madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-mansplain manipulate manslaughter-

Teqi paled, her heart felt like it had disappeared and then teleported back into her throat and stopped herself from breathing. She blinked, putting the cookie back down. She hated the way her voice quivered when she spoke, "What are you talking about?

Annabeth and Piper glanced between them with wide eyes, and Piper's jaw nearly dropped, realising something had gone really bad after the two spoke over ice-cream. Aphrodite dabbed at her painted lips with a white napkin. "Oh, I didn't do much, only tweaked a few things."

'Fuck her up.' The voice in her head said, and Teqi stood up and leaned over the table quickly, her knife in her hand without even registering grabbing it. She glared at Aphrodite, and she felt something bubble in her chest when she saw the fear in her eyes. "What. Did. You. do."

"I just...enhanced some emotions...they were already there in the first place. I'm helping!" Aphrodite said slowly, her perfect eyebrows scrunching a little like Piper's did. Annabeth slid the knife out of Teqi's hand quickly, before she killed the goddess.

"Tequila?"

"What is it!" Teqi snapped harshly, whipping around to glare at the waiter who stepped back slightly with wide eyes, gulping. Piper's jaw actually dropped and Teqi realised the mistake she just made.

"Your names Tequila-"

Teqi leapt forwards and covered Piper's mouth with her hand, glaring at the waiter who put the drink down and scrambled away from the angry girl. Annabeth made a snorting laugh sound and quickly tried to hide her smile, pulling Teqi back into her seat. "Is there a reason you're here?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean besides the tea? I often come here. I love the view, the food, the atmosphere—you can just smell the romance and heartbreak in the air, can't you? Centuries of it."

She pointed to a nearby mansion that was looking over the ocean, picking her teacup up in her other hand. Teqi noticed her pinkie was shaking. "Do you see that rooftop balcony? We had a party there the night the American Civil War began. The shelling of Fort Sumter."

"That's it," Annabeth said, side eyeing Teqi, who had grabbed her knife back. "The island in the harbor. That's where the first fighting of the Civil War happened. The Confederates shelled the Union troops and took the fort."

"Oh, such a party!" Aphrodite gasped, fluttering her thick eyelashes. "A string quartet, and all the men in their elegant new officers' uniforms. The women's dresses—you should've seen them! I danced with Ares—or was he Mars? I'm afraid I was a little giddy. And the beautiful bursts of light across the harbor, the roar of the cannons giving the men an excuse to put their arms around their frightened sweethearts!"

Teqi tried to pay attention to whatever Aphrodite was gossiping about, but her heart rate was louder in her ears than the goddess's soft voice. She was so confused; Aphrodite had messed with Leo's head? Firstly, she wanted to turn the pink ruffly dress a shade of gold, specifically Ichor.

Secondly, was the part she influenced when Leo had got mad at her? or when he hadn't come after her? Neither of the two were much like Leo, so Teqi couldn't tell. Her heart hurt for him, she had gotten so mad at him and it hadn't even been his fault.

He was probably tearing himself up now, because let's face it, it was Leo, he blamed himself. 

Or maybe he was still angry at her, maybe he was fine with the whole situation and Teqi was being pathetic and he hated-