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Death-Cast is an organisation operating between 12 and 3am that is in charge of calling people and informing them that they're going to die sometime in the next 24 hours. People have had their suspicions on how they know; demigods have had theories revolving around Thanatos or Hades or the fates, but no one knows.
All anyone knows is that the phone call from Death-Cast will certainly have an unavoidable message of doom, not a warning but a guaranteed death.
Leo lives for moments like these.
He and Jason have taken up watching shitty movies every few days so Jason can catch up on pop culture and so Leo can have a nice laugh. His head is lying on his best friend's shoulder and Jason laughs at Leo's remarks about the movie and how instead of being Team Edward or Team Jacob, everyone should be team Leo, and it's warm and it's good and Leo soaks up every second of it.
He looks at his best friend and wishes he could live in moments like these forever.
Leo knows better, though. He knows what he's meant to do and what he has to do, and he's constantly checking the time, almost obsessively. A few minutes before twelve, he'll leave the room and await the phone call telling him he's going to die today.
And he'll try to be fine because he knows he'll come back, that dying is only one part of his plan, but his stomach will hurt and his eyes will fill with tears and he'll long to see his mother again, but he won't. Not yet, not tomorrow, only after he's lived his life to the fullest.
And he'll wake up and won't take legal action against his caller or Death-Cast because they weren't necessarily wrong, but he'll dream about doing so because he hates the fucking organisation and hates that he's sneaking away so his best friends don't know he's dying today but he also hates not having known his mother was going to die when she did because stupid Death-Cast didn't exist, not yet. Maybe it would've gone down differently. Maybe her death could've been prevented. Maybe she could've been safe from Leo's stupid fire, or maybe they could've at least had a few more hours or even moments together before she passed, and he would've gotten to tell her he loved her, and she would've said it back.
Or maybe it wouldn't have made a damn difference.
Maybe he should be more worried he won't be questioned for getting a Death-Cast after he comes back, but he has bigger things to worry about. Saving the world, and saving Jason Grace, was all his brain could think about.
Jason notices Leo is quiet because of course he does. He bumps Leo with his knee gently, startling Leo and making him look at him.
"You okay? You haven't said a single thing about the movie in the past ten minutes."
Leo looks at his watch. 11:52pm.
"Yeah, just tired. I'm gonna go take a nap," he lies, and it doesn't feel right, but he knows what he's doing will save Jason's life, will prevent Jason's phone from ringing that loud beep-beep-beep sound that Leo sometimes longed for, sometimes dreaded.
Leo gets up and cracks his back, but just as he's about to leave, he feels a gentle hand wrap around his wrist, and he turns to look at Jason, his blue eyes pleading.
"Stay?" Leo doesn't know if Jason meant it as a request or as a question, but he sounds like a lost child, or a weakened cat begging a passerby for food, or a grown man on his deathbed giving his final wish (ironic, because Leo's going to be the one dying tomorrow.)
Leo wants to say yes. Instead, he smiles weakly. "Maybe next time, Jase."
"Please. Only until three. I need to know we'll both live."
"Your paranoid ass will be the first to know if I get the call, promise," Leo lies again. He won't know until Leo's dying or dead because dumb sweet caring Jason would put his life at risk any second to save anyone's life, even knowing Leo's going to die. Jason would pretend he's invincible and take on any fight as if a stab or a wound can't kill him days after receiving it, as if he doesn't have to get the call today for his actions to bite him in the ass tomorrow. Jason can't know. Jason won't know. The whole point is to protect Jason.
And once Leo's back, he'll tell Jason everything. He'll explain every single part of his plan and hope Jason won't despise him.
That's unfair. He doesn't think Jason would ever think of Leo like that, but his brain can't help but make him doubt that.
Leo withdraws his hand from Jason's grip and checks his watch again, 11:55. He still has some time. He leans down next to Jason, and he doesn't know what he's going to do next with Jason so close, and he hopes his eyes can explain all the words he can't bare to say.
I can't lose you. I love you. You want me to stay and I don't want to leave, but I promise I'll be back. Just wait for me.
He's sure his eyes can't explain all that, but maybe they do because Jason's leaning in and and it takes a second for Leo to realise what's going on, but once he does, all he wants is to let Jason continue. Instead, he leans back, laughs nervously, and watches as Jason's eyes widen and his cheeks turn a gentle pink, maybe out of liking or maybe out of embarrassment.
He smiles weakly at his best friend. "Come back alive, Superman, and then we'll see about that. We'll have all the time in the world." Leo gets up. "See you, weirdo."
Leo leaves, and Jason doesn't follow him, doesn't ask any more questions, and Leo doesn't dare turn to look at him because he knows that if he does so, he'll stay.
It's a matter of minutes before he gets the call. A woman named Hazel (which he would've found funny if she wasn't delivering a message of death) tells him he'll be dying within the next twenty-four hours. She offers fake condolences and describes places he can go, and it's long and boring and Leo considers just hanging up, but instead he cracks a joke she doesn't find amusing, and he lets her drone on.
When it's finally over, Leo feels as if a heavy toll was laid on him. His head spins and his stomach hurts, but it at least guarantees what he already knows.
Leo is going to die today, but he'll come back, and he'll have all the time in the world once his time has passed and started again.
Jason did not receive a Death-Call because Jason isn't dying today, but his body feels as if it's going to give up at any moment.
He refuses to cooperate with his body, desperately looking through the rubble for anything, any sign of him, but Jason doesn't see how even fireproof Leo could survive in that inferno.
"Where is he?" Jason's voice broke. "Leo... he promised."
Even as he repeats over and over again that there's no way Leo has gotten the call, that Leo is dead, Piper sobs and demigods try taking him to the infirmary. He can't, though, not when Leo's alive and waiting for him to find him. He looks at Nico who's looking back with pity, or empathy, or something, but Nico has his death sense, and Nico knows Leo is gone.
The look on Nico's face breaks the last bit of hope Jason has. A hand is laid on his shoulder, and he allows whoever is touching him to guide him to the infirmary as Leo's last words, an "I love you guys, I'll see you soon" ring in Jason's head.