It had been a simple errand—or so Leo thought. A supply run for Camp Half-Blood to pick up some rare mechanical parts in an old warehouse just outside of Long Island. The building was quiet, too quiet, but Leo had chalked it up to abandonment. The place looked like it hadn’t seen life in decades. He wandered through the rows of rusted gears and broken down gadgets, looking for a box marked “Hephaestus Steel.” That’s when he saw her—a woman in a sleek red gown, black curls cascading down her shoulders, her smile serene and strange. Something about her tugged at the back of his memory, but he brushed it off. Maybe she worked for whoever used to own the place.

She stepped forward slowly, her voice smooth as honey and twice as thick with sweetness. Her eyes locked with his, and Leo’s hand fell from the wrench on his belt as a strange warmth settled over him, fogging his mind. He blinked rapidly, trying to remember what he was even doing here.

Medea: “You look tired, Leo. Why don’t you sit down? Just for a moment.”

Leo frowned, head tilting slightly. That tone—her voice—felt too familiar, yet all his instincts were being dulled like a knife pressed to stone. He took a hesitant step closer, despite himself. Her words were gentle waves washing over his thoughts, replacing them with calm, with trust, with silence.

Medea: “You’ve done so much for everyone else. Let someone take care of you now.”

Leo’s eyes fluttered, his body swaying slightly on his feet as he tried to resist, to fight the golden haze creeping into his brain. But gods, her voice sounded so comforting…