𝕱𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 - a Leo Valdez slowburn

Chapter three

Chapter three. 

[Sadie your local therapist]

"When nothing comes to pass

and yet everything seems to leave you behind in the dust

you start to wonder

whether all you were made for was to rust"

"Why are you in a mansion?"

"Because I'm staying at some wizards," Leah vaguely explained, a grammar book in her hand. Thalia squinted at it and raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You don't read," she bluntly said. Leah nodded. "I don't." 

"Then why is there a book in your hand?" "Because I'm teaching Ismeju English," Leah replied. "Ismeju," Thalia repeated. "Yes. Ismeju, my dragon." Thalia chuckled nervously. "And I thought leading a wolf pack was unique." "That's because it is, T," Leah reassured her. "Just because-"

"Someone broke their neck doesn't mean your broken leg shouldn't be tended to, I know," Thalia cut her off, smiling. "Chiron drilled that into my mind so much I might just start reciting it in my coffin." Leah sighed. "Chiron's a bitch, you know that?" "We would be dead without him," Thalia countered, her lips tugging upwards into a small smile. Leah shrugged. "Didn't make him any less of a bitch."

"You're right," Thalia agreed hesitantly. "But back on topic. Who are you staying with again?" "Some wizards," Leah repeated. Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Which pantheon?" "The Egyptian one," Leah replied sheepishly. Thalia nodded, as if that cleared it up, then went on to the next subject. 

"How's Aiden doing?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Great, actually!" Leah chuckled. "It's official now, you want to say hi to him?" Thalia shrugged. "If you feel it necessary." "Then you shan't," Leah teased. 

"How's the group?" Leah changed the subject, crossing her arms and tilting her head. "I haven't heard from you guys in a while." Thalia made a face. "We're fine, nothing much has been happening, although Artemis's family still hasn't really solved coming back to Olympus yet. Seems like an easy task if you ask me, but whatever." Leah grimaced. "No contact?" "No contact at all, unless you count that with Artemis," Thalia confirmed. "That's weird, seeing as Apollo visited me," Leah casually mentioned. Thalia's eyes bulged. "He did wHAT?"

"Yeah, he came by one morning to warn me to take the quest seriously," Leah shrugged again as she leisurely explained the visit. "He took some of our coffee, I snapped at him, he snapped at me, as family does, of course. Also, he said Artemis speaks of me highly." Thalia chuckled. "Well, Apollo would know, I guess. They are twins, after all." 

"That's true," Leah agreed. "Do you have any other news, by any chance, T?" Thalia shook her head. "None that I know of." She sighed. "Well, I'll see you later, I guess. Bye!" She lazily waved at Leah, and she reciprocated the gesture until the line was broken and all she saw in front of her was the mist of the fountain. 

"Is she your sister?" 

Leah jumped at the voice, the plant in the corner of the room growing and reaching out to the intruder, the stem coiling stiffly around their neck, effectively choking them for a grand ten seconds.

Leah let out a breath of relief when she noticed who it was, leaving the plant to shrink back to its original size. "Don't scare me like that," she scolded Sadie, whose eyes had widened. "You don't choke me with the plant!" she countered. A smile crept onto her face. "But is she?"

"Not officially," Leah said, shaking her head. "She's a bit of a sister figure though." Sadie raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, striding into the room. "I noticed. How did you even find this room? I've never been in here." "I'd think you knew your own house better, Sadie," Leah teased. "It has a fountain. I needed a fountain," she explained vaguely, shrugging. Sadie narrowed her eyes. "Ah yes, of course. That clears everything up."