Chapter VII: How Valdez Operates
JPOV
"No," Percy gasps in dead center, forgetting entirely that he was about to tidal wave me into the next Olympian War. He yields Riptide, shedding of his helmet just to continue his sarcastic comment. "Is that really—Jason, have you seen those two before?"
"The blond one and the Santa Elf?" I hum, taking the quick moment to flip my coin into a javelin and in less than a second, have him pinned to the ground with the end only a centimeter from his face. "Hm, I wouldn't know. Hey, you think your girlfriend and my best friend have seen the light of day in a while?"
He smirks, mirth sprinkling in his eyes and crosses his arms like suddenly he's the mature one. Perseus Logan Jackson for the three years that I've known him could never watch his mouth, and was childish about most things. Leo and he shared that quality to some extent—maybe Leo a little further. Percy raises his head, as if defying the fact I just beat him in our spar for the third time this week. "You took advantage of me."
"I wouldn't have taken advantage of you if you realized what was happening." Grinning, I pull him back to his feet in time as Annabeth and Leo appear in the empty seats of what was supposed be a replica of the Colosseum. There were differences (starting with the fact it didn't look like an ancient, dusty ruin), rooms reserved for sparring and battles that were generally between Roman Halfbloods. However with the first Capture the Flag of the winter starting next week—Rome versus Greece, Percy and I couldn't diminish the tempting thought of a match.
He also said he'd rather me than (quote—"shiver") Thalia (unquote), though I wasn't sure what that meant.
"Dude?" Percy grabs my shoulder with a chiding, brotherly grin and pulls me toward the flight of a billion-and-one stairs to meet with everyone. "You think too much."
I arch an eyebrow, unsure where he was going with this. "Excuse me?"
Suddenly we halt, halfway through the stairs and Leo and Annabeth noticewe've stopped. She turns her head to an expectant Leo, and they remerge themselves in a conversation while I look at the guy who sort of acts like my big brother.
Percy shrugs. "You have a ton on your mind, don't you?"
"I suppose." Though I honestly don't know where he's going with this.
"Maybe it's because you and I come from different sides of the…camp—" He says the last word with complete deadpan, realizing the expression doesn't really fit either one of us. Demigods have always had trouble adjusting, especially at a young age. Being raised by wolves, I can't exactly say I know the feeling—but it's probably hard trying to fit in when you have no idea what's going on—"There. You're doing it again, Jason."
"I'm doing what?" Partially I'm offended. What's wrong with thinking?
"Gods, if you're thinking about why I'm saying it's so odd that you think so much, then you've seriously got to shove an enchilada down your throat." Percy's maybe half an inch shorter than me, so it's funny watching him try to take charge of the situation. And don't ask about the enchilada thing—I think once he told me that his best friend was a satyr. Going by fathers, I'd actually have power over him, but…well, let's not go there. "Just…don't put so much pressure on yourself, okay?"
"What do you mean?" I can't help the question leaving my throat, eyebrows furrowing.
"Now you're getting a little serious…er. Maybe I'm not the best person to talk about this to. Or…you know. Something like that." He runs his hand through wavy black hair that always looks like he's just gotten out of the water. Honestly, I don't know how they do it—Thalia cuts her hair short for a girl, but it's long for a guy, Percy's hair is short, but it's untidy and you can smell sea salts, Nico di Angelo (well, the last time I've seen him) sports a shag. At least Annabeth ties her hair back, while Leo runs around with a floppy Mexican fro.
Gods that sounded racist. Terribly sorry.
"What's holding you up for crying out loud?" Leo's voice echoes through the amphitheatre and both Percy and I cringe.
"Careful," I chide, eyes lifting to my best friend. A laugh tickles the back of my throat, but I bite it back while watching Leo dangle over one of the seats, two feet off the ground. "Your lungs are going to cause the place to collapse, Valdez."
"You and your fucking 'Saving Grace', Jase." He laughs and turns his attention to Annabeth, who rolls her eyes but the amusement is clearly there.
"You see?" Apparently getting his nonexistent point across, Percy lowers his head and narrows his eyes kind of proudly. Proud of what, exactly? "Right there, you didn't think about it—you just got your point across."
I blink. "Why would I need to think? He's just Leo."
"Between one Big-Three kid to another," he starts with clear exasperation dancing in his tone, "that's pretty cool. Though normally something as natural as that usually works with the girlfriend—"
"You want me to not think when it comes to my girlfriend?" Was Percy seriously trying to give me girl advice? Annabeth, I knew for a fact, was his only girlfriend ever, and—well, okay, yeah. After college they're getting married, but that's beside the point.
"Fine," he chirps in a tone that's reminiscent to the Stoll Brothers. "I got a dinner date with Annie, anyway. You doing anything with Piper?"
My cheeks turn red while he smirks. "Our Ten-Month is coming up soon."
I don't really want to get into detail about that. Instinctively I look back to Leo, remembering that I asked him to come so he could give me more advice on how to handle Piper during, um. Intercourse.
"Ready?" Annabeth calls as she realizes the both of us are looking in that general area.
"Sure, just let me get freshened…up…" Percy removes his helmet, but this time it's my turn to smirk. He ogles his girlfriend, who like mine very rarely likes to get dressed up.
"You look pretty," I comment. In contrast to her natural curls, Annabeth has these big loops that accent how blond she is. The gray in her sweater match the twinkling in her eyes, and a silver bracelet rests around her wrist with an owl trinket. She's carrying this modest bag, but I have no doubt that it's carrying her Yankee's cap and knife.
"Not all of us look like grease monkeys." She grins to her right, nudging Leo playfully, and he only sticks his tongue out. "You said something about freshening up, Seaweed Brain?"
"You bet, Wise Girl." Suddenly Percy regains all his strength, managing to snap his mouth shut before smiling like he's the luckiest guy in the world. Marrying the best friend of my sister (and treating me like one of her little brothers) kind of did make him that lucky. He leans down, giving her the biggest, sloppiest kiss imaginable, and over them Leo's making silly faces to entertain himself.
They pull away, not in the least flustered or embarrassed as Annabeth's normally stern and stubborn face is replaced with pure love. She laughs short one giggle, giving both Leo and I motherly looks before tangling their hands together. "Promise me you won't cause the replica of Rome's supposedly-greatest monument to collapse while I'm gone?"
"Supposedly?" I fake offense. She shrugs and Leo laughs.
He comes to my side, patting me roughly on the shoulder, and I realize he's wearing welder's gloves, still freshly bathed in the scent of grease and oil. "I'm not the one who can summon thunder from the sky."
"Lightning," Percy, Annabeth, and I correct.
"Same, diff." Leo waves his hand casually and the couple laughs before making their exit. Once they're gone, Leo makes another face, nose scrunched playfully and gaining a falsetto. "'You said something about freshening up, Seaweed Brain?' 'You bet, Wise Girl.'"
"Got a problem with their nicknames for one another?" I muse, tucking my coin tight in a pocket. "You call Piper, 'Beauty Queen' all the time."
"That's different," he insists, arms crossed and impish smile spread across his lips. "When I make up nicknames, corazoncito, I make them unique."
"And unmemorable. You still haven't told me what that means, by the way."
"What does what mean?"
"Cora…never mind." My cheeks turn pink, and I lack the edge I originally had. I can't exactly spew out a perfect Spanish accent the way Leo can. The last time I even tried, he burst into laughter (which, thankfully, alleviated the tension we originally had.) "What does it mean?"
And as expected, Leo cracks a giggle or two, clutching his chest and belittling me as he pets me on the shoulder. "You're the one who knows Latin. Figure it out for yourself."
"Maybe another time," I say gently. He hums and pulls out something that looks suspiciously like a Nintendo DSi—or it would be one, if he wasn't scanning his fingerprint with it. Huh, I wonder where you get one of those. Deviating from the subject, I put my hands on my hips. "You know, 'Beauty Queen' isn't exactly that unique."
"It's either Pipes or Beauty Queen. The former of which," he says halfheartedly, "that everyone else stole from me."
"How so?"
"She actually doesn't like it when people call her that but her dad. Though I do believe the reason why she lets me is because I annoyed her into it. On the other hand," he swallows, and even looks a little…envious. I take note of this immediately. "You're the exception."
I know it's not really any of my business, and I absolutely hate it, but…the way he looks at Piper and me whenever we're together is kind of unnerving. She and I aren't the lovey-dovey type (it took me six months, for crying out loud, to tell her that I was in love with her), but he's told us once—It's just the way you look at her. So full of love, and it's kind of annoying how you guys steal glances at one another. A child of Zeus's fatal flaw is envy. Or maybe, it's just my fatal flaw to get worked up over the stupidest things (yeah, I know they're stupid), but when it comes to Piper and Leo, sometimes I can't help myself.
"She calls you Sparky," he says, breaking our silence. Oh, wow. Maybe Percy's right—I do think a lot.
"Less likely to mispronounce that than 'corazoncito,'" I mutter, trying to push the unwanted paranoia from my mind. I trust Leo. He would never go behind my back and hurt me.
"Hmph. All the nicknames you have for people—even your Rey of Sunshine—I've supplied for you." Leo arched an eyebrow teasingly and elbowed me in the arm. "What's wrong, Grace? Afraid you'll sprain your nonexistent funny bone?"
"I could so find a nickname for you. You're…" Maybe I should have thought this one through. "You're uh, Curlytop."
Silence.
"Wow, Grace. Real unique." He laughs, and begins a descent down the stairs with me hot on his trail. His fingers play with the little ringlets in his hair, and they flop against his neck. "I should probably get it cut soon. I don't look badass enough to tie it back while I work."
"I think you'd look cute," I offer. Couldn't you imagine one of Santa's elves decked out in a pair of welder's gloves, a tinsel outfit-plus- hat, and hair tied back like—like a grease monkey, I suppose. He freezes up for a moment, then rolls his eyes. "I know you don't like being called cute, but er, you would."
"No. Me being called cute is pretty much all you wrap your mind around." Leo flashes a wry look, eyes narrowed and brows raised in the air. "You're just you, corazoncito."
I smile. A different thought enters my mind, and alarmed, I leap in front of him in possibly the most ridiculous defense maneuver I've ever had. "When I call you cute, I don't mean, you know—like—like a girl. Because you know—I'm not…and you're…" I wasn't trying to flirt with him or anything. "Yeah…"
There's a new look on his face—if only for a second—that I've never seen before. His eyes darken, lips pulling into a tight thin line, and I can seriously feel my heart stop, watching in that one second how far I've crossed the line with my best friend. Suddenly the Colosseum seems far too small, and I'm suffocating despite the fact that I could be controlling oxygen levels.
He acquiesces, falling into the center of the arena, and strips of gloves and his jacket, until all that's on him is his tool belt, oil-stained jeans, and a soot-covered t-shirt. "I've always admired my siblings for building a replica of the Colosseum. 'Wondered how overboard you could get before this thing collapses. Bet you and Percy weren't even using a fourth of your strength."
I needed to apologize. "Leo—"
"Fight me." A grin flashes across his face, and he stuffs his hands into either pocket of his tool belt.
Disbelief washes into me, and I flash a look of concern on the way he just casually pulls out a giant hammer like he's been doing it for ages. "Leo, you got out of house arrest two days ago. Don't you want to wait a little bit on that?"
"Dude. My own invention exploded in my face. For me, that's quite possibly the biggest ego bruiser I could ever have." It takes a moment for his point to come across: I didn't offend him. Even if I crossed the line, he wasn't going to hold it against me. "One butt-whooping against you, and I'll be back to the stud everyone thinks I am."
"You really want me to whoop your butt?" I muse.
"Kinky," Leo laughs. "Very kinky."
Before I have the chance to make a comeback, a ball of fire whips my way. I duck, automatically pushing the helmet back on and flipping my coin. Heads—it's a sword. I bob to the side, but not quick enough to avoid a blow to my chest.
"Isn't the fire a little much?" I call, only feet from the wall.
"Working with my assets!" He puffs his chest out, proud and high with a visible smirk. We wait, intimidating the other like in an old western movie, and I recall every little thing I knew about Leo's battling prowess. It takes him less than thirty seconds to make a universal remote, and the last battle he was in with was an empousa when we were trying to destroy a bomb back in Minnesota. Piper charmspoke the bomb to buy time while Leo tried to defuse it while piloting a blimp.
Right. I'm the Warrior, Piper is the Priest, and Leo's the Mage. Mages don't use their fists, they use their intellect, and Piper is the glue that keeps us going.
Crap. In a one-on-one battle, I don't think I know him well enough to conduct a battle plan.
Wait, that's it. Conduct.
Ducking another blow of fire, I tumble into the ground, making use of the battle field while blocking with a rented trainer's shield. Tossing the sword back into the air, I pray for it to land on tails, and realize he's taken the time to pull out an array of plastic, nuts, and bolts I have no clue what the exact names
This time his eyes lock onto mine, and he flings—harshly—a flaming hammer my way. It hits my armor, taking me completely off guard, and the pulses it sends is excruciating.
Note: Flames? Painful. Hammers? Horrible. Flaming hammers? Unbearable.
Seeing as his strategy's working, Leo flashes this nervously victorious grin as he continues tinkering—did I mention he's fantastic at tinkering? I dive into him, javelin in hand, but it occurs that although I don't know his fighting style, he knows mine. Leo dodges with clumsy grace, one hand tight over his new invention and the other now wielding a screwdriver.
He shoves it into my helm, nearly gauging my eyes out and in instinct I drive Ivlivs toward his chest and deliver the lowest voltage possible, chiding, "I'm trying to spar with you, not electrocute you into the next Olympian War."
"Hmm. Noted." Leo isn't the son of Vulcan/Hephaestus, God of Blacksmiths and Forgery for nothing. Despite being made by imperial gold, he knows its work well and quickly grabs hold of it with his bare hand.
Before blazing white hot fire ignites from his hand the moment I start zapping him. The heat scorches my hand, and I drop it in an instant, rubbing raw skin into the denim of my pants. Despite being taller, bigger, and more experienced, Leo tackles me to the ground, holding a javelin that must be at least 10,000Kelvin in one hand with no problem and a—
"You made a TASER?"
"Yup." He grins evilly, sitting comfortably on my stomach with the point of a really sharp, electrifying javelin at my chest and sparkling TASER now at my neck. "And you just gave me the juice for it, bro."
"Truce?"
"Buy me tacos and tamales?"
"Deal. They can give you heartburn, though."
"Pishaw." He wiggles around on my chest, and starts listing off the benefits of Mexican food. I don't listen.
Remember, mysterious half-blood person (at least that's what Percy recommended I should call you), how I said two mortal boys don't get as close as we do? That as half-bloods, we automatically react before we think?
In the past four years we've known each other, Leo and I have had to hide in toy aisles at Walmart, duck under daycare toddler tables, fall asleep next to one another in a 5x5 room (and for a guy who's 5'7", a girl that's 5'4", and me, who's 5'11'', it's not very comfy) at an amusement park—anything you can imagine. We've had to get this close due to my tackling him to dodge clubs in the head and fists to the jaw in steep area.
I've always known his stats. Curly soot-black hair, tan skin, and brown eyes.
Sitting where I am, in this odd position with my best friend on top debating on the credibility of Taco Bueno, I can see his eyes with greater detail. Solid brown and strong like one of his inventions, and flawless caramel brown skin without one blemish in sight. His nose is a little small, and you can't even tell whether or not he's got ears because his hair now reaches half-way down his neck. Leo's the runt of the litter when it comes to the rest of his siblings—more of a Minerva intellect followed by Mercury's mischief. He's still got that baby face of his, and is incredibly slim to me, who's pretty stocky.
And the last thing. It's always been a fact in the air, but I've never actually thought about it. There's this lingering scent of ash, which is odd since he can't burn himself, mixed with oil and sweat, but under that is a thick, kind of tingly scent of ambrosia and lemongrass tea.
Wait, I'm checking Leo out. Blinking, I come to my realization that yes, I'm checking my best friend out from cowlick to shoelace, and he's stopped talking a long time ago. Maybe it's because we're halfbloods and open about it (Phoebus/Apollo's love for Hyacinth, Dad being…Dad, Aphrodite/Venus raising estrogen-filled boys who had one hell of a bitch slap), or maybe Leo's right. Girls look at each other all the time, right? You just look for the assets you'd find in a girl.
Suddenly reality snaps back and I realize what I'm thinking. Uh, wow. Blinking out of my daze, the lemongrass fills my nose and before I get caught up in my mind, I pick up Ivlivs as he holds it out to me and look him in the eye. "I let you win."
"Then I'm letting you think you let me win." Leo looks at me again, and—those eyes. They're nothing like Piper's, they don't change color, and they're firm. Secure.
Even though I'm the one that's been saying the wrong things lately, it's Leo who scurries off like he's just been caught red handed. I blink, realizing that the incredible warmth Leo possesses has just disappeared, and then—oh. Oh. My entire face beams with a new heat while Leo won't look me in the eye. That was…he was straddling my…his hands were on…uh. Torso.
Instead, he grabs his jacket and welder's gloves and coughs a little. "We, um. Yeah."
"Right." That was…sadly enough, I think that's further I've gotten with Leo than either of my two girlfriends combined. I shed of all the armor and helm, immediately feeling about fifty pounds lighter, and drop it in front of the gym. Leo says nothing.
I break the silence. "We should go get your Mexican food."
Pardon me for anymore references between my best friend and the holiday of Christmas, but let me just tell you that he lights up like an entire tree. "And smoothies?"
A smile works its way across my lips and relief flutters through my chest. At least he's not mad. "And smoothies. But that, I'm not buying for you."
LPOV
It's odd.
I've known Jason for four years, and even before I realized how hard I was crushing on the guy, I've known that he's got the tendency to flirt with people without realizing what he's doing. Maybe that's just a power of the god who's got the sex drive of a…er, god, but not only is the guy easy on the eyes, but charming with compliments. Alright, me being called cute? Of course I'm cute! I'm Leo Valdez, lady's man extraordinaire and the only kid known who can summon fire!
But like I said. Jason may carry the authority of a lieutenant on the battlefield and the strength to back it up, but he's kind of clueless when it comes to smooth talking girls on purpose. After the first week of figuring out I'm in love with the guy, I still cherish his compliments, but I don't take 'em to heart. I don't go weak in the knees like a girl if Jason dishes out a sweet compliment. The way he stared at me before getting out of that, er, position though, was kind of…
"You okay, man?" Jason catches me, hand over my shoulder as he realizes I've almost tripped over absolutely nothing. "We can go back to the dorm or something."
"Nah." I fake a calm grin. "My legs are just a little wobbly. Come on, this week is Hestia's."
Oh, shut up.
JPOV
Piper's there to meet us once we enter Hestia's. Unlike a week-and-a-half ago when Vesta's was decked out for Percy's big proposal, Hestia has walls that look like the inside of a cave, and the light source is candles lit with mythical fire. A large hearth covers an entire wall with polished carvings of the stories of Hestia. Furniture is made out of marble, and a set of three stairs etch the floor for either center seating or near the window. In that center is also the couch, and one of the three bakeries is in the middle. You can grab as much food as you want—but a charm forces you to cough up the drachma and aureus and keeps count of how much you've spent.
Dine'nDash is not an option here, unfortunately.
We sit on a couch, Piper's waist comfily between my arms, and watch as Leo shoves the thirtieth tamale down his throat. She and I share the same look of disgust—where does he pack it all? While he locks himself up in a conversation with Travis, Piper's hand finds mine.
"What are you thinking?" she asks softly, pink sprinkling in her cheeks.
"You," I say, kissing her sweetly on the cheek. Once it happens, we're both red with fluster, and I look back to Leo, finding us the object of his attention once again. That look comes on his face again—the one where he scrunches his nose and biting something back.
Then it hits me. The way Leo looks at us…isn't it obvious? Duh.
"Dude," Travis says, jumping into the air like an overexcited puppy. He pats on Leo's shoulder, standing on the couch cushion, and rips the poor guy away from his nachos. "You see what I see?"
Apparently he does. Leo swallows down the last of his nachos like a chipmunk, and a grin spreads across his face. "Ares kid totally trying to put the moves on a super hot Apollo babe?"
"I saw them first."
"Fine. Maneuver #64 with guidelines from Paragraph 1.2."
"1.2? Can't we go with 3?"
"Only if you want me to steal your date!" Going unnoticed by the apparent pair up front, Leo smoothes his curls and leaps from the couch, yanking Travis by the hand.
The latter voice echoes. "Not fair, so not fair!"
Piper and I crack up laughing, and she buries her face into the crook of my neck, bringing her legs close to her chest. We start sharing little comments on either one, but my mind's still whirring from the fact that there was a reason Leo was always caught up in our business. We're always rubbing it in his face that we're together, he always looks uncomfortable when Pipes or I talk about the other—it's just there.
"What are you thinking about now?" Piper nudges me playfully and smiles.
"I'm thinking," I say, suddenly grateful that my girlfriend is the best charmspeaker at OU, "that we should set Leo up with someone. You know, as a date."
After all, Leo's only envious because he's a tad lonely.
Author's Note:
So. Two points to someone who knows what corazoncito means. ;D And another two points: Listen to the song Hold It Against Me by Britney Spears BUT LISTEN TO THE COVER DONE BY SAM TSUI. SOUNDS LESS KINKY. And another on Jason's character: the more I read of him (which is hard because I actually don't have my own copy of the book), the more I want to emphasize this: it's not that Jason's shy, but being in a more "war-like" camp, on top of being a lieutenant-figure, he's not good at expressing his emotions. Honestly, I'm sure he's a lot smarter than Percy too (though I love Percy for being a dork), so yeah. Jason's going to be thinking a lot, and he's totally more rational than say…the Stoll Brothers.