If you would like to read more, I regularly update on Fanfiction.net. The story has the same name (and same username for me!) so please go there if you want to finish reading

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Leo felt like he was slowly losing his mind. For real this time, not just because of the funky Mist stuff Hazel was able to do.

He could barely talk to anyone without feeling like he was going to... fry them? Leo wasn't sure if that was the right term to use. When Piper had tried to talk to him, he felt like...

Man, this was so unlike him.

Really, Leo had wanted to... perminately get rid of her, so to say.

He was freaking himself out.

And his lovely little fire powers? It was suddenly as if Leo had become some sort of pyromaniac now for whatever reason. He'd pull out graphing paper from his toolbelt just so he could watch in burn in his hands. Then, because it was fun, he'd go and do it again and again.

He was out of control.

Thankfully he hadn't installed any fire alarms.

All that aside, though, what was he going to do? He couldn't keep away from the others forever, but he couldn't exactly confide in them, either.
...Could he?

No, no he couldn't. Leo didn't trust himself enough to do that.
He was out of his mind, how did he know that he wouldn't accidently perminately get rid of anyone? What if he...

Leo didn't even want to think about it. He couldn't do that. Not to his friends, not to... not to anyone. But something, a feeling, made him think that he wanted to.

He had managed to get Piper away, thank Hephaestus for that, but how long could he keep it up? Leo glanced down at his hands and saw the flickering of flames dancing on them. He knew that he wasn't purposefully doing that. It was as if his brain suddenly decided that it'd work completely on it's own, doing and thinking of things without Leo's consent.

He dropped down to the floor and tucked his hands tightly against his chest, hoping to smother the fire sprouting from them.

It didn't work, and all Leo managed to accomplish was burning a hole in his pajama shirt.

Despite the heat, the boy felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

Hazel is the easiest to get rid of first. A voice in his head thought. He had been hearing it for hours now, but still Leo was confused whether it was actually him thinking or someone speaking to him.

At first he had thought that it was Gaea, he had heard her plenty of times, but this voice was no sleepy evil woman speaking. As far as Leo could tell, it didn't even have a recognizable gender to it. The voice hissed and sneered, but never did it give away who it belonged to.

Yet... it sounded creepily familiar.

Throw her overboard and let her fall to her death, that would be fun. The voice snickered. Or, kill everyone all at once by causing an explosion in the engine room! No one would survive except the one immune to the flames.

"Stop it." Leo said aloud, narrowing his eyes in frustration.

Oh, but little hero! I'm only getting started.

He was the one who fixed things. He solved problems. He made sense of things that sounded completely insane to anyone else.

Leo didn't want to admit that he couldn't find a solution to his own problem.

Don't get angry, little hero. Not everything needs to be fixed. We can work together properly if you would just stop resisti-

"I said stop!" Leo snarled, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't want to listen to you."

Now in the darkness, the son of Hephaestus saw a golden pair of eyes gleaming back at him.
What made you think that you had a choice?

Leo's eyes snapped open immediately and he scrambled backwards. Although the door was closed as with the windows, he felt a cold rush of air brush by him.

"You." He said.

Me?

"You're not supposed to be back."

You have me mistaken for a sibling of mine. Though I must admit that it is flattering of you to think I am worthy of being called the best! I certainly do try.

Leo was speechless. What was he supposed to say? They were back.

Of course they would be back.

What if-

Earth Mother didn't want the son of Poseidon and the son of Jupiter. The Eidolon said, giving an answer to Leo's question before he could even speak it. But why waste time explaining?

You are needed for much more important things.

"I'll get Piper to send you away, just like she did for the other three!" Leo snapped, regaining his courage.

It all made sense now.

He wasn't slowly losing his mind, after all. It was just... an Eidolon.

The relief that Leo had felt for a few short seconds was quickly washed away and replaced with a knot of fear.

I control you now, Leo Valdez. The Eidolon hissed. Make one move against me and your friends will have more painful deaths than I already have planned.

"You can't do a thing." Leo spat, though even he could hear the doubt in his words. The Eidolon had managed to do so much already...

Let's test if that's true.

Without his will, Leo got up from the floor and walked over to the shattered mirror by his dresser. His head turned so he could see his reflection, and the face staring back at him made him gasp.

It was his. Completely his.

From his experience, when Eidolon's took control the eye color of the person changed to gold.

Leo's eyes, however, remained the dark brown that they always were.

See? It took me many days of practicing on mortals to figure this trick out. You were a bit of a challenge, being a demigod, but look. No one will know I'm here. I made you walk to this very spot, but there's no proof to other's that it was me.

Leo clenched his fists. He was a puppet.

"They'll figure it out." Leo said, finding a small bit of confidence again. "The others will know."

Oh?

"You don't act like me. Didn't you notice that Piper's suspicious enough already? I wouldn't have treated her like that!" Yeah... that was true.

He felt a little better knowing that his friends were already seeing straight through the Eidolon's act.

That's just a mood-swing.

Leo's reflection grinned at him, once again without his actual approval, and within seconds he heard himself speak.

"I'm the Super-sized McShizzle, man!" He laughed, placing his hands on his hips. His voice sounded just like his own. "Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme."

His arms fell and his grin dropped, but Leo didn't move away from the mirror. He stared at in shock.

"You just..."

You may think you can fight me, but you can't, little hero. I want to make it clear that if you even try, your friends last thoughts will be wondering why it was you who betrayed them, without my influence at all. Why would you ever join Gaea? Why would you hurt them like that? What would cause you to-

"Stop it!"

Are you going to try and stop me?

Leo clenched his jaw and nodded. "I'd rather die than let myself be controlled by you."

His reflection shrugged and the Eidolon began walking towards the door.

"This is not a game, Leo Valdez." He growled, reaching for the doorknob. "Will the death of a friend be what it takes for you to understand that?"

Leo's heart lurched. He couldn't let the Eidolon make the room.

He wouldn't.

His hand shook as he and the Eidolon fought for control over it, but in only a matter of seconds it moved forward smoothly and turned the knob.

With a click, the door opened.

"How about... oh! Annabeth sounds like a good first kill." The Eidolon decided, grinning again as it moved Leo's body through the hall.

His movements were slightly rigid as Leo tried to stop walking, but the Eidolon pushed through and forced him to take another step forward.

"Leo!" Jason's voice sounded behind him, making both the Eidolon and Leo stop.

"Hey, I need to talk to you."

Leo turned around and saw the son of Jupiter coming down the stairs. His expression was cold, almost angry, and for a second Leo wondered if the guy was going to punch him in the face.

"Can it wait? I need to talk to Annabeth for a second." The Eidolon spoke for him, but there was no trace of this in his voice.

Jason's brow furrowed. "No, actually. It can't."

See, he found out! Leo wanted to scream.

"If you insist, Superman." He said, holding out his hands infront of him. "What's up?"

"Piper thinks you need help."

Leo lowered an eyebrow. "Well I guess it's fair to say that I'm a bit out there, but can't seeing a psychologist wait until the war's over?"

Jason sighed. "That's not what I meant. She thinks..." He said, taking a moment to find the right words. "Just, are you okay or not?"

"Do I look okay?"

"Well yeah I guess you look-"

"Then I'm fine!" He cheered, patting Jason on the shoulder. "Anything else?"

Leo wanted to scream.

Don't you dare.

What if I did? He thought, pondering on the idea.

What if I killed Jason? The Eidolon shot back.

Jason, oblivious of what was going on, folded his arms over his chest and glared. "Are you sure?"

"Dude, I'm pretty positive."

Can you stop talking for me? Leo silently muttered. He was cold. Freezing, actually.

Being under the control of the Eidolon was like being stuck outside during Autumn. He wanted a jacket or a hat or something, but most of all he also wanted to be let back inside.

Not a chance, little hero.

Jason eyed Leo closely. After a few quiet seconds he gave up looking for the sign that would tell him the boy in front of him was lying.

"Alright then."

"Okay."

"I'll tell Piper."

"Gotcha."

Jason disappeared up the stairs.

As soon as he was gone, the Eidolon directed Leo in the direction of Annabeth's room once more.

"Wait, you're really doing this?" Leo blurted out, finding that he could once again speak.

What does it matter?

"You can't!"

Oh, I'm not going to kill her, Leo Valdez. This isn't a random murder spree. Earth Mother wouldn't be pleased to hear that I eliminated everyone before the fun could begin.

Leo managed to get his legs to stop moving.

"You said you were planning to kill everyone. You said you were going to kill Annabeth!"

And what would that do for me at this point in time? People lie, little hero.

"But you're not a person."

That is true. You, however, are one who is seemingly talking to himself in the middle of a hallway.

"There's no one here but you and me."

No one here but yourself and another.

Notes