This may belong as a Parenthood Drabble, but this little plot bunny seems to have taken a life of its own here. That's probably because I like Frank more than life itself (but maybe less than cheese) and I'm still pissed about the little to no screen time he got during The Blood of Olympus. That's a whole other story though. Enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

Go Home

"Coach, it's okay," Frank said as soon as he stepped on deck and saw Hedge on his knees, scrubbing at the ancient war machines that dotted their ship like flowers in a garden. "You can leave the ballistas alone. I'll do it."

"I've got it," Hedge said.

"Nah, they nearly blew off Jason's head yesterday," Frank said. "It's like Leo gave them a personality when he made them, and that personality is annoyed."

"Zhang, what's the matter with you?" Hedge asked. "You keep doing work for me, telling me to get back to my cabin. Are you covering for Jackson and Chase? What are they doing now?"

"Nothing, nothing," Frank blushed. "Everything's chaste. I just… you look tired."

"You said that yesterday when we had to get rid of the sea-harpies," Hedge said.

Sea-harpies were a thing. Who knew, eh? Just another day aboard the Argo II.

Frank must have looked really guilty because Coach crossed his arms.

"You know Zhang, I'm starting to think that you don't want me here," he said.

"No!" Frank squeaked.

"Don't bother kid. I taught McLean and Valdez for five months. Don't try lying to me."

Frank looked at his shoes. "You're right," he admitted. "I want you out of here. I want you to go back to camp."

For a second hurt seemed to flash over the coach's eyes and Frank felt even worst, but then Hedge asked why. That was nearly worst. But Frank couldn't lie about that too considering how long he'd been holding on to all of these unsaid words which made his mouth taste like copper and cardboard.

"Because if something happens to you I'll hold myself personally responsible until the day that I die," he said. "I mean, I don't want your baby to lose a parent before it's even born. Because it would suck to be a war orphan. You spend a lot of time being mad and a lot of time being sad, but more time wondering if your mom loved the cause more than she loved you, and then more time feeling guilty that you thought something like that, and then you're sad again, then you're angry, and then you feel like shit because people keep apologising to you and so you start not knowing who's to blame even though you were blaming an entire country ten minutes ago... So then you blame everybody which makes you angry again and it never stops, Coach, it never stops. Your kid can't go through that, you have to go home while you still can."

Coach Hedge looked at Frank for a long time.

"Kid," Coach Hedge said.

"Yeah?"

"About your mom."

Frank nodded, but his shoulders moved as if he were bracing for impact more than anything.

"Iraq or Afghanistan? Or somewhere else?" Hedge asked.

"Afghanistan," Frank said. "She's been to both, though. She nearly lost her leg when I was a baby."

Hedge patted Frank's back, not sure how to digest the information so saving that for later, once Frank felt better.

"Thanks, kid. But I've got to warn you, since yesterday's attack the ballistas are disgusting."

"I can handle it," Frank said.

"We've got monster guts there, ichor here, brain goop there..."

"I've got it," Frank nodded.

"I'm sure," Hedge said.

And he was. Frank was a good kid. His mom, whoever she was and however long she'd been able to spend with him, must have been hell of a woman. She'd done a good job on him.

"I'm sure you could handle this without me… you know, if I started looking for a way home."

Frank nodded. "Can you take the first excuse you can get Coach?"

"I'll try," Hedge said.

"That's not good enough," Frank said. "That's what my mom said when I told her to take care on Skype. It was the most honest thing she could tell me, but you get to pick your truth here."

"I will," Hedge said.

Frank's shoulders finally untensed and he nodded, took the cleaning equipment from Hedge's hands and started to scrub.