- Leo Valdez has always been described as short, scrawny and physically weak. But suddenly, Leo starts to grow, and grow, and grow. Perhaps little bit of giant got mixed in with Leo when he killed Gaea and was reincarnated. Maybe it was Aphrodite, thinking that the daughter of Atlas deserved someone bigger. Or maybe it is just a late demigod growth purt. In any case, Leo undergoes an enormous growth spurt. - - This takes place between the Heroes of Olympus Series and before Trials of Apollo.