Disclaimer: If you think I own Percy Jackson, you are insane. I will NEVER own Percy; all rights belong to Rick Riordan.

Quick little one-shot I thought of after getting a bit steamed from reading some PJO fics. I get Percy's dense and occasionally dull-witted; but he's not stupid. I mean, he knows a ton more then he says- I think, anyways. I could be wrong, but if I am... we'll call it slight O.O.C.

No flames. Thanks.

Percy/Leo Friendship (Cause there ain't many of those)

Leo MAY BE O.O.C. just because I don't really have experience writing him. Sorry.

Quick Note: The Seven HAVE been united and are just now beginning to get to know each other.

Roman-Camp, on-board the Argos II

The past of a demigod was usually never, ever bright and full of happiness. In fact, it's usually filled with heart-shattering tragedy that usually comes back to haunt them on a life-and-death quest. And no one really knew that more the Leo Valdez. He'd accidentally killed his own mother- the only one of his family he really knew and cared for. He'd killed her; he, Leo Valdez, was a murderer of his own family.

For years he looked upon himself in shame. His esteem was lower then the depths of Tartarus, and in his own personal opinion, he deserved to die. He didn't deserve the friends he had in Jason and Piper. Even his brothers and sisters in the Hephaestus's Cabin... he didn't deserve them either. And he certainly didn't deserve to be a world-saving demigod. He didn't deserve to be one of the Seven, or so he thought.

He tried masking this depression with a more humorous side and the tendency to prank; but that didn't change who he really was. It was just a... a facade.

Now, sitting here on the Greek Warship, the Argos II, inside a hostile and still-distrusting Roman Camp, he felt lower then he ever had before. Upon arriving, he was one of the first ones off the ship, and immediately, whispering began about him and his crew. The ghosts- which scared the living daylights out of him- called him something he didn't catch but he was sure it wasn't positive.

Even one girl stared at him as if he were a long-lost friend- which seemed nice at first. But the horror in her eyes, and the strong glare from the teen next to her only made him shrink away more.

The only upside to the entire day, was finally getting to see Percy Jackson- the legendary hero of Camp Half-Blood. The second his eyes connected with the sea-green eyes of Percy, he realized, he was in the presence of a hero. He had an aura... unlike anyone. Except maybe Jason. But even Jason's aura didn't quite match this power... it was as if he were a god in disguise. It was as if he were Poseidon.

But he and Annabeth (who was crying of joy) shared a long-lasting kiss and an embrace that caused the tension to settle ever-so-slightly. His shaggy black hair, his aura of power, his sea-green eyes, his untamed spirit... he was definitely the one in all the stories he'd heard.

How he'd single-handedly defeated the Minotaur with his own horn- without even knowing who he was. How he'd retrieved the Master Bolt of Lord Zeus and actually survived a heated battle with Lord Ares. He was the same Percy who'd traveled to the island of Polyphemus and saved his satyr friend, Grover. The same Percy who'd navigated the Labyrinth and almost single-handedly fought an entire army. The Percy who had bathed in the River Styx, survived, THEN fought an entire army of Hades.

The Percy who had fought the Titan Kronos, and somehow managed to win... well, not on his own for that, but still! He had defeated countless Titans and Giants... he really was going to go down in history as a legendary warrior.

And to be meeting him personally...? That was too much for Leo.

The day had gone by rather slowly- the council of the Roman and a few representatives of the Greek Camp talked in the central Roman building. Leo was invited to go, but opted to stay behind and run maintenance on the Argos just in case. After that... he slept.

And now that it was 11:36 at night, Leo realized the flaw in his plan earlier. He couldn't sleep anymore, and all he could do was think about how he didn't deserve to be on this huge quest.

So now, sitting on the deck of the Argos, staring out into the midnight sky, Leo sighed to himself. It was so unfair... how his life had gone. Gaia and her stupid mind-control... it was her fault his mother was dead...

"Can't sleep, huh?" A male voice asked from behind Leo. Since he was sitting, it was impossible to spin around, but he turned and craned his neck quickly as to see who the mysterious questioner was. At first, Leo could feel an aura of power, leading him to believe it was Jason behind him. But the calmness and rather friendly tone the question was asked in led Leo to wonder... was it possibly someone else?

And as Leo turned, he was surprised to find a dimly lit Percy Jackson.

"No," Leo stammered, "I can't."

Leo internally cursed himself. Why was he stumbling so? Yes, Percy was super-famous and an awe-inspiring hero (by the legends) but that didn't make him someone to freak out about.

Percy, judging Leo's voice, raised an eyebrow and took a few steps forward as to be illuminated by the crescent moon. Percy immediately could tell he was slightly intimidating Leo.

'Curse the rumors that flew around...' Percy thought to himself. It wasn't hard to see that his feats had been exaggerated. Why else would a hero such as Leo be so... intimidated, for lack of better words.

"You know," Percy began, "most of that stuff you heard is probably a bit exaggerated."

Leo turned his body to see Percy instead of having to twist painfully.

"How do you know about the stories?" Leo asked. Last he checked, Percy's list of powers didn't include mind-reading. In fact, by what most people said, Percy was quite dense and rather dim-witted. A bit insulting, but as Annabeth phrased it, 'cute'.

Percy chucked softly. "It's not hard to tell by the way you were acting." Leo scolded himself for his jittery attitude earlier.

"Oh, sorry," Leo apologized, not meaning to possibly offend the Son of Poseidon.

"No, don't apologize. It's fine. I'm just saying, they're probably a bit exaggerated," Percy explained, and from his pocket, removed a pen. Leo searched his memory and recalled Percy's weapon of choice was Riptide, a sword that could assume the appearance of a ballpoint pen.

"Are they?" Leo asked, watching the pen carefully. It wasn't as if Percy would gut him, but it still unnerved him a bit.

"Probably. Knowing the camp, they probably made me sound like some Greek hero," Percy said with a laugh. Leo laughed as well; it was ironic that it was how Percy had sounded.

"How do you think Annabeth made you out as?" Leo asked, finding the question odd and for a second, worried about Percy possibly getting offended by the personal level the conversation was beginning to take.

"A seaweed brain, that's how," Percy said with another chuckle. That much, Leo thought, was true. She'd been the one to say he was a seaweed brain and rather thick-headed at some points.

"That is... exactly true," Leo said laughing.

But the whole conversation was weird to the metal-worker. Here he was, Leo Valdez, a kid who had done nothing right, and he was laughing alongside one of the greatest possible heroes of Greek times? How does that work out?

"Thought so. However..." Percy said, his voice getting more solemn. But as if someone had told him not to, Percy shook his head and closed his mouth. Leo was bursting with curiosity to know what he was going to say, but wisely decided to leave it as is.

"So!" Percy began after a moment's silence, startling Leo, "what're you out here for? We have a huge quest coming up soon; shouldn't you be... I don't know, sleeping?"

Leo grimaced and looked down.

"I guess I just feel..." Leo began, but failed to find the words. Percy, thankfully, came to his aid.

"Overwhelmed? Depressed? Like you shouldn't be on this team and you have nothing you can contribute with?" Percy asked, no longer looking at the son of Hephaestus. The near perfect assumption caused Leo to look at Percy with shock.

"Yeah... how'd you know?"

"Easy," Percy said, his face devoid of happiness, "we all feel that way. At one point or another, we all feel like we're useless and we're better off... well, dead. It's a terrible thing to think, but sometimes, it's what we think. Hades, I know I've felt that way before!"

As Percy spoke, Leo kept his eyes trained on Percy. On his movements, his gestures, on the way his eyes and face darkened with certain words. It was as if he were recounting memories of when he'd been in Leo's place.

"It was actually when I snuck out of Camp... to go save Annabeth. I felt like it was all my fault, and that it shouldn't be me that was a possible prophecy child. I felt like the biggest failure, and it should be me in Annabeth's place. And that if it came to it... I'd die for her in a second. Mind you, I still would, even now, but I'm also dating her now. At that time, we were still friends," Percy explained, sighing after he finished. The memory of the Manticorn taking Annabeth... her disappearing face in the fog and over the cliff...

He shuttered. That day was among the worst he'd ever had.

"What... what did you do?" Leo asked.

Percy gave him a glance, his eyes shining with the faintest trace of a smile. "I took a breath and focused. I recalled all the good I did. That at the end of the day, people care about me just as I care about them. And I had a lot of people relying on me; including Annabeth. I needed to be strong for them. Yeah, I made my mistakes. Some were absolutely huge... they cost people lives... and that will never really leave me, but I also remember that there are other lives I'll need to help. And at the end of the day... mistakes... everyone makes them. It's just a part of being human- even half-human's make mistakes."

As Percy finished explaining, he managed a smile and a shimmer of hope for Leo. What Percy said... it made total sense and actually cleared Leo's head some. He didn't feel as lousy or as low, and a small bubble of hope formed in his chest and slowly began to expand.

Percy, noting the change in Leo's face, smiled and yawned. "Wow, that was a good talk. You and me Leo... we're gonna be good friends, I can tell."

Leo and Percy both laughed, but at the same time, they both knew it was true. Quite alike, both shared the same types of emotional pain and feelings. They may've had different pasts, but they still felt the same way.

"Thanks Percy... a ton... I don't get why everyone says you're such a..." Leo, once again, found himself unable to complete his sentence. He didn't want to say 'idiot' or 'stupid', but those were the two words that came to mind. Instead, Percy helped out once more.

"A seaweed brain?" He said, and the two heroes shared another laugh. As it died out, Percy decided to answer the question Leo asked.

"I prefer not to think. Leave that to Annabeth. I go on instincts... and I go on what I see. I'm not stupid, I just don't really need to go and analyze everything and come up with a reasonable answer or solution. The sea is spontaneous..." Percy trailed off, leaving Leo to understand the analogy.

No more words needed to be spoken, for each demigod understood what Percy was trying to say. Underneath his spontaneousness, was layer upon layer of wisdom... though it may not shine often, the son of the sea god knew exactly how to deal with a problem... maybe just as well, if not better, then a certain daughter of Athena.

"Well, g'night Leo... get to bed soon. We've got some big days coming up! And remember... we're all here for you," Percy said with a smile, before nodding, and then walking back inside the Argos's interior. Leo suspected he wanted to get back to bed with a certain gray-eyed girl, causing him to smirk.

But just as quickly as the smirk had come, it was replaced by a wisdom-filled smile. Percy's words were still ringing in his mind; all of what he said was still replaying. He wasn't alone and he did deserve to be there.

Leo took in a refreshing breath of air and smiled to himself.

Maybe it was time to take his facade and make it a part of him for real.