RECLUSE ?Leo Valdez?

Kept Me Alive

A small smiling picture of Harmony sat close to Maisie on the table, she couldn't allow her to miss her birthday.

Leo sat next to Maisie, the picture capturing him mid laugh as he clapped and cheered along with the others. His unruly curls flying around and partially shoved into a cone shaped birthday hat. His fond gaze settling on Maisie's joyful features.

"Gave me something to think about."

She flipped the photo around to find marks of writing on the back of the printed picture. Small scribbles of notes and messages on the back from her friends.

Cora had left a nice message signed with a heart, Donovan had drawn a funny picture with his name next to it, and Parker had just messily signed his name.

A lot of her other friends had signed it too, Maisie recognized the handwriting of Piper and Jason next to some writing from Annabeth and a snort note from Thalia.

Leo's handwriting is what stood out to Maisie, her eyes immediately locking on the scribbles she had become accustomed to seeing. He drew a funny face along with a dragon next to a few words.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Cielo
- Leo :)

Maisie's eyes danced with tears as she traced the writing of Leo, knowing she may have lost their whole relationship due to her being too scared to say why.

"Your love is slowly killing me,"

Setting the phones to the side to prevent her from looking at it for too longer, Maisie moved on to the box.

"But I liked the feeling of dying."

Carefully opening it, she found a set of two matching sliver rings, interlocked with one another and hung on a long silver chain. Patterns embedded on the outside of both rings.

One ring had small carvings of flames and a dragon sat on the front, circling a small red ruby that shone brightly.

The other was matching carvings of axes with some flowers, more specifically dahlia's, her favorite flower, along with a simple pearl in the middle. Maisie took the necklace out and traced the delicate markings with her finger. Her heart warmed knowing Leo had purposely not included anything that resembled her mother.

When investigating further, she found writing inside the rings. Shifting them in her hand for a better view, she looked at the writing.

The one with the pearl had been embellished with the Spanish worlds, mi perla, while the other had the words deine flamme in German.

Your flame, the message had read, and it didn't take a genius to find out that the other said my pearl. Maisie's guess was that was Leo referring back to when they found out her name had meant pearl. It was absolutely beautiful.

"It kept me alive."

Maisie began to quietly weep, morning the loss of a relationship she had once had. Her hands locked the necklace in its rightful place along her neck, securing it with a click.

Her hands traced the writing as she laid on her bed, staring to the ceiling. Head swarming with the thoughts that screamed at her for ruining things with Leo. The thoughts that stabbed into her cerebrum and sent zaps to her heart that made agonizing dents and cracks as she cried.

"It kept me alive."

MAISIE WASN'T SURE HOW LONG SHE SAT IN HER BED

Her tears had long dried but she now cradled her heart in her hands like she had been physically stabbed, or she at least she felt like it.

Her record had ended long ago, but Maisie couldn't find it in her to change it. Her blankets were sprawled around her and all Maisie wanted to do was suffocate into them.

Sadly, being a demigod always had a way of ruining her plans.

Piper burst into her room and Maisie fought down the shriek that threatened to emerge from her throat.

She looked pale, Maisie noted. Her chest heaved and her hair flew wildly as her wide eyes darted to meet hers.

"We have to go, grab your weapons!" She commanded.

Unedited
1789 Words
2/22/25