madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-pied piper-

merry christmas! 

⋆˖⁺‧₊🎧🧨🍷🎬🍓₊‧⁺˖⋆

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Teqi watched as the swaying snake king and his armed guards marched Piper, Annabeth, and Percy down the docks towards the nearest sewer entrance.

They disappeared, music fading, between swaths of tourists and racks of scuba diving equipment that rolled across the wooden panels of the jetty with loud clunks. She tried not to feel scared for them. It wasn't helpful. Somewhere past the rows of cruise ships and then past the city nestled in the hills, was a stretch of ruins. Acropolis.

When they reached the ruins, fear would be useless.

They needed anger. Or even excitement. Something to help them win this fight.

And not spill their own blood on the earth. Gulls circled overhead. Teqi turned as the stairs to the upper deck groaned. The Argo II was faltering and slowing. Just one more fight. Just one more, beloved ship.

"When do we leave?" She asked.

"When the giants figure out that they've been played," Leo said, as if she hadn't been there as they went through the plan at least a hundred times.

"I know, I meant how do we know when they will need our help? Did you send them with a flare?"

Leo blinked. "That would've been a good idea, actually."

"Frank is scouting right now. He will fly back here to get us when they need our help," Jason said, striding up the staircase all regal-like. "You were listening, weren't you?"

"Sure," Leo nodded. "Looking good, Praetor."

Praetor was the word for it, despite him stepping down from the role. She didn't know enough Roman lingo for 'guy in charge'.

He was wearing his shining armour, breastplate, shin guards, the whole 'shebang' as Leo would say. Even his neat little cuffed jeans she knew he fixed into place every morning. Instead of the rich purple cape attached to a Praetor's shoulder guards, a white piece of fabric hung and rippled in the hot breeze.

He certainly looked like someone you'd follow into battle.

Jason had revoked his whole status at Camp Jupiter and now Frank would probably be sporting the purple cape once he became even vaguely human shaped again. And on the other side of the world, beside the Camp Half-Blood borders, Octavian would be marching around in one too. The thought made her sick with anger.

But Jason, he didn't belong to the senate.

He belonged to them.

"Is that my camp shirt?" Teqi asked him, picking at the orange sleeves peeking from beneath his leather breastplate straps.

He shifted on his feet. "Yeah, I-"

"Suits you," was all she had to say for him start beaming, the scar on his lip stretching wide and pale. She nudged Leo with the toe of her shoe. "What are you wearing?"

He just looked down at his clothes obliviously.

"Valdez, if you bite it, that'll be your ghost outfit forever, you know. Besides, war outfits are a good way to confuse your enemies and give yourself more time to destroy them," Teqi explained. One year, Connor had dressed in an inflatable dinosaur costume during capture the flag.