Leo POV

The world spun, reminding me of a ride called Tilt-a-whirl. Worst ride ever invented. I stared at the ceiling. It was such a plain color. I knew I should have painted it.

The pain was too much. It was eating my body inside out. I closed my eyes. Letters floated across my black and red eyelids. L... O... E.... C... V.... R...

Loecver?

Rocvel?

They spun in circles, making me feel carsick. Watching them was like watching a blender from above. They floated into a particular order that made me hesitate with confusion.

Clover.

Is that what I needed? Luck? A four leaved clover would be nice...

Instead of the plant I was thinking of,  a face began to appear. It was like it was made of swirling mist, like I was looking at a Van Gogh painting.

It was a girl... Blonde hair... Average features... Camp Half Blood t-shirt... What caught my attention, though, were her dazzling eyes. Bright blue and stormy gray at the same time.

I knew her. Clover... The name sounded familiar, but where had I heard it?

'Leo....' A voice called inside my head.

'Ugggghhhhh.....' I responded. I was in so much pain, I couldn't form even a sentence.

'Leo...' It called again. 'You have to continue...'

'Ggggggggeeeeeeehhhhhhh...'

'Clover needs you....'

'Bbbrrrrruuuuuggggghhhhhh....'

'It is the utmost importance you find her....'

'Ggggggglllluuuuuuubbbb....'

'Your friends will be fine...'

'Whhooooo.... Aaaaareee...?'

'Your creator....'

'Gggggggoooooodddd????'

'No, Leo... Rick Riordan.... I will take away some of your pain, only if you help her. She doesn't belong where she is...'

'Heeeeellllppp..... Ccccccllllooooovvvveeerrr...?'

'Yes.'

'I-I'll trryyyy...'

My eyes shot open. It was as if someone had tasered me. I sat bolt upright. My friends were laying on the floor, completely motionless. The pain was still there, but I could bare it since it wasn't as strong.

The Rick dude had been right.

The solution was so simple.

'Find Clover, Leo... Find her and return the balance...'

'What balance?'

'Return the story to normal... Clover knows how...'

I nodded, even though I knew the Rick dude couldn't see me.

Maybe he could...

Creepy.

I walked over to Percy and shook his shoulder. He groaned and his eyes fluttered.

"Perce, we've got to go to Camp. Help me wake the others."

"L-Leo?" Percy asked, groaning and holding his stomach.

"Yeah, it's me. Can you stand?" I questioned, kneeling down. Percy winced and shook his head.

"I-I can b-barley breathe..." I winced, the pain starting to flare again.

'Rick?'

'Yes?'

'Can you take away Percy's pain?'

'Are you sure you want that? The pain can only be edited, not erased.'

'English please.'

I could almost hear Rick sigh.

'I forgot what it's like to do this.... Last time I tried, Carter was almost driven crazy...'

That thought didn't help my spirits, but Rick continued.

'Basically, I can transfer the pain, not make it disappear.'

'What will happen?'

'Everyone in your group feels the pain I took away from you. If I take Percy's away, his pain will be put on everyone, except you and him.'

"Oh." I said aloud. Percy was still groaning on the floor. "Percy, I can take the pain away."

"R-really?"

"Yeah, but everyone else will feel the pain." Percy looked over at Annabeth.

"I-I couldn't d-do that t-to Annab-beth..." He decided. "H-help her a-and t-the others f-first..." I nodded and shook Annabeth's shoulder.

She moaned, "P-Percy...?" I shook my head.

"Annabeth, it's Leo."

"W-where's P-Percy...?" Percy took her hand and squeezed it.

"R-right here, Wise girl..."

'Alright Rick,' I thought. 'Take Annabeth's pain away.'

Immediately after I thought that, Annabeth's face relaxed. She gave out a sigh of relief, and she almost passed out, but Percy's pain stricken groan snapped her out of her trance. She looked at him, then up at me.

"What's wrong with him?" She demanded.

"Well, long story short, he has your pain on top of his." Annabeth's face paled. She turned to Percy and cupped her hands around his face.

"Curse you, Seaweed Brain. You need to stop saving me," She muttered, tears in her eyes. Percy smiled weakly.

"N-never g-gonna h-hap-pen..."

I turned away from them and looked over at the others. Poor Frank, he was shifting into animals so fast, his body was a blur. Hazel was rolled into a ball and trembling. Piper was the one that looked in the most trouble. She looked to be choking.

I quickly stood and rushed over to her. She was grasping at her neck while her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. I shook her shoulder.

"Piper? Can you hear me?" Her chin trembled as she coughed. Maybe she was trying to talk. My expression must have been pretty funny, because I began frantically thinking.

'Take it away. Take it away. Take it away.'

Rick gladly obliged.

Piper gasped and coughed fiercely. She was taking in as much air as she possibly could. She looked up at Leo and smile.

"T-thanks.." She said between coughs. I gave her a mischievous smile, but I heard Hazel, Percy, Frank and Jason all groan.

'Crap.' I thought.

I stood and bounded over to Jason, who was on the brink of passing out. I shook his shoulder.

"Jason! Wake up!" He just looked up at me, his conchense slowly slipping away. I looked sadly over a Percy, who Annabeth was trying to keep awake. I took a deep breath.

'Take Jason's away.'

Jason's body went limp and he sighed with relief. Sadly, he still passed out. Four down, three to go.

Hazel screamed while pressing her fingers to her temples. I shot to my feet and briskly ran toward her.

"Hazel! Can you hear me?" She continued to scream. The sound was so loud, it could have broken glass. I looked over at Frank sadly, but I knew this was what he would want me to do.

To save Hazel before him.

'Hazel, Rick. Help her.'

Her screaming faded and her body relaxed. Her limbs were no longer tense and she looked up at me.

"Leo...?" She asked.

"Thhheeee one and only," I pronounced dramatically, then stood. "Now if you will please excuse me. I've got to save your boyfriend." Hazel whipped her head toward Frank. She gasped then pulled herself to her feet and stumbled over to him.

"Frank!" She exclaimed. "Stay with me! Come on, stay with me!" Her hands gripped his shirt above his chest. She started crying. I looked one last time over at Percy, who Annabeth was trying to keep awake as well, before I thought,

'Alright Rick... Do it.'

Frank stopped shifting into animals. Hazel stared at him, waiting for a response.

Nothing.

Hazel began to cry. I looked at the big guy with guilt, then looked around.

Piper was helping Jason, who had woke up thankfully. Annabeth was hugging Percy and crying. He had finally passed out.

'Rick, is there anything you can do to help him...?'

'I told you Leo. It can be passed, not taken away completely.'

'Rick! Please! This is Percy Jackson we're talking about! And Frank Zhang! Both are amazing people and you are just going to let them die?!'

Rick didn't answer.

'Thanks a lot,' I thought harshly. 'So much for the saving of lives...'

'Leo,' Rick snapped. 'I am an author. You are my character. I can manipulate only so much! You can take on the challenges. I decide who gets the consequence. It's my job. Thousands of fans are reading about your quests. In fact, they are reading about you now.'

I looked around me nervously.

'F-fans?"

'All around the world.'

'Oh, you tell me this now?! I could have found a girlfriend waaaay before Calypso! No, wait. Ignore that.'

'Leo, I'm protecting you. I barely survive myself. Fans are like flowers that eat bugs. Amazing at first, but bloodthirsty when you get to close. They have created shipping names.'

'Shipping names?'

'A mix between couples names. Percabeth. Jiper. Laypso... Jrick.'

'What the Hades crap is that?!'

'Jason and the brick...'

'Oh... Wow...'

'Tell me about it.... Now I have to deal with Perico.'

'Perico...? Oh! Percy and Nico?'

'Thats the one.'

'Weird... Fangirls are weird...'

(IS LEO EVER MORE CORRECT THAN THAT?!?!?!?!)

'Rick, will you please help them?" I pleaded in my head. 'How are we supposed to fight Gaea and find Clover like this?'

'With great hope.'

'RICK!'

'Im sorry Leo. I can't help anymore than I already have.'

'Rick, I swear on my life, if you created me, then I will destroy this whole world you have created.'

'It is not possible Leo. There are too many people who know about it. Fangirls, remember?'

'What if I broke into the mortal world?'

'Then you would be turned to paper and words.'

'But I would no longer be yours. Now, save Percy and Frank.'

This time, I was sure Rick was growling at me.

'Why did I make you so annoying...?'

I waited. Nothing happened. Hazel was still crying on Franks motionless chest and Annabeth was stroking Percy's hair, trying to keep her emotions under control. Which was falling pretty fast.

I sighed.

'I hate you Rick...

Clover POV

I got no sleep.

I had no water.

I had no food.

And I needed to use the bathroom.

If Octavian was trying to break me, it was working. I was dying from guilt, my neck wound, and now the deep stab into my stomach.

The ring was gone. I had no power. I had no will to keep going. I was ready to lay down my life and die.

It was hard to admit, but ever since a long time ago, I was ready to leave. I had tried, but it was for the right reason.

I needed to get out of the series before it callasped. I could almost feel the sky cracking, revealing its true self.

I had my face pointed toward the ground and my hands in a clasping position.

'Please Heavenly Father... Get me out of this place...'

I was alone, frightened, and dying.

"Well well... Haven't given up yet?" I lifted my gaze without moving my head to see Octavian walking into the room. His toga swished behind him like a superhero cape.

"Get away you creep..." I muttered.

"Oh, not broken yet? Too bad... If you had broken, then we wouldn't have to do this..." He snapped his fingers and a soldier shuffled up to him. He held out his hands and Octavian took a vile filled with green liquid from them. "Do you know what this is?"

"Your snot..?"

Octavian narrowed his eyes into slits.

"No, mortal." His eyes turned pitch black and Gaea's voice echoed through the Earth and out of Octavian's mouth. "It's Greek fire."

My face paled so fast, it looked like someone had sucked the blood out of it with a vaccum.

"Y-you wouldn't..." I stammered. Gaea's creepy smile looked weird across Octavian's face.

"I would."

Gaea/Octavian crept forward, pulling the cork off of the top.

"I wonder what would happen if I just..." He/She lifted the vile toward my mouth.

------

All across camp, the scream was heard. Romans stopped working, Greeks held still, and the whole valley paused. Everyone trained their listening to the one scream that was of ultimate suffering.

No one knew the truth. No one understood what that scream meant. No one really knew who was screaming it.

Except for one person.

And he was sitting back in his leather chair, debating whether or not to spare two lives on the Argo II...