𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗘 ━━ l. valdez

𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈 ; i look in people's windows (transfixed by rose golden glows)

title from 'i look in people's windows' by taylor swift

౨ৎ･ﾟ:*

I WOULD'VE DIED FIVE TIMES on the way to the front door if it weren't for leo. it almost made me annoyed. how often would this kid save my life?

first it was the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then the lasers on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the pressure-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course the exploding doorbell.

leo deactivated all of them. it was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.

"you're amazing, man," jason said.

leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. "yeah, amazing," he said. "can't fix a dragon right, but i'm amazing."

"hey, that wasn't your—"

"front door's already unlocked," leo announced.

piper stared at the door in disbelief. "it is? all those traps, and the door's unlocked?"

leo turned the knob. the door swung open easily. he stepped inside without hesitation. i followed after him first.

for some reason, piper and jason lagged back outside the door for a minute before joining us.

my first impression of the house: dark.

from the echo of my footsteps i could tell the entry hall was enormous, even bigger than boreas's penthouse; but the only illumination came from the yard lights outside. a faint glow peeked through the breaks in the thick velvet curtains. the windows rose about ten feet tall. spaced between them along the walls were life-size metal statues. as my eyes adjusted, i saw sofas arranged in a U in the middle of the room, with a central coffee table and one large chair at the far end. a massive chandelier glinted overhead. along the back wall stood a row of closed doors.

"where's the light switch?" jason's voice echoed alarmingly through the room.

"don't see one," Leo said.

"fire?" piper suggested.

leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "it's not working."

"your fire is out? why?" piper asked.

"well, if i knew that—"

"okay, okay," she said. "what do we do—explore?"

leo shook his head. "after all those traps outside? bad idea."

my skin tingled. i hated being a demigod. looking around, i didn't see a comfortable room to hang out in. i sensed restless souls all around me, but they didn't feel dead. that scared me even more.

"leo's right," i said. "we're not separating again—not like in detroit."

"oh, thank you for reminding me of the cylcopes." piper's voice quavered. "i needed that."

"it's a few hours until dawn," jason guessed. "too cold to wait outside. let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. wait for daylight; then we can decide what to do."

none of us offered a better idea, so we rolled in the cages with coach hedge and the storm spirits, then settled in. thankfully, leo didn't find any poison throw pillows or electric whoopee cushions on the sofas.
leo didn't seem in the mood to make more tacos, but i couldn't blame him. besides, we had no fire, so we settled for cold rations.