𝕱𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 - a Leo Valdez slowburn

Chapter twelve

Chapter twelve. 

[Leah finally spilled the tea]

"Cause Mushroom Town's a relic of your past, 

and if you blink, none us will ever last."

Lin rolled their eyes when they saw who was outside their office. "Come in!" they shouted carelessly. 

Demeter and Persephone strode in proudly, although the daughter of the duo had a more nervous stance. Demeter held her chin up. 

"We are here to see my daughter," she said. Lin raised an amused eyebrow. "You mean Leah, right?" "My sister, yes," Persephone nervously explained further. "Right, you're Persephone, goddess of spring, yadda yadda," Lin carelessly said. "She should be in her dorm building right now, maybe Aiden's with her, who knows." "Aiden?" Demeter echoed disapprovingly. Lin shrugged. "Don't blame me, they're cute together." Okay, maybe they had encouraged Aiden to make up and confess, but it wasn't their fault. There were many other factors, like Leah's need for coffee. 

Demeter huffed at the solomonar. "You could afford more respect for the goddesses of spring and agriculture," she said. Lin chuckled. "Lady, I could arrest you for trespassing," they threatened light-heartedly. "You're crossing pantheons. My opinion is that lack of respect is the least of your problems, currently." "They are right, mother," Persephone agreed. "Zeus would kill us if he knew-"

Demeter turned angrily to Persephone. "But he won't, because he's too busy talking about himself to think about the other deities. He doesn't even think about other pantheons! They don't cross his mind!" She sighed and turned back to Lin. "Where's the dorm building?" she asked tiredly. 

Lin grinned. "The most outer building on the right," they answered. And before the goddesses left Lin's office, they said, "And a piece of advice? Leah's tough. She is not the girl you think she is." Demeter's stomach tightened. "I know plenty about my daughter to not need advice from strangers," she countered. "I don't think you do, lady," Lin said. And then, under their breath, 

"I don't think you do."

« »

The only familiar thing to Aiden was the fit of his sword in his hand. 

The ruby embedded in the hilt glowed a dangerous red, and the color was leaking from the stone. Aiden blinked. That wasn't the ruby. That was their blood. 

A battle raged around them, demigods and gods fighting against creatures that loomed above them. Smaller creatures, about their height, slithered past and canons sounded from behind him. He couldn't see the corners of his vision, it fading to black. 

A muffled voice called worriedly to Aiden, and he looked up to see Leah, her face blurred. He mumbled something, but he didn't know what they said themselves. Leah shook her head violently and cradled his face with her hands. Her eyes flickered to his stomach. "You're not-" He gasped for air, and the scene shifted. 

Aiden was at a cemetery, walking towards a grave. Their stomach tightened at the name on the grave. In a puddle, he saw his reflection. He tilted his head. That wasn't him. That was-

"Aidennnnnnn," Selene whined. "Get up." She'd tried to shake him awake, but seeing as that had failed, she'd just dragged him off his bed. "You've been sleeping for forever. But don't worry, take your time!" Her pout turned into a calming smile, then turned to a frown. "You're late," she warned. "You're going to miss breakfast."

« »

Leah groaned, throwing her head back on the couch. "I'm bored," she complained. Elena raised an amused eyebrow. "Well then get up and do something." She poked Leah in the shoulder, which she reciprocate with a light punch in Elena's shoulder. "But I'm tired, and my body won't move," she countered. She turned to Elena. "What do you propose I do?"