Arsonist's Lullabye ──── Leo Valdez

𝟏𝟏: 𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

─────𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧, Leo had flown Vincent out of camp borders. They were far enough that no one would find the boy, and as soon as Leo would bring Jason and Piper, he'd come back for Vincent. 

Leo watched him slide off the dragon and stand to the side. They were still on Long Island, and surrounded by trees. Here, the trees looked normal and not like something dangerous could come barreling through at any moment, which is why Leo felt comfortable leaving the other boy. 

"Be back soon, I promise."

"Stop acting like I'm going to get murdered. I'm a demigod, I can take care of myself. I'll wait for you guys."

Leo grinned and placed his hands on the dragon's neck. He could tell Festus to take off, but he hesitated. He slipped a hand inside his pocket and pulled out a pendant on a string. 

He remembered Jason's sword/spear, inspired by it. Vincent didn't do any work, but they talked all night, and he mentioned Percy Jackson's pen/sword and Leo got an idea.

He worked on that project side by side with Festus' wings. He wasn't sure if he knew how to do it, but as soon as he started working on it, Leo found he didn't have to apply mortal logic to demigod problems. 

Vincent having to lug around his sword would be a problem and what if he needed to pull it out really fast and it got stuck or something? 

He had "borrowed" Vincent's sword faking some excuse and he really hoped Vincent liked what he'd done with it. 

"Shit, where's my sword?" Vincent looked down and Leo wondered how he was just remembering it. He started patting himself as if he was searching for car keys. "Fuck, I think I forgot it in Bunker 9—"

"Nah, you're good." Leo handed him the pendant necklace. The pendent was small, roughly the size of the nail on Leo's thumb, a circular disc with the designs of a compass etched on it. 

Vincent looked at him like he was crazy, no doubt about to ask how a pendant could be a sword. Nevertheless, he took it from Leo. 

"I— I know you used to say you hate carrying things." Leo told him, "So... uh, pull on the pedant— it's attached to the chord but—"

Vincent pulled on the pendant and it grew into a sword right in front of his eyes. His eyebrows shot up and he gaped at Leo like he was Santa Claus. Then he looked back at the sword in his hand— his sword. It was a three feet long blade made of celestial bronze. Nothing fancy, nothing cool, if it was up to Leo, he would have at least added a few hidden features. 

After. He decided. After the quest he would make Vincent a sword so fucking cool the boy would go crazy. 

"So? What'd you think?"

"Leo, I—"

"Yes, yes, no need to thank me, I know I'm amazing and the coolest person you've ever met and you want to get on your knees to worship me— don't make it dirty, Vince— anyway, I just wanted to do something nice for you, so don't say thank you."

Vincent still gaped at him, biting his bottom lip, like he was debating hugging Leo or flipping him off. In the end he just gave the boy a smile. "Gracias."

Leo really didn't like loopholes. "I said don't say thank you"

"I didn't say thank you." Vincent pointed out. "I said gracias."

"I hate you."

"Sure you do. You made me a sword that turns into a fucking pendant because you hate me."