Caliginosity [ Leo Valdez ]

The Greek God Snow Miser

The minute the group landed in the castle, Livana regretted her decision. They stood in a giant penthouse, but the whole thing was covered in ice; from the fancy carpet to the chandelier that hung above their heads. Icicles hung from the ceiling, looking anxious to impale the teens.

Livana was expecting to warm up inside, so she wasn't pleased when she stepped into Elsa's Ice Castle. Getting a new idea, she grabbed some shadows from the objects in the room and swept them over herself; in a second she was in a new, warmer outfit- a black turtleneck with an oversized, purple pullover. She still wore a white tennis skirt, but underneath was a pair of black insulated leggings; she even had a new set of black tennis shoes on. Satisfied with her cozy new look, she rejoined the group.

"Guys, fix the thermostat in here and I just might want to move in," Leo joked.

"Not me," Livana sighed, trying to ignore Zethes' eyes on her. Leo stepped between the two and gave Livana a wink. "Thanks."

"Any time, cool outfit by the way," Leo complimented. Livana smiled and made a scarf for him, wrapping it around his neck; the boy felt blood rush to his face as the soft fabric brushed against his skin. He gave Livana a perky grin and ruffled her raven colored hair, brushing his knuckles on her forehead after. He wondered if this was going to become a signature thing they did, he wouldn't mind if it happened to be.

"No no no!" Zethes said as he marched over to Festus; the poor dragon had frost growing on his scales and was shaking from the cold. Livana frowned and considered making the metal beast a scarf too. "You must deactivate the dragon, we can't have fire in here! The heat messes with my hair." The gross teen puckered his lips at his reflection in the ice.

"The dragon's a bit touchy on the 'deactivation' idea, but here's another one," Leo said, stepping forward and flipping a switch on Festus' leg. The dragon shuddered violently before folding in like origami, in a second he was the size of a carry-on suitcase. Livana's jaw hung off her face.

"Wow..." she spoke breathlessly.

"Ta-da!" Leo grinned. "World's heaviest carry-on."

"Stop!" Zethes yelled, he and Cal pulling out their jagged swords and pointing them at Leo, gazes fixed on him. Livana shook off her awe and shifted forward a bit, ready to fight.

"Um, okay..." Leo had his hands up in surrender. "If it bothers you that much, then I don't have to bring him as a carry on-"

"Who are you?" Zethes demanded, poking Leo with the edge of his sword. Livana scowled. "A spy, perhaps?"

"What?! No!!" Leo insisted. "Child of Hephaestus, friendly blacksmith. No harm to anyone." Cal inched closer to Leo's face and sniffed.

"Smell fire. Fire is bad," he said.

"Oh..." Leo laughed nervously. Livana recalled the other day at the forges, how Leo didn't want people to know about his power. She unstiffened her posture and stepped forward.

"Zethes," she smiled, digging her nails into her palms. "We're friends here, yes? I'm positive someone as handsome and intelligent as you can have a humane conversation, oui?" She glanced nervously at Leo. "Why don't you put your sword down? Then we can talk."

"Well, I did always have a thing for your type of females," Zethes smirked. Livana kept up her smile, doing her best not to slice him then and there. "And of course you cannot help but be attracted to my amazingness. But sadly, I cannot romance you at this time," he finished, digging the edge of his sword into Leo's chest, causing the boy to flinch. Livana grabbed his arm and gripped it hard.

"Leo is a son of...of Hephaestus- not a threat," she explained. "I'm a daughter of Nyx."

"Piper's a daughter of Aphrodite," Jason stepped in. "And I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful-"