#festus the happy dragon

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Hidden Oracle: Chapter 39 (SPOILERS)

Why is Chapter 39 the last chapter? Did they not want to commit to 40?

Looking at the words "Hunk Muffin" in the haiku has me scared. It's the last freaking chapter. What could possibly happen?

"Nico commanded a dispenser from the snack bar and carried it around, yelling, 'The line starts to the left! Orderly queue, guys!' . . . She punched Leo in the arm." Wow, warm welcome. Also, they have a number dispenser at the snack bar? The.. dam snack bar number dispenser?

"the immortal sorceress Calypso." istg she's something different every time they introduce her. She's a goddess, she's a nymph, she's a sorceress... her resumé must be impressive. "Even though Leo was the one getting punched by everyone in camp, I was reasonably sure he was the least uncomfortable one at the table." Oh shit, yeah, it's Leo, Calypso, Percy, and Apollo all at one table together. Percy, your biggest what-if is back! I know Apollo visited Calypso, but it doesn't seem like there should be any awkwardness there. "I hadn't witnessed such a tense greeting since Patroclus met Achilles's war prize, Briseis. (Long story. Juicy gossip. Ask me later.)" I'll hold you to that, Apollo! I want to know what happened!

"Calypso had never liked me, so she pointedly ignored me, but I kept waiting for her to yell, 'BOO!' and turn me into a tree frog." Does that happen a lot? Is that the vibe you got from her after knowing her for so long? I don't think this girl even knows what a tree frog is. She's probably never been to anywhere they're native to.

"Albania was particularly difficult." "Please do not mention Albania!" Nico had better snitch about what happened in Albania in The Sun and the Star. I know, I know, all the Reynas in the "reading PJO" fics are gonna be mad at him, but it's worth it. Also, does this mean Leo and Calypso and Festus had to cross the whole Atlantic to get back to camp? I thought leaving the island landed you wherever you wanted to go. I guess that's just the little raft, then.

"Damien White punched Leo's arm and walked away grinning. I wasn't sure Damien even knew Leo." LMAO that's my boy!

"looking for a way out of the Sea of Monsters." Ah, no wonder they couldn't come back for six months. They got lost in the Hell Ocean. You know what? I want a spin-off book consisting entirely of Leo and Calypso's Horrific Near-Death Experiences in the Sea of Monsters documenting Calypso's first experiences in the mortal world as she wonders whether she would've been better off staying on Ogygia while sprinting for her life from a pack of man-eating sheep.

"Hey, Sherman. Where'd you get the new scar, dude?" I love these little interjections so we know exactly who's punching Leo and how he casually greets them and catches up with them. For example: "Sherman told Leo the story of Crotchkicker McCaffrey and the Demon Peach Baby"

"her invisible aerial servants" Yeah, did she leave them on the island? Are they allowed to leave now that she's gone. I hope they're doing okay.

"Since leaving Ogygia, I have no powers . . . I am fully mortal." Are we gonna get to see Apollo and Calypso bond over both being ex-gods-become-mortal? One had it happen unwillingly and the other chose it. That'd be interesting.

"A few millennia ago, I had opposed her petition for early release from Ogygia because of some... ah, drama between us. (Long story. Juicy gossip. Please do not ask me later.)" WHAT? So she knows he opposed her release and that's why she dislikes him. WHAT'S THE DRAMA? Tellllllll usssssss

"Calypso had lost her powers. Leo felt responsible." Awwwwww "She won't call me Hunk Muffin, though. I dunno why" Ok good, the Hunk Muffin thing isn't as disturbing as I thought it would be.

"H-Meister. You're a hero!" Awwwwwwwwwwwww

"Oh, the middle third of the U.S.! . . . Piece of torta, then." I love Leo saying what we're thinking.

"And you freed Calypso, I see. Well done" For goodness's sake, Chiron. The boy died and came back to life and traveled for six months trying to find home and you're like, "Good job. Well done. Congrats."

"After he lent me his help in defeating the Colossus, it would have been the least I could do." This is progress. Apollo is not asking for/expecting favors with nothing in return. He wants to pay Percy back for his help. Maybe he should do that for the rest of the camp, too, considering they also risked their lives fighting the Colossus. Just a thought.

"Calypso even pecked Percy on the cheek." Calypso! Percy's taken. You're taken.

"geraniums bloomed in my stomach." Nice callback.

"Leo Valdez's Victory Lap World Tour." Imagine being Leo, dying and coming back to life, flying circles around the western hemisphere for six months trying to get home, and when you finally do, you have to immediately get up and save the world a-freaking-gain.

"I missed the whole Roman Empire." Oh yeah, you did. She's gonna be missing a lot of context for this whole quest.

"the Triumvirate might well have orchestrated all our previous troubles with the Titans and giants" Oh wait, did they cause the Great Stirring? I feel like every few days I have this same epiphany over and over again and it never gets old. Every few days I'll be like, Wait, are the Triumvirate and the Great Stirring linked? Did they cause it? Are they profiting off of it? and then three days later I'll realize the same thing again like I'm caught in a time loop. Help me.

"and an overly theatrical arrow." Oh no, the Shakespeare arrow is coming along. I hope this guy's easy to warm up to the same way Meg was.

"preparing rows of marshmallows on what looked like femur bones." I'm pretty sure femur bones are too thick to stick marshmallows on. Unless you got some big freaking marshmallows.

Apollo's going to be traveling with Leo and Calypso? *fist pump* When I was little, Caleo was my OTP! If I had known that the next book would involve them, I would've read it! Wait, I did know. What was I thinking???

[spicassis]

HAPPY NEW YEAR !! Have a lot of fun in 2024 !!

[ssavinggrace]

FESTUS BABYYY

[softmoonlightmelody]

sleep deprived nico this sleep deprived annabeth that but what about the true sleep deprived one: leo

[chaosplatypus]

FESTUS FUCKING DIES!?!?!?!?!?

[happyk44]

Jason as a bigtime furry who makes fursuits in his spare time and Leo as his reluctant but mostly willing model for the sale photos. Mostly because Jason's body type is outside the average range so he can't fit into most suits besides his own.

[annabeth-katniss-granger]

I have the worst luck. I just now read the part where Festus died and tomorrow is Leo’s birthday. I feel so bad and nobody understands me. 😢😭

[poppitron360]

I’m trying to branch out from my usual angst by writing a happy(ish) fic.

Summary: Jason goes back to Camp Jupiter after the war and reveals that he and Leo are dating. He struggles so deal with the backlash from that while simultaneously having to cope with being long-distance.

CW: Swearing, Octavian

Word Count: 2,423

VALGRACE FANFICTION- “Fuck ‘em”

When Jason had announced to Camp Jupiter that he was seeing someone, he wasn’t sure what had been more appalling. That the someone in question was a boy, or that he was Greek.

Octavian had, of course, been outraged on both accounts: “We let a man like this become Praetor! He is fraternising with the enemy in a very un-Roman-like fashion!”

That’s what he called it. “Un-Roman”- like for some reason Jason was any less Roman because he was bisexual.

But it wasn’t just Octavian spouting bullshit. There was a shift in the way people acted under his command- they seemed less trusting, like Jason had become some foreign invader. Even though he had stepped down as Praetor and given his powers to Frank, he still held the newly-created title of “honorary Praetor”, alongside Percy, to commemorate all the work he had done defeating Gaia. People should still listen to him, respect him. But it was different now. His boyfriend was a Greek.

He didn’t dare tell them it was the same Greek that had fired on New Rome, albeit under the influence of evil spirits.

Some of them had been supportive, especially those in the fifth cohort. They were used to being outcasts.

“Children of Vul- I mean, Hephaestus, though?” His friend, Dakota, had said, “They’re good to have around. Large, beefy, big muscles. Good fit for a son of Jupiter like you.”

Jason laughed nervously, “Uh-huh. Yeah… large… muscles… right.”

Oh my gods, Praetor Grace had a twink. That was another thing he didn’t dare tell them. He let them imagine their leader with a powerful hunk for a boyfriend- at least that way he could keep some dignity.

He felt bad being embarrassed by Leo. He was awesome. He had a badass flying dragon. He told cool jokes and made Jason laugh. Jason was proud to call him his boyfriend. Or, at least, that’s what he told himself every morning. Then he’d step outside, and be faced with the weird looks and behind-the-hand whispers, and suddenly he didn’t feel so proud. He didn’t hold it against Leo, though. He loved how the kid acted so unapologetically himself- unlike Jason, who needed everyone to like him so much.

Jason didn’t care about the stares when he was with him. The asshole comments from Octavian seemed like distant memories when he looked into those big, dark eyes, complete with the playful little twinkle and mischievous smile. But when he was without Leo, he was a nervous wreck. The only thing that kept him going were Leo’s monthly visits. That was the one thing they couldn’t take away from him. He counted the days in his head to when he was gonna see him again. When Octavian was being shitty, he’d just think “twenty more days”, “ten more days”, “five more days”, “one more day”.

He met Leo and Festus outside the New Rome border. He picked the tiny guy up in his arms and twirled him around, and then kissed him. Leo’s skin was warm to the touch, like it always was when he was nervous.

“I missed you so much,” Jason whispered, although there was no-one around to overhear.

“I missed you too, Sparky. Camp isn’t the same without you.”

“Are they treating you well there? Anyone still giving you shit for your powers?”

“I’m fine Jason, everyone’s super nice,” Leo replied, although Jason could tell it was probably exaggerated. Not a lie- just a projection. What Jason wanted to hear. He decided not to call him out on it- Leo just didn’t want Jason to worry, that’s all.

“You’ve not been spending too much time in the workshop, I hope? Actually go outside once in a while.”

“I’m outside now.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“You worry too much,” Leo said, standing on his tiptoes to kiss him.

But Leo had worries of his own. They talked causally for a while, before Leo interrupted him with a question that Jason had been dreading.

“Why do you always ask me to meet you outside the border?” Leo asked.

Jason had a pre-planned response for this, “I just wanna keep you separate from my work. At Camp, I’m a leader. A soldier. Praetor Grace. With you, I can be myself. I can be Jason. I want it to stay that way.”

Leo’s eyes held so many different emotions, it was hard for Jason to tell what one was most prominent- sadness, resolution, hope- Jason had spent many hours searching those eyes for the secrets that they contained, and he still had not found them all. Leo sighed.

“They… they don’t know about me, do they?”

Jason hesitated- but he couldn’t lie to Leo.

“They know I’m dating a son of Hephaestus… they don’t know it was the same son of Hephaestus that fired on New Rome,” he admitted.

“You’re embarrassed.”

“No, I’m not!” Jason said, which wasn’t entirely true.

“You are! You’re worried about being seen with me! That’s why you meet me out here- you don’t want people to know you have a dangerous freak for a boyfriend. Praetor Grace and the scrappy little street rat he took pity on,” Leo looked down and kicked the dirt.

“I think you’re a pretty cute street rat,” Jason said, ruffling Leo’s messy, greasy hair. Then his smile turned serious, “Leo, I don’t want you to think that I think of you that way. I’m not embarrassed by you, it’s just…” he looked at the sky and sighed, “There’s a lot of expectations that I have to live up to. And when I’m with you I get to say “fuck ‘em”, but when I’m there…”

“Yeah, I get it,” Leo said. He looked up at Jason with those big, busy eyes- drawing ordinance survey maps of Jason’s face in his mind, “I really do, Jason. I understand feeling like you need to be someone else to get people to like you. I get it.”

Jason smiled and hugged him.

“We can stay like this. You don’t have to let me inside the border. We can just say “fuck ‘em” out here,” Leo mumbled, his voice muffled in the fabric of Jason’s hoodie.

“One day,” Jason assured him, “One day I wanna say “fuck ‘em” to their faces. There’s a really nice café in New Rome I wanna take you to.“

“But we don’t have to say “fuck ‘em” today.”

“No.”

His time with Leo came and went. Jason went back to his duties, to the stares and the whispers.

He sat on the lunch table with the rest of the fifth cohort, chatting idly about the local gossip.

“Heard we got some exchange students from Camp Half-Blood,” one of them remarked, “Because we’re doing that now, apparently.”

“They have all these freaky little behaviours- it’s not sitting right with the other cohorts.”

“Yeah, Greeks are weird,” Jason remarked, leaning back in his chair, “And I should know- I’m in love with one.”

The whole table went quiet. Jason seemed to realise what he’d just said.

“Oh,” was all he could manage in response.

Dakota broke the silence, “Man, I thought you were just his sugar daddy, I didn’t know you guys were actually in love!”

“I-I didn’t know either, ‘til I just said it,” Jason stuttered, still in shock, “But… yeah. Yeah, I love him.”

“So when do we get to meet him?” One of the other members of the fifth asked.

“Well,” Jason leaned forward, contemplating, “He comes to visit me every month. He’s coming again in thirteen days. I could…”

He looked around the dining hall. He took in the sneers as people caught his eye. The whispers and snickers and pointing. He realised that that would never change. As long as he was open about who he was, there would always be backlash. The only thing he could do was to not let it get to him. To say “fuck ‘em”. And as terrifying a prospect as that was, Jason was ready. He was ready to rise above the snide remarks and disrespect and yell “I’m in love with Leo Valdez!”

Because he was. He loved that tiny imp of a kid. He loved his loud mouth and weird quirks. He loved how Leo would hold his hand and tap out little morse code messages that Jason didn’t understand, but would speculate for days what they meant. He could look it up, or ask Annabeth, but he loved to fantasise.

Leo was leaning against Festus in their usual spot outside the border. When Jason saw him, he tackled him with such force that Leo’s hair caught fire in surprise. Luckily, Jason pulled away before it could burn him.

“You’re in a good mood,” Leo observed, patting out the flames on his head.

“Yeah, well… I’ve decided,” Jason told him, “I’m ready. I wanna take you inside the border.”

Leo stopped fussing with his hair and looked up at Jason, “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Jason assured him, holding out his hand, “Come on!”

Leo grinned and took Jason’s hand. A little spark of electricity ran along Jason’s spine. He took off for the city, pulling Leo behind him. Leo was giggling in that cute way he did when he got exited and thought no-one could hear him. They ran like the wind- literally. As Jason yanked him along, he summoned the winds to push them faster, lifting them up into the air slightly. They were inside New Rome now, Jason dragging him through winding streets and bustling crowds. Jason felt truly free, running along with Leo. He was overjoyed. For once, he didn’t care about expectations or who he should be. They were just two kids having fun.

They stopped outside a sidewalk café with Romanesque architecture, like the rest of the city. There was one of those classic red-and-white-striped awnings over the front, and clusters of tables and chairs littered the pavement outside.

“Lunch?” Jason asked, turning to Leo, “They do paninis and toasted sandwiches.”

“I would kill for a panini right now.”

“What about drinks?”

“Diet coke?”

“Gods, no. You’re not having any more caffeine, Mr Hyper. I’ll get you a lime soda,” the conversation was dull and mundane, but Jason found it comforting. They had spent so much of their time together with the weight of the world resting on their shoulders. Now that that was finally over (and Jason rapped on the wooden café table at the thought, praying he wouldn’t jinx it), they could finally settle into a monotonous rhythm, like and old married couple.

Wow. That image took him by surprise- him and Leo growing old together- but it was a good sort of surprise. Jason didn’t push the thought away, instead, he let it wash over him, clinging to the notion that they had hope. A future in the making.

Lunch was going awesome- until Octavian showed up.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Praetor Grace- sorry, former Praetor Grace.”

“Honorary Praetor,” Jason corrected, not looking up from the menu he was reading, “Still ranked above you, Octavian, so a position you should treat with respect.”

Jason didn’t bother looking up to see Octavian’s reaction. He continued to ignore the kid, until he saw him turn to face Leo.

“Hey! Isn’t that the Greek Scum who destroyed half the city?!” He yelled, “Guards! Guards!”

“Octavian, no,” Jason commanded, looking him directly in the eyes, “I saw to it that Leo was pardoned. That incident was not through his actions.”

“It very much looked like it was through his actions, from where I was standing!” Octavian replied, angrily.

Jason stood up. He grabbed Leo’s hand, partially for reassurance, partially as a way of telling Octavian to suck on a cavalry sword- a way of saying “Fuck ‘em”.

“Oh… oh my gods! That is your little pet?!” He pointed at Leo like he was a disgusting patch of mould.

“Uh-huh. And what’re you gonna do about it, Octavian? Run and tell? I am fucking fine with everyone knowing. In fact-“ Jason leapt up onto the café table, still holding onto Leo’s hand, “Listen up, motherfuckers!”

“Jason, what’re you-“

Jason squeezed Leo’s hand to reassure him and Leo stopped protesting, but he still looked worried.

“I’m in love with Leo Valdez!” Jason yelled, “He’s tiny and Greek and he’s awesome. You motherfuckers might look down on him. You might think he’s dangerous, or that he’s a freak. But I see how awesome he is. And sweet. And badass. And cute. And funny. And none of you-“ he pointed a finger at the crowd of passers-by, who were giving him annoyed and disgruntled looks, “Get to say a fucking WORD against him!” He turned towards Octavian, looking down at him and jabbing a finger in his face, “Especially a slimy little piece of shit like you, Octavian.” Jason jumped down from the table, reclined in his seat, picked up the menu, and studied it with his glasses at the end of his nose much like how an old man would study a newspaper.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna enjoy lunch with my boyfriend.”

Octavian scoffed, and left.

“Jason…” Leo was staring at him with those eyes of many feelings. Jason counted wonder, shock, horror, pride, lust, reverence and a seventh emotion he couldn’t quite describe.

“I’m sorry if that was too… loud, Leo. I don’t wanna make you feel-“

“Y-You’re in love with me?”

“…Yeah. Yes. I am,” Jason searched for what emotion was the brightest in those eyes, but there were too many and it was too confusing. He could never pick just one, “Is it too soon? Should I have waited? Should I have asked you first before yelling it in the street-“

“No! No, it’s fine. It’s… amazing, actually. And I love you too, Jason, I really do.”

Jason squeezed Leo’s hand again. Now that Leo had said it, Jason saw the love surface above the mess of other feelings in those eyes. He saw it bud and bloom like blossoms in springtime across Leo’s fiery irises. He wanted to get lost in those meadows of brown and gold, and when Leo closed those eyes to lean in to kiss him, Jason was slightly crestfallen at the fact that he couldn’t keep staring at them. Soon, though, Leo’s lips were against his, and his disappointment melted away. He had plenty of time to stare into those eyes later. They had their whole future ahead of them, and nobody was gonna stand in their way.

[mathitas]

Watching Httyd with Leo (there’s some Httyd1 spoilers)

Let me know if you’re interested in a part 2!

Leo Valdez x Gn!Reader

It was obvious to anyone who met Leo that he had a thing for dragons. I mean, he literally made one.

His room was full of dragon figures, truly everywhere. Hiccup and the light fury were there as well. Most of them were handmade and he was currently working on his collection, since he was looking forward to making all of the dragon from the movies.

Of course you noticed it almost immediately, and you could only listen to how your boyfriend yapped about anything involving those creatures. He went on for hours, really.

If you already knew a lot of things about dragons, he taught you something new, and it made him really happy to talk about it with you

If you don’t really know a lot about them, he explained everything to you so carefully, trying to make you understand how amazing they really are.

If you like Httyd, you told him when you saw his little figures, and he was so excited and insisted you watched it together just to spend the entire night commenting every single detail.

If you’ve never watched the movies and he found out, Holy Hera, prepare. He’s so gonna force you to watch them with him, and he’s gonna give you a preparing speech before and after each movie. He’s holding himself from commenting every scene, and checking your reaction at his favorite parts. He cares about you, so he really wants you to enjoy this piece of media he’s so fond of.

When you do like it, he’s so happy.

He would make you try to recreate the scene from the first movie on Festus, not that he would ever admit it. He tries to get you to fly with him many times.

And let’s be honest, it would feel just as cool as the movies.

He probably feels so giddy and happy flying on his dragon, I just can imagine him trying to recreate the movies or feeling like Hiccup.

He definitely tells you you’re his Astrid, no matter your gender. You could disagree, but he wouldn’t care. He’s Hiccup and Astrid’s his love interest, of course you’re Astrid.

After watching the first movie, he’s gonna try and make you watch everything else in chronological order. If you decide to, he’ll be the happiest man alive. He’s already got the popcorn ready.

He’d so make you dragon keychains and everything to match his.

He’s such a dragon kind of guy.

He just thinks they’re so cute, cool and scary at the same time.

They turn him into an expert yapper, and you couldn’t be happier any other way.

[ryuusei-niu]

BoO spoilers ‼️

Excuse me, ladies, gentlemen and monarchs, I'm going to ramble (angst) about Leo

I can't stop thinking about the days before Leo did you know what in BoO. I JUST CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT HOW HE COULD FEEL

Like, dude, he was about to go and maybe DIE. TO SAVE THE WHOLE FRICKIN WORLD.

Until then everything is fine (no, it is not). Because "between fire and storm, the world must fall." He was the fire. It was him or Jason and he didn't plan to die, he had a plan. Of course.

Only maybe that plan wouldn't work.

And I can't stop thinking about it. Like, c'mon! We all know Leo, we know that he is not a coward but he is not very attracted to the idea of ​​putting himself in danger. He is a person, he can't help but not want to die. On few occasions he wanted or avoided putting himself in danger, knowing that someone else was going to be in danger.

So why did he sacrifice himself for everyone? Why did he do it when there was a strong possibility of not coming back from the explosion?

I can't help but think that there was a part of him that didn't really care about not coming back.

Did he have future plans? Yes. Did he have people he cared about and wanted to be with? Double yes. He could have avoided the drama, fixed Festus correctly and with the help of the others, go and save Calypso and end of the history, everyone happy.

Then, why?

It's simple math. Cruel and horrible simple math.

He would always be the seventh wheel.

'But Ryuu, he had friends and his friends cared about him and-'

I don't care, Martha, just hear me out and shut up (with love).

He had no place as such among the seven. It was him. And the metallic dragon, let's not forget Festus. But it was him at the end of the day.

They needed someone who would sacrifice themselves for the group, with the risk of not returning.

I feel like Leo didn't even need to think about it.

Because the loneliness he felt in those few days was enough to make him realize it. The loneliness of his entire life was enough to realize it.

Although he was an important member, he ended up being left over. He was a piece that others could do without, find a replacement. Move on.

(And it makes me angry to know that it was part of Hera's plan, because if he hadn't been rejected his whole life he wouldn't have sacrificed himself.)

I feel that in part, it was easier for Leo to sacrifice himself, maybe come back, and be a hero, or maybe not come back, than stay there. Just like the clown he was. The seventh wheel.

Because maybe, if he didn't come back, they were finally going to miss him a little.

Maybe, if he didn't come back, they were going to feel more than just pity, or anger at him.

Maybe, if he died, he would have a little more presence than if he stayed.

He already saw it once. Two, to be specific. In both of them he came back and in both of them his friends forgot about him not long after.

That also helped him decide that he should be the one to sacrifice himself.

He couldn't leave Piper without Jason.

I feel like Leo thought maybe he was easier to forget. And at the same time he hated that.

At the same time he didn't want to die. But he didn't mind.

And I can't help but imagine what the last days, the last hours, must have been like for him, knowing that maybe he was going to die and none of his friends knew. He wasn't going to get to say goodbye properly. And he felt bad for wanting, deep down, to see them cry over the idea of ​​him not coming back. Because he wanted to feel important and worthy of being missed at least once.

[queenpiranhadon]

do whichever you want, I dont care lol

zenitsu agatsuma

Leo valdez

tanjirou kamado

grover underwood

they are put in order of how much I simp for them

A/N: I'm going to assume you want x reader because yeah lmaooo but since his birthday is today, I figured I'd do our favorite Uncle Leo hahahah Here's the masterlist!!

Warning(s): Cursing, mentions of being burned, blood, crying, you are Leo are best friends, angst with a happy ending, Leo is in love and doesn't realize it bahaha, reader is unclaimed, people be shit talking, there's no timeline for this, just insert it where you want lmao, reader is gn but is written with f!reader in mind, usage of Y/N, Leo refers to you as an angel

Pairing(s): Leo Valdez x Reader

•────•°•❀•°•───── ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ─────•°•☁︎•°•────•

Aw fuck.

Leo may or may not have royally messed up. Like a ton.

He didn't even know how it happened, because one moment he's walking through Camp Halfblood with you, his best friend in the entire world, and the next, he overhears some bastards talking shit about you and he just...snaps.

"Ugh who'd you get on your team for capture? Can't believe Mr. D thought it would be a good idea to split up the cabins and 'mix and match'"

"Yeah it's honestly super dumb- I'm not complaining though, I've got Annabeth."

"You're just lucky- I got Y/N of all people- literally the most annoying person on camp- and honestly the most useless too."

At at the sound of that, Leo whipped his head to you, just in time to see your eyes wide, on the brink of brimming with tears before looking forwards, attempting to pretend you didn't hear anything.

But you had.

And Leo knew.

You were unclaimed, and you mostly kept to yourself until Leo found you tending to Festus while he was away one day- and surprisingly the metal dragon seemed completely at ease around you.

Leo was awestruck, and ever since then, you two had gotten extremely close, the son of Hephaestus even found himself longing to be in your presence whenever he was on quests.

You were quiet, but around him, you opened up more, you were funny, and kind, and you have a quick tongue too, always engaging in light banter with him that never ceased to be entertaining to either of you.

To him, you were perfect- because you were there. His first best friend technically wasn't his in the first place, given that Jason, Piper and Leo himself were all under Hera's unnerving control. Needless to say, the three of them were still close, but Leo couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't genuine.

Along with the rest of the Argo II members, he felt more like a seventh wheel more than anything (if that was even possible) and deep down, the nagging thought that he was nothing but a burden always lingered.

Around you though, he felt like someone, like he was special - around you, he felt like Leo Valdez.

Maybe that's why he got so mad, he didn't even know he could get so mad- and the next thing he knows, a murderous scowl is painted on his face and he's lunging for the two other campers, fists ablaze.

But you were faster.

You, sweet angel you, saw what was coming the moment his palms tightened into fists, lunging forward to stop him, using your hands to stop him own.

In hindsight, you probably should've remembered his hands were on fire.

But even as pain seared your palms to the point tears where subconsciously running down your face, you swallowed, and stood firm.

"Leo, please." you beg weakly, and in an instant, his flames distinguish, and your blood now paints his first- horror overtaking his face as you stare into his eyes pleadingly. "They're not worth it."

Leo, in his guilt ridden frozen state, can only bring himself to look at you, and yet, he doesn't deserve it, your eyes wide and cheeks stained with tears- he can't believe he had done this to you.

He, of all people, had hurt his angel, his haven, his best friend.

But you didn't waver, when he buried his hands in his eyes, sobbing uncontrollably, you said nothing, engulfing him in your arms and pressing his face into the crook of your neck and he heaved, tears soaking into your shirt.

He was broken, but he knew, even if he didn't deserve it, you would be there to pick up his fragments, piece by piece, with your damaged hands, just so you two could be together again.

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 40 (SPOILERS)

"Shakespeare, don't bring that / Iambic pentameter" Either the Dodona screaming arrow starts spouting poetry or Meg does. Is the ultimate goal of this series to teach kids poetry?

"'A little warning, perhaps?' Jamie called." Yeah, the greatest danger a person falling out of a window poses is to the people below they may crush. How high up is it, anyway?

"We didn't see him." Oh, so he did fall into the void. Wtf?

"He Lityerses-ly flew out the window." Leo, you pull a muscle from that stretch? A for effort, though. I'll cut him some slack for the hostage situation he was just in.

"The two bumped fists as if they hadn't just spent the last few days talking about how much they wanted to kill each other. They would have made fine Olympian gods." Omg that's literally my family! We'd make great Olympian gods!

"[Thalia's] new gray highlights from my solar blast looked quite fetching." Did anyone else get gray highlights? Do Hunters' hair grow out? And again, skin cancer?

"We're going to need a bigger notepad." Why? Is iambic pentameter usually long?

"must the Lester go;" I'm fucking sorry? That caught me so off guard. I didn't expect his name to be so bluntly stated in the prophecy.

"Apollo starts to jive." Does jive mean something different here than I'm used to? I thought it meant to be on the same page as someone. JIVE (v.): 1. perform the jive or a similar dance to popular music 2. (Informal, US) taunt or sneer at 3. (Informal, US) talk nonsense

"But a full Shakespearean sonnet, complete with ABAB rhyme scheme, ending couplet, and iambic pentameter?" Oh, the horror! Not the couplets! These prophecies and chapterly haikus are slowly convincing me this whole series was an excuse for Rick Riordan to stretch his poetry-writing muscles.

"We will parse our doom later" PARSE (v.): analyze (a sentence) into its parts and describe their syntactic roles / examine or analyze minutely

"It kept me from thinking too much about the lines of the Dark Prophecy." Ay, he said the thing!

"I redesigned him so he's like a Lego kit, built for quick assembly!" Thank-freaking-goodness! He knows Festus is gonna get crunched, so he plans ahead!

"dissolving them into light. Could a quasi-deity such as Commodus do something like that to himself?" We haven't seen much of any of the Triumvirate's godly powers yet. This could be one. I'd be surprised if he died so easily. Anyway, important thing is that the triple-threat battle is still possible!

Hey, wait, why aren't Hades, Persephone, or Thanatos on the Triumvirate's case yet? They're escaped souls! I know we've established that souls escape all the time, but this should be pretty high on the ghost-wrangling list!

"Their bodies desiccate when their spirits pass on" DESICCATE (v.): remove the moisture from (something); cause to become completely dry "Heloise's body crumbled to dust." Okay, so it was just holding together for the funeral. Maybe that means she'll regenerate eventually? Let me cling onto that hope.

"Made this for you. You can take it with you when you go away." Noooo I just know they're gonna pull at our heartstrings with this little doll later down the line.

"if you ever want to talk--" "No, I'm good." Mood.

"Yet I could no longer feel annoyed with her for giving up my gift of divinity." Yeahhhhhh he's understanding

"hide his bald pate." Probably means head or scalp. PATE (n.): a person's head

"What of the Dark Prophecy?" Did everyone just unanimously agree to call it the Dark Prophecy? Do they all just hate it because it's too long?

[dontspillthefrijoles43]

Leo’s birthday 🥳🥳🥳

(A/N: I know it’s a Fanon birthday, probably, but I could not do a post about our favorite Hammer brain without my oc— cause they’re my sillies, and I’ve been dead for awhile. So here’s my head canons for Leo’s birthday. Btw I hc him as 18 cause that’s the same age I am (🥳) and experiences I have had so far from turning 18)

Warning: Drinking mention, weed mentioned, teenagers being teenagers, etc

Leo has never had a real birthday party since he was 7, and when Breisa hears this she throws him the most nostalgia fueling Mexican/latino birthday party

She buys those ugly ass piñtas with balloons in one and candy in the other. Also party favors and hats (which he wears two of—like cat ears)

It’s either SpongeBob or TMNT theme, she even goes to the local pañería to buy him a cake

She will wake his ass up with the Vicente Fernández song, las mañanitas with his had made speaker that he made her and it sounds loud and booming

She also finds Texas barbeque recipes mixed with Mexican Texan authentic food. Has Will and Annabeth help her cook it.

While the seven distract him for his surprise party by buying new clothes. They also buy him a cowboy hat with flames on it.

When the party finally comes down too, Leo is surprise by party with homemade food, decorations,and jumper + a mechanical bull

You bet ur ass he rides the bull at full speed

He is having the time of his life and he even isn’t drinking— not that he’s much of a drinker anyway. He had his first shot and it tasted like battery acid and orange juice

He dances with everyone to all his favorite songs. He might’ve dance to old school Spanish/tejano songs with Breisa— maybe sharing a kiss under his cowboy hat😉😉

When it finally comes down to the birthday cake, he lights his own candles, everyone sings happy birthday. And he bows out his candles, only to get his face smashed into it by Breisa

Which scares the shit out of her because she thinks she goes too far, but then he pops up laughing hard, frosting all over his face. (Thank god she bought two cakes)

Gifts for the seven include: chuck of Ruby rock from Hazel, weed (trust me I had a vision) and cassettes + Polaroids of the trio from Piper, Lions Paw seashell necklace from Percy, a festus Chinese dragon style bracelet from Frank , power tools + car stickers from Annabeth, and Game disk of all the Mario party games + new controller from Jason

Now you may be wondering if Breisa threw him this big ass party and brought all his friends together, it would be it for birthday gifts. But nah, she loves him too much to leave something out— a hand-made love letter with purple lipstick stains cheesy asf, a restored painting of him + Esperanza, and matching necklace with the sun on it (hers has the moon).

You best believe she covers his face with lipstick stains until he is dizzy and lovestick

Leo: Best birthday ever 🥰

Breisa: Best birthday so far, Amorcito

[a-french-coconut]

Drew Tanaka (Part 5)

Her afternoon is rudely interrupted by a fire breathing mechanical dragon landing right in the middle of the cabins.

While Clarisse orders her siblings in a battle formation, Drew makes sure Lacy and Mitchell are nowhere near the beast.

"DON'T SHOOT, WE COME IN PEACE." Someone yells from the dragon.

"LEO VALDEZ," Nyssa screams furiously, lowering her hammer, " What were you thinking bringing him here, on Camp's grounds ?!"

"I fixed him ! He's not a threat anymore," Leo proudly proclaims, "and I find our way of transportation !"

Hesitantly, all campers lower their weapons, still eyeing warily the dragon.

"What's his name ?" Jason asks.

"Festus ! His name is Festus."

"Sooo, we are going on quest on Happy the dragon ?" He arches an eyebrow, amused.

Leo nods and gestures him and Piper to climb.

"Come on guys, we need to go. We have a deadline to respect."

Jason's demeanour grows serious and Piper and he rush to get their bags before joining Leo on top of Festus.

"Good luck heroes, may you come back to us in one piece and with your quest accomplished !" Chiron wishes to them.

"Woah, that's not creepy at all. " Leo grumbles, " Come on Festus, vamonos !"

Under the campers's applauses and cheers, they soar in the sky.

Good luck McLean

"If they don't die, it's a miracle." Connor says next to her, "they have no training and no critical thinking it would seem. Who the fuck brings the dragon that almost paralysed your brother in the middle of Camp, where it could had kill us all ?"

""Don't jinx them Stoll, they don't need your bad luck."

"Eeeh, you're right. Got a cabin to save from burning down, see you later."

Drew goes back to her daily activities, Piper's absence not really noticeable.

Well, mostly.

It would seem her dear sister managed to convince Mitchell and Lacy not to listen to her anymore, something Drew would be quite proud of if her authority wasn't being contested.

"Why do you mean you want to stop archery ? You can't do that Lacy."

"But I suck at it ! My arrows don't even touch the target !" her sister whines, "Nyssa lets Harley skip archery, why can't I do it ?"

"Because Nyssa has a curse to deal with, I do not. So as long as I'm counsellor, you're not stopping archery."

"But-"

"No, no point in discussing this." She firmly says, daring Lacy to contradict once again.

Instead, her little sister's eyes shine.

"I hate you ! You're the meanest sister ever ! Silena was always kind with me."

"Silena tried to kill you," Drew says with a strained voice, restraining herself from screaming at a twelve years old girl, "That's not what I would call kind."

"Silena wouldn't ever hurt me ! But you did ! Making me wear the shoes of shame and always forcing me to do things I don't want to do."

"I'm protecting you-"

"You're hurting me !"

The pain in Lacy's voice makes her falter and she truly sees her little sister for the first time in long while.

The way her eyes are wet with tears, when was the last time she saw them sparkling ?

Or smiling, showing those horrid braces of hers ?

Who braided her hair ? It's bad work, strands of hair falling out from everywhere. Drew could make a better one with her eyes closed.

So why didn't she ?

"Lacy, I-"

what ?

I'm sorry ?

"I'm going back to Hermes Cabin and you can't stop me."

Without letting her answer, Lacy runs out of the cabin, probably to beg Connor and Travis to let her sleep in theirs.

You're hurting me !

No, no, no, she doesn't understand.

She's shielding her from the future pain.

Right ?

You're hurting me !

You're hurting me !

You're hurting me !

You're hurting me !

Stop, make it stop.

"I'm helping you !" she screams to no one, in the empty cabin.

"I'm..."

protecting

"myself."

The realisation, the truth she had buried deep down, comes out, ugly and sharp.

Pushing Mitchell and Lacy away, Heloise and Thomas too, all of that to prevent another Silena.

She wanted everyone to not like her so that when they leave her, she would not feel the pain.

She knows she's been mean but-

Had she been cruel ?

To her siblings ? The ones she loves deeply ?

Surely not

Making Lacy wear the shoes of shame.

Throwing out Mitchell's clothes.

Even Piper, who didn't really did anything to deserve that greeting.

Had she become what she hears ?

A cruel and heartless bitch ?

"Hum, Drew ?"

Connor is standing awkwardly at the door, looking very nervous.

"Lacy just asked me to, hum, sleep in my cabin tonight ? So, I wanted to ask, is everything okay ?"

"No, I've just come to the realisation that I'm a poison, rotting everything I touch." She says drily.

Immediately Connor rushes to her side, gently seating her on her bed before seating next to her.

"That's not true, look at me, Malcolm and Will ! No poison for us !"

That makes her laugh a little but the weight of Lacy's words did not lift that easily.

"I've been a true nightmare to my siblings, Connor. I treated them badly because I'm selfish, maybe I should give up my position as counsellor." She says bitterly, "Clearly I'm not up to the task."

"Drew," Connor's voice is serious, a rare occasion, "you are allowed to make mistakes and you are allowed to be selfish. We went through a war and we all have a way of coping. And the others, they don't understand our pain. It's not their older brother or sister that stabbed them in the back after promises of never hurting us."

"But Lacy and Mitchell don't hate Silena the way I do." she says miserably, hugging her knees closer," I think there's something wrong with me."

"Nothing is wrong with you, Drew. You haven't been allowed to grief like you should have, that's all. Nobody allowed you to hate Silena when you have the right to. It's not the same for me. Even though Luke is seen as a hero, he is still despised for his acts whereas your sister isn't."

Slowly, the burden on her shoulders becomes lighter.

"You're good at this, Stoll."

"I had time to practice," he gives her a lopsided smile, laughing when she nudges him.

"Come on, I'll lead you to Lacy, you two need to talk."

"She hates me."

"No, she just doesn't understand why you treated her like this. And she's right, you made a complete 360° after the war. And while it's clear for me why, Lacy is young and had arrived just one year before the battle of Manhattan. She doesn't have the full picture."

Drew sighs but allows Connor to bring her to Lacy.

Her little sister is at the beach, half heartedly drawing in the sand.

"Go on, apologise."

"Okay, Isabella, I'm going."

Connor rolls his eyes but dutifully leaves her alone with Lacy who only registers her presence when she seats next to her.

"Go away."

Drew flinches at her sister's firm voice but doesn't let it deter her.

"I want to tell you a story."

She smiles softly when she sees her sister perks up.

"Remember when I told you bedtimes stories ?"

"Yeah, those were nice."

"Do you want to hear another one ?"

"Does it end happily ?" Lacy asks, still hesitating.

"I hope so."

When her sister turns to face her, Drew takes it as a cue to begin.

"It's a story about two sisters named Celine and Maria. Maria was the youngest and she loved with all her heart Celine. But see, she discovered that Celine was working with the enemy-"

"Who is the enemy ?"

"-Lucas, and was feeding him informations about Maria's friends that lead to their death."

"Drew", Lacy frowns, "that story looks a lot like-"

"Let me finish, please. It's important you hear it entirely."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"When Celine died and the truth was exposed, no one put the blame on her except for Maria, who felt betrayed and deeply hurt. And so, she made a promise. To never let anyone get as close as Celine was to her, so that she would never feel that kind of pain again."

"Oh, Drew..." Lacy whispers shakily, "does Maria have other siblings ?"

"Yes, she does and-", her own voice breaks, "she loves them so much. But she was too selfish and in order to keep them away, she hurt them. It's something she regrets and will never forgive herself."

"Is that the end ?"

"Yes, but who knows ? It can change."

"Can I change it ?"

"Go ahead."

"Maria doesn't forgive herself but her sibling does, at least her little sister." Lacy tells her firmly, looking at her in the eyes. "Because she loves Maria a lot and despite the hurt she caused, she just wants her big sister back."

As soon as Lacy finishes, Drew hugs her tightly, allowing for the first time in long period to cry in front of someone else.

"I'm sorry Lacy, I'm so sorry sweetheart," she sobs, cradling Lacy in her arms.

"I forgive you, Drew but please, don't ever be mean like this again." her sister quietly asks.

"I won't, honey. I won't." She says, softly kissing her sister's hair.

"Now, let's go back to the cabin. Mitchell must be searching us and I won't tolerate sand much longer."

On the way back, she sees Connor from afar who raises an eyebrow questioningly.

His beaming smile when she picks up Lacy to give her a piggy ride, her little sister laughing loudly, settles a sense of calm in her heart.

Maybe she isn't a so bad big sister after all.

DREW ARC REDEMPTION >>>>>

I'm still going to make her fight Piper over the counsellor position but don't you worry, it's going to make sense when it happens.

Their relationship is far from friendly and Drew is still sour about Silena despite talking with Lacy.

[iatenicoshappymeal]

I was really, really busy lately, so I haven't been able to read much more of HOO, BUUUUUUUUT I have more comments and thoughts.

Percy is in Camp Jupiter

Annabeth is depressed, just like meeeeeeeeee

Leo is cute

Hera was probably Leo's babysitter or smth, and I'm the only one who thinks that's weird?

FRANK IS A CANIDIAN TERRORIST

Hazel is a child of Hades ofc and died then came back to life

There's someone named Reyna or Raina or Rayna or whatever the heck it is and I really like that name

Piper can convince ppl to give things to her so she abuses the power

Jason has lightning powers

Piper Jason and Leo got attacked by giants

Festus Happy the Dragon dies

SOLANGELO FOREVA

WHY ISNT NICO ONE OF THE 7????!!!!!!?!??!?!?!?!?!??

I keep on thinking Piper's name is Pipey McClean cuz I'm BLiNd

Did I mention that Leo is cute?

[suchan3rd]

New Flame - FemReader x Leo Valdez Part 2

Please read part 1 before this one (:

TW: the F-words and a little of bullying but that about it (no smut, yet)

Anger. That's what you felt as you walked through the threshold of Aphrodite cabin. You sat on the bed that Piper said was now yours staring at the wall mentally throwing up at the excessive amount of pink decor.

"I'm so happy you're a child of Aphrodite" Piper said sitting down next to you on the bed. You managed a smile but you know that it looked forced. "What's wrong?" She asked, " you look upset."

"It's nothing really" you said, realizing that you would probably come off as petty and self centered.

"Tell me" Piper said, placing her hand on your arm.

"It's just," you sigh, "this is really important to me, and no one noticed. No one cared" And then, as if on cue, Drew and the rest of Aphrodite cabin walked in.

"Can you believe that he got a girl like that?" Drew said to the crowd behind her.

"Yeah, I don't know what he had to do to get someone that good looking," said a son of Aphrodite. Then Drew stopped and looked at Piper and me.

"What is she doing here?" Drew asked.

"Y/n's a daughter of Aphrodite, she just got claimed." Piper said standing up.

Drew laughed, "Piper you're truly turning into quite the jokester, but she can leave now."

"I'm not joking," Piper said, coming to your defense.

"And why do you hate me?" You say finally speaking up, "if you really don't want to share a cabin with me you could go sleep in the big house instead" Drew flushed bright red and clenched her fists. The rest of the campers that had come In with her filed into the cabin chuckling at their flustered cabin mate.

"Nice one" Piper said holding out her hand for a high five and you happily oblige.The next morning you wake up early, before the sun had come up. After trying, and failing, to fall back asleep you decide to take a walk around camp. You tug on your new bright orange cabin 10 shirt and quietly open the door to the crisp morning air. You breathe in, letting the perfume of pine and strawberries waft into your nose. You smile, you always loved the scent of strawberries. The morning silence was broken by crashes and bangs of metal on metal. And stepping into the clearing was none other than Leo Valdez. Great. He was carrying a large bronze wing in his arms. It looked heavy and you wondered how he could carry that without collapsing. Following him was the large metallic dragon Festus. He creaked Morse code at Leo.

"I know, I know" Leo was saying, " I'm sorry" you took a few steps forwards. You were planning on ignoring him, but your interest had peaked. What was "Mr. Popular" doing up so early? "What do you mean its my fault!" Leo demanded after a few moments of silence. You chuckled a bit at the Crack in his voice. Sometimes you forgot we were all still teenagers. Everyone at camp had to grow up fast. Leo turned slightly and the two of you locked eyes. "Uhh sorry, was I being loud."

"No, no need to apologize" for this, you think. "I just forgot to do something earlier" you say realizing the opportunity suddenly put in front of you.

"And what was that" he asks, the corner of his mouth quirked up, you force yourself to look away. You walk towards him and wind your arm, and throw it forward into his upper arm.

"Oww, fuck" he said dropping the wing and clutching his arm. "I thought you weren't going to punch me" he said looking up at her from his hunched over position, cradling his arm.

"Well now I do have a reason" you said crossing your arms.

"And what reason is that?" He asked with a bit of spite in his voice. You shook your head and turned away

"Asshole" you mutter under you breath. But once you're back in your cabin you can't help but picture the tug at his lips and the depth of his eyes.