Whoop, Leo has a lil bit of a problem here- poor Leo.
The Official Clarisse: Leo loves joking about shit- and he doesn't even realise how fucking scary he can be- kid is canonically powerful enough to beat a goddess in battle with his powers but doesn't think he's scary- though he hasn't actually beaten a goddess in this yet he's still capable of it.
Undeath9087: Hahahahaha. Yes. Yes. Yes it would. And think about the fact that Aeolus was so pissed off about Typhon that he ordered all demigods killed- sure he forgets these things after five minutes but I mean, he did it. Now think that most people know what Leo and Percy did. And you will see the problem.
Weirdhead: More like your friendly flamethrower!
Black' Victor Cachat: He's definitely the leader, he's the only one with a clue what's going on here. He's just there like 'Well fuck now I have to be the responsible one I didn't ask for this!' And yeah, but they got Leo to look after them, no way is he letting some Boread and goddess fuck with his new friends.
Instead of the two Boreads backing down at that they both tensed up, shocked looks on their faces, "You are the Valdez boy!"
"Uh- yeah-"
"You are one of the two who weakened the cha-"
"Oh shit." Leo groaned, tilting his head back and glaring up at the icy ceiling, "That was an accident okay, I didn't mean to-"
"Lord Boreas will want to kill you personally-"
"What?" Jason's eyes widened and he stepped forward, "Why would he want that?"
"Lord Aeolus hates the Valdez boy and the Jackson girl in particular for their actions. Since the girl is dead she doesn't matter, but the
boy- father would want to deliver his body personally-"
"What actions?" Piper demanded, "What are they talking about Leo-"
"It was an accident." Leo gave his friends an apologetic look, "I don't even know why it's made Aeolus that angry with me-"
"Our father will be sure to tell you when he kills you."
"You can't-" Piper's voice was panicked- but Leo forced down his own panic, his hands igniting suddenly, and both of the Boreads stepped back suddenly looking very nervous.
"How about you both back off before I melt this place- you both know I could do it-"
"You're bluffing," Zethes tried to sound brave, but he suddenly looked very nervous. "You couldn't do that."
"Excuse me?" Leo snorted, "I might have had help during... y'know, but I could have done it on my own, and I survived that. Are you really gonna question what I'm capable of?" he raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips as the two Boreads exchanged nervous looks.
"You couldn't-"
"I have no idea how powerful I am really. I've never pushed myself to my limits." well, he had, but they didn't need to know that, the more powerful they thought he was the better.
"You would kill your friends-"
"I have a flying dragon." Leo pointed out, gesturing with a burning hand to his case, "And I have very good control. Believe me when I say I could get them out safely out of here and you couldn't stop me."
And Leo felt ridiculous, acting like this, acting as if he was super powerful- sure he was good but he knew so many demigods who were more powerful than him- but- at least it seemed to be working, the Boreads looked honestly frightened now- and when he caught his friends gazes he was stunned to see that Piper and Jason were looking at him with a sort of terrified awe, he looked away quickly, feeling uncomfortable at the sight of it.
He wasn't the scary one. No, that would be Thalia, Bianca and Nico. And Annabeth and Luke, not him. Leo had never been the one people looked at like that. He wasn't the powerful one.
But they were looking at him like that. He pushed that thought away, he'd deal with it later, after their meeting with Boreas.
"So. What do you say?" He tilted his head when he looked at the Boreads, "You going to take me to your dad or do I have to go all Human Torch on you."
"No destroy?" Cal's voice was both disappointed and nervous and he was eyeing Leo wearily, and after a long moment Zethes nodded.
"No destroy. We will take them to father." and Leo let the flames around his hands go out, lowering them and giving a light hearted grin.
"Wonderful." he clapped his hands together, "Let's not leave him waiting now." he turned to look at the two brothers, "Now let's go, Piper, Jason you guys ready?"
"Uh, yeah." Piper nodded, her eyes still glued to Leo, "We're ready-"
"I guess so-"
"Jason?" the voice came from a staircase- and Leo turned to look towards it, his eyes widening slightly. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the color of snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown. She focused on Leo with no expression, no smile, no friendliness. Something about her automatically made him uneasy.
She was beautiful, incredibly so, but it was such a cold unnatural beauty- and it was nothing in comparison to Calypso, her warmth, the air of natural beauty, her fierceness, no, she was the opposite of Calpyso- maybe that was what made him so uneasy. Either way he automatically didn't like her.
"That's me." Jason stepped forward, he looked about as uneasy as Leo felt. "And this is Piper and Le-"
"I know who he is." her eyes swung to Leo, a dark look on her face as she eyed him wearily, "The son of Zeus and the girl must come to see father- Valdez-"
"Is coming too." Leo's hand ignited again. "I'm not sending my amnesiac buddy and a girl who's known she's a demigod for a day to see Boreas."
"Fire and Ice do not mix- and after what you did-"
"I doubt your father cares that much." Leo cut her off, "It's Aeolus who has the problems from what your brothers were saying, I'm sure he won't kill me. And I swear on the Styx that as long as I and my friends aren't attacked I won't use my fire powers."
The girl's eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together into a thin line and she stared at him for a long moment.
Out of the corner of his eye Leo noticed Jason and Leo both tensing, Piper's hand moving to the hilt of her dagger as Jason's hand slid into his pocket, probably to grab his magical transforming coin. That was somewhat comforting, his friends were willing to back him up on this- at least he wasn't going to have to deal with them on his own.
"Fine." the girl said after a long moment, a dark look in those coffee colored eyes. "I will take you all to father, but do not say I didn't warn you- leave your-"
"I am bringing Festus with me," Leo's tone wasn't one anyone would argue with, it wasn't a question or request it was a fact, plain and simple.
"Fine." the girl gritted her teeth, "Fine so be it. Just follow me. King Boreas is waiting."
And so they followed her, Leo leading them, the ice princess glancing back at him from time to time, a look of dislike on her face- fire and ice. Yeah, he could get why she'd be unhappy around him.
They climbed the icy staircase, Leo hauling Festus up behind him- it was difficult, even with the wheels on the case it he still had to bump it up each step, though he didn't utter a word of complaint- no way would he admit he was struggling after his show down there, he needed them to think he was as strong and skilled as possible. He couldn't show any weakness he had to be strong for his friends.
He glanced backwards as they climbed the steps, Jason and Leo were close behind him, and he noticed that Jason and Piper were holding hands- they both looked even more nervous than Leo felt- he wondered if that was because he'd taken the lead. He knew that when he'd been on the quest with Annabeth and Percy leading it he'd felt secure enough to be afraid. They didn't have to put up the brave front because they knew that they could rely on him- it was a terrifying thought.
He wondered if Percy had felt like this, if Annabeth had. Being a leader definitely sucked he knew that much.
It might technically be Jason's quest but it sure as Hades didn't feel like it.
Leo shook off those thoughts as they reached the top of the stairs- and gods but his arms were aching, he really should have left Festus down there.
Leo tensed when the ice princess looked back towards him, and past him, he saw her eyes narrowing when she spotted that Piper and Jason were holding hands- her cold smile faded and Leo almost felt the temperature drop, and he stepped in front of them shielding from view, subtly heating himself up- and the girls eyes narrowed even more.
"You swore on the Styx."
"Yeah. I did. As long as my friends aren't attacked." he pitched his voice low so that they wouldn't hear him, "I don't know what your problem is but I am not having you screwing with them."
"Warmth is not a good idea here. Especially when I am your best chance of staying alive." she hissed.
"You wanna challenge the boy who fucked up Hephaestus' favorite forges." maybe it was stupid, but Leo didn't want Piper and Jason knowing what he'd done, what he was capable of- it could be scary, and he could remember the damage that he'd done, he knew how bad it had been- if it hadn't been for him and Percy there was a chance that Typhon might not have been woken- or at least not as early as he was, they might have had more time- they'd made it in the end, Percy had stopped Kronos but it had been a close thing and she'd died.
Maybe if Typhon hadn't been released she'd have never died at all.
Yeah, as impressive a show of power as it had been, Leo wasn't proud of what he'd done that day. Too much bad had come of it and they hadn't even destroyed the stupid Scythe. It scared people- learning he and Percy literally exploded a volcano. That sort of power wasn't really normal even for a kid of the big three like Percy. He was a son of Hephaestus, they weren't usually the super powerful type.
He shook his head slightly to dismiss those thoughts, at least the ice bitch looked somewhat nervous again as she huffed and spun around to move down a massive hallway decked in frosty tapestries.
Leo followed close behind her, glancing back a few times and glaring at Zethes when he made to poke Jason in the back with his sword, which made the Boread falter, and Piper and Jason were still holding hands- and Leo felt a stirring of amusement at the way Jason was looking at Piper- maybe the memories Piper had had were fake, but... he wouldn't be surprised if they did get together, quests were good for bonding after all, and to Leo's eyes Jason looked at Piper in the same way as Will and Nico had looked at each other before Percy had metaphorically bashed their heads together and got them to go out. That forming warmth and affection.
And Piper- well she still had the feelings from the memories. Admittedly Leo wasn't sure a relationship partly built on fake memories would be good but... well, as long as she didn't rely on those memories and she got to know Jason properly then Piper should get along fine.
Hopefully they'd make new real memories that they could form a relationship from.
When they reached the end of the hallway Leo's attention was drawn to a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man's bearded face, blowing wind. All of the wind faces were winter, blowing ice and snow from every corner of the world.
The Princess turned, her eyes glinting at they met Leo's "This is my fathers throne room," she said. "Be on your best behaviour, Leo Valdez. My father can be … chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out, for the sake of the son of Zeus-" that made Jason shift uncomfortably and Piper tense up. "I do hope he at least spares him. We could have such fun."
"You know." Leo huffed the words, "I'm getting real tired of monsters and spirits creeping on my friends. We just want to talk to him we'll leave right afterwards."
The girl smiled. "I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant. Even one like you who has seen so much."
Piper rested her hand on her dagger. "Well, how about you enlighten us? You say you're going to translate for us, and we don't even know who you are. What's your name?"
The girl sniffed with distaste. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't recognize me. Even in the ancient times the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too warm, too far from my domain. I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow. "
She stirred the air with her finger, and a miniature blizzard swirled around her—big, fluffy flakes as soft as cotton.
"Now, come," Khione said. The oaken doors blew open, and cold blue light spilled out of the room. "Hopefully you will survive your little talk with my father."
"I'm sure we will." Leo shot Piper and Jason a reassuring look before he faced forward and stalked into the throne room.