Scars - A PJO/HOO Soulmates AU

8.

HELO FAM! Surprise! An update! I felt like I owed it to you for not updating for a while, not including yesterday.

Here's a shoutout to @1HMB14 for getting the trivia question correctomundo last time! You have some real skillz :3

I feel proud of this chapter, I think it's my best yet. The cream of the crop.

Also, if you don't mind, can you recommend my story to other Wattpadians. I mean, you don't have to, but I would like the extra encouragement.

Anyway, no more interruptions:

Chapter 7 - Valdez, Stop Stealing My Fire

Leo felt his ears ring when the hammer clanged down onto the piece of metal in front of him.

He cursed when a spark from the metal fell on the exposed skin of his arm. Pain shot up his arm, but only faintly. Leo turned back to his creation, a mini metal centaur that shot arrows.

It was supposed to be for the flies, but apparently Leo looked appetizing enough. When he clicked the button for it to turn on, it immediately betrayed him and started firing arrows everywhere, at godspeed. It fired its minuscule little arrows everywhere, and Leo hit the deck, but not without getting shot with at least 10 of those god-darned needles.

Leo tentatively stuck out his hand from under the table and tried to navigate uncharted territory. After getting stuck with about 10,000 arrows, he switched the mini-centaur off.

He stood up, letting out a huff, and started picking needle-like arrows out of his skin when he heard a familiar crackling noise. He whimpered quietly and clenched his teeth.

Leo squeezed his eyes shut as a cold feeling of dread washed over him, and forbade himself from turning around and facing the fireplace. But of course, Leo's self-restraint showed absolutely no boundaries, and he turned around, letting his eyes snap open.

Miraculously, one of the arrows had struck the on-button for the fireplace spot on and had created a small flame in the little groove.

But Leo didn't care for the near-impossible statistics of turning on this fatal fire. No, this itty bitty flame had Leo under a trance, and he inched closer and closer to the fireplace, reaching his hand out hesitantly.

The rational side of his brain was screaming at him to stop and take control of his body, but the searing fire was drowning the warnings out.

Just a little more. Leo's fingers barely grazed the licking flame.

So close.

~~~~~~~~~~

Leonidas Valdez was diagnosed as a pyromaniac.

It was not something he went around telling people proudly. And it all started when Leo was 6.

His best friend, Piper Mclean, had just left after one of their play-dates. His mother had waited patiently for Piper to leave, and then seemed really anxious to get what she was about to do, over with.

She sat him down and lectured him about staying true to oneself, and she told him that she loved him.

Leo returned the sentiment with confusion. Esperanza Valdez was never so... jumpy. It was only later that Leo understood why.

They were just locking up their small garage, and it was really late because they were held back by an urgent customer. Leo and his mother were just laughing and having fun when they heard a crash from the storage room of the garage.