If I were to tell you every bit of this just sort of comes to me in little revelation while I write it, would you believe me? Like, I know where I want the story to go, but the details of how to get there are beyond me.

7. Frayed bonds, part 2

Raphael Santiago is having, quite honestly, one of the most emotional nights in his very long life, which is a matter not to be taken lightly. When Luke Garroway asked him to go to the police station as soon as he could, he thought trouble was brewing; he had not been expecting the file folder Luke had promptly pushed his way.

That was only the start, because inside that folder was a picture of a boy with a screwdriver on his ear, staring intently at what looked like a very antique radio; but what made Raphael mentally stumble was the fact that the boy was a carbon copy of Sammy Valdez.

Sammy was an adult when Raphael was old enough to actually know him, but the similarity was still uncanny; Raphael wondered momentarily if it extended to more than just their looks. He asked Luke why he was bringing the boy up, and was quickly sent Magnus' way.

Thankfully, Magnus was a lot more useful vis-à-vis answering Raphael's questions than the wolf had been; admitting he thought the boy looked familiar but hadn't made the connection. That's how he learned the boy was named Leo, Leo Valdez, and that he wasn't human, not fully.

Magnus was careful about telling Raphael the details, because Leo had been too, he'd explained how short demigod lives were, and how deeply fear was rooted into the boy; Raphael had seen nothing but honesty from Magnus. So he gets involved in a very convoluted search for a half-goat half-man, and a child with ichor on their veins; Magnus had told him he only knew about the ichor because of Simon, since he was staying with Leo for the time being.

It explained where the fledgling had disappeared to, at the very least; but it also gave him plenty reason to push meeting with Leo back. Talking with Simon would be an entire can of worms, one of similar size and volatility as talking with his sort of cousin; and that was the thing, he now had a relative who knew about the shadow world, who would know exactly what Raphael was.

But Magnus knew him too well, and so here Raphael was with only moments before sunrise, having contacted Lily to tell her he'd be spending the day away, helping Magnus with something, which was technically true; and facing the youngest vampire in the clan, inside of a surprisingly spacious department, filled with music, and old arcade-like games.

Simon is quick to let him in, fuzzing about the hour, and how there weren't any curtains in the hall, and offering him something to drink while also asking him to stay away from the table; which is when Raphael notices the pile of metal sitting on it, half-covering a map of the city that's been scribbled on.

"Do you mind ginger? My roommate has a sensitive nose, and I don't want to wake him up"

Raphael arches an eyebrow.

"About that, I have news for your roommate"

Simon makes a face like he was expecting it, like he didn't think Raphael would be there looking for him; it says a lot about both of them.

"Magnus got you involved too? Did he actually give you the full explanation?"

Raphael gives Simon a look, which makes the younger sigh in exasperation; and it's a little nice to know he isn't the only one who feels like that concerning Magnus Bane.

"You know all those myths about heroes having to go on fetch quests for the gods?"

Raphael is unimpressed by his description, but nods regardless.

"Well, the monsters in those myths are very much real, and attracted to demigods"

Simon pulls the cups from the microwave right before it's about to start beeping, in a show of well restrained speed and strength; so at the very least he's been practicing.

"Leo saved Clary and the others from one, and now he's trying to figure out if it was here for him or someone else"

Raphael is a little amused at the Shadowhunters needing someone to save them, but he pushes it down in order to give the picture to Simon; clearly this is important to him.

"Magnus mentioned that, said to give him this"

Simon's eyes widen, taking in the photograph.

"That is definitely a satyr"

He bites his lips, looking towards the hallway that most likely leads to the bedrooms, it's a pretty nice apartment all things considered.

"So, you know Leo's a demigod, right?"

Raphael nods, not really following, Simon swallows noticeably.

"His godly parent if Hephaestus, god of metalworking and fire"

Raphael supposes that explains the pile of metal on the table, Simon continues.

"He's been on the run for forever, so if I wake him up suddenly, I will absolutely end up burned, or killed"

Raphael feels somewhat defensive.

"Killed?"

Simon nods with a grim look on his face.

"Most demigods don't make it past 13, because monsters are after them from the moment they're born; as in, actual monsters"

Raphael arches an eyebrow, Simon remains unbothered.

"Like chimeras, and hydras, and gorgons, and all the others that come to mind when you think of Greek myths"

And it makes Raphael stop, because Simon is so easy to read, and what he sees tells him that everything he says is true; and then he remembers the file, the reason Leo Valdez was in the system. He'll wait, then, he has the entire day.

-.. - -. .-. - / -.- -. - .- / .- ... . .-. . / - ... .- - .-. ... / -. - .. -. -.

The cerastes had been a pleasant surprise, which is not a statement Nico had ever thought he'd think about a monster, ever. As it was though, the presence of the creature meant that he had made it, finally.

Brooklyn hummed with life around him as he took the sights in, life lines strewn like colored wires when he forgot himself for a moment; three stood out, one his own, violet dark enough to be confused as black. The other two were brighter, one a simple red, only just slightly more defined than the other colors, the new demigod no doubt; the other a vibrant copper, like a familiar voice laughing without humor, like the clock in Nico's pocket.