Anti-Hero || Leo Valdez

32 - Leo Gets Interrogated By the Squad

Via had never felt so ecstatic to be alive.

The world seemed brighter and fuller and so much bigger and it made Via want to sing and dance and run around but also weep dramatically while staring into her reflection in the lake. There was just so much there and Via couldn't process it all fast enough.

She was helping Leo work on Festus in the Bunker. She had no idea how to weld anything, but she was the only other fireproof person at Camp, so she was the best person to help him. Neither of them wore protective gear, but Leo claimed they didn't need to — Leo said it just got in the way.

Presently Leo huffed at Festus' left arm, which was honestly just a mess, and it was one of the better ones.

"At this point it would just be fast to melt this down and make a whole new arm," he complained. "Man, I'm stupid."

"No you're not," Via said. "Although, to be fair, you did kind of get yourself into this situation by showing off, so —"

"Gee, thanks," Leo said sarcastically.

"What I'm trying to say is that you're not stupid, but sometimes the stuff you do is stupid."

"Once again, Via, thanks."

"The same could be said about Percy."

"I see you trying to backpedal, don't pretend you're not."

"I'm going to punch you," Via said. "Come to think of it, I owe you, like, ten punches."

"It's okay, I'm good."

"Ha."

"But hey, this is what I call improvement," Leo said, a mischievous grin on his face. "I mean, think about it. This morning you were crying over a dandelion. Now you're back to punching people."

"I did not cry over a dandelion!" Via protested. Then she frowned. "Okay, yes I did, but you can't blame me because it reminded me of this Fourth of July festival I went to with Pat and my mom when I was five and it made me emotional. You don't know what it's like to relive a childhood moment after dying."

"Uh, excuse me, ma'am, but I beg to differ," Leo said.

"Then beg."

"Dude." Leo rolled his eyes. "I used to do this stuff with my mom."

"What stuff?"

"This stuff," he said, gesturing at the bunker. "Mechanics. I used to help my mom at the garage she worked at. So this is technically reliving a childhood moment after dying."

"I can tell you're crying on the inside."

Leo snorted. "You're right Via. How do you know me so well? It's like you read my mind."

"It's because I did," Via said matter-of-factly. She really liked this. She liked this easy banter with him. She didn't even feel embarrassed about crying over a dandelion — not that Leo was trying to make her feel embarrassed. She was pretty sure his teasing was his way of checking in on her, making sure she was okay. If she'd had a negative reaction, he probably would've backpedaled and apologized.

And that was another thing. Via couldn't really explain it, but she felt almost like she could read his emotions from his body language and expressions. She felt like she knew him, and she knew him well.

She couldn't help watching him as he worked. When he was focusing on his work, Via felt like she was seeing the real him, not just the jokester façade he put up even when he was upset. He was too busy concentrating on what he was doing to remember to control his every expression. Via thought it was especially cute when he was extremely focused and had his tongue between his teeth. There was just something about it that was insanely attractive.