Anti-Hero || Leo Valdez

26 - ANGST™️

Leo had never felt this violated in his life.

When he'd asked Via to possess him, he hadn't been asking for the full package. He'd gotten plenty of that from the eidolon that had made him fire the ballistae on the Argo II on New Rome last year. That spirit had made him fire the first shot and start an entire war between the Romans and the Greeks, which had ended with Camp Half-Blood almost getting wiped off the map, not to mention him dying. Full-on possession had taken a lot more out of him than he had been willing to admit.

And now Via had just crossed a line.

He wasn't good with Underworld stuff like Nico was, but he could tell that (fortunately) Via's hold on him wasn't as powerful as the eidolons'. It took time, but eventually he managed to break out of his own mind and take control of his body again, forcing Via out for good measure. She flew right out of him and through the wall into Catalina's empty bedroom.

Leo sighed and stowed away his hammer in one of the pockets of his tool belt. At least the fight was over and the dracaenae were gone, even if they had promised to return and capture Via to take her to Lamia. Leo had no idea who that was, but Via clearly did — Leo had felt the fear and dread coursing through his body while Via had been in control. And it wasn't any normal fear, either. Whoever Lamia was, Via was terrified of her, and Leo wanted to know why. If he'd had to go through full-on possession again to fight off four snake women Lamia had sent to get Via, he at least deserved some answers.

Via floated back through the wall in a huff. "What was that?"

Leo frowned at her. Why was she mad? If anyone had the right to be mad right now, it was him. "What do you mean?"

"What do I — you fucking yote me out of your body."

Leo scoffed. "Yeah, because you weren't getting out the first couple of times I asked."

"First couple of times?"

"Yeah, you know, when I was like Via, stop. Via, I don't like this. Via, this is not what I signed up for. Remember?"

"What the Hades did you expect me to do?" Via demanded. "You froze! You weren't doing anything except arguing with me! If those dracaenae had wanted to, they could've killed you and captured me while you were playing Twenty Questions with me about my powers!"

"You weren't exactly helping —"

"Yes, I was! I kept telling you to hit them and you just kept going on about laser eyes and light beams!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm not really a hand-to-hand kind of guy."

"No kidding," Via muttered.

Leo was starting to get angry. He'd asked her to stop three times and she'd completely blown him off about it. Now she was getting upset at him for not being Muhammad Ali.

And besides all of that, it was his body, not hers! He had a right to say who could possess him and how. He told her that she could do it just enough to boost his powers and give advice, and that was it. He had not signed up for a hostile takeover, even if she was saving their hides. It felt so... wrong and perverted.

"Look, I've already told you I've had a rough history with possession," He told her. "And you taking over like that without warning or even permission? It felt just as bad, if not worse, because this time I actually knew what was going on."

"I was trying to save your life," Via said.

"I know you were," Leo said. "And I'm very grateful —"

"You have a great way of showing it."

Leo sighed. "I am grateful. Thanks for saving my life."

Via rolled her eyes. "You're welcome."