Into Open Arms || Valdangelo

Because there simply isn't enough Valdangelo.

Third Person

Leo had the night watch. Again.

He didn't mind much, it wasn't as if he got cold or anything. He just got a little lonely, that was all.

Except, tonight, someone else had the night watch with him, since they had entered the Sea of Monsters- which was significantly riskier.

However, the watch was just as quiet as it was when Leo was alone, because the other demigod was Nico di Angelo, who tended to be silent.

Leo didn't know him very well, except he'd had a hard life, and he was Hazel's sister. Still, Nico's aura of death freaked him out.

Waking around silently, he could feel the nervous tension between them. So, it was understandable when Leo put more distance between them, at the first chance he got. A thump came from the engine room, and Leo broke the silence.

"I gotta check the engine room." He said, and Nico gave no response, so he left.

There wasn't really anything wrong with Festus at that moment, but he still tinkered around like he always did in his spare time. Because this was so reflexive, so natural, he could let his thoughts wander. Bad idea.

Normally, on nights like this, he had to let out his built up stress some how. Some nights he would just cry, able to do so with no one watching. And because of the soundproofed walls around all of the bedrooms, Leo could kick and scream all he wanted without anyone hearing. But he couldn't do that tonight. Nico would hear him.

Leo didn't know if Nico would even care, but the fact that he didn't know Nico well at all made him uncomfortable.

More tinkering around, careful not to let anything explode.

He couldn't stop his thoughts. Replaying his moms death, Gaea speaking to him, all of the foster homes that he ran away from. He couldn't take it anymore. He threw down his tools and let out a scream. Not one, solid scream, but one broken by tears. He hadn't been able to do this for weeks. Just plain crying helped, but only so much.

He kicked around what he hoped was empty wooden crates, and abruptly stopped, sitting down on one of them.

It was too late now. Nico must've heard him now. He listened carefully for footsteps, but there weren't any. Leo relaxed, only slightly, and managed to hold himself together enough to silently cry.

'I shouldn't be doing this,' he thought to myself. 'I'm over exaggerating. It shouldn't be enough for me to act like this.'

Despite his own thoughts against him, he couldn't stop himself. His shoulders only stopped shaking when he heard the trapdoor, the one leading to the engine room, creak open.

Leo froze and furiously wiped his eyes, quickly standing up. He dug out a few wires and a chunk of metal from his tool belt, and pretended to be working.

"Leo?" A voice called softly, from the darkness near the trapdoor.

It was Nico. Leo had no idea why, but the fact that Nico had cared enough to come down there brightened Leo up just a bit.

It took a ton of Leo's willpower not to sniffle. "Yeah?" He asked, trying to act nonchalant. "Something wrong?"

"Not... Not with the ship..." Nico replied, and Leo was surprised at how high pitched Nico's voice was. He had always assumed someone associated with death and darkness would have a deep voice, but, then again, Nico was only 14.

"...I just heard you screaming." Nico trailed off.

Leo panicked a bit, and scoffed. "What? Me? Nah, I wasn't screaming. Or crying. What are you talking about?"

Nico rolled his eyes, and Leo could've sworn the corner of his mouth twitched upward.

"You're an awful liar. I never said anything about crying."

Leo looked down sheepishly. "Oh."

He didn't sense Nico approach him, but soon Nico was standing next to him.

"What's wrong?"

Leo shrugged, and his problems suddenly seemed miniscule. "Just stress, you know? It kinda builds up over the years."

Nico nodded. "I know."

Leo didn't see Nico as a people person, and he probably wasn't. However, Nico surprised him again when he sat down next to him.

"Care to talk about it?"

Nico was talking softly again, and the tone of his voice was really careful and awkward.

Leo shrugged again, not willing to open up just yet. "I- family troubles, I guess." He said finally. "And keeping the ship together. That added to being the seventh wheel."

He hadn't actually said that to anyone yet, and once he did it had an air of finality, and he was certain it was true.

Nico was silent for a while. Leo assumed he was going to say some philosophical thought, but instead all he said was, "But there's eight of us."

Leo shot Nico a sarcastic look. "I realized that, Nico. I mean I'm the seventh wheel of the seven; the ones of the prophecy. Besides, they all have someone else. Jason has Piper, Frank has Hazel, Percy has Annabeth. I have nobody."

The edge of Nico's mouth curled up, as if he knew something Leo didn't. Then he shrugged. "You're probably going to get someone later on. After all, you're younger than Jason and Percy."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Really, Nico? What girl would like me? They all hate me."

Nico blushed, for seemingly no reason. "I don't know, why are you asking me? I don't know these things!"

Leo laughed at Nico's slight outburst. He was about to say something more, but there was a crash from above deck, and the ship gave a violent rock to one side.

Leo jumped up, as best he could without falling, and climbed up through the trapdoor as fast as he could, Nico following.

Festus let out a puff of steam as Leo checked the controls, and Nico peered over the edge of the ship.

"Stupid," Leo muttered to himself. While Festus had been on auto-pilot, he had completely forgotten to switch from radar to sonar when they landed in the water.

"Leo!" Nico called, just as, whatever it was, crashed into the ship again.

"Go get the others! I'll handle this!" Leo yelled at him over the crash of the waves, and he then peered over the edge, as Nico had, to see what was going on. A giant sea-serpent was thrashing in the water, attacking the ship. As if that weren't enough, it had long tentacles like that of an octopus.

Before Leo could do anything, one of the monster's tentacles swung onto the ship, and aimed itself towards Nico's running legs like a bat.

"Nico!"

-------

I tried for a cliff hanger.

Wow, that was a slow first chapter. Way to leave a good first impression. This will develop into Valdangelo in the next chapter, which is already about 500 words done. Yes, I know the monster attack was unrealistic, shush.

Until next time!