You felt butterflies in your stomach as you thought about having a friend. Especially a friend as funny and nice as Leo.

"Alright," you said, lowering the volume of your voice so no one could overhear through the wall. Leo's eyebrows rose, as if he had expected resistance. "But, you can't tell anyone," you warned him.

He nodded, having a serious expression as he sat by your side on your bed. You felt a sudden trust for him. You felt like you could tell him all your troubles and he would help you work through them like a true friend.

"I was online reading books and I came across this ad. It was for a spy. I thought it was a joke because, seriously? Who posts an ad for a spy?" you laughed. Leo laughed too, but he seemed like he knew the reason why. "Anyway, I accepted. I was told to befriend the people I meet, and I didn't really understand how it would work. But then, I wake up on this ship with Annabeth pointing a sword at me."

Leo put a supporting hand on your shoulder. "I'm sorry that you got involved in this," he apologized. "Do you have any ideas of who hired you?"

You shook your head. "Leader is just known as Leader. Leader also has an intelligence officer that is supposed to give me all the instructions."

Leo's head tilted. "Have you ever met the intelligence officer?"

"No. The only time I had contact with him was he wrote an entry in the book," you explained.

Leo's shoulders relaxed as he sighed. "He can't contact you anymore. Don't worry, I'll make sure the ship is off the radar."

"But, won't he know that I told you everything if he can't contact me?" you questioned, worried about him knowing about your telling someone.

"Who cares? If he can't contact you, he sure as Hades can't reach you. You're safe," he promised. "Thank you for your honesty. We will protect you."

"You aren't going to tell anyone, are you? You promised you wouldn't," you quickly responded as he got off the bed. "You can't. You aren't supposed to do anything. Please. Don't do anything. Keep this between us."

He opened the door, looking back at you before exiting. "I'm doing this to protect you."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Within the room, you sat in silence, except for the ticking of the wall clock. Your brain hurt because there was absolutely nothing to do. No book to read. No paper to write on. Nothing. Your mind was racing too quickly for you to be able to go to bed. You lied in bed, your eyes wide open, contemplating your situation. The only thing you wanted to do was to explore the ship, but you remembered that Leo had mentioned that the weather was gusty.

Chapter 42: Stay in room and try to sleep.

Chapter 43: Go outside and look sketchy.