The rest of that night is a blur. Every camper had a thousand questions, but so did Piper, Jason, and Leo. They were informed---quickly---of my claiming/curse, and when Khione was mentioned, they all turned a bit greener and glanced at one another. I noticed Leo tucking his hands behind his back, edging away from me. But that didn't last long, as people were more concerned about what the heck happened while they were gone. We managed to get most of the story out---big surprise, Khione was involved, and evil, more hate towards me!---but then Chiron stamps his hoof against the pavilion floor.

"Enough!" he shouts, quieting the rest of the demigods. "Jason, Leo, and Piper have returned safely, with good news of their victory, and for the moment that is all that matters. I should think they would want to rest, and recover. We will reconvene another time to confer. All of you, to bed!"

It takes another fifteen minutes of arguing before Chiron physically starts picking Jason, Leo, and Piper up and setting them on his back, cantering out of the dining pavilion. Campers started to trickle away after that, all of us buzzing with excitement. I notice Leo slipping through the crowd, coming towards me. By now everyone else is pretty much in their cabins, so I stop walking to wait for him.

"Hi." I say. Friendly enough start.

"Hello. I really don't have that great of a memory, but you're Ellie, right?" Leo says, scratching his neck.

I nod. "That's me. Are you going to explain why all of you reacted so weird to my claiming story?"

Leo shifts from one foot to the other. "Well... yeah, okay. C'mere." He turns away and beckons me to follow him. I do, wondering to myself how it would look to have me following the scrawny Latino into the woods. Luckily, we don't go very far before Leo stops and faces me again.

"Sorry. I just don't want anyone to see this. And you can't tell anyone! But... I had a dream about you. Demigod dream. Not, like, weird stalker dream, y'know? My dad---Hephaestus---told me in a dream that you were important."

"Again? Wow." I cross my arms over my chest.

"Again? What do you---nevermind, I'm bad at explaining. But here," he raises one hand and flicks his wrist. My heart nearly jumps from my chest when his whole hand suddenly bursts into flame. I stumble backwards a bit, and he offers a small wink.

"My dad told me you were like the opposite of me. Does that mean...?"

I bite my lip. "I can summon ice. Sometimes. Not reliably."

Leo puts his hand back down, snuffing the flames out. "Khione mentioned you, too. Jason said she did, at least. When we were freeing Hera. She said you were her greatest source of entertainment, and she hoped you'd come to her halls one day. She said she hoped you'd never learn to control her gift, because if you did it'd be 'very disappointing'." He puts quotes around it. "I dunno. I just..." He crosses his arms, mirroring me. "I have this feeling. Do you know what I mean? That you're going to either be a very annoying enemy, or a helpful friend."

"Because that doesn't put any pressure on me."

"Oh, it's a lot of pressure." Leo assures me.

I hesitate before I make up my mind. "Gaea told me something of the sort, too. I think... I think that I was cursed for a reason. Not just for Khione to have fun. Leo, have you always been able to do that?" I gesture to his hand.

"For as long as I can remember."

"Me, too." I consider the boy in front of me under a new light. I've heard it now from Gaea, from Kalia, and now from him. I've got something to do with this war, with this prophecy. I've no doubt of that. But something inside me is telling me that Leo has more. Leo Valdez is going to be a key point in the downfall or saving of this world. Even though I've only spoken to Leo maybe twice now, for about five minutes, I feel a connection to him. Maybe our curses aren't something we need to deal with alone.

I put a hand out. "This entire conversation is completely normal for demigods, I'm assuming?"

Leo smiles crookedly, and reaches out to shake my hand. "How should I know? I've only been one as long as you." The moment out skin makes contact, a jolt of fiery heat goes through me. Leo shudders as well, and we both pull away.

"Dang, girl, your hands are cold." Leo says. But he's still grinning. "You know what, I like you! You seem like the type who'd try to kill me but then feel at least a little bit sorry for it."

I laugh. "Oh, I doubt I'd feel sorry for it."

"Aw, c'mon, that means you wanna kill me?"

"I'm not sure how anyone could meet Leo Valdez and not want to throttle him." I say. He laughs, and we head back to camp together. I'm not saying I completely know this kid, but I will say this: I can tell I can trust him, and for me, that's everything I need.

______________________________________

I'm well aware it's been a long time. Who cares. It's fun.   : )