Leo was no stranger to abandonment. He knew the feeling well; much more than any kid his age should ever know. Once upon a time, he had dreamed of growing up working alongside his mother in the machine shop, spending his life tinkering with tools in Texas. A beautiful, simple life.

It didn't exactly happen like that.

Instead he'd faced loss. He'd seen his mother die; burdened with the knowledge that he'd killed her. He'd been disowned by family, bounced from home to home, always running, always escaping. And just when he thought he'd found a real home, a place where he had friends and as close to a family as he could hope for, he'd had to stand by quietly as they-just like everyone else-forgot about him, and he faded into the background. All his dreams of a quiet, peaceful life shattered.

Leo was alone.

Reyna was no stranger to heartbreak. She knew the feeling well, much better than she'd ever picture herself knowing it when she was much younger, before Circe's Island. She thought, as every little girl does, that she'll meet her prince charming at round one, and live happily ever after, ride off into the sunset, queen of her own personal castle.

It didn't exactly happen like that.

Instead she'd faced heartache. She'd seen her sister abandon her, her best friend disappear, and then leave her by herself. She was left with a job meant for two, shouldering guilt and regret that she never should have faced. Even now that people were celebrating, she realized that even though she had medals, and honor and respect, she didn't have anyone to celebrate with. All her dreams of a picture perfect life shattered.

Reyna was alone.

Leo stood looking over the border to Camp Half-Blood. He wondered if he walked over right now, whether someone would notice. Would an alarm bell ring? Would a light in the Big House come on? Would anyone even notice? Would anyone even care? He was so tempted. He could just walk over the line and erase this part of his life, the way he had erased the other lives. He could start somewhere else. Somehow, someway, he'd move on. He always did. That was his one rule: Keep moving on.

He'd broken it by staying at Camp. And it had come back to bite him.

Would anyone mind if he tried to honor it now?

The night was dark, and Leo thought about turning back. He could try again, he could find a home here. But no. Don't stay in one place too long. It was the only way to keep ahead of the sadness. He had to keep moving. Soon, this place would be another sad memory. He didn't want ti to be that way, but that's the way it always had been. Leo was a runner. When he left he didn't come back. He wasn't found until he wanted to be found.

But this time, he was sure that no one would be looking for him.

"Leo?"said a voice behind him. He had been so lost in thought he hadn't even heard Reyna coming up the hill to stand by him. Her hair was loose from her braid, and she was wearing pajamas. It was funny, but Leo had never pictured Reyna to own pajamas. She wasn't that type of person. She stood with her arms folded against the wind, and her lips pursed in worry.

"Reyna," he said coolly, trying to sound like everything was okay. "What brings you out here on this fine night?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Her voice was icy, but there was a waver to it that showed that she wasn't as rigid as she was making herself look.

"So I guess this is what they call an impasse," Leo suggested innocently.

"I suppose so," she agreed.

They stood in silence for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts. To Leo's surprise, it was Reyna who broke the silence.

"Have you ever thought about just leaving?" she asked. Leo was shocked for a minute, before recovering his wits. Reyna abandoning camp? That would never happen. But that's what he was about to do, wasn't it? How was that any different. Leo made a crack decision to be perfectly honest.

"All the time," he said. "I even know how I'd do it."

"How?" Reyna asked honestly.

"I'd just walk out. No one would even notice. I could even do it in broad daylight if I wanted."

"You're so sure about that?" Reyna asked.

Leo hesitated. The tone in her voice was hinting at something, but he couldn't tell what. Leo had never talked much to Reyna. He had blown up her camp-whether by accident or not was irrelevant-and that was pretty much a constant conversation killer. Besides, Reyna was busy and important, and nothing that happened was important enough to have her address him personally. Occasionally they made small talk (tinny, awkward small talk) but it had never gotten much farther than that. Of all the people who might miss him, Reyna-who barely acknowledged his existence-was close to the bottom of the list.

She continued, "I was thinking the same thing," she admitted. "I'd love to leave, try something different for a change. But I have responsibilities to think of. I couldn't abandon my people."

Leo snorted. "I doubt the people would mind if I abandoned them. I'm a walking fire hazard. I make people nervous."

"You don't make me nervous," Reyna said.

"You're Reyna. Nothing makes you nervous."

She barely cracked a smile.

"If you left, where would you go?" The question wasn't prying, more like politely curious. It was almost funny to Leo how they were taking his leaving camp as a hypothetical situation, when they both knew it was inevitable.

"I don't know," he confessed. "I'd go somewhere. Somewhere that doesn't remind me of anywhere I've left behind."

"I take it you have quite the trail of breadcrumbs," she said softly.

"The longest." His mood darkened instantly.

There was more silence. No one wanted to signal the end of the conversation.

"So here I go," he said.

"Stay."

The word played over and over in his head. He turned to face her.

"What?"

She looked embarrassed, as if she hadn't meant to say that out loud. "I want you to stay. You can't just keep running. You'll run out of places to go."

"The world is bigger than you'd imagine," he said.

"You're making the problem worse by not facing it."

"And what is my problem, Reyna?" he asked, getting angry now. "That I'm so forgettable? That nothing I do is ever permanent? That I'm destined to live life alone, taking care of myself, the seventh wheel?"

On the last words, his voice cracked. The seventh wheel. The words Nemesis had said so long ago. He'd never forgotten them, maybe because they just confirmed by divine authority what he'd thought for years: No one would ever care enough about him. He'd wanted to prove the goddess wrong but it was impossible. Leo would just never be enough to be remembered. He knew people liked him, but he would never be on their list of priorities, for some, not even second-rate priorities. He was just Flaming Valdez, the pyromaniac with the magic tool belt. Nothing more.

Leo lit a fire in his palm. It sparked and glowed, showing his agitation, and Reyna looked at it with fascination, but not in wonder or fear like he was used to. It was a nice change.

"I am alone," she said. "But I know that that is what is best for now. Why can't it be the same for you?"

"I'm not like you," he growled.

She studied him. "No, you're not. I distance myself from others to avoid showing pain. You hide behind humor and laughs, and everyone thinks you're fine, but you're not. You aren't like me, Leo Valdez. You're worse."

Leo curled his hand into a fist and crushed the flame. His hand was shaking.

"How did you know I'd be out here?" he asked frostily. He almost never used that tone, not even to people he hated, but he had reached his limit. He needed to get out, to get away. He didn't feel safe anymore. But then again, he'd never felt safe.

"I didn't," she said calmly. "I needed to think. It was lucky that you happened to decide to skip town on the same night. At least I get to wish you good luck."

"You're not going to make me stay?"

"I want you to stay," she admitted. "But I know there's no stopping you.

"No, there isn't," he said flatly.

"Then good luck." Reyna smiled a small smile. "I'll miss you."

"Why? We never even talked." Leo looked her right in the face. She stared back, gaze unwavering.

"Because no one else will," she said simply. "And someone like you deserves to be missed." She smiled then, a real, genuine smile, and Leo realized he had never seen Reyna smile before. He had made the Ice Queen smile. For the first and only time, the small voice in his head whispered, and his elation faded.

Reyna turned and started walking down the hill. "Wait!"Leo called out. She turned, her expression confused.

"As to where I'm going," he said in his regular-Leo voice. "I, my darling, have a small meeting in the city of revenge."

She smiled again, and Leo knew she wouldn't tell. At least, not for a while. The other members of the seven would know where he was going, but she wouldn't. His secret was safe with her.

"Revenge is best served cold," she tipped him. "Good-bye, Leo Valdez." She walked off back towards the cabins. Leo took a deep breath, and marched over the hill into the mortal world. He looked back once, and thought he could see the ghost of Reyna's smile still lingering at the top of the hill.

He would never forget it.

I had to do this. I had it all planned out and everything. My other story will have to wait. Team Leo always comes first.