madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-guys i got new doc martens and they look so cool-

literally just updating you guys on my day through titles now ig? i'm out of chapter titles drop some if you've got ideas

<3

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Two minutes wasn't nearly enough time to teach Frank how to kill him.

Leo hoped he'd given everybody the right gadgets and adequately explained what all the buttons did on his prized possessions. Otherwise, things would get ugly. It would be less staged deaths and more Leo guts flying everywhere.

While he was lecturing Frank and Percy on Archimedean mechanics, Hazel stared at the stone archway and muttered under her breath. Nothing seemed to change in the big grassy field beyond, but Leo was sure Hazel had some Mistalicious tricks up her sleeve. Teqi was tying the laces on her boots.

She'd been tying them up for a few minutes though, so he figured she couldn't remember how to. He was about to go and help her, when the sound of trumpets echoed through the stadium.

Nike's chariot appeared on the field, horse hooves clattering. The Nikettes arranged themselves on either side of her with their spears and laurels raised, as in sync as the oars on the Argo II. Two of them crouched, and then sprung up in a cloud of dust, flapping over the empty field.

"I thought we were fighting each other..." Frank muttered, holding his Archimedes sphere like it was a baggy of dog poop. "Not them?"

Two sets of metal wings nearly clipped the archway. They came closer. Leo heard Percy uncap his sword, and then they reached out with arms that had crumbled off eons ago, and picked up Teqi.

Leo lunged for her, "Hey!"

"Oh," Nike chuckled, her voice bellowing. "You thought I couldn't count? This battle will be fair. Greeks, versus romans. Demigods only."

He watched her bare her teeth and struggle against the metal women pulling her away, eyes narrowed. He was useless. Hazel reached out into the mist and dragged back clawed hands, but she only managed to pull off a few crumbling feathers.

"Begin!" the goddess bellowed. Teqi was dumped at her stone feet. Her laces had never gotten done up.

He didn't know about the others, but he couldn't even move his own feet. Why did they always get separated? Why couldn't they have one battle where he just got to hold her hand and not have to worry that she'd fall into a flaming pit? Why did the gods always take her away?

"Go! I'll be fine!" Teqi spat her hair out of her mouth. His lungs were constricting. "Move it!"

Leo moved. He and Percy sprinted through the archway. Immediately, the field shimmered and became a maze of brick walls and trenches and one statue that looked remarkably like her beloved horse. They ducked behind the nearest wall and ran to the left.

Back at the archway, Frank yelled, "Uh... die, Graecus scum!" A poorly aimed arrow sailed over Leo's head and sunk into the ground with a thunk.

"More vicious!" Nike yelled. "Kill like you mean it!"

"I'll meant it when I kill her," Leo muttered, his shoes skidding on the gravel. He wiped dust off his face and glanced at Percy. "Ready?"

"I hope you labelled these right," Percy said, hefting a bronze grenade. He lobbed it over the wall. Leo knew he'd labelled them right. He'd made a label maker. Mainly for Piper's beading kits, but it'd come in handy. "Die, Romans!"