DAYLIGHT ↬ leo valdez x reader

5. COME BACK... BE HERE

As the Bay Area neared and we found ourselves hovering above Camp Jupiter, I began to feel under the worry that I was going to be far from helpful during this aspect of our mission. Being besties with the enemies? Was that seriously anybody's strong suit? Y/N, the super-socializer.

On the deck, we were all preparing for our set tasks; Annabeth staring mysteriously (nobody was going to question it, ok?), Coach Hedge completely out of sight and me, standing awkwardly trying to muster some social intelligence in preparation for my job.
Piper paced around anxiously between the mainmast and the ballistae whilst repeating her lines "Lower your weapons" and "we just want to talk". 

I could feel myself holding back the urge to lower the weapons that I didn't even have on me. For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tries hard to play down her beauty. Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and a white tank top with pink Hello Kitty designs. (Maybe as a joke, though you could never be sure with Piper.) Her choppy brown hair was braided down the right side with an eagle's feather.

Leo was on the stern quarterdeck, double and triple checking everything was in perfect condition and that everything would run smoothly and that there was no way for anything to mess up. Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast.

Jason was a very quiet person, though perhaps he was reacting that way as a kind of escapism to be alone with his thoughts. You could tell by just looking at him that he was a compelling leader if need be. He was standing on the bow, on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. 

His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise, he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control—just like a son of Jupiter should. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky.

Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafés, gawking and pointing as the ship descended. About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill —with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae. Inside, perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road—the Via Principalis.

 A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant. Annabeth wanted to land the Argo II before those troops arrived, but the ground was still several hundred feet below. Then something behind her went BOOM!

I glanced up, my cloudy thoughts completely evaporating when I see an angry statue that wasn't there before.
"Unacceptable!" he shrieked. Apparently, he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga. "I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!"
"Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace."
"Oh, I remember you, Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"

"But they're not enemies—"
"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could—"
"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on me, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"
Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding. "Um...okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."
"Impertinence!" There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow. Piper yelpedand dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking. "Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"
"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that. "I tried not to mumble a warning to Leo, but it seemed Annabeth had it under control.

"Let's all calm down." She raised her hands to show she had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"
"Oh, I know who you are!" The statue glared at her with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess."

Annabeth clenched her jaw. This statue wasn't making it easy to be diplomatic on her part. "What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what's so scandalous about—"
"Right!" Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"

"Impossible!" the god squeaked. He seemed to have a problem with interrupting people. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"
"Which is it?" I asked cautiously. "Surrender, or leave?"
"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face forasking such a stupid question, you ridiculous girl Do you feel that?"

"Wow." Leo walked over to us and studied Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound uppretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool beltand tapped the statue's pedestal.
"Stop that!" Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver. "Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."
"The what?" Piper asked. 

"City limits," Jason translated.
"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You cannot land!"
Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. I looked over the edge of the Argo II and scanned through the many people, desperate and delusional for a familiar face. I convinced myself I could see Percy Jackson, but it couldn't be. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies—a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet. 
"Leo, stop the ship," Annabeth ordered, springing out of the state of unfocus she had previously been in.
"What?" Leo whined, like a child complaining but also in a betrayed kind of fashion.
 "You heard me. Keep us right where we are."
Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.
"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"
The statue frowned. "Well, no..."
"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth said. "We'll use a rope ladder toreach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

The statue seemed to ponder this. Annabeth wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands. "I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still..."
"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promised. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"
"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"
"Uh, Annabeth..." Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"

"It'll be fine," she said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement? "Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now."
I shrugged and got ready to climb down to the many Romans who were sure to bombard me with questions.
"Perfect." I said. Leo snorted and walked over beside me and he flashed me a mischievous grin. Maybe it was a bad idea to let us across the city limits, Terminus.