Leo Valdez X Reader

Chapter 56 Leo

Currently, I was setting a new best record.

I hadn't died yet.

But I had accidentally set myself on fire nine times, burned through a very nice set of suspenders, and somehow nearly singed off an eyebrow.

All within three hours of fighting.

A Cyclops came charging past, and I watched as it hit the tripwire I'd set. The fire hydrant beside me was exploding in a jet of water and throwing the monster a good fifteen feet away.

I ran over to a random sword lying in the steam and scooped it up, sprinting away. 

The steam was beginning to settle, and I had no idea if (Y/n) needed more time or not. 

I hadn't seen any of my friends.

I knew (Y/n) had thrown Harley onto Festus, who was swooping beneath the steam and carrying away monsters and creatures.

What the dragon was doing with the unfortunate things, I had no clue. But at least my brother was safe.

At least as safe as one could be in the middle of a war.

The image of Lucas stroking (Y/n)'s cheek burned through my mind as I shot a flame in the direction of some out-of-date skeleton warriors. They crumbled to the ground, a pile of ashen bones.

The way Lucas acted around her creeped me out, and if it hadn't been for Nico's hold on my arm, I would have been at her side for the whole conversation.

I watched an Ares kid to my right take a hard blow from a Hundred Hands one and I ran to his side. The two of us slashed at the giant until I saw the perfect opportunity, creating a column of fire, engulfing the monster's torso.

The creature groaned, stumbling backwards, but not before catching the Ares kid in one of its hands.

I could hear the boy screaming from inside the raging fire.

I dropped my sword, sprinting to the boy's side, feeling flames lick against my skin. The giant's fist was clamped around the poor kid, and I used all of my strength to lift one of the huge fingers out of the way before snagging the kid's wrist.

I dragged the boy away from the fire, the two of us stumbling to the ground. 

The boy wasn't breathing, his skin covered in one large red burn, skin peeling and eyes an unsettling cream colour. I was still holding his limp wrist and dropped it, scrambling away.

Had I just killed him?

The scent of burning flesh felt like it was suffocating me, slipping into my lungs and choking out the air.

I felt bile rise in my throat, my eyes swimming with the face of my mother after the fire-

Suddenly, I heard a scream pierce the air somewhere within the waning gray steam.

It was (Y/n)'s.

I jumped to my feet, avoiding looking at the boy on the ground, guilt flooding my system.

"(Y/n)!" I yelled, my voice coming out more desperate than I had meant it to; but there was no response.

I spun around in circles, watching the steam settle around my feet. 

Lamp Posts, cars, and buildings all began to come into view.

I heard a low rumble and barely managed to jump out of the way as a stampede of monsters sprinted past, back the way they had arrived.

In my hurry, I tripped on the curb, smacking the back of my head off a car handle, my vision swimming.

Out of the corner of my murky eye, I watched a blue blur appear across the battlefield amidst the fading gray