The Fire In Me (A Leo Valdez Love Story)

I Set My Battle Instructer's Tail On Fire

The meeting with Chiron was okay, except for the part where I set the farm house on fire. 

Once Leo linked my arm with his and had me skip with him toward the farm house, with the whole camp watching, I was sure that this kid had either ADHD, or an eternal supply of sugar. I kind of skipped, kind of limped to the farm house. On the porch, two people were playing a card game. One was a middle-aged man in a wheelchair. The other was a girl, who was-curiously- wearing a wolf fleece overcoat. She looked about 17, though her hair was streaked with grey. Her eyes were fixed on her cards, until Leo cleared his throat. Both of the players looked up, and the girl leapt from her chair and stalked away, bumping Leo as she passed. Leo waved and smiled, but she looked determined to ignore him. Leo shrugged, and smiled at me with a wink. 

The man in the wheelchair cleared his own throat, then asked, "So, Leo, is this the girl we were looking for, or just another 'hot' girl you think is the perfect match?" Leo blushed slightly, then replied, "No, Chiron. I did what I was told this time. This is the one. Saved her from a couple of sirens! You should have seen-" 

"Yes. I'm sure you were a brilliant hero," Chiron butted in, with a smile. Leo shrugged again, and fell silent. "I am sure you will like to give this young lady the tour of camp after I speak with her?" 

"Yes sir! I'd be honored to serve such a lovely young lady as she is." Leo bowed to Chiron, then bowed to me, and jogged off toward the stables, where some fur-leg kids waved at him. I turned back to Chiron, blushing and looking down. Chiron chuckled to himself, and with a flash, he had grown horse legs and equipped a bow and quiver. "Come," he said, and waved me inside. 

The inside of the farm house was far from anything I had imagined! There was a big bear rug in the middle, with glowing eyes and sharp-looking teeth. There were African masks on the walls, with grapes and thick vines growing through their eye holes and mouths. One had some poking through its nostril, so it looked like it had a wart growing out of it. There was a coffee table in the middle of the rug, with a rocking chair on one end and a Lazy Boy recliner on the other. Chiron gestured for me to sit in the Lazy Boy, and I sat down with a huge sigh. Chiron chuckled slightly, then rested his legs on the rocking chair, though it was pretty awkward having four legs. 

"I am sure you are quite shaken by the recent events," Chiron began, and I nodded my head. For once, I didn't have to lie about all the weird things that were happening to me. The pegasi, the camp, the sirens, and Leo. Somehow, he seemed as weird as all of my circumstances, and then some! 

"What am I?" 

"Ah. That is a question asked by many new recruits. You, my dear, are a demigod. Half of a mortal, and half of a god." He waited for me to scream or throw something, but I sat perfectly still, wondering how the heck I had ended up being a daughter of some ruler of the universe. 

"I guess those sirens weren't some illusion?" 

"No. I'm afraid that you were under the influence of very real monsters. I had not known that they could live away from water for so long in such a dry place. Nevertheless, you are here, and safe." 

"How can you be sure I'll ever be safe?" The words came out before I could stop them. I was so angry with everything that had happened today, how nobody had bothered to tell me that I was part god, and how I would eventually meet a real monster from Greek mythology! Then I remembered something. 

"Will my mom be alright?" 

Chiron smiled with sympathy and warmth, and said, "Yes. We will take measures to make sure your mother is well looked after. I'm afraid she is not aware that you are part of a powerful god."