Leo and Hestia's story

(An: this is all of parts of Leo and Hestia's relationship I took out my first story. I did that because I felt these would take away from the main focus of the story.)

P.S. If you haven't read Percy and the man in silver book 1 do so now or this story may be Very confusing.

-1 ½ months before Samuel and Luna's birth-

Artemis POV

"This was a great idea" I said eating another piece of cake. As all our due dates got close Aphrodite decided to have a party the girls were in the living room swapping stories while the boys played cards in the dining room. "I know but this cake is going to go straight to my thighs!" Aphrodite whined. "Calm down" I said "Hephaestus would love you no matter what. Actually how did you two end up together in the first place?"

"Yeah I've never heard either you just announced it during a council meeting." Athena said. 'huh never would have seen myself here doing this ten years ago' I thought to myself, I couldn't help but wonder how much I changed but I had never been happier. Aphrodite sighed "Well it all started about 200 years before the first giant war." She began "One of the muses, Arche, had painted this picasso like picture of a woman and I said it look horrible. Arche was furious and cursed me to look like his painting for the next week."

"I remember that, you looked like the female Quasimodo". "Thank you for that Artemis" Aphrodite said sarcastically "The week was horrible I was used to being told I was beautiful then all the sudden nobody would look at me. I just stayed in my palace as much I could but the one day I had to leave the immortals made fun of me and I got shoved into the mud. I was still all looks and no brains back then and I just started crying, my looks were my life and now they were gone. Then Hephaestus came by, he was on his way home after picking up materials for a project, when he saw me he helped me up and took me to his house. He let me get cleaned up and even made me this fantastic new dress in minutes, I was so embarrassed with how I looked I told him my name was Agatha."

Aphrodite paused for a moment savoring the memory "I spent the rest of the day there just talking to him. Up to that point I had always just ignored him, he was ugly and acted weird, but while we were talking I found he really was nice. I felt so great when I left I came back everyday for the next month. To me he was just this fun guy to talk to, Ares and Hermes never cared about what I thought, me and Hephaestus actually had a lot in common especially when it came to design. Then there was the upside that he made me feel good, he made realize that there was more to me than looks. But he would never look at me even after the curse wore off and I was getting frustrated, I had already decided I liked him but I wanted him to say I was beautiful. So I came up with a plan to fix that and that's when I got the reputation of being easy".

"So that's why you wore those skimpy clothes" Athena said. Aphrodite cringed "yeah it wasn't my best idea in hindsight." she said "But it didn't work! I went over to his house in what was basically a bikini still nothing. Finally I just gave up that plan and continued to see him. 10 months after the curse had ended I was talking to him by his work desk and found this beautifully designed diamond ring and he tried to hide it from me. So I pressed him for information and he asked me to marry him and I said I would under one condition, he had to look at me. He looked up and you wouldn't believe how surprised he looked, I thought he was going to have a heart attack if that's even possible. The rest you all you all know, now I want to know how Leo and Hestia got together".

We all looked at Hestia "Well it went like this-"

-Flash back-

(Celebration party on Olympus just after the second giant war)

Leo POV

I watched as Jason danced with Piper and truth be told he couldn't dance to save his life. Percy was off to my left laughing with some of his old buddies from my cabin about Jason's dancing. Frank and Hazel were playing some kind of board game with some of the Romans and Annabeth was chatting with an Apollo camper.

Something about her posture seemed wrong like she was flirting with him but I brushed it off. I was never really good with people so I just assumed I was wrong "Why are you sitting way back here" Hestia asked taking a seat next to me. "I'm not really good with people" I said "apparently aside from my friends and family no one one can really stand me for very long". Hestia gave me a sad look "aren't you exaggerating a bit, I sure its not that bad".

"Let's test that theory" I looked to the nearest person "hey Carl" I said. The aforementioned boy turned around and gave me a look like 'seriously you're talking to me' and turned around "there you have it" I said.

"Have you tried talking to the Romans?". she asked.

I nodded "Their still a little upset about me blowing up part of New Rome".

"But you weren't in control of yourself" she protested.

"I think that's the only reason they haven't killed me for it". In the back of my mind I thought I'd never be more than the seventh wheel like Nemesis said.

(2 months Later)

Hestia POV

I couldn't stop thinking about Leo, he seemed so down when I talked to him on Olympus. As the goddess of the hearth or home as some call it I can sense where a person feels or has felt at home and when, and right then I knew that Leo hadn't truly felt at home since before his mother died. Camp half blood was the best thing he's ever had to a home since but he still felt like an outsider. That night after everyone had finished their dinner and left for the campfire, I flashed down to mess hall where Leo was still sitting at his cabins table. I sat down across from him and we talked, just talked but by the end of it I could tell I had lifted his spirits.

After that day I dropped by to visit Leo weekly, we never did much more than talk but I kept going because it made him happy. I'm not sure how to describe it, there was this elation I got from making him happy. Every time I could make him smile felt like a success, a victory that was only made sweeter by that fact that only I could do that to him. Piper and Jason who he thought of as a brother and sister couldn't make him as happy. His real brothers and sisters couldn't pierce his shell of depression but I could. I made him happy, I made him feel wanted, and he made me feel wanted in a way I never had before.

Leo POV (3 ½ months later)

I couldn't believe I was doing this, I couldn't even figure out how Hestia had talked me into it. A child of Aphrodite, Emily, I think was throwing a party and it was couples only. I couldn't go in the first place since I didn't have a date and I really wasn't in the mood to have a girl laugh at me for even trying to ask her out. But Hestia convinced me to go saying 'I'll take care of your date for the night'. "Are you ready Leo" a women said walking up to me.

"For what" I said momentarily going brain dead, you would to if a beautiful woman in a red dress just started talking to you. "For the party of course" she said and with a shock I realized the woman in front of me was Hestia in her 17 year old for. Still brain dead I did the stupidest thing I could've "Holy Zeus you're a knockout".

I slapped a hand over my mouth and tried to mutter an apology but she stopped me "there's no need to apologize" she said.

Hestia POV

I was really quite flattered by Leo's compliment, that was actually the first time someone had complimented me in a very long time no matter how old or young I looked. "c'mon let's get going" I said pulling Leo along. The party was okay but for me the best part was how sweet Leo was. No one recognized me and I was ok with that, Leo was happy and therefore my mission was a success.

The following day Leo to me out to a nice restaurant as a thank you for everything I'd done for him. The next month I went to camp half blood every day like usual, nobody really took notice of me except for Leo and I liked it. I liked it when he noticed me and felt sadden when he didn't (which only happened once).

Leo POV (roughly 4 ½ weeks after Emily's party)

Me and Hestia were once again conversing in the mess hall while everyone else was out at the campfire. I wish I could say that I was completely focused on what she was saying but honestly my mind was somewhere else namely the thing in my pocket. I only just came back to the real world as Hestia said "So what do you think?".

And in famous only possible by me epic fails I said "I love you".

"Leo" Hestia said in a soft voice blushing slightly.

I was about to panic but then I decided it's already out there so I ran with it "Please just hear me out, I love you and I know you're a maiden goddess and pretty much completely out of my league. But when I'm with you I'm happy, just having you around gives me the strength to keep on going when a just a few months ago I was questioning if it was worth it." I said pulling the small box out of my pocket.

"Now seeing as you'll probably never want to see me again after this I might as well asked will you marry me" I said placing the the ruby ring on the table. I spent weeks trading with my cabin mates and digging threw our stores in search of a ruby the exact hue of red as her eyes.

Hestia reached across the table and grabbed my hands 'here comes the easy let down' I thought. "Yes" she said.

"Yes? Like yes yes" she nodded. I launched myself off the table screaming 'Yes!' and fist pumping only to basicly punch a marble pillar that was a few feet from where I was sitting, all in all best day of my life so far.

-End flashback-

(AN: I'm not start the whole story up yet. But I thought I should give you this since I had it.)