madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-to be fair he could totally invent talking pants-

am i publishing consistently? 

shhhh don't scare me away

wait no, comment, that keeps me here

<3

 ⋆˖⁺‧₊🧋🛠️🕯️🍂🥠₊‧⁺˖⋆

________________________________________________________________________________

Leo didn't want to come out of the wall.

He had three more braces to attach, and nobody else was skinny enough to fit in the crawl space. Being built like a noodle was starting to have some perks. Wedged between the layers of the hull with the plumbing and wiring, Leo could be alone with his thoughts.

When he got frustrated, which happened about every five seconds, he could hit stuff with his mallet and the other crew members would figure he was working, not throwing a tantrum.

One problem with his sanctuary: he only fitted up to his waist. Half of him was still sticking out on the deck, legs kicking back and forth like a teenage girl doing homework on her bed from the 2000's movies Ollie always had playing in Cabin 12.

It made it hard for him to hide.

"Leo!" Piper's voice came from somewhere behind him. "We need you."

He grinned. They needed him! The Celestial bronze bolt slipped out of Leo's pliers and slid into the depths of the crawl space. He sighed, and glared at the gap it had disappeared through. "Talk to the pants, Beauty Queen! 'Cause the hands are busy!"

"I am not talking to the pants. Meeting in the mess hall. We're almost at Olympia."

"I'll be there in a sec."

"What are you doing, anyway? You've been poking around inside the hull for days," Piper questioned. He could picture her clearly, standing there with her hands on her hips and her hair done up in a bun that left bits of hair sticking out she would endlessly complain about despite doing it again the very next day.

Leo swept his flashlight across the Celestial bronze plates and pistons he'd been installing slowly but surely. That bolt was not coming back. "Routine maintenance."

Silence. Piper was a little too good at knowing when he was lying. "Leo-"

"How's Jason?" he asked, digging through a pile of badly shaped claws of metal for a rag to wipe his greasy hands on.

"He's still asleep," Piper said quietly, and he listened to her walk away.

He felt a bit bad for scaring her off, but he had genuinely wanted to know. He felt sick to the stomach every time he thought about his friend laying there in the infirmary, bandaged wound still smoking.

Leo allowed himself a couple more minutes to fasten the brace. His work wasn't done. Not by a long shot. But he was making progress.

Of course, he'd laid the groundwork for his secret project when he first built the Argo II, but he hadn't told anyone about it. He had barely been honest with himself about what he was doing. Nothing lasts forever, his dad once told him. Not even the best machines.

Yeah, okay, maybe that was true. But Hephaestus had also said everything can be reused. Leo intended to test that theory.

He wriggled out of the crawl space and trudged back into his cabin, leaving greasy footprints behind him.

Well . . . technically it was his cabin, but he didn't spend much time there. The mattress was littered with wires, nails and the guts of several disassembled bronze machines. Dozens of power tools hung on the walls. Even if he wanted to sleep in his cabin, it would've been too cramped and dangerous.

Leo preferred to sleep in the cabin next door, anyway. He put the last of his things away and changed out of his flannel. He didn't really like smelling of tabasco sauce and engine leaks. It tended to put people off their breakfast.

He pulled on one of Jason's white sweaters and his big green jacket instead, shutting the door behind him.

Everyone else should be up in the mess hall by now, but he heard floorboards creak down the hall. He followed the sound, shoulders sinking, as he pushed the infirmary door open slowly.

Teqi was leaning against the wall opposite Jason's bed, arms crossed. She was staring at him like she thought she could wake him up with willpower.

No one would be surprised.

"We're having a meeting," Leo whispered. "Piper said we're nearly at Olympia."

"What's the point?" She asked loudly, voice breaking. "Of bein' so fucking unstoppable, if I can't, can't even pull myself together enough to fight for us? I just... stood there. I put my hands over my ears! "

Leo crossed the room to her. He didn't really know what to do. He never did. He wished Teqi was upset less. He wished he was upset less. He wished they had less things to be upset about. But Jason was comatose right in front of them, bruised wound smoking underneath the bandages.

"I thought I was bet- I thought I was getting better. I thought I was over it. I don't wake up thinking I'm down... there anymore," she said, lowering her voice, and looked down at him. "I was gonna be a really good girlfriend. I had a whole plan and everything."

"Mi amor..." Leo reached out and cupped her face. He kissed her cheek, his lips brushing the edge of hers. "You thought you were over what?"

She opened her mouth and closed it again.

"Your life?" he said. "You can't get over your life like that. Believe me, amante, I've tried."

"When did you get so philosophical?" Teqi asked him teasingly. She rubbed her eyes.

He poked her. "One of us has to be emotionally intelligent and judging from what you were just going on about its gotta be me."

"Excuse me?" she scoffed.

Leo shrugged. "You are unstoppable. Remember that time you took on a giant? And then did it again? Or what about the time you melted the face off Medea? Or when you turned those pirates into seafood? Or made Tartarus your bitch? Or-"

"Shut up," Teqi said, turning red. "You're the one rebuilding Festus."

He gasped.

Her eyes widened and she waved her tremoring hands like she could erase what she said. "I mean- I'm sorry, I knew it was supposed to be a secret but you were thinking about it so loudly! I haven't told anyone I promise-"

"You better not," he grumbled, in faux anger, resting his head on her shoulder.

He was secretly relieved, to tell the truth. Someone had said it now, acknowledged it. Now it was real. There was hope. Teqi squeezed his hand.

He threaded his fingers through hers. "First off, we gotta fix Jason."

________________________________________________________________________________

 ⋆˖⁺‧₊🧋🛠️🕯️🍂🥠₊‧⁺˖⋆