True Blue ✷ Leo Valdez.

13: A Mutual Understanding.

THE AROMA OF SMOKE, overbearing and rather suffocating, clung to the clothing of the quest-goers, trapping them in an invisible cloud of the ghost of their narrowly escaped fate.

Leo steered Festus away from the rubble of the collapsed department store, over snowy suburban neighborhoods and through the thick of the city.

Blaire, despite her past promise to herself to entirely abandon weapons, still weilded the sword she'd acquired from Medea's store. It's purple gems glinted in the setting sun, casting an eerie glow on Blaire's face. The golden length of the actual sword itself was held away from her, at an angle, as to not skewer Leo, who sat infront of her.

With her free hand, she gingerly traced one of the purple gems, gasping as it retracted into some sort of bracelet. The bracelet was made up of several diffrent charms, all different designs and colors, linked together by small gold beads. There were flowers, several flowers varying in shade, a couple stars— a grinning moon, and even a heart.

  Blaire stared down at the acsessory, passing it between her hands in amazement. The large purple charm, which was definitely the center of attention due to it's glowy undertones, winked at Blaire. She ran a finger of it's fine surface, watching as it morphed back into the sword.

   "Woah," Blaire breathed aloud, touching the gems and gawking as it returned to it's jewelry form. She clasped the thing over her wrist, the gold a stark contrast the the pale of her skin.

   "Yeah, woah," Leo agreed, as he peered over his shoulder at the braclet, analyzing it's mechanics. "How'd it do that?"

  Blaire merely shrugged. "My friend Percy has a sword like this. But instead of being a bracelet— his is a pen. You just uncap it and—-"

  "You were friends with Percy?" Jason cut in, obviously suprised. "Like, the kid who went missing?"

  It came as a shock that Blaire was friends with anyone, let alone the saviour boy everyone spoke so highly of.

  "Yeah," Blaire confirmed. "Kind-of. I guess."

"Oh," Was all Jason had to say back. He really was dumbfounded that Blaire had been friends with the boy.

"Good-Job, Festus." Leo patted the dragon. "You did awesome!"

The dragon shuddered. Gears popped and clicked in his neck.

Blaire wasn't completely sure what that meant, but judging by the frown suddenly unfurling across Leo's face, she assumed it wasn't good.

"I'll give you a tune-up next time we land," Leo promised. "You've earned some motor oil and Tabasco sauce."

The dragon made a noise of agreement, but even that didn't sound good. It sounded weak.

"Leo," Piper spoke up, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Leo muttered, but it was clear he wasn't telling the truth, "not bad for a brainwashed zombie."

Anyone could tell he was clearly embarrassed, and despite the cruelty of it, Blaire thought he should be. Him and Jason had nearly gotten them killed. Though, technically it wasn't their fault because they were being charmed.

"Thanks for saying—whatever you said back there, Mrs. Magic," Leo said, "Somehow, you talked us out of that spell, saved us."

She wasn't sure how her desperate words were able to break the boys from their trance, for not even Piper's magically charmed words could do so. But they did.

Blaire just shrugged, dismissing his words. It was the least she could have done, she didn't need to be thanked. "Yeah, whatever."

This was the first time she was sucessfully able to save someone.