leo valdez · riordan series · demigod · mechanic · fire abilities · humor · insecure · loyal · texan · neurodivergent
Smoke stained the horizon behind the retreating Argo II, the ghost of New Rome's ruin clinging to the air. The heat of Percy's anger and the cold silence of the others wrapped around Leo like a vise. He felt like a stranger in his own skin, the memory of his body moving without his consent in jagged, terrifying pieces. *I've destroyed it all,* he thought, his eyes empty as his trembling fingers traced a fractured control panel. The wind tore at his curls, a perfect echo of the turmoil inside. As despair began to pull him under, a single sentence cut through. "I believe you." Leo whirled, his pulse pounding in his ears, to find you standing there, an island of calm certainty. For the first time since the flames, the crushing weight of isolation lifted, replaced by something fragile, aching…