madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

- let it goooo-

As they got closer, Teqi was worried they'd crash into the tower. The sons of boring made right for the green gabled peak and didn't slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth. Like the tiger cave from Aladdin. That didn't sit well with Teqi.

"This cannot be good," Jason muttered, but Leo spurred the dragon downward, and they swooped in after the Boreads. Teqi's hair flew around her face. They landed in what must have been the penthouse suite; but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. 

The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made the room's beauty a little frightening.                                                                                                                                                                                                          When Leo slid off the dragon, Teqi could hear the carpet crunched under his feet. She wasn't desperate to hop off the dragon herself, A fine layer of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn't budge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset. Even the ceiling was furry with icicles.

"Guys," Leo said, breaking them out of their awed trance, "fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in." 

"The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen..." Teqi hummed, her hands in her pockets as she sat cross legged on Festus, peering up at the roof. She hoped the icicles wouldn't drop and impale her two hours into her first quest. That would be embarrassing. 

Her voice cracked at the end of the song, and Leo snorted, looking up at her. She still refused to get off the dragon, no matter how cute his laugh was [and when he scrunched his nose up and grinned...]

 Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales, Teqi crawled to the middle of his back nervously, cracking her knuckles in hopes that they wouldn't freeze over.

"No, no, no." Zethes marched over, though how he could walk in those pointy leather shoes, Teqi had no idea. She had learned to run in heels with after Will convinced her too with him, but that was a whole different story. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth, eyes flashing red and green like a Christmas tree. Teqi bared her teeth with him. "'S'okay, boy." Leo turned to Zethes. "The dragon's a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I've got a better solution."

"Destroy?" Cal suggested hopefully. 

"No, man. You gotta stop with the destroy talk. Just wait."

"I'm not getting down, its cold. I will get hyperthermia and then be impaled by ice sticks." Teqi snapped. Leo strolled up to her and smiled hopefully. He held out a hand. She glared harder at him.                                                                                                                                                                                                         Leo sighed, looking at Jason and Piper for help. Piper was inching away from one of the purple winged angels and Jason was drawing a smiley face through the frost on the floor. They were no help. 

 "Look... I'll give you your iron man hoodie back?" He used puppy eyes with that statement. His eyes were so pretty. 

Asshole.