Leo's POV

I felt myself slipping, the dark sky above my blurry. Why was I so alone? My friends should have been there. So where were my friends?

'You call them friends?' Hissed a voice in my head.

What were their names again?

'They left you for dead of course.' The voice laughed, twisting my soul.

Would friends really do that?

'Obviously they did.'

Then they weren't really friends were they?

Nothing hurt, just a fuzzy numbness. What was happening to me?

'You're dying.'

Oh, is that really what it felt like, dying? It wasn't that bad, I supposed. There could be worse ways to go.

I closed my eyes and inhaled, my chest feeling heavy. When I exhaled it was harder to breathe in again. Slowly it became impossible. It took to much effort to inhale so I stopped and let my mind drift away.

It took a whole but when I opened my eyes I found myself in front of three golden masked figures. They stared me down making me feel small.

"Leon Samuel Valdez," the first one spoke grandly, like the people at court when they sent me to the wilderness school.

"It's just Leo," I braved to speak. Dark eyes fell on me and I looked down at my feet.

But they did change. "What shall we do with you Valdez?" the first one continued.

"He has done heroic things in his life," said the one on the far right.

The one in the middle, the first one, shook his head. "He has also done many horrible things."

"A hero must have a means to achieve greatness," pointed out the one on the far left.

"We cannot argue this." The one in the middle said. "We will start at the beginning."

"Normal childhood, minor godly interference." Said the one on the left.

I tried to protest but I couldn't open my mouth.

"He is the cause of his mothers death!" The one in the middle was almost yelling.

"He preformed admirably in his quest."

"But before he ran away many times, not exactly the mark of a hero."

"Not enough good but not enough evil." The one on the right sighed. "Asphodel?"

"We cannot forget the young Calypso." The one on the middle continued, "he had made a promise on the Styx."

"A broken promise?" The one on the left shook his head. "There can be no other verdict."

"Punishment." They said at the same time.

"What should it be?"

"Something fitting," the one in the middle stood, looking like a giant to me. "I know that fire is his godly gift."

Gaurds dragged me by chains. I walked past Elysium where a beautiful woman stood at the gate.

"Mom?"

"Mi hijo!" she cried joyfully, arms outstretched. "You've kept me waiting!"

"Mom!" I tried to run to her but the chains held me back.

"Mi hijo?" She backed up. "You don't get to come with me?"

"He's being sent to punishment!" the guard behind me announced.

My mother crumpled, her eyes melting with disappointment. "Take him away!" She turned, walking back into Elysium.

"Mom!" I yelled. "Wait!"

I blinked, that was it.

When I opened my eyes I saw flames surrounding me. They licked at my body and hair. It shouldn't have hurt but everything burnt. Black ash smeared my flesh and I couldn't push it away.

I tried to move out of the living furnace. It was total agony and I screamed at the top of my lungs. But it still couldn't compare to the pain of seeing my mother so ashamed of me.

My eyes snapped open but I still saw flames. Panicked, I tried to douse them. These flames listened and I saw a pile of ash where my shirt hand been. Thankfully my pants had survived as had my tool belt. I looked at my hands as my dream began to file back into my head.

"Leo?" A gentle voice spoke in the darkness. I couldn't see them, my eyes had filled up with tears. The figure sat next to me and I thought I heard my mother's voice. "Leo."

I felt warm arms around me and I melted into them, sobbing like a baby.

Annabeth's POV

I walked into the bunker, late that night. It was right after campfire and both Piper and Nyssa had been worried about Leo.

I had volunteered to go get him.

"Come on Leo," I cursed. "If you don't come out of this stupid Bunker you're going to starve yourself."

I shook my head and pulled open the stone door.

The interior was pitch black and I walked in, using my hands to guide me. A small spark of flames brought me around a corner.

I flipped on the hall light to see a figure on fire in the middle of the room. Before I could react it stood up, the flames vanishing and a ash stained Leo sitting bolt upright, panic in his dark eyes.

"Leo?"

He turned to me and I saw tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. I walked to him, a gentle smile on my face.

"Leo." I knelt next to him and wrapped my arms around him, trying to stop his heaving breaths.

Then he did something I didn't expect. He leaned into me and began to cry. Taken off guard I say like a stone for a moment. But eventually I pulled him closer to me and whispered softly, just like a mother should.

"It's ok," I hushed. "It's ok..."

Leo hiccuped, still not knowing who he was talking to. "I'm sorry," he whimpered. "I didn't mean to."

"Leo," I held him close. "It's ok." I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what he was he talking about.

He really was tiny. How was I just realizing this? I knew he was shorter and thinner than I was but he really was very small. His soot covered body pressed close to mine like a child. His ribs were clearly seen in the dim hallway light and he was drenched in sweat. But he didn't smell bad. He smelled a bit like campfire and Tabasco sauce for some reason.

He pulled away, his tear streaked cheeks shining in the golden electric lights. He looked at me for a moment and blushed bright red. "Annabeth!" He gasped, pulling away. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean– I mean...!"

"It's ok," I smiled and patted the spot next to me. "What was it?"

"Nightmares," he shivered, but didn't move any closer.

"You wanna talk about it?" I asked, offering him my jacket.

He smiled a little and took the oversize sweater, sitting next to me. "Sure." His fingers tithed and I waited for him to speak. "I-I think I d-died," he stuttered. "In the dream I mean."

I nodded, not daring to interrupt.

He began to explain. "Then," he shuddered, coming to the end, "then they took me to my punishment. They locked me in this furnace and there was so much fire." he looked at his hands. "And... and..." his shoulders began to shake and I wrapped my arm around him.

"Leo," I admonished. "It was just a nightmare."

"B-but... demigod dreams are different. What if this is what actually happens to me?"

I couldn't find an argument. "No," I managed. "It couldn't be. I may not know you well but I know enough to know you are going to end up in Elysium. You've done to much good."

He shook his head weekly and leaned on my shoulder. "Not really."

I shook me head and pulled him closer to me, wrapping both my arms around him. "I don't care what you say Leo Valdez. You are a good person. Everyone makes mistakes and has their problems. But deep down everyone has some good."

He smiled up at me, tears still in his eyes. And in that moment he looked so much like a toddler or a tiny child I couldn't stand it. I brought him onto my lap and held him, rocking slightly.

It should have been awkward or stupid but Leo hugged back, his knees curling into his chest. "Thanks Annabeth."

"For what?" I asked. "I'm telling the truth."

"For being such a good mother."

Piper found us there the next morning. He still wearing my jacket and I held him like a baby his face nuzzled into my arm and my head leaning against the wall. She said she didn't have the guts to wake us.

"You looked sweet," she laughed when we finally woke.

"Shut up Pipes," Leo grumbled blushing.

"I can tell it isn't a romance so what?" Piper continued.

"I'll say one thing," Leo smiled, throwing me my jacket. "Annabeth is going to be a great mom one day."

tiny Drabble/oneshot thing that popped into my head, hope you enjoy.

Reviews please!