Forever || Leo Valdez x Reader || Book 1

Well, schist...

"Hey, Y/N," Austin's voice pulled me out of my muffin-induced daydream. Can't blame me for getting practically mesmerized by the little things. "You and Dad are singing at the campfire tonight."

"What?!" I blinked up at him, totally blindsided. "I just performed at the campfire a few days ago, when I first got here!"

Will glanced over from where he was sitting next to Nico, his expression that perfect mix of 'this idiot child' and 'ugh, I love my family, even the annoying ones.' "It's just a little tradition for dad-child hangout days," he explained, pointing at my muffin with his usual 'you better eat before I force-feed you' look. "And that was months ago, not a few days."

I stared at him in disbelief. "I've been here for MONTHS?!"

Kayla snorted, snatching my muffin mid-air before it hit the table. "Sis, it's fall. You arrived in summer. And here, have your muffin back."

I couldn't help but smile. Angel.

"Thanks, Kayla," I said, taking the muffin back from her and taking a bite. "Alright, Dad- I guess we're doing this. What should we sing?"

"TAYLOR SWIFT!" came a shout from the Hermes table, the voice high and enthusiastic- apparently, someone had been eavesdropping on us the whole time.

"Did you guys know that Taylor Swift's Norse?"

Alex slid into the seat next to me, with Magnus, Jason, and Jack following close behind. "Apparently, she's Dwarven. Maggie here told me."

"Dwarven?" Yan blinked, clearly confused. "Isn't she, like, six feet tall? Aren't dwarves supposed to be short?"

Magnus shrugged nonchalantly. "That's what Blitzen told me. He's a dwarf too."

"More like a svartalf," Jack chimed in, glowing bright yellow as he tried to inch closer to Riptide in Percy's pocket, but immediately froze when the son of Poseidon shot him a death glare. "Uh, sorry, sorry-"

"Fart elf?"

Everyone burst out laughing.

"That's what I said the first time," Magnus chuckled, shaking his head. "It's a complicated word. Not that it matters."

"Yeah, we're all dyslexic here," Nico added with a grin. "Even me."

"Wait- crap, crap, crap-" I frantically smacked Dad on the arm as Sherman Yang strutted toward the pavilion. "Dad, we need to get out of here before morning boot camp starts-"

"BOOT CAMP?!" Alex shrieked, instantly transforming into a squirrel and darting away. Magnus and Jason both screamed, "WE'RE DEAD, WE DON'T NEED EXERCISE!" before bolting off behind her.

And amid the chaos, Dad and I slipped away, quietly disappearing into the woods.

"Oh, thank goodness," Dad gasped, dramatically falling into my arms. "I would not have survived boot camp-"

"Dad, you're a god."

"I can still hate exercise, okay?!"

I laughed softly at Dad's antics, shaking my head as I helped steady him. "Guess that's where I get it from, huh?"

Suddenly, a pair of hands landed on my shoulders from behind. "Heyyy, Princess- oh, uh... I see you have company... uh, see ya, then!"

"Wait, Leo," I called after him, turning around. But he was already gone. "What's up with him? He doesn't usually act like this-"

"Kiddo, do you have a crush on him or something?"

I whipped back around to face Dad, my face flaring a bright red. "What?! No!"

Dad raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Are you sure?"

"....yeah.... I think so..."

"Are you sure?" The little voice in the back of my head whispered, casting doubt where I didn't want it. And as much as I tried to shake it off, my mind kept racing back to all the little moments I'd shared with Leo- the times my gaze lingered just a little too long, the way my heart sped up when we brushed against each other, the way he made me laugh without even trying, always in sync with my craziness. 

And that's when it hit me like a punch to the gut, making my thoughts screech to a halt.

I'm in love with my best friend.

(A/N: I feel like my writing style has improved- has my writing style improved? How does it compare to the previous chapters?)