𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 || leo valdez

𝐕: 2 in 1.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩

        LEO FELT GOOD opening up to Veronica. He hadn't ever done that before. Sure, Piper and Jason were his best friends, but some things were meant to stay secret. And plus, Veronica was a good listener.. well, maybe because she didn't say a word.

He told her about his mom, Tia Callida, and his abilities. He was relieved when Veronica didn't judge him for what happened. He felt like a huge weight that he'd been carrying his whole life was finally lifted of his shoulders.

"So, the lady you saw. Your crazy babysitter?" Veronica suggested.

"Yeah.. I honestly don't know how she ended up here. I mean, look at this place." Leo gestured to their surroundings.

"Maybe we should talk to Chiron about this, it may not just be your imagination." Veronica said.

"No, I don't want the whole camp thinking I'm crazy, at least not yet." Leo laughed.

"Fine." Veronica sighed. "So Leo-"

Then suddenly the conch horn blew, signaling that dinner was over, interrupting Veronica.

Looks like the prophecy would have to wait.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩

        THEY DIDNT MAKE IT in time for dinner. But on the bright side, Leo would get to experience his first campfire gathering. Yay?

The amphitheater steps were carved into the side of a hill, facing a stone-lined fire pit. Fifty or sixty kids filled the rows, clustered into groups under various banners.

Veronica found Annabeth near the front, and the crowd moved aside for her, letting her easily walk through. Ever since the Titan War it was like she was a brand new person. People would be more kinder, check up on her, and even gift her things. It irritated her, but she knew she couldn't let herself get angry with them. After all, they just felt bad for her.. stop. She reminded herself. Veronica shook her thoughts out of her head and went to join Annabeth.

She spotted Leo nearby, as he went to sit with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel gray banner emblazoned with a hammer. He was staring at her, but she was avoiding his eyes.

Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and old-fashioned harps were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war. Everybody was singing with them and making gestures for the pieces of armor and joking around. It was one of those campfire songs that would've been completely embarrassing in daylight; but in the dark, with everybody participating, it was kind of corny and fun. Veronica wanted to join so bad, but it brought back too many painful memories of her dead friends. She tried to make herself feel smaller so people would stop staring. She had enough of it.

As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold.

Finally the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. A guy on a horse trotted up. Chiron. He was a centaur—his bottom half a white stallion, his top half a joke middle-aged guy with curly hair and a trimmed beard. He brandished a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows.

"Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"

"What about capture the flag?" somebody yelled.

Grumbling broke out among some kids in armor, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head.