Metamorphosis

By: xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx

AN: HAPPY 100TH FIC! :D

Wow, I can't believe it. A little under a year ago, I began writing, starting with Chosen Trilogy: Captured. If you've followed me since then... wow, you know how much I have improved! (That's a nice way of saying I sucked when I wrote that! :P)

Anyway, I wanted to make the 100th story special. I came up with this idea a while ago, and I thought it'd be good for the 100th fic because it has a deeper meaning:

Many families, maybe even some of yours, have been affected by cancer. It's a real thing, people, and many families suffer from the heartache of it. You're never the same once someone close to you is affected by this disease.

That being said, I dedicate this story to anyone who has a relative or friend, or maybe even you who is battling cancer or some other disease. I'm praying for you, and I wish you the best.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HoO.

It's the beginning of the summer that you drag yourself out to the hospital.

It's not that you really want to go there, but you kind of, sort of, signed up for summer tutoring, and you just so happened to get stuck—you mean, assigned—to a boy from your school that has cancer, and has to stay in the hospital for a good part of the year.

His name is Leo Valdez.

You remember him from freshman year—he hangs out a lot with Jason Grace, your ex-boyfriend(which explains why you don't really know Leo all that well), Piper McLean, and a few other people like Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. Briefly, you recall working with him and a few others for a project, but never really getting to know him.

Well, you think, as you walk into his hospital room, here's your perfect chance.

He looks up at you, a bright grin on his noticeably paler face. You wince; he used to be very tan, as he is Latino, but now, he looks so sickly and unlike himself. Still, that mischievous grin is still very much evident on his face, and you have to smile at that.

"'Sup?" he says with a nod. "You're my tutor?"

You nod and introduce yourself as you pull up a chair next to his bed. His eyes shine in recognition, and you decide to lay down the rules.

"When I teach, you're going to listen," you say, and it sounds a bit harsh, but you're not one for nonsense. "If you don't understand, we'll go over it again, but I don't want you goofing off, okay?"

He rolls his eyes. "Look," he says, "we're in a hospital, not a school. It's summer. Chill a little, okay?"

You're slightly annoyed and offended, but you ignore it and begin your lesson.

He, surprisingly, listens to your rules.

It's a few more weeks into summer vacation when you come to realize a few things.

One: You're beginning to warm up to Leo Valdez. (But, you'll never, ever admit that to him.)

Two: You don't seem to think about Jason Grace as much anymore. (That, in itself, is a miracle.)

Three: You don't mind getting up early(for summer, that is,) to go to see Leo before his treatments.

Four: Leo Valdez's condition is steadily worsening.

When you first "met" him, he was most definitely pale and sickly. He was probably a hundred and ten pounds, give or take. His curly mane of hair was mostly intact. Now, not even two months later, he was as pale as your cousin, Riley(and Riley looks like a vampire), he's just over a hundred pounds, and his black hair is falling out once again.

But, Leo keeps smiling.

You honestly cannot believe him. You know that if you were the one in that situation, you most certainly would not be smiling. You would be crying or whining about how miserable your pathetic, shortened life was. You would be asking for death, because, if that were you, you think death would be better than being cooped up in the stupid hospital.

Thinking of this one day, an idea forms in your mind.

You speak to the doctor about it—actually, more like beg him to fulfill your request—and after much persuading from you, he reluctantly agrees. You calmly thank him gratefully, and on the inside, you're squealing so loudly that you almost think you can actually hear it outside of your body.

You walk into Leo's room, a giant smile on your face. Your books are tucked into your arm, but you know you won't be needing them today.

He looks up at you, still wearing that mischievous smile. "You seem happy today," he remarks.

You set your books down on the side table next his bed, grinning at him. "We," you tell him, excitement bubbling inside of you, "are going outside today for our lesson."

His face brightens visibly, because you know that they haven't really allowed him out of his room. You remember about one occasion that he was able to get some sunlight during the few weeks you've come to tutor him.

"How'd you manage Doc to let me outside?" he asks incredulously, and you wink at him.

"I have my ways," you say mysteriously. "Now, come on. We haven't got much time."

It's the Fourth of the July, and you're sitting in Leo's room, waiting for the fireworks to come on. The sun is mostly set, and Leo is sitting in front of the window, grinning like an excited child.

Looking at him, you smile at the sheer joy he contains. Despite the fact that he's dying and he knows it, he's a trooper. He still laughs as if there is nothing wrong with him; he still tries to annoy you just like he used to do to everyone at school. He's still himself—his happy, bubbly, ADHD self.

And you have to admit that you wouldn't want him any other way.

You've come to grow extremely fond of Leo Valdez… You consider him a great friend, and you actually visit him more than you should. Tutoring him is no longer a burden to you—something you'd unknowingly signed up to do. Seeing Leo is much more than that. It's visiting and having fun with a friend. A great, valuable friend.

"You're staring at me," he says, without even turning his attention away from the sky. A small smile rests on his face, and you feel yourself flush.

"Am not," you retort, putting your hands on your hips. "I'm just staring at the window, and you're in the way."

"Right. Silly me," he says with a chuckle. You think you're safe from embarrassment for now, until he adds, "But that doesn't explain why you're so defensive of that and very flustered."

For a brief moment, you stare at him like a gaping fish, then you stammer, "I was not being defensive, Leo!"

He laughs again, finally turning to look at you. His dark eyes are sparkling with mirth, and he wears his signature grin. "Right," he says, very sarcastically, you note. "Whatever you say. Whatever you say."

And with that, he turns and watches the sky again, leaving you completely embarrassed and flustered. You sigh, then you too stare out the window and wait for the beloved fireworks.

You realize somewhere in the fireworks show that you might just have a crush on Leo Valdez.

It's the first month of August when Leo drops the news.

At first you're honestly really hoping for good news, but by Leo's strained voice, you can tell it's not going to be good. You reassure him that you'll be there as quickly as possible, and you stay true to that promise. So, even though you're at the beach, wearing only a bikini and shorts, and playing volleyball with Annabeth, you quickly pull on a t-shirt(you realize when you get to the hospital that you accidentally grabbed Annabeth's shirt) and drive to Leo as quickly as legally possible.

You burst into his hospital room, panting heavily, because the elevator was broken down and you just had to run four flights of steps. You decide that you'd much rather take a year of Gym again instead of doing that.

Leo looks much paler and much more tired than he usually does. A miniscule smile is on his face, and the happy spark is still evident in his eyes, but there's something different about him. It seems like he's just… given up.

"Well?" you say impatiently, drumming your fingers on your leg frantically. "What did you want to tell me?"

His eyes meet yours, and for the first time ever, that spark disappears from his eyes and is replaced by an incredible sadness. His face darkens, and in a soft voice, he says, "I only have a month to live."

And your world crashes down around you.

You know it's not good when you get a phone call from your ex-boyfriend—Jason Grace—who hasn't even spoken to you other than for homework help for nearly a year. Your heart sinks when you begin to realize why he might've called you.

"Hey," His voice is hoarse, and if possible, your heart drops even lower.

"Time?" you manage to choke out, tears begin to blur your eyes.

"Yeah," he whispers. "He… he wants you there."

"Tell him I'll be there as I fast as I can."

It's pretty much a repeat of the day you found out that he had a month to live. You drive as fast as you can without getting into a wreck(this time, you think something along the lines of Forget speed limits, and drive like a maniac.), then run to his room(luckily, the elevator is fixed, so you only have to run down the hallway) fast than you've ever run before. You're sweaty, tired, and out of breath when you reach his room, but you couldn't give a damn.

The room is full of familiar faces—his mom and dad, Jason, Piper, Percy, Annabeth, people like that. Leo is laying down on his bed, curled up under the covers, paler than you've ever seen him. He looks like he should be dead, and you know it's just a matter of time.

"Hey," he croaks, flashing you a grin. "Glad you could join the party."

You nearly fall apart and run to his side, embracing him in a totally-unlike-you hug. You're mumbling something incoherent to him—probably, "Don't leave me, Leo. Don't."—and he's whispering words of comfort to you.

The dam breaks, and the tears spill out of your eyes uncontrollably. You can't wrap your mind around it; Leo was dying and he was the one comforting you, the perfectly healthy teenage girl who would probably go on to live a happy and completely normal life.

"Leo," you choke out, "I… don't…" You find yourself unable to complete a sentence, let alone pour out your feelings for him. Leo, however, doesn't seem to mind. He just offers you another smile.

"I want you to do something for me," he says in a quiet voice, and you sputter out, "Anything!"

He laughs softly, then continues, "Find someone who loves you like I do. I've seen the way you look at me… You like me," You flush, and he smiles, but it's not a 'Wow-what-a-loser' kind of smile, it's more of the 'Don't-worry-I-like-you-too' smile.

"That's okay though," he says. "Because… well, I'm about to die, so might as well be blunt about everything, I like you too. I've liked you for a while now—freshman year, to be exact—and I… I just wanna say, that since this was my last summer, I'm glad I got to spend it with you."

You smile through the tears(you can barely believe you're blubbering like a baby; imagine what your mother would say), and you manage to say, "I'm glad I got to be with you this summer too, Leo."

He grins at you, and for the last couple of hours of his life, everyone in the room says their goodbyes, everyone shedding at least one tear. And, as much as you hate to admit it, you're crying the hardest, even harder than Leo's parents.

And, at 2:03 pm, Leo Valdez passes away.

You are at home, after Leo's funeral, thinking about the past summer. You still can't wrap your mind around everything that has happened this year; your life is forever changed.

You begin to think of your relationship with Leo as a butterfly.

First, you two first met, during freshman year. You weren't close friends—far from it—but you were acquaintances. You spoke to each other briefly, you worked together for a couple of projects here and there, but there was nothing special. Your relationship was like the egg.

The first day you came to tutor him, you thought of him as a burden, a bother. Something you had accidentally signed yourself up for. Still, there was a future ahead for the two of you, but you weren't sure if it was going to be a good or bad one. You were now the caterpillar.

Then, your relationship began to grow. You began to grow fond of Leo Valdez, and vice-versa. You both slowly became friends, and while you didn't know it at the time, you would slowly become more. This was the pupa stage.

And right under your skin, you fell for him—hard. You became so taken by Leo Valdez, and he liked you too. You weren't just friends, you were more than that. You honestly didn't know how it happened, but it just did. You finally became the butterfly.

But, like everyone knows, butterflies only live for a few mere weeks, then they die. Your love flourished without either of you noticing it, then, it came time for the butterfly's life to end. Leo lost his battle with cancer, but not before laying the eggs for a new cycle.

He made you promise that you would find someone who would love you like he did—he laid the eggs for the cycle to begin again. And, eventually, you did find someone who loved you, but this time, the cycle stopped at the butterfly.

But, unlike your first butterfly, this butterfly lived and flourished.

AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Anyone wanna guess who the girl is? :)

I hope I got Leo's character pretty well. I think he's slighty OOC at the end, but HEY, if you were dying, wouldn't you say what you need to say?

Thanks for reading my story! I would never have gotten this far without all of you! :D