DEJA VU || Leo Valdez

eighteen

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Jason and Piper looked at Leo, their expressions asking him a silent question: How do you want to play this?

Leo felt a surge of gratitude. They were ready to fight for him. They wouldn't leave him alone with the hockey ox. Part of him wanted to go for it, bust out his new tool belt and see what he could do, maybe even summon a fireball or two and warm this place up. But the Boread guys scared him. And that gorgeous girl scared him more, even if he still wanted her number.

"It's fine, guys," he said. "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."

"Are you sure? I could stay with you?" Brooke still asks.

"Listen to your friend," the pale girl said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."

Brooke slightly glares at the girl. I wasn't asking you, is what she wants to say. Instead, she simply tells her, "No, actually I think I'll stay with Leo."

The icy girl looks offended that Brooke would defy her, but the look Brooke gives her tells her she's not budging, so the girl simply huffs and walks off with Jason and Piper.

After the other two left, Leo looks over at Brooke shocked.

"There's no way you just did that?"

"What?"

"I told you I would be okay."

"Leo. Trust me, I've dealt with gods and goddesses long enough to know that they can't all be trusted." She says giving him a look that makes him immediately believe her.

"You've met gods?"

"Yeah, a bunch. Even met the 12 Olympians."

"My dad?"

"Yup, even him. Actually I've even been to his volcano workshop."

"He has a volcano workshop?" The look on the boy's face couldn't be described as anything but awe and excitement.

"You wouldn't even believe all of the adventures I've had as a demigod."

"Tell me." He gives her his full undivided attention.

So she did. She told him about encountering Medusa, meeting Ares in a diner, getting trapped in a hotel, going to the underworld, and meeting Hades, and that was all at the age of 10. She told him about the time she met Artemis and Apollo, her time in the junkyard of the gods (vaguely hinting at the loss of her friend), and when she encountered Ares again and eventually met the 12 Olympians. As she started to talk about the grand party and the gift she got from the twin gods, she noticed that the oil on his clothes had started to freeze, no doubt from the low temperatures they were in. She hadn't even noticed that she was shivering herself.

"Are you cold?" She asks, teeth chattering.

"Not really, but you seem to be."

"No this is nothing." She tries to act unbothered but a shiver runs through her, alerting the boy of her lies. "Okay, maybe a little."

He doesn't say anything but does revert Festus back to his dragon form making Brooke give him a what're you doing look.

"What? You're cold. Festus is like a personal heater."

She starts to argue but immediately finds comfort in the warmth radiating off the dragon, so she sits next to it. She wouldn't say it out loud but she's warming up to the dragon. (haha, warming up.)

Leo sits next to her, their arms touching, meaning she could feel the cold oil on him.

"You seriously need to change your clothes."

"Do you see a change of clothes lying around?" He sarcastically looks around the room.

"Cal buddy." The girl calls. "Got anywhere for him to get some clean clothes."

Cal nods and walks towards a door, hinting at Leo to follow.

"Go." She nudges the boy.

"Wasn't the whole point of you staying with me so I wouldn't be alone with him." He gets up but gives her a look.

"If you get into trouble, call. I'll be there in a heartbeat."

"Alright fine. I'll be right back. Festus watch her."

"Festus watch me? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"No. And play nice." He says giving the girl a playful stern look.

"Me? I think you meant that for the dragon. I'm cool. It's the oversized tin can you should be worried about." She says causing Festus to snort steam and bump the girl, she glares and moves towards him, but Leo clearing his throat makes them both freeze.

He doesn't say anything as he follows behind Cal but the message in his look is clear, Be nice.

But who it's directed to is unclear.

Brooke decided to be the bigger person considering she's the only actual person and be nice until Leo returned.

And when he did (in clean clothes), he was delighted and shocked to see Festus and Brooke being cordial. Not just cordial, playing. Festus is snorting steam from his nose and Brooke is creating little shapes and images out of it using her Amphitrite kid powers, he assumes.

"Hey you're back!" Brooke greets.

Festus whirs his teeth in a message similar to hers.

"Yeah. You two are getting along." The boy points out.

"Yeah, check it out." she shapes the steam into a mini Festus. "Look at the little Happy. Though I think I like the bigger version better."

"So you admit you like him?"

"Yeah, he's not so bad once you get to know him." She says slightly petting the dragon.

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