Caliginosity [ Leo Valdez ]

The Princess of Macy's

Livana's eyes fluttered open. It took her a few moments to realize where she was. She was about to raise her arms and stretch, when she remembered there was someone asleep next to her.

Leo had slumped down the wall and was leaning against Livana's waist. His neck looked craned in an uncomfortable position, but he seemed content. His breathing was shallow, but every minute or so he would let out a long sigh. Livana swore she could see steam whenever he did. He had a peaceful expression on his face- no goofy smile or mischievous gleam in his eye. His elfish features stopped looking so ridiculous, they made him look like an ethereal, magic elf you'd see in a movie.

Though, he still had a smudge of grease on his left cheek. Livana chuckled to herself. A breeze ran through the tunnel, but Livana didn't feel cold. Leo's warmth kept her comfortable. She sighed happily and repositioned Leo, hopefully easing his neck. He mumbled something in his sleep and reached his hand to his shirt. His fingers started playing with his loose button. Livana sighed and stood up, instantly feeling colder.

She stretched and popped a few of her joints, feeling much better after. Her slim fingers ran through her hair, checking for any knots. Part way through, her digits found a large clump of hair. Livana sighed, upset thought it was to be expected. She reached her hand out into the darkness, feeling it extend into a small riff of shadows. When she pulled it back, her hand gripped a wooden brush with thick bristles.

Livana quickly brushed the knot out of her hair, feeling tears well into her eyes from pain. Once her brush ran through her hair smoothly, she pulled away and sighed. "Ugh," she groaned. "Je devrais apprendre à l'attacher."

"Veux-tu que je t'apprenne?" A voice asked. Livana jumped and turned, seeing Piper standing a few feet away from her. She looked tired, and her hair was messed up. A toothbrush hung from her mouth while toothpaste foamed on the corners. She looked gorgeous. "Je peux te tresser les cheveux, si tu veux. Ou je peux simplement l'attacher," she offered.

"Si ce n'est pas trop demander," Livana smiled slightly. Piper shook her head and spit into the stream running through the sewer, rinsing the rest of her mouth and toothbrush with water. She put it into a clear plastic bag before shoving it into her backpack by her feet. "Avez-vous besoin d'un élastique?"

"Non," Piper answered, holding up one of her wrists. She had at least seven different hair ties, each different colors, size, and textures. "J'aime les collectionner et les porter."

"Bizarre," Livana laughed softly. Piper rolled her eyes with a grin, grabbing the brush from her hands. "Your French is perfect," she complimented.

"Thanks," Piper sighed, grabbing a white band and holding it between her teeth. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I mean, my mom's a romance goddess which means I'm perfectly fluent in French. I lived fifteen years of my life without knowing my mom or that I know the entirety of a different language." She sighed. "It's crazy."

"I know how you feel," Livana sighed as Piper brushed her hair back. She felt her hair uncover her face, causing her to grow a bit nervous. It was out of her comfort zone, but Livana had to ask herself 'why?'. Why did she always feel the need to keep her face hidden behind her dark hair? She felt like she'd done it since she was little, but she had no memory of why. Livana furrowed her brows.

Piper chuckled. "Us in the never knowing our moms!" She joked. Livana laughed as Piper's fingers weaved through her hair perfectly. "You have really nice hair."

"Really?" Livana asked.

"Mhm. It has the potential to make all the other Aphrodite kids jealous," Piper explained. "It's straight, but because it's not too thick it could probably hold shape easily. The ends are pretty dead though, so you'd have to cut it first. About four inches so it's perfect. If you brush it when it's wet and wear it braided to bed, maybe oil it once a week, you'll look even prettier than you do now."