#yes that's kind of a role swap cause Leo saves Echo like he saved calypso at the end of BOO

[shippy-pjo-shipper]

🌺Lecho🌺 First Kiss

"Excuse me ? I'm looking for a nymph in need of a ride." Said a familiar voice when a gigantic dragon landed next to the lake. "Can you tell her Leo's here ?"

"Leo... here !" She managed to articulate once the beating of her heart had calmed down.

He said he would come back, but Leo and his friend had been gone for weeks now, sure he had forgotten about her, they all did, after all.

Leo climbed off his dragon and walked toward the nymph, but something made him stop. He looked around, before a weak sad smile grew on his face.

"Mister six-pack fell again, didn't he ?"

"Fell..." She looked at the lake with deep sadness. She had dedicated so many years of her life and afterlife to Narcissus, but he never cared about her, neither her advices. He drowned himself again, while all those idiotic nymphs kept looking at him, ignoring her plead for help.

"It's not your fault, you know ? You did your best for him."

Did she ? She wanted to believe she couldn't do more, but she knew deep down that she could have done better. During those last weeks, she tried less, she isolated herself to think about what those newcomers had said, what Leo had said : "We can't leave Echo !" No one ever took her side like he did. "You're one brave nymph. I'm proud to have you on Team Leo."

"You know... I'm here if you need to talk." She sent him a jokingly annoyed look. "Oops, euh, you know what, forget about it." She laughed but stopped right away in shock. When was the last time she had laughed ? Since him and Hazel left, she couldn't help but think about this short adventure as the most fun she had had in millennia. Even more than that, she couldn't help but think about this kiss she gave him on the cheek, if she could, she'd turn bright red right now.

Seeing her lost in her thoughts, Leo tried to reassure her by changing subject : "Remember about Festus ? That's the big guy right there." He said pointing at his dragon. Echo had to admit he looked almost exactly like the one she used to see in the sky centuries ago. "Without him I'd still be dead."

"Dead ?!"

"Oh yes I maybe should have introduced that first. Remember Gaea? The giants ? The end of the world? It's all over now thanks to the mighty hero that I am. All done without any casualties except, well me. But it's all good now ! I'm here !"

"Here..." He's here, right after he just saved the world, smiling as much as weeks before, like nothing happened. Why was she surprised ? She knew it the moment he put together his stupid plan to distract Narcissus, Leo Valdez is a true hero, way more selfless and clever than he pretends to be. How can she have look after Narcissus for so long, neglecting her own happiness and existence, for nothing ? While Leo had sacrificed his own life for the world ?

"Echo, hum, you know I... I came back here to, well, keep the promise I made you, to take you away from this place. You're free to stay of course but, you know there's a minibar in Festus back and the strawberry milkshake are the best you could ever drink in your entire life, so you should definitely try t-"

Overwhelmed, Echo's mind turned blank. And it's with nothing else but the memory of how alive she had felt when her lips touched his cheek, of how he looked at her before leaving, like he could see her, like no one had looked at her in ages, and this haunting joke she had dreamt about since she met him, that she took his face between her hands and kissed the fool.

She smiled felling the temperature increase in an instant. When they pulled apart, she knew her face was as hot as his. But Leo's wide opened eyes made her lose all the confidence she had gathered.

"So-Sorry! I didn't mean to-" She stopped in the middle of her sentence. Sentence ? Did she just...

"Echo...I see you better..." She didn't get what he was saying or barely registered it, too shocked. "I mean, you're material, physical...Like, the opposite of transparent...Opaque, you're opaque ! Which is a good thing, your opacity is really beautiful, I mean, wait-"

"See... me...." She succeeded.

"And you can make your own sentences ! Wow, is it like you're own kind of 'at loss of words' ? You become able to talk at will again ?"

Tears came to her eyes, happy tears. She laughed, laughed at his stupid jokes and laughed in disbelief of what was happening to her.

"Does that mean...Does that mean your curse...has been lifted ? Echo, are you ok ?"

"Ye...Yes I am. Thanks...Thanks to you, Leo." He smiled before she took him in her arms, remaining in this position until Echo's eyes were dried.

"Do you feel like leaving this place ? And coming with me ?" He asked, hesitant. But her eyes were already filled with nothing else but certainty when she smiled at him, took his hand and answered :

"I have to, after all, I'm Team Leo's president now."

@them-awesome-rarepairs