to talk to Hera.”
“Hera? Why her?” he asked moving to the pantry.
“Because in the book it was Hera who switched Percy and Jason. So we need to talk to Hera.”
“Okay,” he replied with a mouthful of cheese-its.
“Do you have a drachma?”
“Nope,” he finished the box.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. They aren’t on the required demi-god must carry list.”
“Ha ha,” I said sarcastically.
“But I know where to get one,” his smirk was mysterious.
“Where?”
“The mall, a water fountain,” he answered leaning against the counter.
“What are we waiting- oh yeah, it’s 4:30 in the morning,” my shoulders slumped.
Ding! My phone went off. The message read: you have 24 hours and he leaves from an unknown number.
“What?” I reread it again, “Leo can you figure this out?” I hand him my IPhone.
“Well since I’m the only he I’m assuming it’s me.”
“We have 24 hours to find my ‘rents.”
“Looks like it. Lets go,” he said grabbing my hand, “Do you know how to drive?”
“Yeah. but i don't have my license.”
“Me either. You drive,” we walked outside.
“Drive where?” I asked getting in the driver side. I opened the glove box and grabbed the keys.
“Don’t know, just drive.”
“That’s real helpful.” I started my family's’ ‘99 pontiac grand am. I drove for an hour before i found a place that was open. I pulled into the parking lot and parked. We got out and went inside. The place didn't have a name on the outside but when we got indoors there was a sign that read 24 hour bowling and pizza. There was no one at the front desk and after about five minutes of waiting Leo went behind the counter and opened the cash register.
“Found one!” Leo yelled.
“Did you?” someone called from the entrance of the bowling alley.
“Sure did look,” he pulled about eight from the drawer.
“Um, Leo,” I whisper.
“Yeah?” a young woman came into view. “oh.” He came from behind the counter, drachmas still in hand.
“I’m going to have to ask you to put those back son of Hephaestus.” the woman said.
“How about Xena run!” He yelled taking off. I ran after him, jumped in the car and drove off.
“I'm a criminal,” I managed after my heart-rate slowed.
“Only for your parents.” I grunted.
“Lets use my hose,” I suggested pulling onto my street.
“Okay,” he replied as i pulled into the driveway. I got out and waited for Leo but he wouldn’t get out so I walked up to the door, opened it and asked him if he was going to get out.
“Yeah, sorry,” he shook his head, “Lost in thought,” he got out. We went inside and out the back door, turned on the hose and made a rainbow.
“O’ Goddess, accept my offering,” Leo said throwing the drachma into the rainbow.
“We would like to talk to Hera, queen of the Gods,” I spoke into the Iris-message and the Goddess appeared.
“Yes, how may I help you?” the Goddess turned and faced the message, “Oh,”she gave us a look of disgust.
“I think you know where my parents are,” I delivered not as confident as I wish I had.
“Say I do. How is a puny mortal going to get me to tell her the answers?” She asked with as near on her face.
I opened my mouth to say something but closed it because I had nothing to say.
The goddess laughed, “Exactly.”
“Why’d you put me here and take Xena’s parents? And I can figure out a way to get you,” Leo said bravely.
“Is that so Leo? If I remember correctly I’ve been messing with your group since before you were in it,” Leo had nothing to say.
“Hmm, I’ll be nice and give you a hint. Your parents are being kept in a cave,” with that she broke the rainbow.
“A cave? Do you know how many caves there are? It’s 5:45 and I only have twenty three hours left,” I sat down and cried. As soon as my butt hit the ground i was pulled up into an embrace from Leo.
“What are you doing?” I hiccup, leaving a wet spot on Leo’s shirt.
“I’m pretty sure it’s called comforting. People do it when someone is sad or upset,” He said wrapping his arms tighter. A few minutes later I pulled away, “We need to get busy.” I walked into the house to the bathroom to blow my nose.I threw the tissue away and turned right into Leo.
“Whoa bro.”
“What?”
“You were there and I didn't know and you scared me. Lets go look through caves.”
“Lets look in in San Francisco,” he suggested moving from the door.
“In California?”
“Yeah Percy and Annabeth visited the titan Atlas once in San Francisco.”
“Okay, lets go. It’s what? An eight hour drive right?”
“Yeah.it’s like six so we’ll get there at two.”
“Okay, lets stalk up on things i have in my pantry,” I walked to the kitchen.
“How about no, Your pantry is empty.”
“Alright Walmart then.” We went and got cheese-its, goldfish crackers, cheeto puffs, lays original, beef jerky and trail mix without raisins. We grabbed Gatorade, water and root beer. We went to check out, paid and left for Cali. We played the alphabet game, I-spy, and Leo slept.
“Hey, we’re here,” I shook him.
“I’m up,”he sat up straight.
“Where do we go?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Great,” I hit the steering wheel.
“Don’t get mad,” he murmured putting his hand on my back.
“Please,” I asked and he removed it.
“I don’t know,” I whispered defeated.
“Lets call Annabeth. We are going to have to use your phone. I don’t have one.”
“Okay, here you call her she knows you,” I handed him the phone. He dialed the number and put it on speaker.
“Hello?” someone answered the phone.
“Hey Annabeth, it’s Leo from camp half blood,”
“Hi Leo, how did you call me?”
“He used my phone,” I spoke up.
“Ah, who, may I ask, are you?” Annabeth questioned.
“My name is Xena. I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Where is Atlas’s cave?”
“Mount Tamalpais, why?”
“I think my mom is there. You should go monsters are probably picking up on your signal.”
“How-” I clicked the phone off.
“How did you know about the signals?” Leo was in udder confusion.
“I am obsessed with the Percy Jackson series, okay? I’ve read the books several times over. That’s how. Lets go hike a mountain,” I drove to the mountain and when we got there I remembered the garden, “Crap.”
“What?” Leo asked getting out of the car.
“The garden of Hesperides. That’s what. There is a dragon with 100 heads.”
“So, it’s just a dragon.”
“The garden of Hesperides is Heras garden and unfortunately we have to get through said garden to get the the mountain,” I voiced.
“Oh.”
“Lets go,” I went to the back seat, grabbed some water, closed the door and locked the car up. I handed Leo a bottle and as we walked to the garden a shimmer appeared and then from the shimmer an almost transparent female appeared.
“What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? Answer this correctly and you will be able to pass through the garden with ease, but if you fail Ladon will eat you.”
“Who’s Ladon?” Leo asked me.354Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtkCvY1viq
“The dragon that guards the tree,” I answer.
“Very good mistress. Answer the riddle.”
“Thats the riddle Sphinx asked anyone who entered Thebes. Well, a baby crawls on four “legs” when its young. Man walks on two in the middle stage of his life which is noon. An elderly person walks on three because of a cane.” I walked through it.
“So the answer is man,” Leo answered to the nymph.
“Very good mortal, you may pass,” The young woman steps aside and we walk into the garden. Leo turned around to say something but the woman was gone.
“Where do we go?” Leo questioned.
“I’m assuming we follow the path,” I pointed at the cobblestone path. We followed it up into the mountain. After an hour Leo sat down, clearly exhausted.
“Come on Leo just a little further,” I try pulling him up but he wouldn’t budge. He pulled me down and I fell on him.
“I’m- I’m sorry,” I apologized flustered.
“No, It’s okay,” I tried getting up but Leo wouldn’t let me.
“Wh-what are you doing?” I stutter.
“This,” and he kissed me.
“Wha-” I was shocked. I rolled over off of him.
Leo got up, grabbed my hand and pulled me up, “Lets go.” After another half hour of hiking we got to a cave with laughter coming from it.
“Looks like your daughter isn’t coming for you!” a booming voice yelled. I heard a distressed groan sounding faintly female.
“That’s my mom,” I mouthed at Leo.
“I know,” He mouthed back.
“You can't really believe that!” I heard my father scream and the jangle of chains.
I ran into the cave, “I'm here!”
“Xena,” My dad looked at me like I was a ghost. I looked over to my left and I saw my mom with the weight of the world on her shoulders and Atlas staring at me like I was a meal. Behind me I heard Leo walk into the cave.
“How did you get here?” Atlas called. Me, being at lost for words, Leo answered.
“We followed Hera’s clues and well we ended up here.” The titan charged us. I ducked between his legs and ran to the back of the cave where I saw a sword. When I turned around to fight Atlas he threw me into a wall and it all went black.
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