Leo had never really been to New York City before. Sure, he'd heard about it ("the city that never sleeps" they said), and had seen pictures at school and at bus stops. He'd seen it briefly when he and his friends traveled to Camp Half-Blood for the first time, but he figured the real show stopper was at night. To be honest, he didn't really know what all the big, hoopla was about, yet here he was…in a New York City cab…headed straight for Percy's mom's apartment.

He should've said no, he should've declined, or made some kind of excuse. "The Hephaestus cabin has got some really important projects that needs to be finished up by summer" or "I really can't leave Festus alone for a long period of time…he gets lonely…sorry" or just plain out "No". Either of these excuses was rational, but the look in Mrs. Blofis's eyes was so persistent and hopeful, he just couldn't say 'No'. Plus it might've looked bad on his part with all of Camp Half-Blood behind him to wish Percy well; there might've been a misunderstanding.

He rested his cheek on the palm of his hand and tried to focus the blurry images rolling past the window, while his left hand had somehow constructed a working pinwheel out of chewed up straws. Occasionally Mrs. Blofis would silently will Percy to talk to Leo, in which Percy would give an excuse and Leo would roll his eyes and continue glaring out the window. Leo liked the guy, he really did, but somewhere along the line he figured the feeling wasn't mutual. There was no way to actually prove his point he just knew. Every time Leo would crack a joke or pull a prank (with the Stoll brothers assistance of course), Percy would look at him sideways or glare or roll his eyes (in Leo's mind). There was very strong possibility that he was still stuck on that situation back in New Rome. Maybe he thinks I'm some sort of traitor, Leo thought as the cab driver out his window punched his horn furiously. After a while he stopped trying to win the guy over, just accepting the fact that Percy didn't like him. Which wasn't a new concept to Leo, he wasn't really that good with first impressions. Of course there were a few exceptions: Jason, Piper, Hazel, Nyssa, the Stoll's, and maybe even Nico. But to everyone else, he was a nuisance. A pest. A problem.

Leo already decided he'd be gone soon. There was no way he could stay an entire 10 months with people who'd get sick of him in a week. He thought he head to camp, but there'd be almost no one there, and he couldn't survive with just Fetus, Buford, and the fumes of oil grease. He'd get lonely. Jason went back to New Rome for the school year with Hazel, Frank, Piper, and Annabeth (Who only went to visit her Dad and sketch new blue prints for "Project: Mount Olympus"). He would've tagged along, but he didn't feel like being ignored and neglected while they went on a romantic montage through the field of Mars or whatever the heck couples do. He was a master at going unnoticed. When he was little and on the run, it took the cops a minimum of a week or two to find him. His size was a big factor as well. He was short (for his age) and skinny, allowing him to slice through air like a knife through butter. Of course that advantage didn't help getting any attention from the females or his aggressors.

It was like gym at the Wilderness School with the war games at Camp Half-Blood. He could practically hear the gum smacking and the groans when he was put on a team, especially when his teammates were kids of the Ares. Like many things, he kept his speed a secret. Only to be used as a last resort, such as his fire…

"Leo. Leo, honey, wake up," Mrs. Blofis said, shaking him slightly, "We're here". He ran his hands through his hair, getting tangled in the curls. He didn't even realize that he was slowly dozing off, that his eyes were gradually getting weighed down with every thought that pondered his brain. Percy held the cab door open for him.

"Thanks" Leo said quietly.

"No problem" Percy replied, very intently staring at a dried piece of gum on the sidewalk. Leo nibbled on the inside of his cheek, something he did when he ran out of objects in his pockets. He silently scolded himself for leaving his tool belt in his book bag.

"Stupid"

Percy whipped around and looked Leo dead in the eye, his shoulders unnaturally tense, stepping a little closer to the mechanic than comfort, "What'd you say?"

Leo somehow managed to choke on his own spit. Did he really say that out loud?

"I was just…uh…thinking, you know, through my mouth…," through my mouth?, "I wasn't talking to you"

Percy stepped back two feet and scratched the back of his neck, a sheepish grin plastered on his face.

"Sorry", he sighed, "It just kinda bothers me when people-"

"Call you stupid? Yeah, Annabeth told me." Leo recalled the daughter of Athena explaining how not to get on Percy's bad side (calling him stupid was hanging somewhere around the 3rd marker), disregarding Leos protest about how he already made the son of Poseidon's "list" some time ago.

"Boys," Mrs. Blofis called from the other side of the street, "Hurry up; I just called Paul to meet us in the lobby". So Leo followed Percy, feeling as though he's made one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Surveying the area of downtown Manhattan, he was already devising an escape route, slowly edging back to the life he's always known.