madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-gathering of the wind spirit's work union-

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Teqi woke up to pain. Her back was aching and sore, and something cool and pointed was pressed against her arms. When she lifted her head from her crossed arms, the scattered cutlery on the table had left red imprints in her skin. Coach kneed the underside of the café table. Half of the forks clattered to the ground.

She yawned, eyeing the sunny tree-lined street quickly. No immediate threats, just bicyclists and people in suits with coffee cups. It was warm and Aeolus, the Lord of the winds, was not currently trying to kill them. Instead she was seated on the pavement of a sidewalk café, opposite Jason.

He was rubbing his eyes blearily, and then dodging Leo's elbow as the son of Hephaestus grabbed the table and realised he wasn't falling to his death.

"Mother!" Piper gasped, looking down at herself.

Teqi frowned. "That isn't your mother, Piper, that's your snowboarding jacket."

"No- She was saying... I had this dream- anyway," Piper said, twisting the ends of her plaits with her fingers. There were hairclips pinning her choppy fringe in place. "She, she said not to say anything."

Coach tutted next to her, patting down his waterproof gym-set outfit proudly. He was wearing those sneakers with the unnecessary amount of gel built into the soles. "Smart goddess. Getting on Zeus's bad side this close to the solstice; not a way to go."

Jason nodded, and then pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Well then, uh, isn't it crazy we all woke up in different clothes? And not at the bottom of Pikes Peak... Coincidence."

"Oh, that would be Mellie," Hedge said, chewing happily on a stray fork already. "Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I'd guess. We would've been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift—a nice soft breeze—cushioned our fall."

"And she got fired for us," Leo said. "Man, we suck."

Teqi couldn't help but look back at Leo. That didn't mean anything, obviously, or whatever, she was just happy for him that he got his army jacket back. The big green one that made him look kind of... cuddly was the wrong word for it, but she wanted to wrap her arms around him.

He stuck his hands in his pockets happily, not before she saw the leather bracelets on his wrists. Under his jacket was a white t-shirt with a faded logo for Texas- something or other that made him smile.

Teqi tilted her chin at Leo. "Still got the toolbelt."

"It's useful! Don't diss the toolbelt, chica de fiesta brillante," He smirked, eyes focused on a different part of her face.

"...Didn't understand a word of that."

Jason raised his eyebrows and gestured at his own glasses. He was wearing that purple t-shirt again, only with a creamy sweater underneath. He looked more comfortable. "Didn't have to. You've got a bit of, ah, you've got something on your face."

Piper rolled her eyes. "It's glitter, Jason, people wear it, you know. You being raised by wolves explains a lot, actually."

"I don't act like I was raised by wolves," he argued, unsure.

Teqi was dabbing her fingertips to her face lightly, feeling dried body glitter around the powder on her eyes, as Leo ducked under the table and laughed at Jason's Velcro shoes and perfectly cuffed jeans.